Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #769… PRINCETON-EDUCATED MAYOR OF SHANGHAI K.C. WU QUOTED IN 1945 ON AMERICAN IMPATIENCE WITH THE ALWAYS DIFFICULT PURSUIT OF PEACE: “Fighting is almost a way of life over here,’ Mayor Wu explained, ‘I know it’s hard for you Americans to understand. You’re all business, all efficiency. You want everything–including peace and war–tied up in a nice, neat package. It just doesn’t work that way in Asia. We’re not in a hurry–even if you are.”… but first…
GOOD MORNING: Day SEVEN HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE of an OPEN on-line journal of the days of Operation Rolling Thunder–a battle fought in the air over North Vietnam fifty years ago… Readers are reminded that this is your opportunity to add your comments and tales of the times to the record and archives of this website…
HEAD LINES from the OGDEN STANDARD-EXAMINER (AP/UPI) on SATURDAY, 13 APRIL 1968…
THE WAR: Page 1: “BOMBERS RAKE RED FORCES–KILL 200 AT MEKONG DELTA–POUND ENEMY POSITIONS IN WIDE AREA OF SOUTH”… “American B52 bombers pounded enemy positions up and down South Vietnam in five missions today after killing 200 Viet Cong soldiers in a rare B52 strike in the Mekong Delta, the U.S. Command said. The B52s, which fly too high to be seen or heard from the ground, dropped tons of explosives Friday on enemy troop concentrations, weapons positions and a storage area in Vinh Binh Province 74 miles southwest of Saigon. South Vietnamese troops reported 200 Viet Cong bodies when they swept through the area four hours after the eight engine Stratofortresses struck. If the count is correct it is the largest number of enemy troops ever reported killed in a single B52 mission in nearly three years the giant bombers have been supporting allied forces in South Vietnam… Other B52 and fighter-bomber strikes today were against enemy buildup areas west of Kontum City in the Central Highlands near the Cambodian border, near Khe Sanh, and southwest of Hue…. In ground fighting, about 200 Viet Cong troops attacked two platoons of the U>S. 196th Light Infantry Brigade in night defensive positions 11 miles west of coastal Tam Ky. 12 Americans were killed and 30 wounded and four enemy soldiers were known killed… elsewhere along the central coast South Korean troops reported killing 55 Viet Cong soldiers in a series of small clashes. Korean casualties were reported light… Units on Operation Complete Victory (sweeps around Saigon) the war’s biggest allied operation, helicopter gunships were reported to have killed 20 Viet Cong 90 miles northwest of Saigon… Units on Operation Pegasus, a 20,000 man sweep, reported killing 53 enemy troops in scattered skirmishes near Khe Sanh.”… Page 1: “Kin Of LBJ In Vietnam”…”President Johnson’s son-in-law, Airman 1.C. Patrick J. Nugent, 24, arrived today at the U.S. Air Force Base at Cam Ranh Bay on South Vietnam’s central coast…. The President’s other son-in-law Marine Captain Charles S. Robb was in command of a rifle company in the Danang area. The President and the Johnson family will spend East weekend at the LBJ Ranch in Texas.”…
Page 1: “KANSAS CITY ERUPTS IN SNIPER FIRE”… “Scattered sniper fire disrupted a strict curfew Friday night as Kansas City’s racial unrest tapered off after three nights of violence in which six Negroes were shot to death. Police say there were 133 arrests Friday night, most of which were for violation of curfew. One died Tuesday night, five Wednesday and nearly 100 other persons were wounded or injured. Hundreds have been left homeless by fires of incendiary origin.”… Page 1: “FBI PURSUES EVERY LEAD IN HUNT FOR KING ASSASSIN”…FBI agents have uncovered ‘very substantial’ physical evidence as they work ‘around the clock’ pursuing every lead in the search for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassin, says Attorney General Ramsey Clark. ‘The FBI is devoting every possible resource to this investigation,’ Clark said. ‘While it remains impossible to predict when the killer will be arrested, I remain hopeful that it will be soon.’ “… Page 1: “CONFUSION IN SENATE–GUN SALE CURBS SNAG ANTI-CRIME BILL”… “Further Senate action on a sweeping anti-crime bill is hung up by confusion over its proposed handgun sales.”… Page 2: “SHOOTING AFTERMATH–RIOTS SPREAD IN GERMANY”… “West Berlin and cities throughout West Germany faced a tense two days of violence over the shooting of Rudi Dutschke, a leftist student leader known as Red Rudl. The rioting spread to many cities after Dutschke, 28, was shot Thursday on West Berlin’s main street. The suspected gunman Josef Bachmann told police he had been inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”…
13 APRIL 1968…THE PRESIDENT’s DAILY BRIEF (CIA TS/S-I)… LATE ITEM: The wire service report serious clashes in six major West German cities and West berlin early today between police and followers of the leftist student shot in Berlin Thursday. More violence is expected throughout the weekend…. the rioting took on the character of an anti-Americanization campaign yesterday…… SOUTH VIETNAM: there are signs of increasing alarm in militantly anti-Communist Catholic Vietnamese talks, which they fear may portend a Communist take-over. Several Catholic communities near Saigon are talking protest demonstrations, but their leaders claim that no early action is planned.”… LAOS: Communist forces yesterday launched their first ground assault against government positions at Attopeu since late February. At last report Attopeu was still in government hands….. NORTH VIETNAM: On a settlement of the war, Pham Van Dong, the Premier, said Hanoi still insisted on withdrawal of US troops from the South and permanent and unconditional cessation of the war against the North , i.e. Rolling Thunder… VIETNAM HOSPITAL IN CAMBODIA… …for casualties from Communist forces in the central highlands… a 3,000 bed hospital fan four smaller ones…three with surgical capability…one mobile units dealt with 173 casualties in three hours... Repair To Installations…Photography of 16 March shows extensive repair work on one of Haiphong’s two power plants and the cement plant. No repair work had been done on either since they were hit in April 1967…
13 APRIL 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… OGDEN S-E (14 Apr reporting 13 Apr ops)…Page 2: “U.S. Headquarters said …air raids over North Vietnam included the second straight day of resumed combat action by the Air Force’s new F-111s. The $8-million planes had been grounded after two were lost in the first week of missions. Spokesmen said Navy jets made the deepest penetration over the North since April 4 hitting at a highway bridge 22 miles northeast of Vinh. The strike was well below the 20th parallel bombing limit set by President Johnson an a mile below a reported unannounced limit of the 19th parallel, 170 miles into North Vietnam from the DMZ.”…
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 13 April 1968…
(1) A C-130B Hercules of the 774th TAS and 463rd TAW out of Mactan was landing with a crew of seven aboard at Khe Sanh and incurred an engine problem on landing rollout that caused the aircraft to veered off the runway and impact with several obstacles to a clear path, including a truck and a forklift before coming to a stop. A fire followed that destroyed the aircraft. The seven member crew survived without injury.
(2) MAJOR WALTER MORRIS STISCHER and CAPTAIN D.L. VERHEES were flying an RF-4C of the 12th TRS and 460th TRW out of Tan Son Nhut and executing a photo reconnaissance mission on a road segment –Route 165– on the Ho Chi Minh Trail . They incurred battle damage from enemy ground fire on their second pass on the strip. The F-4 Phantom was set afire and the two aviators were forced to eject. CAPTAIN VERHEES came down in an area free of enemy troops and was rescued by a quick reacting SAR effort. Unfortunately, MAJOR STISCHER came down amid a covey of North Vietnamese troops making a pick-up impossible. Thus began–on this day fifty years ago– a five-year sojourn as a POW in Hanoi, where he served with courage and honor…
AMONG THE BRAVE… FOR GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY IN COMBAT… MAJOR WALTER MORRIS STISCHER, USAF… SILVER STAR… 7 APRIL 1968…
“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the SILVER STAR to MAJOR WALTER MORRIS STISCHER, United States Air force, for GALLANTRY in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force while serving with the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam, in Southeast Asia on 7 April 1968. On that date MAJOR STISCHER flew an unarmed and unescorted reconnaissance mission into unfriendly territory to obtain visual and photographic data on a heavily defended surface-to-air missile site and an airfield. Hampered by poor weather conditions he penetrated extremely accurate and intense ground fire, completely disregarding his own safety, in order to obtain complete photo coverage of the assigned targets. As a result of MAJOR STISCHER’s valiant efforts, invaluable data, concerning the activities of hostile forces was provided to the forces allied to the Republic of Vietnam. This information greatly facilitated allied efforts in this rea. By his GALLANTRY and DEVOTION TO DUTY, MAJOR STISCHER has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”…
THE LEGION OF MERIT, First award… “…for EXCEPTIONALLY MERITORIOUS CONDUCT in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the Unite States as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from April 1968 to March 1973. His ceaseless efforts, by a continuous showing of resistance to an enemy that ignored all international agreements on treatment of Prisoners of War, in the extremely adverse conditions of the communist prisons of North Vietnam, demonstrate his professional competence, unwavering 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.”….
THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS… “…for EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT while participating in aerial flight as an RF-4C Aircraft Commander in Southeast Asia on 10 April 1968. On that date, MAJOR STISCHER flew a night reconnaissance mission to detect hostile supply movements and to locate an unfriendly base camp. Despite accurate and intense anti-aircraft fire and hazardous mountain terrain, MAJOR STISCHER was able to direct his aircraft over the assigned targets. His acts of heroism enabled the allies of the Republic of Vietnam to obtain invaluable intelligence of hostile force supply activities and the location of unfriendly base camp. The professional competence, aerial skill and devotion to duty displayed by MAJOR STISCHER reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”…
FROM THE COMPILATION “34TFS/F-105 History” by Howie Plunkett: 13-Apr-68: “Scuba flight from the 34 TFS hit a road segment in Route Pack I using Sky Spot. The flight took off from Korat at 1245 and returned after flying 2 hours fifteen minutes. The line-up: #1 Major Sam Armstrong; #2 Major Don Hodges; #3 LCOL Bob Smith; and, #4 Major Seymour Bass.” …From the 100 Combat Mission Log of LGEN Armstrong: 99th Mission. “We were fragged in on a target in Route Pack I. It was a road segment on Route 1A just south of Dong Hoi. The weather was completely undercast so they set us up for a radar drop on our target. We had so much fuel that we didn’t even have to post-strike refuel on the way back. A real effortless mission….
RIPPLE SALVO… #769… OPINION EDITORIAL from the OGDEN S-E, 13 APRIL 1968, page 6…
“LONG, DEVIOUS ROAD TO VIET PEACE”
“The road to peace in Vietnam is long and devious. The current disagreement between Hanoi and Washington over the site for proposed truce negotiations shows that there are many curves on the ‘end of the war’ highway. Americans shouldn’t be surprised–if they think back 15 years to what happened in Korea.
“The discussions at Pan Mun Jon went on for months and months. The U.N. commanded the troops, mostly American and South Korean, to fight only in self-defense while the talks were being conducted. There were more than 6,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines killed during this period.
“Now, in Vietnam, it’s a somewhat different story. the allies, mostly American and South Vietnamese this time, are continuing a limited offensive–bombing north of the so-called demilitarized zone (OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER) and attempting to ‘mop up’ scattered pockets of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. The Pentagon has shown its wariness of the peace prospects by calling 24,500 reservists into federal service, including 82 men of the 259th Army Quartermaster Reserve Battalion of Pleasant Grove, Utah.
“The enemy is cautious, too. Bill Baggs, editor of the Miami, Florida News is currently in Hanoi, his second trip in three years to the North Vietnam capital. he reports that the Ho Chi Minh government was actually surprised by President Johnson’s announcement that the war would be de-escalated. It was several days, Baggs writes in a dispatch received in Ogden Friday cover the AP wire, before the North Vietnamese could agree on an answer to the White House offer.
” ‘After extended conversations with those politicians who might be described as the appropriate parties in Hanoi, this reporter has concluded that the North Vietnamese are willing to discuss anything with the United States…almost,’ Baggs says.
“He quoted Hoang Tung, editor of the official newspaper of Hanoi, as saying ‘we want peace. But the bombing must stop. As you can see, we have had our difficulties, but life goes on. We have managed. We do not wish to continue the war, but we can carry on for many years if necessary. Peace is what we want, but first the bombing must stop.’
“The general frustration in the United States at the lack of immediate results from our peace gesture reminds us of a conversation we had in Shanghai during 1945 with Princeton-educated K.C. Wu, then Mayor of China’s largest city. We expressed irritation at the signs of new hostilities in China, despite the fact that World War II had just been ended. ‘Fighting is almost a way of life over here,’ Mayor Wu explained. ‘I know it’s hard for you Americans to understand. You’re all business, all efficiency. You want everything–including peace and war–tied up in a nice, neat package. It just doesn’t work that way in Asia. We’re not in hurry–even if you are.’
“With this is in mind, we can expect the Vietnam talks to be prolonged and bewildering–and certainly frustrating much of the time. But if peace does come to Southeast Asia, it will be the first time in more than a quarter of a century that there has been no war in that part of the world.”… End quote…
The Vietnam “peace process” will run–off and on–for almost five more years and another 37,000 American troops will perish in the offing. The Paris Peace Accords ending the war and “restoring peace in Vietnam” was signed on 27 January 1973 to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam war. And then the civil war began again… and America built a wall in Washington to honor the more than 58,000 warriors who laid down their lives — in vain– for their beloved country fighting a war that never should have been fought … And history tells us: millions more Asians died in Southeast Asia before a resemblance of order could be restored.
Keeping the peace is difficult–man loves to fight. Making peace while fighting is nigh impossible. History is the teacher.
RTR Quote for 13 April: GEORGE C. MARSHALL: “If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known.”…
Lest we forget… Bear
