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Posted on 11/04/2003 12:00:24 AM PST by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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The USS Pueblo was originally constructed in Kewaunee, Wisconsin in 1944 as FP-344, a U.S. Army Transportation Corps general purpose supply ship. This designation was later changed to FS-344 and the ship was eventually retired from active service in 1954. In April 1966, it was transferred to the control of the U.S. Navy and was commissioned as USS Pueblo AKL-44 (Auxiliary Light Cargo). The ship was given its name after Pueblo, Colorado. Finally, in May 1967, the Navy gave the ship its final designation of AGER-2, an environmental research vessel. Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. “Pete” Bucher was the first commanding officer of the USS Pueblo.  USS Pueblo (AGER-2) After the Pueblo was commissioned, it departed its home in Bremerton, WA in September 1967. After making a liberty call in San Francisco, it was enroute San Diego. After more sea trials and training, the Pueblo left San Diego in early November. It stopped in Pearl Harbor, HI to replenish supplies, to repair the ship's steering engine, and to receive intelligence and operational briefings. After a three day visit, it was off to Japan, where it arrived December 1, 1967 in Yokosuka.  Until this point, the majority of the crew did not know what Pueblo's real mission was. In fact, the newly-appointed CDR Bucher told the crew just prior to leaving on its first mission that their mission and destination were none of their business but not to worry about it. Only CDR Bucher, a few officers on board, and the Communications Technicians (CTs) knew the details of Operation Clickbeetle and where they would be operating. Due to its new mission and the joint program with NSA, Pueblo was tasked not through the typical Navy channels but instead through the Naval Security Group Command. Before departing Japan, Pueblo was given its official mission orders. The Pueblo departed Sasebo, Japan around January 11, 1968 enroute North Korea's east coast. The three primary operating areas in which Pueblo would be operating were given the celestial code names of Op Area Pluto, Venus, and Mars. According to its new mission orders, Pueblo was tasked to:
 According to the United States Commander-In-Chief Pacific Fleet (US CINCPACFLT), Pueblo's mission was assigned a risk assessment of Minimal. This was primarily due to the lack of valuable information on North Korean forces. CDR Bucher tried to get the assessment raised to Hazardous but his request was denied. Another reason the mission was assigned a Minimal assessment was because the Pueblo was instructed to remain in international waters, as clearly stated in the mission orders. However, when the USS Banner was tasked to conduct similar missions, it was assigned a Hazardous risk assessment and Air Force fighters were on strip alert as well as two Navy destroyers were located within 50 miles of the Banner's operations. Only a few military units knew of Pueblo's mission: the U.S. Seventh Fleet, which is responsible for Navy operations in the Pacific theater, U.S. Forces Korea, which commands American forces stationed in South Korea, and the U.S. Fifth Air Force out of Fuchu, Japan. The U.S. Fifth Air Force personnel even questioned the lack of strip alert status for Pueblo's support but they were verbally informed that such measures would not be needed. Furthermore, due to the Minimal risk assessment, the U.S. Navy made no specific requests for support for the Pueblo.  While transiting to the first operation area, Pluto in the vicinity of Chongjin and Songjin, Pueblo encountered a severe winter ice storm as is common in the Sea of Japan. Also enroute, Pueblo managed to conduct training on its recently-installed shipboard weapons, the .50 caliber machine gun. The .50 caliber might be effective against a very small vessel, but certainly did not pose a threat to a patrol boat or larger vessel; but since it was the only weapon Pueblo was equipped with, the crew had to make due with what was available. While operating in Op Area Pluto, Pueblo did not encounter any significant visual or electronic contacts. The only contacts it reported sighting were Russian and Japanese freighters but at least the oceanographers were able to collect their data. Since there was a lack of activity in Op Area Pluto, Pueblo transited southward down the coast to Op Area Venus, which was in the area of Mayang Do. The only significant activity in Op Area Venus came on 21 January when a North Korean (modified Soviet variant) SO-1 subchaser passed within 1,600 yards of Pueblo traveling about 25 knots. Pueblo had been operating in strict emmisions control (EMCON) to avoid being detected and indentified. Since the SO-1 also emitted no radar, there was no reason for Pueblo to break its radio silence and contact the threatening vessel. Shortly thereafter, Pueblo departed Venus and transited south yet again to Op Area Mars, which was off the coast of Wonsan. Almost immediately, the amount of electronic intelligence (ELINT) increased. On 22 January, Pueblo was approached by two North Korean, Russian-built fishing trawlers. The trawlers approached twice; the first time, they circled Pueblo about 500 yards away but after leaving, they returned and circled Pueblo as close as 25 yards. Concerned, Pueblo broke EMCON and tried to send off its first situation report (SITREP) to USNAVSECGRU to infom them of the close encounter. The message took nearly 14 hours to send because of the difficulty in maintaining a communications frequency. USNAVSECGRU had no knowledge of Pueblo's status until 10:00 AM on 23 January.  Fireman Duane Hodges The same day, 31 North Koreans dressed in South Korean uniforms crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and got to within one block of the South Korean presidential palace, the Blue House. However, the raid was detected and the men were executed. Since it had only one day left on station off the North Korean coast, the decision was made not to inform Pueblo of the foiled attempt. Instead, Pueblo received National Basketball Association scores. After assuming its night position of 25 nautical miles offshore, on 23 January Pueblo moved to 15 miles from the nearest land, which was Yo Do, an island near Wonsan. In this new area, there was an increase in ELINT. While eating lunch in the wardroom, CDR Bucher was interrupted twice to be informed of an approaching ship 8 miles away and about three minutes later, informing him that the ship was five miles away and approaching very fast. The ship was identified as a North Korean SO-1 subchaser traveling at 40 knots. In order to appear legitimate and conduct oceanographic research, two civilian oceanographers went topside where they could be seen and began to take ocean observations. Signal flags were also hoisted to indicate that was what was going on.  The crew of the subchaser could now be seen and were observed to be at battle stations. When the SO-1 closed to within 1,000 yards, it asked the Pueblo's nationality. In response, the Pueblo immediately hoisted the American flag. Then, at 12:10 PM, a message from the SO-1 to shore was intercepted; it said, "The name of the target is GER-2. I judge it to be a reconnaissance ship. It is American guys. It does not appear that there are weapons and it is a hydrographic mapping ship." Following that, three North Korean P-4 torpedo boats were approaching. The SO-1 closed to 500 yards and signaled "HEAVE TO OR I WILL FIRE." At this point, Pueblo was not moving and the nearest land was 15.8 miles, well outside of the 12-mile territorial waters boundary afforded states according to international law. Pueblo responded to the order, "I AM IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS." Then, two North Korean MiG-21 fighter jets did a low flyover of the area. To make matters even more serious, another subchaser and another torpedo boat were approaching; that made a total of two SO-1 subchasers, four P-4 torpedo boats, and two MiG-21 fighters.  Poor-quality photograph of a chart of the Wonsan area, North Korea. The chart was exhibited by the North Korean government to support their claim that USS Pueblo (AGER-2) had entered that state's territorial waters off Wonsan before she was attacked and captured by North Korean forces on 23 January 1968. In an attempt to depart the area to avoid a confrontation, the Pueblo got underway. Nearly an hour after the first one, another message was intercepted from the SO-1 to shore saying "...according to present instructions we will close down the radio, tie up the personnel, tow it and enter port Wonsan. At present, we are on our way to boarding. We are coming in." Just then, Pueblo observed men apparently from the North Korean Army (NKA) armed with AK-47s transferring from one of the subchasers to one of the torpedo boats. The P-4 then approached Pueblo's starboard side. To prevent the men from boarding, Pueblo moved and attempted again to depart the area doing close to its top speed. The initial harrasser, the SO-1, came alongside again indicating "HEAVE TO OR I WILL FIRE" and did fire its 57mm guns at the Pueblo while the torpedo boats fired machine guns at Pueblo's superstructure. CDR Bucher and two other men were wounded when the 57mm explosive rounds hit the radar mast and the flying bridge. While this was happening, Bucher instictively ordered the destruction of classified material on board and he also ordered a modified General Quarters posture to allow no personnel topside. However, the Pueblo had too much classified material onboard that even with every method of destruction possible being used, it was obvious that not all the material could be destroyed. Pueblo continued on an eastward track when the two MiGs flew over again while the SO-1 and P-4's continued firing; one of the P-4's uncovered its torpedo tube. Although Pueblo was equipped with two .50 caliber machine guns, it was helpless compared to the superior North Korean firepower. Pueblo's gun mounts were still covered and frozen and the ammunition was stored below decks. To attempt to man the mounts would have been suicidal so CDR Bucher ordered no such attempt.  Hole in side of Pueblo where Duane Hodges was mortally wounded. The Pueblo stopped and consequently, the firing stopped. The subchaser signaled to the Pueblo, "FOLLOW ME HAVE PILOT ON BOARD." Pueblo started to follow slowly, then increased speed, then stopped again to try to buy more time to destroy more classified material. This provoked the North Koreans to begin firing again and claiming the only casualty of the incident, Fireman Duane Hodges. Hodges was dumping material overboard when he and several others were hit. In order to obey the North Koreans' order to follow and keep them from firing, the Pueblo proceeded slowly so it could also continue classified destruction. During this time, Pueblo was in constant radio communications with the Naval Security Group in Kamiseya, Japan, who sent its last message saying "Some birds winging your way," giving the idea that air support was enroute. The SO-1 signaled the Pueblo to stop in order for the P-4 with the North Korean Army troops onboard to come alongside and board. Once aboard, they gathered the Pueblo crew on the fantail and the forward well deck of the ship where they were blindfolded and forced to sit with their hands tied. Any crewmember who resisted was kicked, punched, and jabbed with bayonets by the NKA troops. Once the Pueblo was inside territorial waters, Pueblo was stopped to embark higher ranking officers. After they boarded, a North Korean civilian pilot drove the ship at its highest speed setting toward Wonsan. A North Korean colonel made an inspection of the ship and had the Pueblo crew members put into the forward berthing quarters.  Another hole from 57mm cannon North Korean propaganda film frames The Pueblo was docked in Wonsan, where a crowd of North Koreans had gathered, shouting anti-American slurs. The Hispanic crewmembers were thought to be South Koreans and were attacked by the North Korean soldiers. The crew was then put on buses with covered windows, which took them to a train station where they would board a train also with covered windows. The train took them to the capital, Pyongyang, where the press was waiting to photo the North Korean's prize. From the train station, the crew was again put on a bus that took them to the first compound that they would go to during their time in captivity.  This incident marked the first time that an American Naval vessel had been hijacked since the Civil War. Up until this point, and during the Cold War, such a feat was unimaginible, especially from an inferior power like North Korea so the U.S. was not prepared for a response. And with the Vietnam War nearly at its peak, the U.S. could hardly afford to wage another war, even if it was in the same theater of operations. However, one response that was planned was Operation Red Fox, which lasted from 23 January 1968 - 5 February 1969. Red Fox consisted of several 9th Air Force active units that deployed various types of aircraft (i.e. fighters, reconnaissance, and support) to U.S. bases in the Pacific. Additionally, six U.S. Air Force Reserve units were activated in case of escalation. Many missions were flown in order to train for action if necessary but no air strikes were conducted and Operation Red Fox turned out to be just a standby alternative.
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Leeloo Dallas is the Fifth Element and the key concern in the movie.
It has alot of comedy aswell.
Snippy is an important element to Foxhole....she takes and gives back good when teasing arrises...LOL!
What a fine lot of pantywaists avoiding responsibility: the ship was "not operating under Navy authority" but under "Spook Command".
Quite the Liberty deja vu all over again.
And that little matter of Pearl Harbor--blame the guy who showed up for the Japs' treachery and FDR's flatfoot useful idiocy.
And to send the crew baseball scores instead of the PDRK invasion raid--priceless.
This is the donut mentality that turned its back on Speicher--who may or may not be alive, no thanks to "command".
Oh and Johnson would "do anything"--he'd sacrifice our people with his target list "sanitization" to spare embarrassing Ho Chi Minh or offending Mao, so of course he wasn't about to offend Kim Il Sung Chia Prick the Elder.
Now when it came to buying votes of color, five, six trillion, no price (in your dollars) is too high.
It's the premier nut house of the globe, North Korea, where ax murderers wear uniforms and women must eat bark so Chia Prick has Mickey Mouse tee-shirts and comfort comrades.
So send a twenty-two-year-old barge into hell and harm's way with zero repeat zero cover.
Oh, but Kim Il Sung's winged monkeys will respect the international limit--just as Hong Fat wouldn't dream of flying into Vegomatic number one on our EP-3C.
And again the crew can't destroy the secret stuff fast enough--
Our friend who was charged with PDRK order of battle 1956-7 said the plane should have been put down--but that it was night and there were women--hence ChiComs got our stuff.
And why does our intel continue to suffer?
Because Tenet's CIA remains the political hackshop traitorrapist42 set up.
Because the minority on Senate Select Intel isn't seeking better product--only better gotcha against their main enemy, not Osama or Saddam but President Bush 43.
Speaking of Korea, KAL 007 went down in 83 with a US congressman on board Larry MacDonald.
I asked our friend about that, and he and his wife knew some of the principals.
I emailed Reed Irvine of Accuracy In Media and he called and we talked at some length.
Radar showed the airliner descended smoothly, not in some catastrophic dive.
Only shoes, no bodies were recovered.
Hence, the hypothesis that it took the MiG's missile without breaking up, splashed intact, passengers offloaded, fuselage towed and sunk.
Irvine explained a new book was being released, and wouldn't you know it, none of the media came to the press conference.
When Commies succeed, the universe is humming along fine, hence, it's not news.
One of many perplexing details that raise questions about what really happened to KAL 007 after the attack is that the jetliner remained airborne for at least 12 minutes. During a press briefing on the morning of September 1, 1983, Secretary of State George Shultz told reporters: "At 1826 hours the Soviet pilot reported that he fired a missile and the target was destroyed. At 1830 hours the Korean aircraft was reported by radar at 5,000 meters [16,400 feet]. At 1838 hours the Korean plane disappeared from the radar screen."
To date, no one has adequately explained how a jetliner supposedly blownup and hurtling out of control toward the sea would take at least 12 minutes to fall 35,000 feet. For comparison, consider this Associated Press dispatch as printed by Deseret News (Salt Lake City) for February 20, 1985: "A China Airlines jumbo jet fell 32,000 feet in less than two minutes Tuesday [February 19th] after all four of its engines failed but the pilot restarted them and flew 500 miles with a damaged tail before making an emergency landing here [San Francisco], authorities said .... The Boeing 747 ... fell from a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet to 9,000 feet, said ... a spokesman at San Francisco International Airport." The plane fell 32,000 feet in something less than two minutes. Let us be conservative (and keep the arithmetic simple) by assuming that it was exactly two minutes, in which case the rate of descent would have been 267 feet per second. Had KAL 007 "plummeted" toward the sea at that rate, its fall would have taken about two minutes and 11 seconds -- not 12 minutes.
It is important to note that its disappearance from the radar screen by no means meant that KAL 007 had crashed. It could have remained airborne thereafter until it either landed or ran out of fuel. Newsweek for September 12, 1983 reported that the plane went off radar while it was still 5,000 feet in the air. And R. W. Johnson asserts in Shootdown that it "went off the Wakkanai radar at 1000 feet."
In any event, KAL 007 remained aloft for at least 12 minutes after the attack, which is near-conclusive evidence that the crew was at least partially in control of the aircraft. Otherwise, the descent would have been far more precipitous.
Another remarkable aspect of the descent is that it appears to have been carried out according to standard procedure for an aircraft that has suffered an engine loss and decompression, but is still being controlled by the crew. A precipitous initial descent (between 4,000 and 7,000 feet per minute, depending on weather conditions and the structural condition of the aircraft) is intended to quickly reach a level where there is adequate oxygen and a warmer temperature. Thereafter, the rate is reduced as the pilot signals for assistance, seeks a place to land, makes his position known to potential rescuers, etc. The available data indicates that the Captain of KAL 007 followed that procedure.
This is the book Reed Irvine told me about.
Rescue 007: The Untold Story of KAL 007 and Its Survivors By Bert Schlossberg
They Tried to Destroy the Passenger Plane...
“The target is destroyed,” so said Major Gennadie Osipovich as he launched two Anab medium range air-to-air missiles in the direction of the Korean Airlines Boeing 747 flying over Russia’s Sakhalin Island carrying 269 unsuspecting passengers and crew. It was August 31, 1983.
“Not so!” said Russian General Kornukov and Lt. Col. Gerasimenko as they watched KAL 007 on their radar screen slowly descend in search of a favorable landing site.
Gerasimenko: “Turning left, right, apparently. . . it’s descending.”
Kornukov: “’Destroy it, use the [MiG] 23, destroy it,’ I said!”
“Not so!” said Lt. Col. Novoseletski, Smirnykh Air Base Chief of Staff as he first realized that KAL 007 had indeed survived.
Novoseletski: “What is happening, what is the matter, who guided him in, he locked on, why didn’t he shoot it down?”
“Not so!” says General Kornukov again when, three minutes after the missile attack, he is informed by Major Osipovich’s ground controller that not only has the airliner not been downed, it is also able to negotiate turns.
Kornukov: “I do not understand the result, why is the target flying? [obscenities], well, what is happening?”
“Not so!” says Lt. Col. Novoseletski again at twelve minutes after the attack as he futilely tries again to bring down the huge Korean passenger plane.
Novoseletski: “Get it! Get it! Go ahead, bring in the MiG 23.”
Ground Controller: “Roger. The MiG 23 is in the area. It is descending to 5000 [meters]. The order has been given. Destroy upon detection.”
And, “Not so!” say Lt. Col. Novoseletski, 21 minutes after the strike, and General Strogov, the Deputy Commander of the Soviet Far East Military District, 29 minutes after, as they order rescue missions to be sent to tiny Moneron Island (4 1/2 miles long, 3 miles wide), where the jet liner has just ditched.
Novoseletski: “Prepare whatever helicopters there are. Rescue helicopters.”
Ground Controller: “Rescue?”
Novoseletski: “Yes.”
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Ground Controller: “The border guards and KGB are at Khornutovo.
Strogov: “The border guards. What ships do we now have near Moneron Island? If they are civilian, send [them] there immediately.”
Ground Controller: “Understood, Comrade General.”
In the early morning hours of August 31, 1983, a single Soviet Interceptor sent a missile in the direction of a Korean Airlines 747 jumbo jet carrying 269 passengers and crew on a flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Seoul, Korea.
For years, it was believed that the "target" was "destroyed", as reported seconds after the attack. In a dramatic turn of events, evidence surfaced (some quite literally from the bottom of the sea) proving that KAL 007 had indeed ditched successfully off the shores of tiny Moneron Island, and that the passengers and crew were rescued to be held captive in the former Soviet Union. Here, in this book, are the unparalleled transcripts and chronicling of the whole Soviet hierarchy from the Commander of the Far East Military District down to Major Osipovich squeezing the trigger. Here are the high level, and sometimes vehement, interchanges that resulted in both the shooting down and the ordering of rescue missions involving KGB patrol boats, helicopters, and civilian trawlers around Moneron. And, here finally, is the evidence we need to bring our people home. Senator Jesse Helms to Boris Yeltsin-December 10, 1991:
"The KAL-007 tragedy was one of the most tense incidents of the entire Cold War. . . Please provide a detailed list of the camps containing live passengers and crew, together with a map showing their location."
This air emergency, then, is probably the most dramatic and fully documented flight-gone-wrong ever.
The 747-200B was originally known as the 747B. It was a modification of the original 747, which was first flown on April 11, 1969. Even before the first production 747s rolled off the line, the upgraded 747B was announced in June 1968. The 747Bs were later called 747-200Bs and the original production model the 747-100. Subsequent modifications became the 747-300 and the 747-400. Boeing also manufactured a 747-200F (Freighter), 747-200C (Convertible from freight to passengers) and a 747-200M ("Combi" combination passenger and freight) as well as the 747-SP (Special Performance).
Boeing model numbers are a combination of the aircraft series number and a designation for the airline contracting for construction. The number for Lufthansa is 30; therefore, this plane is designated as a Boeing 747-230B since it was manufactured for Lufthansa originally.
Above is a photo of the plane as D-ABYH (Condor Airlines) before purchased and flown as HL7442 (Korean Airlines).
Our future enemy, deal with then now.
Because Tenet's CIA remains the political hackshop traitorrapist42 set up.
Bingo!. I don't trust ANYONE who was appointed by Clinton and the first thing Bush should have done was accept the resignations of anyone appointed bt Clinton.
Flight 007, USS Pueblo, border crossing incidents, terrorist attacks, our enemies keep tesing us and we have found to be wanting. The ROE should be, you screw with us , you lose a your Air Force, a base, a harbor, your palace, a government building, a town, whatever, until they learn that screwing with the US isn't worth the price.
Awww. SAM, where is your blushing face? I need it over here!
Thank you Light Speed for the kind words.
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