Mayaguez Incident Tested President Ford's Mettle

American Forces Press Service ^ | John J. Kruzel

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2007 -- Nine months into his presidency, on May 12, 1975, Gerald R. Ford was forced to take military action and deal with an international hostage crisis.

President Bush recalled "The Mayuaguez Incident" during his eulogy yesterday at Ford's state funeral services held at the Washington National Cathedral here.

“When a U.S. ship called the Mayaguez was seized by Cambodia, President Ford made the tough decision to send in the Marines,” President Bush said yesterday in his eulogy at Ford’s funeral, “and all the crew members were rescued.”

The incident occurred less than two weeks after the fall of Saigon. Naval forces of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia’s communist dictatorship, intercepted the U.S. merchant ship SS Mayaguez off Cambodia’s southern coast and captured the roughly 40-man crew.

The seizure occurred in a disputed section of the Gulf of Siam, with the international community recognizing the stretch as a free channel, and Khmer Rouge claiming it as Cambodian territory.

When the Mayaguez was seized, Ford called the act “piracy,” and attempted to recover the victims through talks with Cambodia.

“We made diplomatic protests to the Cambodian government through the United Nations,” Ford said during a 1976 presidential debate. “Every possible diplomatic means was utilized.”

But lacking diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the newly installed Khmer Rouge, Ford’s negotiations with the Cambodian combatants failed. He then opted for military intervention.

“I thought it was the right thing to do,” Marine Gen. James L. Jones, former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, said in an interview with the American Forces Press Service. “You can’t allow people to attack U.S. flagged ships and get away with it with impunity.”

Jones served as a captain in the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment – one of three Marine regiments dispatched to Koh Tang on the rescue mission – but he had left for Washington on military leave prior to Mayaguez’s seizure and was not present during the mission.

“It’s a strong naval tradition in the United States that when a ship comes under attack, that you’re really attacking the United States,” Jones said. “It’s tantamount to landing in North Carolina, and there’s a visceral response that comes with that.”

Ford learned from intelligence reports that the Mayaguez was docked near Koh Tang, an island off the coast of Cambodia. It was believed the crew was being held on the island, and Ford committed to rescuing them.

“I had a responsibility, and so did the National Security Council, to meet the problem at hand,” Ford said, referring to his decision to land forces on Koh Tang.

Ford responded by sending 16 Air Force HH-53 helicopters based in Thailand to the beaches of Koh Tang at sunrise on May 15. The frigate USS Henry Holt, serendipitously in the area, would provide support.

The mission was expected to be a rescue operation of low complexity and little combat. But Marine units and helicopter crews dispatched to Koh Tang were unaware the island was heavily defended by Khmer Rouge forces preparing for attacks from their Vietnamese neighbors.

U.S. servicemembers went in expecting 18 to 40 lightly-armed militia fighters, but instead they found a reinforced battalion of elite Khmer Rouge naval infantry.

“The helicopter landing went badly. There was only one landing zone, and that was defended,” Jones said. “When they landed they were severely hit; it was a real tenacious firefight. The Air Force helicopters that were assigned were not particularly trained for tactical landings.”

The Cambodians shot down three of the first four helicopters that approached the island; one of them carrying the Marine forward air controller team. The fourth helicopter was badly damaged and was forced to abort.

For hours, Air Force A-7 attack aircrafts providing fire support failed to find the Marine units, let alone support them.

After the first wave of HH-53s, a boarding party transferred to the USS Holt by helicopter seized the Mayaguez, only to find the ship deserted. The Cambodians, it turns out, had taken the crew to mainland Cambodia two days earlier.

Perhaps prompted by potential strikes from attack aircraft on the USS Coral Sea, the Khmer Rouge released the Mayaguez’s crew, sending them out in a Thai fishing boat. Destroyer USS Henry G. Wilson arrived on scene and took the crew aboard.

News of the crew’s recovery prompted politicians in Washington to halt offensive action, much to the chagrin of troops engaged in the operation.

“One of the mistakes that was made in the senior echelons was that once the crew was released, the politicians wanted to stop the landing,” Jones said. “So you had half the troops on the ground, another half waiting to go in; it was chaos.

“Somebody should have realized that once you start an amphibious landing you just don’t stop it,” Jones said. “Once you’ve committed, you’re committed until you actually achieve your objective and then you can have your ceasefire. But you can’t say ‘Hey, they’re out. Everybody leave.’”
 
In response to frantic lower-echelon pleas, Ford rescinded the order to call off the operation. If the second wave had not landed as planned, the enemy might well have overrun all the remaining Marines on the island.
Nevertheless, the Mayaguez Incident did not damage Ford’s reputation with troops, Jones said.

“I think the decision to do it was absolutely correct and I think everybody else believed that as well,” Jones said. “Marines are employed overseas and the thing they like best is to feel that they’re going to be used and they’re going to do something meaningful.

“Having gone through the fall of Saigon and watched (it) come down like a house of cards that same year, the opportunity to do something that was positive – to try to free the crew – was something that was motivating for all of us on the ground,” Jones said.

“I’m not sure whether the landings motivated the (Khmer Rouge) to free the crew,” Jones said. “But the desired outcome took place.”

Members of the Mayaguez crew were especially thankful for Ford’s commitment to their recovery.

“I got a call from the skipper of the Mayaguez,” Ford said, “and he told me that it was the action of me, President Ford, that saved the lives of the crew of the Mayaguez.”

“And I can assure you that if we had not taken the strong and forceful action that we did, we would have been criticized very, very severely for sitting back and not moving.”

(Background information for this article was obtained from a Spring 2005 Air & Space Power Journal article by retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John F. Guilmartin Jr.)

Related Sites:
Special Report Honoring the Late Former President Gerald R. Ford

[SandRat]

Remembering President Ford.

[unkus]

I knew one of the Marines who took the Mayaguez and he said their unit got personal recognition fron President Ford.

[SandRat]

A True NAVAL OFFICER and A GENTLEMAN.

[unkus]

Right on, SandRat.

[Ilky Hucktar]

“So you had half the troops on the ground, another half waiting to go in; it was chaos.

“Somebody should have realized that once you start an amphibious landing you just don’t stop it,” Jones said. “Once you’ve committed, you’re committed until you actually achieve your objective and then you can have your ceasefire. But you can’t say ‘Hey, they’re out. Everybody leave.’”

[OldFriend]

The president was excoriated for the initial failure of the resuce. Notice there is no mention of the lives lost.

The media was relentless in their criticism of Ford.

[SandRat]

Yep,... that's the Presstitutes.

[vetvetdoug]

The Mayaguez Incident was micro managed by politicians and was a complete screw up costing the lives of 47 good men and left three Marines left alone and abandoned on the island to be captured and tortured as prisoners by the Khmer Rouge. The White House completely ignored the casualties of 23 USAF members on route to the Mayaguez and never reported them as casualties. Private Danny Marshall, Lance Corporal Hargrove, Private First Class Hall have never been reported as having been abandoned, their families never received a Purple Heart and full accounting of their being left behind to die by the politicians. I cannot call the Mayaguez Incident a success, the members of the Mayaguez crew were being released before the attack on the island occurred. 26 USAF members died during the incident, several of them died alongside the 12 Marines and 2 Navy crewmen that were killed by the Khmer Rouge.

The USMC, USAF, and the USN members did wonderfully with what they were given (attacking a heavily defended island that didn't even have the Mayaguez crew on the island) and performed bravely for bumbling politicians that rushed to save face. I am sorry, but I was mad at the political interference in 1975 and know the truth of the incident. The USAF lost a good many men and were never recognized for conspicuous bravery.

[OldFriend]

This disastrous operation was the forerunner of the failed desert rescue attempt to get our hostages out of Iran.

[frankenMonkey]

Thank you for the details. Although President Ford was an honorable man, it seems like we need the political leaders to set the goal, and let combat-experienced military leaders run without interference until the goal is achieved.

[radar101]

The frigate USS Henry Holt, serendipitously in the area, would provide support.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT was the 23rd KNOX - class frigate. The ship is named in honor of the late Prime Minister of Australia: Harold Edward Holt was elected Prime Minister of Australia on 20 January 1966 and held office until his tragic drowning on 17 December 1967. Prime Minister Holt was a staunch anticommunist and an avid supporter of the United States.

USS HAROLD E. HOLT's history includes the reclamation of the containership SS MAYAGUEZ in May 1975. MAYAGUEZ was seized by the Cambodians and the crew was held captive. HOLT went alongside and boarded the MAYAGUEZ. Together with other Navy and Marine units, HOLT repatriated the MAYAGUEZ crew. Decommissioned on July 2, 1992, and stricken from the Navy list on January 11, 1995, the HAROLD E. HOLT was disposed of as a target on July 10, 2002, during RIMPAC 2002.

I was the shipfitter and general foreman on the construction of the Holt. It was made by good men at Todd Shipyrad, San Pedro, California.

[vetvetdoug]

I was active duty USAF when the incident occurred. I remember hearing that 23 USAF Security Police Members from Thailand volunteered at a moment's notice to attempt to board and retake the Mayaguez. They were sent toward the Mayaguez and the helicopter went down, killing all of them. The Marines then took two chalks of green Marine members with USAF helicopters, Ch-53 and HH-53s, both were considered ok since there was very light resistance expected. Unfortunately, resistance was significant. The USAF members did this unflinchingly and the Marines will tell anyone, these USAF members gave all they had to save the Marines.

I was elated when Ford had the balls to do something but they micromanaged the incident and did not let the military do what they do best in this situation. When the names of the lost USAF members were posted I barfed. When they were not reported as casualties and not even mentioned, I was angry. I remember a pilot of an OV-10 showed up and kicked some commie butt royally and helped significantly get the Marines off the island. The forces still left three Marines alive to die at the hands of the commies. Not a pretty event, not one to be highlighting. The service members that were sent to Koh Tang were our best and didn't get the recognition I would have hoped. Still, no matter what, I was proud of our country and my fellow members. The Mayaguez incident is a clear example of why we should let the military fight and the politicians keep the hell out of the way.

[frankenMonkey]

Can you recommend any books about this?

[vetvetdoug]

My Father was was a Senior NCO First Sergeant at Kadena AFB at the time of the incident and was privy to a lot of the happenings of the event. I was a veterinary technician that worked with the Security Police (Military Working Dogs) often CONUS and got a lot of information first hand. A book written by a retired USAF officer, Ralph Wetterhahn, about the incident in 2001 went unnoticed. The title of the book, The Last Battle gives a sterling account of the incident and how it began, how it ended, and what happened to the men left behind. This officer went the extra mile to write the book which was not a big seller.

[gunnyg]

Mayaguez:

http://www.usmm.org/mayaguez.html

[OldFriend]

Thanks for posting the name of the book. Perhaps some will consider it important enough to learn what really happened on that mission.

[navyblue]

Thanks for posting the name of the book. Perhaps some will consider it important enough to learn what really happened on that mission.

Well, I have a clue. I later sailed with the guy that was the second mate on the mayaguez, and from what I remember of him, the reason the Cambodians turned them loose is because they couldln't afford to feed that fat tub of lard.

Just plain old economics!

[frankenMonkey]

The book at Amazon.com

[OldFriend]

Thanks for the link. Our heroes who were sent to rescue the crew of the Mayaquez deserve to have people know just how heroic they were!