03Fox2/1
10-09-08, 15:55
It has been 40 years since the USS Pueblo (AGER 2) was attacked and captured by North Korean naval forces off the coast of North Korea. The Pueblo was in international waters, over 15 miles off-shore and was under the impression that protection under "freedom of the seas" was all that was needed. Piracy at sea by a rogue state proved otherwise.
Captain of the USS Pueblo, Commander Pete Bucher, recently assigned and with previous submarine service, and the existing crew, were woefully unprepared and undertrained for what was to happen to them on January 23, 1968. The ship was publicly known as an oceanic research ship but in reality was a spy ship. Our enemies knew of her identity, location and mission and the North Koreans had previously harassed similar ships. The state of undeclared war between North Korea and the United States should have been enough for the U.S. Navy to anticipate such at attack. The USS Pueblo was part of Operation Clickbeetle, code name for electronic and radio intelligence gathering by small non-combatant naval ships that operated close to potential enemies. Both the USSR and North Korea were very familiar with American spy ships and were prone to test our resolve frequently, much like Russia flying into our own airspace with spy planes.
This ship was almost completely unarmed, only two 50 cal. machine guns aboard and the majority of the crew knew little or nothing about the true mission or the risk of attack. Her only protection was our flag and the assumption of international waters providing immunity from attack. Before the attack, there were difficulties in communication with Naval command and because the risk of the mission had been deemed low or no risk, there were no contingency plans in place for immediate aid from either American naval or air assets. It seems now to be beyond comprehension how these decisions were arrived at, but this is the situation that the USS Pueblo found itself in.
On January 23, 1968, four North Korean torpedo boats surrounded the USS Pueblo in international waters, demanded her surrender, and then attacked her with machine guns and 57 mm guns. Several North Korean Mig jets also flew low and fast over her and a boarding party was dispatched. The American crew immediately attempted to destroy secret and sensitive documents, codes and equipment but was unable to do so properly and it took too long to scuttle the ship so the USS Pueblo was successfully boarded. The attacks had killed one sailor and wounded nine more and Commander Bucher chose to save his crew and surrendered his ship and unfortunately, sensitive secrets to our enemies in the communist world.
I believe this was the wrong decision by him, but I wasn't there and I won't try to second-guess him except to say the responsibility of command is not only to your men but also to your mission and your country. Sometimes these conflict and that's what war is, making difficult personal decisions that impact not only yourself but also your men under your command and your mission and your country and therein lies the great debate. Great men do the right thing at personal risk and good men sometimes do less. Both are understandable but history has a way of looking at things with a very unforgiving eye, sometimes even at the expense of honor and duty. The USS Pueblo was the first US Navy ship to surrender in peacetime since 1807.
The crew of 79 Sailors and 2 Marines and 1 civilians were taken prisoner and held from 23 January 1968 to 23 December 1969 by North Korea. During this time they were abused, physically beaten and tortured. Commander Bucher had a pistol put to his head and threatened with execution. No attempt at rescue was made by the United States although a task force was sent to the area, however it was a bluff. A decision to use diplomatic instead of military power was chosen and the results were more shame and dishonor on America and the Naval service. The crew was not responsible for this, our government was and I believe a full accounting of who shares in this fiasco has never been publicly admitted or accountability professed.
After repatriation there was an accounting of this sad affair. The investigation and gathering of information and facts and having each crewman testify, led the Naval Board of Inquiry to recommend charges against Commander Bucher and other officers. A General Court-Martial to letters of admonition, either sufficient to end a Naval career. This punishment was not for behavior while prisoners of war, but for being unprepared and surrendering the ship at high seas. It is another responsibility of command to bear the burden of guilt of failed missions but in this case I believe that many more layers of higher command bear equal if not more responsibility for this fiasco.
I'm relieved that the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific fleet declined to accept these recommendations and that the Secretary of the Navy, John H. Chafee agreed with him. All charges against Commander Bucher and others were dropped on 6 May 1969. This ship is still in North Korea and still belongs to the U.S. Navy.
It wasn't until 1990 that the crew in a ceremony was awarded the POW medal.
Semper Fi
Associated Press
7 September 2008
by Wilson Ring
Jericho, Vt. -- Ralph McClintock expected only a three week mission when he boarded the USS Pueblo in January 1968.
Instead, he and his shipmates became pawns in a Cold War sideshow when North Korea captured the Navy spy ship and imprisoned it's 82 crew members. Some still suffer the physical effects of torture or malnutrition they suffered in 11 months of captivity.
McClintock is proud of his service as a 24-year-old communications technician and the bonds he made with his crew mates, but that pride is tinged with bitterness.
"We were treated as heroes when we got back, but what the Navy, the institution of the Navy really wanted, in my opinion, is the Pueblo to have sunk," McClintock said at his Jericho home.
On Wednesday, 40 of the 69 surviving crew members will gather in neighboring Essex for a four day reunion.
McClintock, 65, isn't the only one who is disillusioned.
"I think the crew has always wanted someone in the Navy to stand up and say 'Hey, you guys did a great job in a poorly conceived mission without any backup,' said Skip Schumacher, 65, of St. Louis, a lieutenant junior grade on the ship.
The crew kept the military chain of command alive and resisted their captors. They planted defiant codes into forced letters of confession and extended their middle fingers when North Koreans photographed them and sent the images around the world.
But when they came home, most of the young sailors acknowledged they gave the enemy more than their name, rank and serial number.
A Navy spokesman, Lt. j.g. Thomas Buck, said no appropriate Navy official was available to comment on the criticisms of the Navy's handling of the Pueblo incident and its aftermath.
On January 23, 1968, North Korean patrol boats opened fire on the Pueblo. The U.S. says the Pueblo was in international water; North Korean says it was in its territory.
The crew was released two days before Christmas.
The Navy still lists the Pueblo as a commissioned warship, even though it's docked on the Taedong River in Pyongyang where North Korea holds it up as a symbol of resistance to American aggression.
Captain of the USS Pueblo, Commander Pete Bucher, recently assigned and with previous submarine service, and the existing crew, were woefully unprepared and undertrained for what was to happen to them on January 23, 1968. The ship was publicly known as an oceanic research ship but in reality was a spy ship. Our enemies knew of her identity, location and mission and the North Koreans had previously harassed similar ships. The state of undeclared war between North Korea and the United States should have been enough for the U.S. Navy to anticipate such at attack. The USS Pueblo was part of Operation Clickbeetle, code name for electronic and radio intelligence gathering by small non-combatant naval ships that operated close to potential enemies. Both the USSR and North Korea were very familiar with American spy ships and were prone to test our resolve frequently, much like Russia flying into our own airspace with spy planes.
This ship was almost completely unarmed, only two 50 cal. machine guns aboard and the majority of the crew knew little or nothing about the true mission or the risk of attack. Her only protection was our flag and the assumption of international waters providing immunity from attack. Before the attack, there were difficulties in communication with Naval command and because the risk of the mission had been deemed low or no risk, there were no contingency plans in place for immediate aid from either American naval or air assets. It seems now to be beyond comprehension how these decisions were arrived at, but this is the situation that the USS Pueblo found itself in.
On January 23, 1968, four North Korean torpedo boats surrounded the USS Pueblo in international waters, demanded her surrender, and then attacked her with machine guns and 57 mm guns. Several North Korean Mig jets also flew low and fast over her and a boarding party was dispatched. The American crew immediately attempted to destroy secret and sensitive documents, codes and equipment but was unable to do so properly and it took too long to scuttle the ship so the USS Pueblo was successfully boarded. The attacks had killed one sailor and wounded nine more and Commander Bucher chose to save his crew and surrendered his ship and unfortunately, sensitive secrets to our enemies in the communist world.
I believe this was the wrong decision by him, but I wasn't there and I won't try to second-guess him except to say the responsibility of command is not only to your men but also to your mission and your country. Sometimes these conflict and that's what war is, making difficult personal decisions that impact not only yourself but also your men under your command and your mission and your country and therein lies the great debate. Great men do the right thing at personal risk and good men sometimes do less. Both are understandable but history has a way of looking at things with a very unforgiving eye, sometimes even at the expense of honor and duty. The USS Pueblo was the first US Navy ship to surrender in peacetime since 1807.
The crew of 79 Sailors and 2 Marines and 1 civilians were taken prisoner and held from 23 January 1968 to 23 December 1969 by North Korea. During this time they were abused, physically beaten and tortured. Commander Bucher had a pistol put to his head and threatened with execution. No attempt at rescue was made by the United States although a task force was sent to the area, however it was a bluff. A decision to use diplomatic instead of military power was chosen and the results were more shame and dishonor on America and the Naval service. The crew was not responsible for this, our government was and I believe a full accounting of who shares in this fiasco has never been publicly admitted or accountability professed.
After repatriation there was an accounting of this sad affair. The investigation and gathering of information and facts and having each crewman testify, led the Naval Board of Inquiry to recommend charges against Commander Bucher and other officers. A General Court-Martial to letters of admonition, either sufficient to end a Naval career. This punishment was not for behavior while prisoners of war, but for being unprepared and surrendering the ship at high seas. It is another responsibility of command to bear the burden of guilt of failed missions but in this case I believe that many more layers of higher command bear equal if not more responsibility for this fiasco.
I'm relieved that the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific fleet declined to accept these recommendations and that the Secretary of the Navy, John H. Chafee agreed with him. All charges against Commander Bucher and others were dropped on 6 May 1969. This ship is still in North Korea and still belongs to the U.S. Navy.
It wasn't until 1990 that the crew in a ceremony was awarded the POW medal.
Semper Fi
Associated Press
7 September 2008
by Wilson Ring
Jericho, Vt. -- Ralph McClintock expected only a three week mission when he boarded the USS Pueblo in January 1968.
Instead, he and his shipmates became pawns in a Cold War sideshow when North Korea captured the Navy spy ship and imprisoned it's 82 crew members. Some still suffer the physical effects of torture or malnutrition they suffered in 11 months of captivity.
McClintock is proud of his service as a 24-year-old communications technician and the bonds he made with his crew mates, but that pride is tinged with bitterness.
"We were treated as heroes when we got back, but what the Navy, the institution of the Navy really wanted, in my opinion, is the Pueblo to have sunk," McClintock said at his Jericho home.
On Wednesday, 40 of the 69 surviving crew members will gather in neighboring Essex for a four day reunion.
McClintock, 65, isn't the only one who is disillusioned.
"I think the crew has always wanted someone in the Navy to stand up and say 'Hey, you guys did a great job in a poorly conceived mission without any backup,' said Skip Schumacher, 65, of St. Louis, a lieutenant junior grade on the ship.
The crew kept the military chain of command alive and resisted their captors. They planted defiant codes into forced letters of confession and extended their middle fingers when North Koreans photographed them and sent the images around the world.
But when they came home, most of the young sailors acknowledged they gave the enemy more than their name, rank and serial number.
A Navy spokesman, Lt. j.g. Thomas Buck, said no appropriate Navy official was available to comment on the criticisms of the Navy's handling of the Pueblo incident and its aftermath.
On January 23, 1968, North Korean patrol boats opened fire on the Pueblo. The U.S. says the Pueblo was in international water; North Korean says it was in its territory.
The crew was released two days before Christmas.
The Navy still lists the Pueblo as a commissioned warship, even though it's docked on the Taedong River in Pyongyang where North Korea holds it up as a symbol of resistance to American aggression.