MILITARY HISTORY magazine article

Comments: The March 2010 issue of MILITARY HISTORY contains a cover article entitled, "Why Dis North Korea Seize the Pueblo?" It is written by Michael Lerner, who previously wrote the book, "The Pueblo Incident: A Spy Ship and the Failure of American Foreign Policy." It is an interesting read, and provides details of the mission of the USS Pueblo off the coast of North Korea.

Keywords: USS Pueblo, North Korea, MILITARY HISTORY, Michael Lerner

okinawa, 7 aerial port sq, naha

Comments: hi guys,,,you all talk about leaving okinawa for korea for support of the pueblo crisis. guess what, we from the 7th aps, naha. loaded all the planes that went from there to korea...i remember moving the unit of f-102 to osan, than i went to osan and moved them to suwon. could never fig. it out, but we moved the f-102 from osan to suwon, so the f-102 from clark could move into osan...thanks for you service...jim

Keywords: pueblo crisis

Communications with the Pueblo

Comments: I was a cryptographic technician stationed at Camp Red Cloud during the Pueblo Incident. When I came on duty for the night shift, the communications center was astir with concern about the messages we were receiving from the Pueblo. The Pueblo's signals were linked through several communication vans about SK, but there was one outside the backdoor of our center. Their messages were encrypted, but having access, I began reading them. Someone was typing directly to us aboard the Pueblo. The message said that the North Koreans had boarded the vessel and had shot someone on deck. The person typing was considering the destruction, by thermite grenades, of all the crypto gear and key lists aboard the Pueblo. We don't know if he carried it out, because that was our last communication. Later, we were asked to find the Pueblo's location, which was determined by the strength of their radio signals (no GPS). By our calculations it was close to the twenty mile limit, but no less. Yet the fact remained that the Pueblo was out there with a secret mission, and was not to be captured. Its capture would compromise much of our security equipment, which it did. Hours passed, and in middle of the night we began receiving Red Rocket messages from the White House. Many of these messages were being designated to bases throughout South Korea, placing the country on alert. Others were Top Secret, and I was the only one on duty with a Top Secret clearance that night. When I prepared our equipment for Top Secret, I began reading the messages, which were being sent to the Nike Missle bases. President Johnson was ready to fire, and a list of the targets were given, with some other orders concerning warheads. I had no idea about what those messages were actually saying, but my fears during the midst of all this, was that we were on the brink of a nuclear war. Yet it was clearly evident that the President was serious and was not going to play around with NK. Then to confuse matters even more, NK jumped the border with approximately 100 infiltrators, which created havoc for a week or so. Some of these infiltrators actually made it to Seoul and marched down the streets toward the Presidential Palace. They were captured or killed...I don't remember. Afterwards I was sent in a communications van to a ROK division somewhere near the DMZ, where it was about zero degrees. The rest is history.

Keywords: Communications with the Pueblo

802 eab out of k-6

Comments: mar68 to mar69 was my time, we had patrols out looking for joe. one soldier was shot at c battery 4th and 44th during that summer. during the time of the bob hope show 68 we were pulling bridge duty. just don't remember which bridge! they were all cold. to cold to dig or build but we could still watch.

Keywords: 802nd, camp humphreys, c/4th/44th

Pueblo site

Comments: Go to www.usspueblo.org Commander Bucher died Jan 2004 and is buried at Ft Rosecrans in San Diego. Lots of kind words here. I wrote the CNO asking when Commander Bucher will be completely vindicated like Captain McVay-USS Indianapolis- finally was. He and all of us did our best with what the Navy gave us!

Keywords: Pueblo Capture and information

Korea 1968-1969

Comments: Looking for other Army veterans that served over there during this same time, fall of 68 to fall 69. Anyone with information for the same unit would be great. Need to have proof I served at the DMZ as I was never there long enough to get combat pay, or CIB

Keywords: 2nd Infantry Division, 21st Tcac, 8th Army Division, Korea during Pubelo incident

Pueblo Incident

Comments: LIke other commentors, I was stationed on Okinawa at the time of the Pueblo Incident. Two or three days after the incident, a large portion of our Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron were assembled in a hanger on Naha Air Force Base and spent the day waiting as members of other detachements, on other islands in the Ryuku chain arrived. Around 10:00 P.M., a C-141 landed. The pilot came into the hanger and said, "I'm the driver of this C-141, where we going?" He said he had come from San Antonio. Soon afterwards, we all loaded on the C-141, took off, and landed at Suwon A.F.B. around 2:00 A.M.. We waited around in the freezing cold until a bus picked us up and drove us to Osan A.F.B., where we unloaded and slept on cots in a gym. The next day, one of our officers came with assignments. Myself, another Lt. and an airmen went by S-55 helicopter to Yong Mun Son GCI site. We controlled F-102 interceptors, other flights, and trained ROKAF controllers until returning to Okinawa.

Few people note, that the Pueblo Incident took place at the same time as the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. To many of us, it seemed apparent that there was collusion to stretch U.S. forces.

Keywords: Pueblo Incident

Security Police Sent to Suwon from Okinawa

Comments: I was sent from Okinawa on Jan 31, 1968 to Suwon in support of the F102's stationed at Naha. When we left Naha it was arounf 70 and when we arrived in Korea it was 13. We lived in ten man tents until we left the end of February.

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e-mail address

Comments: Does anyone have lt. commander steve harris e-mail address . thank you bruce tetrault

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My Memories - 'Remember The Pueblo'

Comments: I arrived at 3rd BDE, 2nd ID, Camp Young along the DMZ in January '68. I remember the JSA 3/4 ton truck ambush; the mess hall massacre and the Korean civilian workers truck that overturned along the 'zone'. Mostly, I remember the Pueblo and Commander Bucher! I was on Freedom Bridge the day the Pueblo crew walked back from captivity, to freedom. I was honored to have Commander Bucher come up to me and shake my hand. He said to me: 'you are the first friendly face' he had seen in almost a year. Later, I ran into Commander Bucher at DLI, in Monterey. We went to lunch and discovered we both were from southern California. Years later I reconnected with Commander Bucher and he gave me an autographed copy of his book. He told me I was 'mentioned' in his book and we remained friends up to his death. This memory has remained a significant influence all my life and I will never forget to 'Remember The Pueblo'! God Bless You All...

Keywords: HQ 3rd BDE, 2ID, S2, Camp Young

CO B 2ND 31ST ID R O K

Comments: MR GRACE YOU WAS NOT PATROL LEADER SGT PARPART WAS THE PATROL LEADER PFC ROBERT BISBEE WAS KIA THAT DAY THANK YOU FOR STORY

Keywords: CO B 2ND BN 31ST INF R O K 1967--1968 SGT PARPART PFC ROBERT BISBEE

Pueblo Bible

Comments: Regarding some prior postings seeking information about the "Pueblo Bible." It is mentioned in Lt. Commander Stephen R. Harris' book entitled, MY ANCHOR HELD. The Pueblo crew's religious materials, including bibles, were confiscated by the North Koreans upon their capture; and the crew was not permitted to have any religious materials during their imprisonment. Lt. Harris and other crew members wrote scriptures from memory onto pieces of paper and secretly shared them among the crew. These pieces of papers became known as the "Pueblo Bible." It is unclear where the crew was able to bring these "Pueblo Bible" papers with them upon their release at Panmunjom.

Keywords: USS Pueblo, Pueblo Bible

Pueblo Incident

Comments: I was 17 years old, just graduated from Medics School. I arrived in Korea 28FEB68 and was sent to @nd DIV. 1stBat. 9th Inf. The Pueblo crew was captoured about 1 month before. It was insne over there and no one home know waht was going on. Our base camp was at the gate that lead to Freedom Village. I will never forget the day the crew came home. They were skin and bones, blsck and blue but grining ear to ear. They came to our camp, was feed and showered then choptored to Seoule. I when I first got in country, I wound out that no one was let to leave country, even guys due to ETS. The thing that hit me hardest was the no one back home knew what was going on. My best friend was the medic in the other squad in the recon platoon was the first preson to come home with the Silver Medel. Later that year they made it a combat zone. It was insane over there.

Keywords: Imjim Scout

USS Pueblo

Comments: I have tried for years to find a copy of this, noluck so far. Can you help? I am a retired USAF officer who was in Korea but not at the of USS Pueblo incident.

Keywords: Iam interested in getting a copy of the photo of some the crew of the USS Pueblo giving the Hawaiian Good Luck sign. The erect finger, etc

I was the photographer

Comments: Very nearly no one knows I was the backseat on an F4 out of Misawa AB that took the low-pass photographs of the Pueblo being towed... the Navy didn't shoot theirs until the late evening of 24 January.... At the time I didn't know exactly where I was flying to and only that the mission would mean the chance to land on the USS Enterprise... I was young and felt like this is what I signed up for... foolish... but at the time very exciting. Sad for the men and families of the Pueblo.

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MP

Comments: Looking for MP that escorted me from helicopter to ASCOM 121st Hospital after I crossed the DMZ. Picture shows number 720 on side of his helmet.

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Okinawa TDY

Comments: I was sent to Suwon AFB from Naha Okinawa a few days after the capture. I was in the field maintenance sqadron working on the F-102 deta dart. We arrived in the night and were picked up on a flat bed truck and taken to some tents. I spent many months there and saw the Bon Hope show when it came to Osan AFB. Very cold in the winter and huge mosqitoes in the summer !

Keywords: F-102 Okinawa

Continuing Support for entire crew

Comments: Having been in the Regular Navy during the Korean War and knowing how desolate the country looks from the sea during shore bombardment, I can well appreciate the suffering and heroism of the Pueblo's officers & crew during the period of confinement in 1968. I read Lt. Edward R. Murphy's book, "SECOND IN COMMAND" and it gave me a great deal of sadness reading of their torture and beatings, as well as anger at the stupidity and clumliness of our governments efforts to free them. If any one should have been censured or demoted in rank, it should have been the Admirals who sent the ship out to North Korea without adequate escort or protection. I still try to get newspapers to do a human interest stories about the Pueblo and its crew, but its "old news" and not worth the effort. BUT I SAY , GOD BLESS YOU MEN AND OFFICERS OF THE PUEBLO, I SALUTE YOU ALWAYS FOR YOUR DUTY AND PATRIOTISM.

Keywords: United Nations Forces off East & West Coast of Korea 1952 and 1954

Pueblo

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...fleet flash network:7thFleet Flagship Commander Seventh Fleet

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Participation of USS Ranger

Comments: I am an attorney who specializes in VA disability law. I am assisting a Navy veteran who served on the USS Ranger (aircraft carrier). I am looking for information which reflects the Ranger's response to the seizing of the USS Pueblo and it's proximity in the months there after. Any information you can provide would be extremely helpful. Very nice site I might add.

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USS Pueblo AND Bonesteel

Comments: Working on a book on the "Cold War." I was in Korea 1967-69, I remember the Blue House raid, and how things buttoned up afterwards. It was a cold night, and flareships over Seoul. Lots more after that. I met General Bonesteel as well as General Mike Michaelis. A major challenge at the time was keeping the South Koreans from launching a war in response to North Korean provocations. I am looking for insights, leads, and documentation on decisions just after the Blue House raid and USS Pueblo capture. The excuse of "no conventionally armed aircraft available" has always sounded like crap, you always have conventionally armed aircraft. Please e-mail me if you have knowledge of these events and can shed light on the decisions at UNC/USFK/EUSAK during that time.

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Surgical Air Strike???

Comments: I have read an expert account that the intelligence the North Koreans gained by the capture of the USS Pueblo seriously depleted the upper hand we had. With a signficant Air Force presence in not only South Korea but also within the entire Pacific Rim, coupled with the Air Superiority we undoubtebly would have displayed versus the North Korean Air Force, could a surgical air strike on the USS Pueblo during North Korean captivity (after US personnel was evacuated, of course)have been feasible? Although high risk, that option certainly would have been cost effective and would have helped preserve national security much better during the years immdediately after. If any pilot could have carried out the deed, it would have been a US pilot. This option also would have prevented the USS Pueblo's capture fueling the North Korean propaganda machine, not to mention the insult we should feel by the vessel now serving as a North Korean tourist attraction. I would love to hear comments from Military personnel on this.

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JSA '67-'69/Escorted CMD Bucher

Comments: By the Army Veteran's Wife: My husband does not use the computer and is reserve regarding his military years. Today, being Memorial Day weekend we had a most intersting conversation regarding his deployment to Korea (1967-1969)the Vietnam Era and the historical Pueblo Incident. My husband was 18 when he went to Korea and 21 when he returned. Just a few weeks before he was to come home the North Koreans reached an agreement to release the Pueblo Crew. My husband, working in escort, on that cold day of release, was sent to the waiting area just on the south side of the "Bridege of No Return". After CMD Bucher crossed the bridge to the south and freedom, he was taken to the area where the escort service was waiting. CMD Bucher was placed in the car my husband was driving, accompanied by 2 officers and was driven by my husband to a safe and secure location. Even though it does not get the reconigition it should, I am so proud of the Army and especially my husband for being a part of this great historical event. God Bless the Pueblo Crew and their Commander and our Men who brought them home. Maybe someday the Pueblo Crew will get the reconigition they deserve. Anyone else out there who may have shared this historical event or was in Korea '67-'69 feel free to contact me, because I really want to know more.

A Proud Soldier's Wife

P.S. My husband is 55 now, how time has passed.

Keywords: Served with JSA-MP/Escort w/United Nations Command, Military Support Group under SGT Bullock, Operations Officer