I'm sure I'm not the only one here who's dad was a Vietnam pilot, mine was a B-52 Cell Commander during the war, the youngest in the theater. Anyway, maybe this will help us remember our brothers in arms as they are away from their families this holiday season.
===============================================
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Monday, December 9, 2002; p.9B
-- COMMENTARY PAGE --
WAR: The Christmas season evokes memories of military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fighting for peace on Earth
By JOHN PETELIN
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM
It is 4:27 a.m. Once again I have been jolted from a reasonably sound sleep (for a 62-year-old), and I ask my muddled brain: Has it really been 30 years?
Ever since Thanksgiving Day, when my 7-year-old grandson Jack had me read his classroom assignment listing the nine things for which he was thankful, an unseen force has been gnawing at me to write this story.
I've tried to ignore it, but it won't let me rest. So here it is -- the ghost of Christmas past, The 11 Days of Christmas that happened thirty years ago:
Considering what the folks involved did, very little has actually been written about their bravery, professionalism and heroism. You see, the missions were all nighttime, with no network reporters -- not even one official combat photographer -- on board any of the B-52s.
Except for a few aviation history TV specials, no movies have been made.
Yes, a few books and articles have been written, with limited distribution -- mostly among the veterans. It is mainly in the minds of those survivors, with help from a few personal audiocassettes, letters and tattered photographs, that this story and its ghosts reside.
In late 1972, fed up with the stalled Paris peace talks, President Nixon ordered massive airstrikes against North Vietnam by Air Force bombers.
All air crews and most support personnel were on temporary duty from Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases throughout the United States. The operation was known as either Linebacker II or the 11-Day War. Most veterans prefer the simplicity of "the Christmas Bombing."
During Dec. 18-29, B-52 crews flew 729 sorties against military targets, with emphasis on the Hanoi-Haiphong area. No strike missions were flown on Christmas day, to encourage the Paris peace negotiations and provide a respite for weary military personnel.
Unfortunately, this also allowed the North Vietnamese to replenish their missiles. More than 1,200 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) were fired, downing 15 B-52s and severely damaging nine others.
Of the crew members aboard the 15 lost aircraft, 26 were rescued and 34 were captured (one died in captivity and 33 returned), leaving 30 killed in action and three still missing in action.
Damage assessment reported that 49,000 bombs totaling 15,000 tons were dropped on 34 targets, destroying 1,600 military structures and damaging 372 pieces of rolling rail stock. Roads, bridges and the transportation infrastructure were badly damaged. Oil reserves and power generation capability also were destroyed.
North Vietnam resumed peace negotiations on Jan. 2, 1973. By Jan. 13, agreement was reached, and the final peace treaty was signed 10 days later.
Historians agree on this: The 1972 Christmas Bombing of North Vietnam resulted in the signing of a peace treaty and the subsequent release of all known American prisoners of war.
Thousands of military personal participated in this operation -- from the Pentagon and SAC headquarters in Omaha, Neb., to each of the SAC U.S. military bases where anxious family waited, worried, prayed and cried.
In the Pacific theater, Navy and Air Force aircraft provided fighter and SAM suppression, aerial refueling, command and control, mutual support and search-and-rescue operations (11 support aircraft were also lost).
The superhuman effort of support personnel working around the clock arming, servicing, launching and recovering aircraft was crucial to mission accomplishment. Given a choice, they all would have preferred being home, celebrating the season with family and friends.
It's not Veterans Day or Memorial Day. Isn't it therefore strange that someone would write of death and destruction at this joyous time of year?
Since 1972, the Christmas season has always held conflicting memories for me. But this year, on the 30th anniversary of their ultimate sacrifice -- I felt driven to honor and remember my 33 fellow B-52 crew members whose names were among the last etched on that long wall of black granite slabs in Washington, and to let their widows, children, grandchildren and other family members know what wonderful, patriotic, dedicated and disciplined professionals their loved ones were.
I must confess that my inspiration was generated by the very first item on my grandson's list of Thanksgiving Thankfuls: "I'm thankful for my God who did not let my grandpa die in Vietnam."
For this, I also feel very thankful -- and very lucky.
__________________________________________
John Petelin is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.
===============================================
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Monday, December 9, 2002; p.9B
-- COMMENTARY PAGE --
WAR: The Christmas season evokes memories of military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fighting for peace on Earth
By JOHN PETELIN
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM
It is 4:27 a.m. Once again I have been jolted from a reasonably sound sleep (for a 62-year-old), and I ask my muddled brain: Has it really been 30 years?
Ever since Thanksgiving Day, when my 7-year-old grandson Jack had me read his classroom assignment listing the nine things for which he was thankful, an unseen force has been gnawing at me to write this story.
I've tried to ignore it, but it won't let me rest. So here it is -- the ghost of Christmas past, The 11 Days of Christmas that happened thirty years ago:
Considering what the folks involved did, very little has actually been written about their bravery, professionalism and heroism. You see, the missions were all nighttime, with no network reporters -- not even one official combat photographer -- on board any of the B-52s.
Except for a few aviation history TV specials, no movies have been made.
Yes, a few books and articles have been written, with limited distribution -- mostly among the veterans. It is mainly in the minds of those survivors, with help from a few personal audiocassettes, letters and tattered photographs, that this story and its ghosts reside.
In late 1972, fed up with the stalled Paris peace talks, President Nixon ordered massive airstrikes against North Vietnam by Air Force bombers.
All air crews and most support personnel were on temporary duty from Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases throughout the United States. The operation was known as either Linebacker II or the 11-Day War. Most veterans prefer the simplicity of "the Christmas Bombing."
During Dec. 18-29, B-52 crews flew 729 sorties against military targets, with emphasis on the Hanoi-Haiphong area. No strike missions were flown on Christmas day, to encourage the Paris peace negotiations and provide a respite for weary military personnel.
Unfortunately, this also allowed the North Vietnamese to replenish their missiles. More than 1,200 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) were fired, downing 15 B-52s and severely damaging nine others.
Of the crew members aboard the 15 lost aircraft, 26 were rescued and 34 were captured (one died in captivity and 33 returned), leaving 30 killed in action and three still missing in action.
Damage assessment reported that 49,000 bombs totaling 15,000 tons were dropped on 34 targets, destroying 1,600 military structures and damaging 372 pieces of rolling rail stock. Roads, bridges and the transportation infrastructure were badly damaged. Oil reserves and power generation capability also were destroyed.
North Vietnam resumed peace negotiations on Jan. 2, 1973. By Jan. 13, agreement was reached, and the final peace treaty was signed 10 days later.
Historians agree on this: The 1972 Christmas Bombing of North Vietnam resulted in the signing of a peace treaty and the subsequent release of all known American prisoners of war.
Thousands of military personal participated in this operation -- from the Pentagon and SAC headquarters in Omaha, Neb., to each of the SAC U.S. military bases where anxious family waited, worried, prayed and cried.
In the Pacific theater, Navy and Air Force aircraft provided fighter and SAM suppression, aerial refueling, command and control, mutual support and search-and-rescue operations (11 support aircraft were also lost).
The superhuman effort of support personnel working around the clock arming, servicing, launching and recovering aircraft was crucial to mission accomplishment. Given a choice, they all would have preferred being home, celebrating the season with family and friends.
It's not Veterans Day or Memorial Day. Isn't it therefore strange that someone would write of death and destruction at this joyous time of year?
Since 1972, the Christmas season has always held conflicting memories for me. But this year, on the 30th anniversary of their ultimate sacrifice -- I felt driven to honor and remember my 33 fellow B-52 crew members whose names were among the last etched on that long wall of black granite slabs in Washington, and to let their widows, children, grandchildren and other family members know what wonderful, patriotic, dedicated and disciplined professionals their loved ones were.
I must confess that my inspiration was generated by the very first item on my grandson's list of Thanksgiving Thankfuls: "I'm thankful for my God who did not let my grandpa die in Vietnam."
For this, I also feel very thankful -- and very lucky.
__________________________________________
John Petelin is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.