Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #807… WITH HIS 31 MARCH 1968 SPEECH TO THE NATION PRESIDENT JOHNSON TOOK HIMSELF OUT OF THE RUNNING FOR ANOTHER TERM AS PRESIDENT. IN ADDITION, HE VOWED TO REMAIN APOLITICAL AND COMPLETELY CLEAR OF THE POLITICS OF AN ELECTION YEAR. Thereafter, when he gave a speech, he spoke for America. One of those speeches was delivered to the Arthritis Foundation in New York City on 20 May 1968… The speech to honor the founder of the organization, Floyd B. Odhum, is a matter of record– http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=28874 It was delivered without a title. Humble Host will give it one: “STOP BADMOUTHING AMERICA–LOVE IT, PUT YOUR HEART INTO IT.”… That sure was President Johnson’s message… Short version of the speech below…but first…
GOOD MORNING… Day EIGHT HUNDRED SEVEN of a long look back to the page of history called Operation Rolling Thunder…
HEAD LINES from THE NEW YORK TIMES on Tuesday, 21 May 1968…
THE WAR: “Page 1: “MARINES KILL 109 OUTSIDE KHE SANH–NORTH VIETNAMESE APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN IN 2 UNITS IN THE EARLIER SIEGE”… “United States Marines killed 109 North Vietnamese soldiers yesterday as new fighting broke out near the Khe Sanh outpost in northern South Vietnam. In two battles southwest of the outpost, the Marines lost eight dead and 42 wounded… Both actions were reported to have been initiated by the North Vietnamese, indicating renewed aggressiveness on the part of forces in the area that have been quiet for more than a month. First the North Vietnamese riflemen attacked a Marine company bivouacked three miles from the outpost. Then they ambushed a Marine force that was checking Highway 9, the road leading to the outpost, for land mines and enemy troops. The attacking soldiers were believed to have been members of the 304th North Vietnamese Army Division, one of the two divisions that surrounded the Marine outpost at Khe Sanh late in January and kept it under siege for more than two months. Both enemy divisions apparently withdrew in April when a huge allied force pushed down Highway 9 to relieve the marine garrison. While the outpost was under siege, the United States pounded the two divisions with the heaviest bombing of the war and American officers were convinced that the enemy units had been seriously crippled.”…
PEACE TALKS: (“Official Conversations”) Page 1: “U.S. PEACE ENVOYS DENY HANOI TALKS ARE IN A DEADLOCK”… “Ambassador Averell Harriman and Cyrus R. Vance rejected today any idea that the Paris talks on Vietnam had reached a deadlock. ‘Up to this time,’ Mr. Vance said, ‘there has been no action militarily in Vietnam, and no words by North Vietnamese delegates here that would indicate any restraint on their part. I would hope that in time that would change.’ The United States delegates to the peace talks spoke in radio interviews with several broadcasters… Tomorrow (Wednesday) Mr. Harriman and the chief North Vietnamese delegate, Xuan Thuy, are scheduled to pay separate courtesy calls on President Charles de Gaulle. The appointments are expected to go ahead despite the turmoil gripping France. There could hardly be a less serene site for peace talks than Paris at this time.”… SAIGON SENDS COMPLAINT… “The South Vietnamese Government has complained to the United States about Vice President Humphrey’s report that agreement has been reached go admit in the talks representatives of the national Liberation Front, the political among the Vietcong. Informed sources reporting Ambassador Bui Diem, the South Vietnamese observers at the talks, had made a formal complaint over the weekend to the American negotiators. Mr. Harriman and Mr. Vance paid their first official courtesy can on Mr. Diem today at the South Vietnamese Consulate here. Previously their meetings with had been at the American Embassy. Their call was apparently an effort to soothe ruffled South Vietnam feelings. The Ambassador was also reported to have insisted that any discussion of representation for the National Liberation Front was premature at this stage.”…
Page 1: “PRESIDENT WARNS NATION ON DESPAIR”…(See Ripple Salvo for 2/3 of the speech)… “President Johnson flew unannounced into New York last night to argue against ‘the diagnosis of fatal sickness in our society’ and to serve notice that he would ‘refuse to follow those’ who make that diagnosis. Without denying that there were profound problems in America, the President said he would refuse to follow those who make this diagnosis. Without denying that there were profound problems in America , the President said he refused to accept the diagnoses of indifference and of deep racism…’We are on the move.'”…
Page 1: “FRANCE IS NEAR PARALYSIS AS MILLIONS JOIN STRIKE–REDS PRESS FOR COALITION–DE GUALLE SILENT–Leaders Of Movement and Regime Strive to Avoid Force– Parisians Hoarding Food–Banks Limit Withdrawals–Tie-ups Thwart Tourists”… “France headed toward virtual paralysis today as millions more of the workers occupied factories, mines and offices. The de Gaulle regime and the strike leaders challenging it were striving to avoid a test of force.’… drivers deplete gasoline supply… FRANCE AT BOIL–Old Complaint About Gaullism Erupts Into Action After Students Show Way.”… Page 1: “SUPREME COURT JUSTICES EXTEND FIVE LEGAL RIGHTS IN CRIMINAL CASES–Overturn Old Curbs On Jury Trials, Confessions And Appeals By Convicts”… “The Supreme Court broadened the rights of criminal defendants in five decisions overturning its own more restrictive precedents. The series of reversals came as the Senate approached a scheduled vote tomorrow on a bill to curb the Court’s jurisdiction in criminal law.”…Page 20: “High Court To Study Draft Penalty”… Page 1: “POLICE BREAK-UP SIT-IN IN BROOKLYN AT COLLEGE OFFICE–40 STUDENTS ARRESTED AFTER HOLDING SUITE 16 HOURS– PROTESTERS EXPELLED–No Violence Reported–Demonstrators Seek 1,000 More Negroes And Puerto Ricans At School”… Page 30: “KENNEDY MOBBED BY COST CROWDS–TENS OF THOUSANDS CHEER MOTORCADE IN LOS ANGELES”… “Senator Robert F. Kennedy in a tumultuous motorcade through miles of streets in suburban Los Angeles, rode for nearly three hours tonight past tens of thousands of whooping supporters. His car was mobbed at virtually every major intersection by clamoring supporters. Other met him hand-lettered signs of support, lined the streets and jogged alongside the Senator’s motorcade sometimes Hurling confetti.”….
STATE DEPARTMENT. OFFICE OF THE HISTORIAN. HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS. FOREIGN AFFAIRS. 1964-68 VIETNAM. Document 239 is a Joint Chiefs of Staff response to five questions concerning the impact of the ongoing war on the strategic reserve . The questions were first posed by the President. This is a long read but worth a look. The same questions could be asked of our Secretary of Defense today. Tired overworked forces at their breaking point and ongoing ops cry out for more. From where? The strategic reserve for the ‘big war’ has already been drained to bare bones by the seven years in Vietnam (THEN) an in 2018 we are at 16 year of war and counting…. What now?… read at:..
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v06/d239
21 MAY 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (22 May reporting 21 May ops)… Page 1: “2 U.S. PLANES DOWNED”… “Over North Vietnam two American planes, a Navy Skyhawk and a Marine Intruder were shot down. The pilot of the Skyhawk bailed out and was rescued, but the two men flying the Intruder were listed as missing. The two aircraft brought to 840 the number of American planes lost in the air war over North Vietnam. American pilots flew 131 raids into the southern region of the country. In the northern most strike, Navy pilots smashed a highway bridge four miles south of the 19th Parallel , the line below which American fliers have been attacking since President Johnson’s limited the bombing of North Vietnam on March 31.”… “VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES” (Chris Hobson) There were two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 21 May 1968….
(1) MAJOR GERALD T. DWYER was flying an O-2A of the 23rd TASS and 504th TASG out of Nakhon Phanom and controlling strikes on the Ho Chi Minh Trail at Route 968 near Kay Bong 25 miles southeast of Ban Talan when downed by enemy ground fire. The aircraft was hit in the wing an became unflyable. MAJOR DWYER bailed out and survived being shot at by enemy troops on the ground as he floated into the jungle. four North Vietnamese troops closed his position as the rescue helicopter entered the hostile area. MAJOR DWYER, who had survived a similar downing and rescue on 1 April 1968, shot three of his four adversaries with his .38 cal. revolver and was pulled to safety by an Air Force helicopter… What a story…
(2) LTJG J.A. DOUGLAS was flying an A-4F of the VA-93 Blue Blazers embarked in USS Bon Homme Richard as part of a strike on a road bridge 15 miles north of Vinh when hit by automatic weapons fire. He was able to fly the faltering Skyhwawk across the coast line before ejection about 10 miles at sea where he was picked up by an HC-6 helicopter piloted by LTJG RICHARD WHITE. AX3 CHRIS THOMAS was also cited in the rescue op.
During the war, from 6 June 1964 through 1 November 1968 the terminal date for Rolling Thunder ops, the Fleet SAR forces rescued 458 of 912 naval air crewmen who were forced down and faced death or capture without rescue. They were there… Humble Host notes that in the process of doing their duty with gusto and guts the Helo squadrons lost 26 aviator and crewmen killed, wounded, missing or POW, and struck 33 rotor wing aircraft…
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) ON 21 MAY FOR THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION…
1965… NONE…
1966… COMMANDER JACK ELMER KELLER, USN… (KIA) and LCDR ELLIS ERNEST AUSTIN, USN… (KIA)…
1967… NONE…
1968… NONE…
RIPPLE SALVO… #807… The President’s speech on 20 May 1968 was a tribute to an American who dedicated his life to the health of others. He did the honors, then switched to what might be called “his own legacy as a Member of Congress and President.” He reminded America of the progress and the bright spots in 1968 America. Then he gave his pep talk–an unabashed challenge to “love America.” That part of the speech is here> I quote the President;
“A very famous commentator on the social scene once said, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…’ That was Charles Dickens, one of the earlier warriors against poverty and ignorance and illness an injustice. He was describing a period nearly 200 years ago. And he saw many similarities in his own period a little over a century ago. I think most of you, if you review that language, would find many similarities tonight.
“As a people, we Americans have never been as prosperous. Our gross national product has risen to over $830-billion–and the median family income in our America is over $8,000 per year. In the past seven years the growth alone of our Nation’s wealth–the growth alone–has been greater than our entire gross national product was just 30 years ago, when I came to Washington. More Americans than ever before are in school today. One-third of all the Nation’s population is in school. More people are gong to college. More people are going to adult education classes. We start them in Head Start at 4 years old and as good many in adult education at 74 years old. We have more people in job training and all other forms of education from the post-cradle to the postgraduate.
“Yet never have we been more restless about the shortcomings of public education; never have we been more eager to extend the opportunity for learning to those whom we have neglected so long.
“Our Nation’s health standards tonight are at an all-time high, measure by any index that you can devise: life expectancy way up, infant mortality, incidence of disease down and delivery of health services way up. Yet never have we as a people been more anxious and more eager to extend the quality and the reach of our health care in our society.
“There are some despairing critics who look at this gap between achievement and expectation and claim there is a sickness in our society.
“To me, the fact that we recognize a gap–a gap between achievement and expectation–represents a symptom of health, a sign of renewal, a sign that this great, prosperous, thriving, growing Nation has not succumbed to complacency or to self-indulgence. I suppose there will be many who will call me a Pollyanna for saying that, and, as I recall, I have been called worse. But I am no Pollyanna.
“I simply refuse to accept the diagnosis of fatal sickness in our society. I refuse to follow those who say that. I refuse to accept the diagnosis of indifference in our society–and I say ‘Shame on you who point that out’–because I see and I am thankful that I see millions of Americans and billions of dollars working tonight to conquer poverty and disease and ignorance. I see a unprecedented outpouring of imagination and concern and money to cure the handicap of poverty.
“I refuse to accept a diagnosis of deep racism lin our society–because I see a people who are struggling as they never have struggled before to overcome injustice; and I cannot and I will not ignore the progress we have made in this decade to write equally in our books of the law.
“I was reading the introduction to a book by MacGregor Burns the other night. We were talking about the progress that we have made in extending equality to our fellow citizens and the progress I have made. This distinguished Negro author said, ‘Mr. President, you are going to have to recognize that you must resign yourself to the fact that we have passed five national laws in recent years to ensure equality among men. You are going to have to be satisfied in history with the knowledge that you were instrumental in passing all five of them.
“That is one way of saying that in the last few years, the last decade, since the first one was p[passed in 1957–the one before that was 85 years ago–we cannot correct the neglect and the injustice of a century in a year or even in 4 years–but we are working at it.
“Now, let’s look at these simple facts. In 30 years of struggle–from 1935 to 1964–we increased the Federal share of our gross national product that went to health and medical care from .2 percent to .7 percent–in 30 years from .2 to .7 percent. Then in the last four years we more than doubled it from .7 to 1.4 percent. Now, these are some true measures of the progress that you and we, as a people, are making, of how much of our nation’s wealth that we allocate to these two areas of great public concern–the education of our mind and the health of our bodies.
“In the past five years, the Federal Government has enacted over 30 major health measures–more than were enacted all put together in the preceding 35 Presidential administrations. Don’t tell me that we are not conscious of progress in this country. It has more than doubled, in the last four years, annual spending on health, from $6 billion to almost $14 billion per year. We are beginning to see results. The death rate in the United States is now as low as it has ever been in all this Nation’s history, notwithstanding all of our 20th century adventures and our gadgets. It is 3 percent lower today, our death rate, than it was in 1963 when I came into office, at an annual saving of 54,000 American lives.
“We saved 54,000 American lives here. Although we have lost 7,000 this year in Vietnam, we have saved 54,000 here.
“Infant deaths have declined 13 percent since 1963. That is what you have done. That is what your dollars have done. That is what men like Floyd Odlum and the Arthritis Foundation have done. The infant death rates today are the lowest rate in our Nation’s history, although we are still 15th among the nations of the world in infant mortality. I can’t be proud of that and I am doing something about that, too. We are going to have ‘Kiddie Care’ some of these days just like we have Medicare. Medicare today brings the guarantee of adequate health services to 20 million senior citizens in this country.
“No… Now is not the time to retreat from this progress.
“This Nation has not yet solve its problems. We must frankly face it. Poverty, racism, ignorance, and illiteracy still plague us from coast to coast. No section has a complete mortgage on it. But we are on the move and we are making progress. We ought to acknowledges it. The age-old ills which agitate our communities can be solved. They will not be solved if we delude ourselves with labels and slogans which are substitutes for ideas. They will be solved by realism, by determination, by non-partisanship, by commitment, and by hope and vision and self-discipline and the generosity–in the heart of all of us–that exists in the heart of Floyd Odlum.
“They will be solved by the impatience of the American people–but not by the pessimism and the badmouthing of the American people.
“They will be solved by the concern of individuals–like the man we honor tonight, and those of his friends who show by their presence where their heart is, and where their interest is, and where their pocketbook is–organizations like the Arthritis Foundation. That is why I came here, because I want to thank all of you on behalf of all Americans. Who among us knows whether tomorrow we might be one of these unfortunate victims of this crippler?
“Yes, we must face the future with the spirit attribute to Winston Churchill in a story which may of may not be true. There have been credibility gaps in other periods in our history. I am told that the Prime Minister was visited by a delegation of temperance ladies who came to complain about Mr. Churchill’s consumption of brandy. One little old lady addressed Mr. Churchill and declared, ‘Why, Mr. Prime Minister, if all the brandy that you drank in a year was poured into this room, it would come up to here.’ Mr. Churchill, the Prime Minister, looked solemnly at the floor, and then at the ceiling, and then at the little lady’s hand somewhere about the midway mark. Then, he muttered, “So little done, so much yet to do.’
“So I want to leave you with that thought–so little that we have done, so much that we have yet to do.”…
Lest we forget…. Bear
