Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #840… “WALKING ON WATER IS AN EXAMPLE OF A SUPERHUMAN TASK. IT MAY REFER TO JESUS WALKING ON WATER IN THE CHRISTIAN GOSPELS.” (Wiktionary). In Naval Aviation it is common to refer to the rare near-perfect officer-aviators in the ranks as “water-walkers.” In my nearly 40 years of flying and cruising with some of the best men ever bred in our country, I have known but a few that I would put in the “water-walker” class. REAR ADMIRAL ERNIE CHRISTENSEN, fourth generation naval officer and shipmate in VA-113 on Enterprise, is one. That is, until this day fifty years ago when he was put to the ultimate test and was unable to master the South China Sea for the few minutes he waited for an HC-7 Big Mother to bring him home. He got wet. … Ernie’s day under the bearscope to follow, but first…
GOOD MORNING… Day EIGHT HUNDRED FORTY of a journal remembering the services nd sacrifice of the warriors who carried the Vietnam war to the enemy’ heartland from February 1965 to 1 November 1968… It was code-named Operation Rolling Thunder…
HEAD LINES from The Sunday New York Times on 23 June 1968…
THE WAR: Page 1: “VIETNAM WAR LONGEST U.S. HAS EVER FOUGHT”…”The undeclared war in Vietnam has become by at least one standard of measurement, the longest the United States has fought. At midnight last night the war has lasted six years, six months and one day, dated from the death of the first American serviceman killed by the Vietcong. Specialist 4 James Davis of Livingston, TN, was killed on December 22, 1961 and President Johnson said later that the soldier was ‘the first American to fall in the defense of our freedom in Vietnam.’…” … Page 1: “G.I.’s IN 10-HOUR BATTLE”… “American paratroopers attacked enemy troops in the jungle 29 miles northwest of Saigon yesterday morning and fought for ten hours… Americans killed 35 enemy soldiers while losing one killed and 36 wounded….Officer at the demilitarized zone has again reported sighting on radar unidentified objects suspected of being North Vietnamese helicopters… There have been re[ports of such sightings on six of the last seven days. None of the reports have been confirmed… In scattered fighting six miles to the east and north of downtown Saigon, other American soldiers said they killed 14 enemy soldiers. Two Americans were wounded.”… SAIGON DEFENSES TIGHTENED…”Thousands of United States troops have been pulled in from the countryside to defend the perimeter of Saigon against increasing enemy pressure…The redeployment is intended to deter enemy gunners who have terrorized the capital with rockets and mortar fire since May 5.”… HANOI CLAIMS 5 PLANES… “North Vietnam reported today downing five more United States aircraft and the successful shelling of a United States warship. the ship was reported to be on Wednesday by batteries on Tiger Island, which the Vietnamese call Conco, off the demilitarized zone. this brought the total of United States warships hit by coastal batteries to 79.”…
PEACE TALKS: Page 58: “HUMPHREY FAVORS A CEASE-FIRE NOW–Would End ‘Fight and Talk’–Promises New Policies if He Becomes President”… “Vice President Humphrey advocates an end of ‘fight and talk’ in Vietnam and an immediate cease-fire in order to create a positive atmosphere for successful negotiations at Paris.” (NYT devoid of report from Paris)…
Page 1: “SENATE COALITION MAY BLOCK ACTION ON CHIEF JUSTICE WARREN’s POST–Republicans And Southern Democrats On Judiciary Panel Could halt Move–Major Effort Looms–Thurmond and Fong Oppose Naming A Chief Justice By Outgoing President”… “…neither the White House nor the Supreme Court has officially confirmed the resignation of Mr. Warren. However, it is known that he quietly submitted to President Johnson his resignation a week ago.”… Page 1: “ROCKEFELLER CALLS WALLACE A RACIST AND TAUNTS NIXON”… “Governor Rockefeller today described former Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama, a third-party Presidential candidate,s ‘racist.’ continuing his outspoken attacks on the views of other politicians, the Governor again demanded that Richard M. Nixon repudiate the assertions of Howard Calloway, his southern campaign coordinator, that Mr. Wallace ought to be a Republican.”… Page 1: “200 McCARTHY MEN BOLT IN HARTFORD–Incensed Over Failure To Gain 10 of 44 Delegates To Chicago Convention”… “…stormed out of the Democratic state convention here today to protest what they considered unfair treatment by John M. Bailey’s state party organization. Mr. Bailey is also national Democratic chairman.”… Page 1: “HUMPHREY GAINS 14 DELEGATES IN MINNESOTA IN A DELEGATE TEST–Wins Entire At-Large Slate At St. Paul Convention–McCarthy Backers Bitter.”… “Tight control of the Minnesota Democrat-Farmer-Labor convention by Humphrey forces frustrate efforts by supporters of Senator Eugene McCarthy to gain even a single at-large delegate in the balloting.”… Page 1: “GALLUP POLL SHOWS McCARTHY LEADING TWO TOP REPUBLICANS” … “In the two weeks between the California Presidential primary, Senator Eugene McCarthy has taken the lead over Richard M. Nixon and Governor Rockefeller according to the Gallup Poll.”…
23 JUNE 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (24 June reporting 23 June ops) Page 5: “In North Vietnam, Air Force, Navy and Marine pilots flew 126 missions through moderate to heavy antiaircraft fire. The Air Force and the Navy conducted 116 of the multipe aircraft missions. During these raids the pilots reported setting off more than 150 explosions wilth a mass of ammunition and fuel stores. They also reported destroying 54 trucks… Air Force F-105 Thunderchiefs and F-4 Phantoms concentrated on the supplies hidden in the jungle near the center of the panhandle region northwest of Dong Hoi. ‘When we got there, a lot of ordnance was going off,’ said Major Arthur E. Hood of Erie, PA. ‘We rolled in and released bombs on the first pass and rockets on the succeeding passes,’ he said. ‘As we pulled away from the target, we could see many exploding and heavy smoke.’ Flames leaped as high as 200 feet and there were several white columns of smoke that rose to 2,500-feet, one pilot recalled. The jet that went down, an Air Force F-105, was the 857th United States plane reported lost in North Vietnam. The pilot was rescued.”…
VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There were FOUR fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 23 June 1968…
(1) MAJOR J.W. ALDER was flying an F-105D of the 333rd TFS and 355th TFW out of Takhli on an armed recce mission in the area northwest of Dong Hoi and engaged three trucks on a road ten miles from Dong Hoi. On his third strafing pass he was hit by 37-mm flak. He turned east and attempted to reach Danang but had to eject 30 miles off the coast northeast of the DMZ. He was rescued by an Air Force SAR helicopter… to fly and fight again…
(2) LT ERNEST E. CHRISTENSEN was flying an A-4F of the VA-113 Stingers embarked in USS Enterprise and went down returning from a bombing strike on a target near Vinh… (see Ripple Salvo below)…
(3) CAPTAIN RICHARD LEE RUSSELL was flying an A-1H of the 6th ACS and 14th ACW out of Pleiku and returned to base with unexpended ordnance. A bad landing resulted in an accident and explosion of onboard ordnance that destroyed the aircraft and killed CAPTAIN RUSSELL… fifty years ago this date… Fate is the hunter… and a young warrior is taken too soon…glory gained, duty done…
(4) LCOL DONALD FRANCES CASEY and 1LT JAMES ERVIN BOOTH were flying an F-4D of the 497th TFS and 8th TFW out of Ubon on a night mission to recce the area north of the Mugia Pass for trucks. It is supected that in the darkness of night they flew into a karst formation. Both men remain classified as Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered.
From another online source dated 2003, Humble Host concludes this loss of two brave warriors fifty years ago with this…
“Casey’s wife Kitty, now 75, remembers the day 35 years ago when he left their home in Florida. They were saying goodbye and he said, ‘Kitty.’ And I said, ‘Yes?’ And he said, ‘If anything happens to me, and my wingman comes home and tells you I’m dead, believe him,’ recalled Kitty Casey. He said, ‘And start a life for yourself immediately.’ ” They were the words of a veteran pilot–active duty in WWII, Korea and was on his second tour in Vietnam–who’s seen so many young wives wait for husbands who were never coming back… “… They also serve who stand and wait…
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) ON 23 JUNE FOR THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION OVER NORTH VIETNAM…
1965… NONE…
1966… NONE…
1967… NONE…
1968… COL DONALD FRANCES CASEY, USAF… (KIA)… and… 1LT JAMES ERVIN BOOTH, USAF… (KIA)… and… CAPTAIN RICHARD LEE RUSSELL, USAF… (KIA)…
Humble Host flew #197 and #198 in the daylight. Both division leads to bomb a bridge with Mk-82s, then to look for trucks or water craft for the pods of rockets. Led first strike north of Vinh to Tam Da to bomb a bypass-bridge, one of several crossing alternatives to the largely destroyed main railroad bridge, then went west to look for trucks. Switched to river recce and shot up a barge southwest of Vinh. #198 was a bridge south of Ha Tinh, then back to the river to find another barge. No opposition noted all day… Logged more than an hour over the beach… Three flying days left in the deployment and two sorties to make the 200-gate… oohrah…
RIPPLE SALVO… #840… Chris Hobson recorded the 23 June 1968 one-way trip of LT ERNIE CHRISTENSEN in VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES thusly::
“A Skyhawk was lost during a bombing raid on Vinh on the 23rd. LT. CHRISTENSEN left the target and crossed the coast to rendezvous with the other aircraft that had taken part in the raid. As the formation joined up about 60 miles out to sea, LT CHRISTENSEN realized he had no throttle control. His engine then flamed out and despite two attempts to relight, he had to eject. He was soon picked up by a Navy helicopter.”… The HC-7 Detachment 110 standby Big Mother helo aboard USS Enterprise received notice of the ejection/crash at 1642 by “bullhorn” from the Air Boss. They were told the aircraft had crashed bearing 259-degrees at 22 miles. The helo– Pilot: LTJG MICHAEL WHITE; Copilot: LTJG JOHN NICHOLS, III; Crew: AE2 BOBBY CHILDRESS and AO3 DALE GRIMES– was in the air at 1645 and over Ernie at 1656–no search required. Ernie had cleaned out the survival locker on the raft, which was bobbing in 3-foot seas and a 13-knot breeze, and his personal survival gear: shark chaser, green dye marker, orange flares included. He was in the raft, but was thoroughly doused. In other words, he wasn’t walking on the 84-degree water. In fact, the HC-7 SH-3A dropped swimmer GRIMES, who checked for parachute entanglement–all clear; gets Ernie out of his raft; and “hooks up.” AE2 CHILDRESS guides Pilot LTJG WHITE over Ernie and AO3 GRIMES and up they go and in the cargo door. 1700 Ernie has been recovered and is reported as being in good condition. Big Mother is back aboard USS Enterprise– CLIMAX… It was HC-7s 44th pickup at Yankee Station… You gotta’ love the life-savers who live under rotary wings…
Before Humble Host returns to accord RADM CHRISTENSEN the respect and honor he deserves– a unique and interesting rescue was made on this day three years before Ernie’s dousing. On 23 June 1965 MAJOR ROBERT W. WILSON of the 357TH TFS and 355TH TFW out of Korat was on an armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam about 40 miles north of the DMZ when hit by ground fire in the fuselage of his F-105D Thunderchief. MAJOR WILSON headed northwest toward the mountains and flew 20 miles before he had to eject. He came down in a triple canopy jungle and his chute hung on the high canopy. He was left hanging 150-feet from the jungle floor. MAJOR WILSON was able to swing a wide enough arc to reach a tree trunk where he was able to find a perch and free himself from the chute. But he was hopelessly stuck 150 feet off the ground. To the rescue–an HC-54D Crown SAR airborne command and control aircraft heard MAJOR WILSON’S call and directed a flight of four A-1H Skyraiders to the scene to cover the rescue attempt. The parachute was sighted and the HH-43 from a forward base in Laos was cleared in. The helo was able to lower a jungle penetrator down through the thick foliage to MAJOR WILSON who snatch it, strapped himself to it, and was pulled to safety to fly and fight again. He was in the trees for 90 minutes and was rescued without ever setting foot on North Vietnam turf… 53 years ago today…
Now a few groups on my favorite wingman for two combat cruises on Enterprise in VA-113 (1966-68). Ernie was not only fearless, he was as good a dive bomber as there was at Yankee Station, and it was well-known that when we had Ernie in the flight we were going to kill the target. In addition, he had eyes that saw over the horizon and around corners. If there was something that needed killing, he would find it. And kill it. I never heard him gripe or saw him without a smile, even when I led him on a wild goose chase. He stood out from other wingies because I never had to wonder where he was or what he was doing. On our second cruise we had a handful of aviators who were real new to attack aviation and some were slow learners. When I flew with the rookies I recognized that there were limits to how aggressive I could be if I expected to bring everybody back to the ship. I never, ever paused when Ernie was on the wing… There was another event I always looked forward to when we were scheduled for a section armed recce together–the return trip. We always stopped off to give the sailors on the Northern SAR destroyer a few maneuvers. Ernie was a Blue Angel in the making. We all knew Ernie was destined to fly with the Blues, command– squadron, air wing, Top Gun, ship, carrier (Ranger)– and make Flag. He was a water-walker his entire career, except for about twenty minutes on 23 June 1968… With highest respect and admiration, thanks, Ernie, for more than five decades of friendship, and especially the two years of joint-Stinger duty… Bear…
(Webmaster note: I interviewed Ernie Christensen for my book Across the Wing. He remarked to me that as he was descending into the Tonkin Gulf his greatest fear was of the venemous sea snakes in those waters. When in mating season the males would twist around females, resulting in a slimey mass of slithering, sexed-up reptiles visible on the water’s surface. He remarked that once hitting the water he was in his life raft in record time. Ernie would go on to the Blue Angels, serving under Skipper Commander Harley Hall, who was KIA the last hours of the war on 27 January 1973. The loss of Commander Hall is extensively covered in chapter six of my book)
RTR quote for 23 June: MAO TSE-TUNG: “We must thoroughly clear away all ideas among our cadres of winning easy victories through good luck, without hard and bitter struggle, without sweat and blood.”…
Lest we forget…. Bear
