Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #848… ON HIS FIRST MISSION AS A COMBAT SAR PARARESCUEMAN (Jumper) AIRMAN JOEL TALLEY IS RECOGNIZED FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for friends. Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:13) …the rescue and the AIR FORCE CROSS Citation…but first…
GOOD MORNING… Day EIGHT HUNDRED FORTY-EIGHT in-a-row posting a remembrance from a war fought fifty years ago in Vietnam most want to forget or ignore, and a 44-month air war called Operation Rolling Thunder that they never heard of…
HEAD LINES from The New York Times on Monday, 1 July 1968, “The Year the Dream Died”…
THE WAR: “HUGE ENEMY CACHE OF TNT AND SHELLS FOUND IN SAIGON”… “Another sizable arms cache was discovered west of Saigon yesterday and military officials said today they were convinced that the enemy had been dealt a severe blow. It was the second large-scale discovery of weapons in the area within four days ‘We’re finally getting them where it hurts,’ a high-ranking officer said. ‘It’s one thing to retaliate after they’ve hit us, but a better thing to get at them before they can strike.’ The latest cache was unearthed by South Vietnamese forces near the village of Mochoa, almost 50 miles west of Saigon and five miles south of the Cambodia border…. In the ground war, United States and South Vietnamese troops continued to clash with enemy units around Saigon as reports persisted that another enemy assault on this war-weary capital was being readied. Elements of the Third Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division were said to have killed 34 enemy soldiers in a battle early in the morning in an area 29 miles northwest of the city. There were no Americans killed in the action… 21 enemy soldiers were killed in a battle two miles further north. American losses were 3 killed and 13 wounded…. During the night the Benluc bridge in the Mekong Delta was knocked out of commission by an explosion. The bridge is 16 miles southwest of Saigon…. In the northern portion of South Vietnam 14 North Vietnamese soldiers were reported killed in a clash near Khe Sanh. there were no American casualties… PEACE TALKS: No coverage in NYT…
Page 1: “CHARTERED JET WITH 214 SERVICEMEN INTERCEPTED BY RUSSIANS FORCED TO LAND IN KURILES–Airliner On A Flight From U.S. may Have Strayed”… “An American jet airliner carrying 234 persons, including 214 United States servicemen, was forced down by Soviet fighter planes in the Kurile Islands north of Japan. The Pentagon said the plane was intercepted at about 7:15 P.M. Eastern daylight time and landed a few minutes later on Russian soil. The plane, a Seaboard World Airlines DC-8 Super 63, chartered by the Military Airlift Command, was bound for Cam Ranh Bay... Page 1: “GIANT MILIARY JET ABLE TO CARRY 750 PASSES FLIGHT TEST–THE LOCKHEED C-5 GALAXY FLEW FOR THE FIRST TIME YESTERDAY”… “The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, 10 of which could have done the job of all 300 planes in the Berlin airlift of 1948, flew for the first time today. …in the process regained from the Russians the distinction of flying the world’s largest aircraft.”… Page 1: “FRANCE VOTES GAULISTS BIG ASSEMBLY MAJORITY–Reds Lose Half Their Seats”… Page 3: “CURFEW IMPOSED IN BERKELEY AFTER DISORDERS–EMERGENCY DECLARED AND 20 HELD AFTER NIGHT RALLIES IN OPPOSITION TO DE GAULLE”… “…CURFEW CALLED AFTER A NIGHT OF WINDOW BREAKING AND REPORTED LOOTING IN SEVERAL AREAS…”…an hour after the City manager impose the curfew, the police had arrested 20 persons. In two preceding night about 30 persons were injured and a dozen arrested in connection with activities planned to show sympathy for French students opposed to President de Gaulle.”…
1 JULY 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times: No coverage of air operations north of the DMZ… VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There was one fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 1 July 1968…
(1) LCOL JACK MODICA was flying an F-105D of the 333rd TFS and 355th TFW out of Takhli on a strike north of the DMZ and took part in an attack on SA-2 missiles on missile carriers en route to a SAM site near the DMZ. LCOL MODICA was downed by ground fire and forced to eject in extremely hostile country north of the DMZ, 17 miles west of Dong Hoi in North Vietnam. A Misty FAC located LCOL MODICA, who was seriously injured, in heavy jungle and commenced a rescue operation. The initial attempts to make the pick-up were driven back by intense enemy gunfire considered too severe to risk the helicopters. LCOL MODICA was left alone in the jungle overnight. At dawn a third rescue attempt was made but the helicopter was hit by ground fire and forced to retreat. A few hours later a fourth attempt was launched. The effort was led by a U.S. Coast Guard pilot in a 37th ARRS HH-3E helicopter, LT LANCE A. EGAN. He penetrated the hostile area, got over LCOL MODICA and lowered his pararescueman AIRMAN JOEL TALLEY down to the severely injured pilot on the jungle floor, and left them in order to conceal the location and avoid opposing fire while AIRMAN TALLEY searched for, administered first aid for a broken pelvis, and moved the pilot to an opening in the canopies of jungle where a pickup could be made. LT EGAN reentered the hot area to complete the pickup when called back by AIRMAN TALLEY. The penetrator was dropped to the pair on the jungle floor and after LCOL MODICA was secure in a litter, AIRMAN TALLEY strapped himself over the pilot’s body and called for the lift. As soon as the pair were clear of the trees, and still dangling in air, LT EGAN exited south to safety as the enemy fired away and scored 40 hits on the escaping HH-3E … oohrah…
AMONG THE BRAVE… INTREPIDITY AND GALLANTRY…LIEUTENANT LANCE A. EGAN, UNITED STATES COAST GUARD…the SILVER STAR…NORTH VIETNAM… 2 JULY 1968… Citation…
“The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the SILVER STAR (Air Force Award) to Lieutenant LANCE A. EGAN, United States Coast Guard, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force while attached to the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (USAF), as rescue Crew Commander of an HH-3E helicopter in Southeast Asia on 2 July 1968. On that date Lieutenant EGAN penetrated a heavily defended area of North Vietnam to attempt the rescue of an injured downed pilot after three helicopters had been severely damaged and driven off by the intense hostile ground fire. Lieutenant EGAN with undaunted determination, indomitable courage and professional skill established a hover and deployed a Pararescueman to assist the injured airman. Disregarding the hostile fire that originated from beneath his hovering helicopter, Lieutenant EGAN maintained a stable hover until the downed pilot and Pararescueman were safely recovered from the hostile area. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Lieutenant EGAN reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Coast Guard.”… Nice work, Coastie…oohrah…
LCOL JACK MODICA (1924-2011) retired from the Air Force in 1970. His distinguished career included fighter-pilot duty in WWII (P-38), Korea (F-86) and Vietnam (F-105), and his combat awards included the SILVER STAR, Purple heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. In retirement he remained in touch with both Lance Eagan and Joel Talley…
RIPPLE SALVO… #848… The AIR FORCE CROSS came into being in 1960 to recognize Air Force personnel for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM that had there-to-fore merited the award of the Army DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS. The first AFC was awarded in 1962 (Cuba). A total of 193 AFCs were awarded during the years 1962 through 2003, with 181 awarded for extraordinary heroism during the years of the Vietnam war (1965-75)… By my count 17 of those were awarded to Enlisted warriors of the Air Force. Nine of those were to recognize the intrepid bravery of Pararescue Jumpers. AIRMAN JOEL TALLEY, of Farmland, Indiana, was one of those eight. He earned the AFC, second only to the Medal of Honor in rank among the nation’s awards for heroism, on his very first mission as a crewman on “Jolly Green 20” on 2 July 1968 rescuing LCOL JACK MODICA from the jungle 17 miles west of Dong Hoi, North Vietnam…
AMONG THE BRAVE… EXTRORDINARY HEROISM… AIRMAN JOEL E. TALLEY, USAF…the AIR FORCE CROSS… 2 JULY 1968… NORTH VIETNAM… Citation:
“The President of the United States of America…takes pleasure in presenting the AIR FORCE CROSS to Airman JOEL E. TALLEY, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed enemy force while serving as a Rescue Specialist (Pararescueman) on an HH-3E Rescue Helicopter of the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group, DaNang Air Base, Vietnam, in action near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam on 2 July 1968. On that date, Airman TALLEY volunteered to be lowered to the ground from a hovering helicopter into the jungle of North Vietnam to rescue an injured pilot who had parachuted into a concentration of North Vietnamese Army regulars who immediately surrounded him and set up gun positions to trap the forthcoming rescue helicopters. Four rescue attempts were driven off, and a supporting fighter aircraft was shot down by devastating ground fire, which encircled the survivor’s position. Despite full knowledge of the well-laid trap, Airman TALLEY voluntarily descended to search the jungle floor. After an extensive search he found the helpless survivor, carried him to the rescue device, and signaled the helicopter to commence extraction. While Airman TALLEY and the survivor were being hoisted, a fusillade of enemy fire raked the helicopter scoring more than 40 hits, forcing the helicopter to exit the area, exposing both airmen to hostile fire. The rescue was successfully accomplished. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Airman TALLEY reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”…
RTR quote for 1 July: THUCYDIDES: “The secret to happiness is freedom…And the secret to freedom is courage.”
Lest we forget… Bear
