ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED 22 MARCH 1966

Good Morning: Day TWENTY-TWO of a look back to Operation Rolling Thunder…Fifty Years Ago…

22 March 1966 (NYT)…ON THE HOMEFRONT… A Tuesday morning of Easter bonnet weather. Headline page 1: “Ground War in Vietnam Grows; Southern Part of Central Highlands and Closer to Saigon.” Three significant battles were fought NE of Saigon and 300 enemy were reported killed in the engagements. Downed American aircraft were news on pages 1 and 4. Losses as noted in my March 21 blog: Four jets were lost including two from the USS Enterprise, a Marine EF-10B, and an A-4 in the Mekong Delta…. In a one inch box on a later page, the Defense Department announced 12 American troops killed in action, ten Army and two Marines… A long piece on or near the Editorial page by Felix Blair reported on an Asian Conference in Hong Kong. Headline: “Asian Experts Clash Over the Way to Curb Red China.” Doctor Donald Zagoria of Columbia Research Institute was quoted: “The best hope for ending the fighting in the Vietnam War is to strengthen those groups in Moscow and Hanoi that have a more flexible approach to negotiations against the ‘bitter-enders’ supported by Peking.” Zagoria, who authored a book on the split between the Soviet and the PRC, pointed out that North Vietnam has both hawks and doves as does the United States. He said: The hawks are still dominant and hold that more US commitment–more troops and support –have not had a negative effect (i.e. not greatly diminished) on communist prospects for success, while the doves thought the reverse. Therefore the need was to strengthen the doves position “…by convincing them through words and action the United States could not be forced out of Vietnam and that a military victory for the Vietcong was impossible.” He added: “Do not insist on unconditional surrender.”… Zagoria asked, “Why are we talking to China and not the Vietnamese? This is essentially a civil war to allow the warring countries to pursue self-determination.”…. ( Your Humble Host (YHH) noted that nobody asked, “If it is a civil war, why is the US in it?”)……

22 MARCH 1966 …ROLLING THUNDER… Bad weather “up north” limited ops and no Rolling Thunder missions of significance were flown, which allows YHH to let author Chis Hobson tell the story about the downing and capture of COMMANDER JAMES STOCKDALE. ….

“Using VA-163s appropriate call sign ‘Old Salt 353,’ 42-year old CDR STOCKDALE had flown 175 missions when he set out on 9 September 1965 to lead a major USS ORISKANY strike on the Thanh Hoa Bridge. Unfortunately, the weather closed in over Thanh Hoa half way through the launch cycle and STOCKDALE had to send his aircraft to secondary targets. After an abortive search for a SAM site CDR STOCKDALE decided to attack railway sidings about 15 miles south of Thanh Hoa, STOCKDALE approached the target at 150-feet, released his Snakeye bombs and pulled up for another pass. As the aircraft reached about 700-feet it was hit by 57mm ground fire and immediately pitched nose down. With the aircraft diving at great speed, the hydraulic system inoperative, and the gyro toppled, COMMANDER STOCKDALE had no choice but to eject. He landed in the village of Tin Gia near the target and was attacked by several villagers and badly beaten. Primarily a Crusader pilot(he was the first man to reach 1000-hours in the F-8), JIM STOCKDALE was the second CAG to be shot down in the war. He was temporarily replaced as CAG by LCOL CHARLES H. LUDDEN, CO of VMF(AW)-212. This was the second time since World War II that a Marine commanded a Navy air wing.

“CDR STOCKDALE spent the next seven and a half years in prison in Hanoi where, as the most senior naval officer captured, he was singled out for the most brutal treatment imaginable. JAMES STOCKDALE adhered to the Code of Conduct for POWs and provided a superb example for his fellow prisoners thereby bringing him further retribution from his captors. His refusal to cooperate in the propaganda efforts of the North Vietnamese and the discovery of the prisoners’ secret communication system brought more torture and beatings from the guards. CDR STOCKDALE, realizing that the punishment was about to be meted out to the other prisoners, made himself a symbol of their collective resistance and on 4 September 1969 he deliberately inflicted a near fatal wound to convince his captors of his willingness to die rather than capitulate. He was revived by the North Vietnamese who seemed to realize that they could not break his spirit and from that time on, the treatment in the prison camp improved. In recognition of JAMES STOCKDALE’s courageous leadership in the most terrible conditions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1976. He was released on 12 February 1973 and resumed his naval career. JAMES STOCKDALE retired from the Navy in 1979 in the rank of Vice Admiral…” (Source: “Vietnam Air Losses:….” Chis Hobson, page 31)….

RIPPLE SALVO…. TUESDAY LUNCH…. American lack of success in enticing North Vietnam to talk peace; the poor results from the first ten months of Rolling Thunder, with respect to interdicting the flow of men and material from the north to the south; and, the lack of evidence that the air campaign had had any noticeable effect on the North’s war fighting in the south, led to several studies, meetings, and Tuesday Luncheons with LBJ at the White House during the period Christmas 1965 to mid-March 1966. By March 22 the studies were in, consensus reached, and decisions on where the thrust of Rolling Thunder and the next JCS Target List  would take the campaign were imminent. The count down to April 1 and decision time was on… Rolling Thunder 50 and the “fickle finger of Fate” was in final draft… where were our intrepid Yankee Air Pirates and Red River Rats going for heart pounding excitement next?… Only the White House knows…

Lest we forget… Bear

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