Bear Taylor 
RIPPLE SALVO… #366… THE PARDO PUSH… AND THE MEDAL OF HONOR for CAPTAIN MERLYN DETHLEFSEN… but first…
Good Morning: Day THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX of the long look back at the North Vietnam bombing campaign named ROLLING THUNDER…
6 MARCH 1967… HEAD LINES and LEADS from The New York Times on Monday full of heavy rain…
Page 1: “U.S. Will Report It’s Losses In War in Exact figures”… “The United States Military Command announced today that it was releasing exact figures of combat casualties in Vietnam. Since 1965, when America fought their first large scale battles…the command used the terms light, medium and heavy to report casualties…Real numbers will now be reported…Fighting in South Vietnam has been light but eight Americans were lost in a helicopter accident.”... Page 1: “38 Die as Ohio airliner Falls Into Field in a Storm”…”A Lake Central airlines two engine turboprop Convair aircraft carrying 35 passengers and 3 crew crashed during stormy weather in central Ohio last night near Kenton. Also, a Varig DC-8 with 89 persons aboard crashed in Monrovia, Liberia on Sunday.”… Page 1: “Draft Proposals of Johnson Face A Congress Fight”...”Recommendations by the President’s advisory commission on the draft for a complete reorganization of the Selective Service System appeared certain today to stimulate rather than calm the vigorous debate on the draft in Congress and elsewhere…President Johnson is scheduled to send a special message on the draft to Congress tomorrow.”… Page 1: “Europe Troop Cut Fought in Senate”...”A Senate subcommittee study cautioned today that the redeployment of several United States divisions from Europe could involve serious risks and have an unsettling, demoralizing effect on NATO. The study contended that a substantial American military presence in Europe was still the hard nut of the Western deterrent. Senator Henry Jackson said: ‘If we cut and run from Europe, we will have had it as a great nation. We should retain the basic position of strength we’ve worked so long and hard to construct and actively pursue acceptance of gradual and balanced revisions in military forces on both sides of the ‘Iron Curtain’ ‘ ” Page 4: “Peking Using Armed Forces to End Rural Confusion”...”…heavily engaged on the country’s agricultural front…the air force as well as regular army and militia units are taking part in a massive effort to mitigate the confusion that prevails in rural areas and push the vital tasks of spring cultivation. The confusion was caused by the ‘Cultural Revolution’ of Mao Tse-tung.”
Page 6. “American Jets Bombed Village in South Vietnam”...”The two planes that bombed a refugee camp in the village of Languie Thursday were Air Force F-4 Phantom jets. The accident killed at least 100 Vietnamese civilians and injured more than 175. As yet there is no explanation of how the tragedy occurred.”… Page 10: “Javits Sees Peril In War Emotions“…”Senator Jacob Javits of New York said today that ‘political and emotional’ problems between Senator Kennedy and President Johnson were posing dangers to the search for peace in Vietnam at what he called the most promising time ever for a peace settlement. Javits fears the President will become defensive rather than responsive, and unyielding rather than open, to an idea that can lead to peace in Vietnam.” ... Page 10: “Nixon Says Kennedy is Wrong About The War”... “Former Vice President Richard Nixon said here in New York yesterday that he felt a pause in the bombing of North Vietnam–or even talk about it–would prolong the conflict. He threw his full support to President Johnson on the issue. ‘Johnson is right and Kennedy is wrong. Kennedy’s proposals are not new and the enemy is led to believe there is division on the issue in this country.’ “… Page 13: “Thant Back From Burma, Says Key to Peace Rests With U.S.”…”Sees Bloody and Prolonged War Unless Bombing of North Vietnam is Halted”…
6 MARCH 1967… The President’s Daily Brief…CIA (TS sanitized) NORTH VIETNAM: To date, the Communist propaganda has not given extensive coverage to Senator Kennedy’s Vietnam speech. Hanoi has claimed, however, that even the Western press sees the speech as an example of the “continuous and severe criticism” which President Johnson faces on Vietnam from within his “own political faction.” Moscow’s only commentary took a different tack. Saturday Investia quoted its correspondent in Washington to the effect that the senator’s disagreement with US policy should not be exaggerated, that opposition in the senate is “irresolute and small,” and that it does not influence the White House.
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY IN ACTION…MAJOR MERLYN HANS DETHLEFSEN, USAF…MEDAL OF HONOR…10 MARCH 1967…
“The President of the United States of America, in the name of the Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to MAJOR MERLYN HANS DETHLEFSEN, United States Air Force, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 354th Tactical fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, near Thai Nguyen, North Vietnam on 10 March 1967. MAJOR DETHLEFSEN was one of a flight of F-105 aircraft engaged in a fire suppression mission designed to destroy a key anti-aircraft defensive complex containing surface-to-air (SAM), an exceptionally heavy concentration of anti-aircraft artillery, and other automatic weapons. The defensive network was situated to dominate the approach and provide protection to an important North Vietnam industrial center that was scheduled to be attacked by fighter bombers immediately after the suppression strike by MAJOR DETHLEFSEN’s flight. In the initial attack on the defensive complex the lead aircraft was crippled, and MAJOR DETHLEFSEN’s aircraft was extensively damaged by the intense enemy fire. Realizing that the success of the impending fighter-bomber attack on the industrial center now depended on his ability to effectively suppress the defensive fire, MAJOR DETHLEFSEN ignored the enemy’s overwhelming firepower and the damage to his own aircraft and pressed his attack. Despite a continuing hail of anti-aircraft fire, deadly surface-to-air missiles, and counterattacks by MIG interceptors, MAJOR DETHLEFSEN flew repeated close range strikes to silence the enemy defensive positions with bombs and cannon fire. His actions in rendering ineffective the defensive SAM and anti-aircraft artillery sites enabled the ensuing fighter bombers to strike successfully the important industrial target without loss or damage to their aircraft, thereby appreciably reducing the enemy’s ability to provide essential war material. MAJOR DETHLEFSEN’s consummate skill and selfless dedication to this significant mission were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.”
The AIR FORCE CROSS was awarded to CAPTAIN KEVIN A. GILROY, USAF, for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM as Major Dethlefsen’s Electronic Warfare Officer participating in the same heroic flight… Full citation to be posted on 10 March RTR…
6 MARCH 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (7 Mar reporting 6 Mar ops) Page 1: “Yesterday for the first time in weeks United States jets struck around North Vietnam’s port of Haiphong, attacking a petroleum complex 12 to 14 miles south of the city. Haiphong has been fogged in for about a month. The remainder of the day’s missions were concentrated in the south panhandle due to weather.”… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) There were no American fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 10 March 1967.
RIPPLE SALVO… #366… “PARDO’S PUSH” On 10 March 1967 the Air Force mounted a 72-plane strike on the Thai Nguyen Steel Mills. F-105s from Korat and Takhli were joined by F-4s from Ubon in a coordinated strike directed from Washington. Here is Chris Hobson’s report on the strike…
“A SAM site that protected the target was attacked by the Takhli Iron Hand flight (Lincoln flight) minutes before the bombers arrived but the lead Wild Weasel aircraft was shot down by 85mm AAA as the flight dived through the intense flak to hit the target.(The flight lead ejected and both pilot and EWO, Everson and Luna, were captured). Captain Merlyn Hans Dethlefsen (see MOH above) flying the other F-105 took command of the flight and had to fend off MiGs and cope with AAA damage to his own aircraft.Eventually the MiGs and the flak eased off and allowed Dethlefsen the opportunity to attack the SAM site, which he and his wingman (Bell) in a flak damaged F-105 destroyed in four passes with bombs and cannon fire. Captain Dethlefsen was awarded the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry on this day… Ten minutes after the F-105F had been shot down several flights of Phantoms arrived over the target and began bombing runs. Some 20 miles north of Thai Nguyen Captain Earl Aman’s (and Captain R.W. Houghton) F-4 was hit by AAA at 12,000-feet but he dropped his bombs before heading for home, leaking fuel at a high rate. In the last flight over the target Captain J. Robert Pardo (and 1LT Steven Wayne) was pulling up from his bomb run when his aircraft was also hit and damaged. However, the aircraft did not catch fire and Captain Pardo set off on the long flight home. Soon Aman’s and Pardo’s aircraft began to fall behind the rest of the Phantoms. Although the two damaged aircraft were able to climb to 36,000-feet by jettisoning all stores and racks. Captain Aman’s aircraft was running out of fuel and would not be able to reach a tanker in time as they were still over North Vietnam. Captain Pardo told Captain Aman to drop his arrestor hook, which then hung down on a 45-degree angle. Pardo then slowly moved in behind Aman’s aircraft and slid his Phantom up to the arrestor hook until it was resting on his windscreen. Pardo then told Aman to shut down his engines as the jet exhaust was making it difficult to maintain formation. In this position Pardo pushed Aman’s aircraft across North Vietnam until they were close to the Laos border. It is probable that they would have reached the tanker had not Pardo’s port engine caught fire. Unable to go any further, Captain Aman and Captain Houghton ejected safely near Poungthak and Captain Pardo and 1LT Wayne ejected a few minutes later when they ran out of gas. A SAR task force crossed Laos and two HH-3Es rescued the four downed aviators. ‘Pardo’s Push’ became one of the epic tales of the war.” For the rest of the story…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardo’s_Push
CAG’s QUOTES for 6 March: MACHIAVELLI: “Good order makes men bold and confusion cowards.”… PATTON: “I have to battle for every yard.”…
Lest we forget… Bear.
