Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #829… AMONG THE BRAVE: COLONEL HERVEY STUDDIFORD STOCKMAN, USAF (1922-2011)… On 11 June 1967 Lieutenant Colonel Stockman, Commander of the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron was downed ten miles north of Kep, North Vietnam while providing CAP for a Rolling Thunder strike on targets near Hanoi. He ejected from his F-4D along with his navigator, Captain Ronald J. Webb. They were captured and imprisoned as POWs until released in March 1973. On this 51st anniversary of Colonel Stockman’s final combat mission, RTR pauses to recognize his extraordinary career in the service of our country. Colonel Stockman flew P-51s in World War II, logged 68 combat missions and was credited with downing two enemy aircraft. During the Cold War he was at the tip of the spear–he was one of the original six U-2 pilots and flew the first “spy” mission over the Soviet Union on 4 July 1956, photographing Soviet air bases, naval shipyards and Leningrad. He flew Rolling Thunder missions from December 1966 to June 1967 before he completed a career in combat with 2,093 days as a POW in North Vietnam. The admiration continues below… but first…
Good Morning: Day EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE savoring the history made by the thousands of American aviators who carried the war into the heartland of North Vietnam in the years 1965-1968…
HEAD LINES from The NEW YORK TIMES on Tuesday, 11 June 1968…
THE WAR… Page 5: “14 REPORTED KILLED AS FOE SHELLS CENTRAL SAIGON–CASUALTY FIGURES FOR WEEK– 438 AMERICANS KILLED IN COMBAT”… “The United States military command in its weekly summary of casualties, said that in the week that ended June 1, a total of 438 Americans died in combat. The summary also said that 2,180 Americans had been wounded seriously enough to require hospitalization and 1,690 additional troops had been treated and released (4,308 PURPLE HEARTS in one week). The weekly figures brought the total number of American combat deaths to 24,364 since January 1, 1961. The total number of seriously wounded in that period is 79,181 (THE TOTAL KILLED AND SERIOUSLY WOUNDED IN THE VIETNAM WAR REACHED 103,545 fifty years ago this week… Humble Host reminds: 33,636 more American warriors will perish before the United States withdraws in 1973) … At least 15 rocket rounds smashed into downtown Saigon shortly after dawn today, hitting several apartment houses and stores (civilian targets). The national police said that initial reports indicated that 14 civilians had been killed and 100 wounded. The 10-minute attack was the eighth shelling of the city in as many days… street fighting ceased and a few snipers continue to fire…The South Vietnamese meantime, said that since May 5 when the latest series of Vietcong attacks against the city began, a total of 2,880 enemy soldiers had been killed in the city by Government forces. They said 328 had been captured. In addition to the soldiers killed by South Vietnamese units the military said the allies killed 2,436 and captured 105. (Total Vietcong killed in May in or near Saigon: 5,316)… WAR IS A KILLING AND MERCILESS BUSINESS….Fighting in the north in Quangtri has increased near the Marine combat base near Khe Sanh. In a night defensive fight against attacking North Vietnamese the marines lost 7 troops and enemy losses were at least 12. In a second firefight resulting from an ambush of a marine truck convoy, 12 marines and 12 enemy troops were killed.”…The war goes on… An interesting Historical Document (270) dated 11 June 1968 pertains. This Memorandum for the Record is from the mind and pen of General Westmorelnd as he packed out of Saigon for duty in the Pentagon. It is a rambler worth the read for insights into the thinking of “the general who lost the war.”….. Read at:
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d270
PEACE TALKS: Page 8: “HARRIMAN BACK IN PARIS AFTER TALK WITH JOHNSON–Way to Skirt Impasse Over Hanoi Demand for Bombing Cessation Is Hinted”… “… Ambassador Harriman, who returned to Paris from a three-day trip to the United States to attend Senator Robert Kennedy’s funeral said he brought ‘nothing new’ for the next session of talks with Hanoi’s representatives on Wednesday. ‘There is nothing new to be hopeful for. I just hope the people of the world will bring enough pressure to bear on North Vietnam to help us reach a peaceful settlement.’ ” Two Historical Documents dated 11 June pertain. Document 268 is a “think piece” from Walt Rostow, the President’s Special Assistant– doing his job–giving the President his thoughts on the Paris peace process and dealing with Kosygin… Good staff work. The second document (269) is a letter in a series of letters between Kosygin and the President on the subject of the Paris peace talks: Diplomacy at the highest levels. Good timely history lesson in this example of how compromises are worked out, or not. Read at:…
268… https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d268
269… https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d269
11 JUNE 1968… THE PRESIDENT’S DAILY BRIEF (CIA TS/SI): FRANCE: The election campaign started off with a bang as Molotov cocktails were thrown into the Gaullist party buildings. Labor resistance continues, including the large auto industry. Clashes between students and police broke out again in Paris Student leaders have called for a mass demonstration against “repression” later today….SOUTH KOREA: There was a flurry of minor incidents along the DMZ over the weekend…could be attempts of North Korea to infiltrate agents into the South… ISRAEL: The Israelis have finally agreed to receive a US inspection group at their Dimona nuclear facility on 29 June. this may give some indication of the stage of development which the Israelis have attained at this facility….NORTH VIETNAM: Photography Report. A high-level photographic mission on 3 June covered the Haiphong area with good quality photography…Activity had increased throughout the Haiphong port area since 22 May…the rolling stock present increased from 147 to 178 between 22 May and 43 June (average was 70 cars wer day in 1967. Repairs of b ridges account for the increase) Volume of cargo has increased 30%… Eleven merchant ships are unloading in the inner harbor and three others were being lightered at anchorage. There were a total of 21 merchant ships in port area. The average number observed in May was 16. …KEP was the only major airfield covered on this mission. the extension of the runway appears complete, and two MiG-21s and four MiG-17s were present… Hanoi is trying to sell the idea that there are no North Vietnamese fighting in the South by claiming that there are many from the North with roots in the South who are just returning to to fight for the North in the South….
11 JUNE 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… NEW YORK TIMES (12 June reporting 11 June ops) Page 2: “In the air war in the north: There were broken clouds over the entire southern North Vietnam area and later the skies were overcast. Nevertheless, United States pilots flew 129 multi-aircraft missions against targets in the area just north of the DMZ. ..VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 11 June 1968….
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) ON 11 JUNE FOR THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION IN THE SKIES OVER NORTH VIETNAM…
1965… NONE…
1966… NONE…
1967… LCOL HERVEY STUDDIFORD STOCKMAN, USAF…(POW)…and …CAPTAIN RONALD JOHN WEBB, USAF…(POW)… and… MAJOR DONALD MARION KLEMM, USAF… (KIA)… and … 1LT ROBERT HARVEY PEARSON, USAF… (KIA)…
1968… NONE…
Humble host flew #182. Led a division as part of a day mini-Alpha of 10 bombers on a crippled bridge at Vinh. Lead set us up a shallow and my 5 Mk-82s hit the dirt in the north side approach to the target due to shallow dive and my failure to compensate by later release of weapons…Pullout was at 2,000-feet as it was… Overcast at 10,000-feet limited options. Nobody hit the bridge… for shame… 37/57 flak plentiful but barrage fire and non-tracking…
RIPPLE SALVO… #829…CONTINUING AN RTR TRIBUTE TO AN AMERICAN HERO… COLONEL HERVIE STOCKMAN, a Cold Warrior above all others… Colonel Stockman wrote this shortly after he was released from captivity: “My message is for the development among men of a better understanding of themselves and their neighbors and mankind in general. It is only in this way that society can grow constructively and that eventually we can learn to live in peace. Our objectives as families, communities, states, and a nation must be clearly understood and each of us has the God-given responsibility to work to achieve them. Self-indulgence in all things must be tempered. Certainly there is always a place for dissent, but it should be delivered with intelligence, coupled with a viable alternative.”…
AMONG THE BRAVE… GALLANTRY IN ACTION…the SILVER STAR… NORTH VIETNAM, 11 JUNE 1967…
“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the SILVER STAR to Lieutenant Commander HERVEY STUDDIFORD STOCKMAN, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as an F4C Aircraft Commander of the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Danang Air Base, Vietnam, in action over Southeast Asia on 11 June 1967. On that date Colonel STOCKMAN successfully protected five flights of F-105 aircraft from hostile attack while they were delivering ordnance on an important military target in this dangerous and highly defended area. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Colonel STOCKMAN reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”
SECOND SILVER STAR… The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the SILVER STAR to Colonel HERVEY STUDDIFORD STOCKMAN, United States Air Force, for gallantry and intrepidity in action in connenction with military operations against an opposing armed force on 11 June 1967, while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. Ignoring international agreements on treatment of prisoners of war, the enemy resorted to mental and physical cruelties to obtain information, confessions, and propaganda materials. Colonel STOCKMAN resisted their demands by calling upon his deepest inner strengths in a manner which reflected his devotion to duty and gret credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”…
LEGION OF MERIT… “…for Exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from June 1967 to February 1973. His ceaseless efforts, by a continuous showing of resistance to an enemy who ignored all international agreements on treatment of Prisoners of War, in the extremely adverse conditions of the communist prisons of North Vietnam, demonstrated his professional competence, unswerving devotion, and loyalty to his country. Despite the harsh treatment through his long years of incarceration, he continued to perform his duties in a clearly exceptional manner which reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”…
LEGION OF MERIT… “Awarded for actions during Peace Time”…a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of Second Award of the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States…
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS… “Awarded for actions during World War II while in the service of the Army Air Corps….”Captain Stockman, United States Army Air Force, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight.”…
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS… “Awarded for actions during the Cold War” … “The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of Second Award of a Distinguished Flying Cross to Major HERVEY STUDDIFORD STOCKMAN, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight from 21 January 1956 to 31 January 1958. During this period, Major STOCKMAN performed under exceptional conditions, flight which were of great importance to the United States Air Force. The initiative, technical ability and devotion to duty displayed by Major STOCKMAN reflect great credit upon himself and the Unite States Air Force.”
With highest respect and admiration for one of the bravest of the brave…
Lest we forget… Bear
