TheVietnam Experience Thunder Ihnn Above The Vietnam Experience Thunder From Above AirWar, 1941-1968 byJohnMorrocco andtheeditors ofBostonPublishing Company BostonPublishingCompany/Boston,MA BostonPublishingCompany Abouttheeditorandauthor CoverPhoto: PVriecseiPdreenstidaenndt:PuRbilcihsahredr:S.RoPbeerrkitnJs.,GJer.orge tEidmietojro-uirnna-lCihsite,fhaRsobperretviMoausnlnyinbge,enaedliotnogr-- AU.SU..Sc.oMmabrailnetrFo-o8psCriunsSaoduetrh,fVliyeitnngaimn,subpopmobrtsoaf MEdaintaorg-iinng-CEhdiietfo:r:RoPbaeurltDMraenyfnuisng ainn-dchiitesfporfestsh.eHAetlasnetrivcedMoansthalsysismtaagnatzsience- VielcongforceoutsideofDaNanginearly1966. retary of state for public affairs under SenCiloarrkWriDtoeurgsa:n, Edward Doyle, Samuel PJorhenssiodne.ntHseJohhansF.alKseonbneeednyaanfdelLloywndaotnthBe. WLiepissmsan, Terrence Maitlcmd, Stephen ISncshtoitoulteofofGoPovleirtincmseanttthaetJHoahrnvaFr.dKeUnninveedry- SeniorPictureEditor:JuleneFischer sity. SRteasSfeafanWrdrcrihtaeerrs:M:.DavKJeiardcsotFbiusnl,ghGCuohmrrihsatym V(iCrhgiienfi)a, AtHoiunstthCooorrlylJefogrheon,mMhotarhsreohciLcsoon,MdAoa.ngriSnacdhIuonaottlerenoaoftfiEBoconosa--l TKeeednSyt,eiDnebneirsg,KNeincnoeldeyv,anCaArcokleereRulnick, Pnho.mDi.cscanadniddatPoeliatticKailngS'csieCnoclelegaendof Lisona- don. Picture Editors: Wendy Johnson, Lanng Tamura HistoricalConsultants: VincentH. Demma, APsiscitsutraenRtePsiecatrucrheeErdsi:toNr:anKcatyhlKeaetnzAC.olRmeaind,y MaiUhitsatroyriaHnistwoirtyh,tihsecUu.rSr.enAtlrymywoCreknitnegroonf Tracey Rogers, Nana Elisabeth Stern, thecenter'shistoryoftheVietnamconflict. Shirley L. Green (Washington, D.C.), Lee Ewing, editor of Army Times, served KateLewin(Paris) twoyearsinVietnam as acombat intelU- Picture Department Assistants: Suzanne gence officer with the U.S. Military As- M.Spencer,KathrynJ.Sleeves sistance Command, Vietnam(MACV)and the101stAirborneDivision. ProductionEditor:PatriciaLealWelch Copyright ' 1984 by Boston Publishing Com- AEdsisAetilmosartyiaanGPlte.oPEWrrdiiogltdesou,roc:ntiTKohaner:reeSnsaaEr.aEhMn.Eg.lSiBlsuhormnsk,owPsakmi-, wtmPieialncritatuarnirendyCVioailnvlesiutausntltaitromaant.n,etdsA:stihxLciroootumfymDbetrorheocenkimdsaeloolnnhpiamtlsoohted,werairhitner- aciplihnancafnyanoytir.ifcmoaoanAlrtl,imlmoianronyircsglhtbubtodyserianraggreneespypeharronmvotededodauc.rnocespetN,ydro,ieeovrplraeaelcrctottsrrrydaoosinnftnsiegcmt,mihi,tosotrrewpdimautenbhi-y--n served with the 82d Airborne Division outpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher. Desicfn:Designworks,SallyBindari prior tothe VietnamWar. Ngo Vinh Long isa social historian specializing inChina LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber MBuasrikneetsisnSgtaDfifr:ecAtmory:PJeelalentnieerC.Gibson batuonrodnkesdViienthctelnruaedmemBoBeso/tronrreeictnehnetVliRyeetvnoinlaumt,1i9o8nh0:.eTHrhiees- I8S4B-7N0:404-8939526-09-3 Vietnamese Peasants Under the French andReportFromaVietnameseVillage. Contents Chapter 1/FromFlying Tigersto Farmgate Chapter2/Takingthe WartoNorthVietnam Larry Guctrino wasin his earlytwenties whenhe first saw Hanoi. Looking down from his P-51 Mustang, the U.S. Air Force pilot had no oppor- tunity to observe the European charm of the French colonial city. It was 1944 and Guarino wasflyingfighterescortforB-24Liberatorsbomb- ing Japanese bases in the occupied city. Twenty years later Guarino returned to Hanoi. This time hewouldstayformorethan sevenyears. When President Lyndon Johnson launched a systematic bombing campaign against North Vietnam in early 1965, Major Larry Guarino foimd himself on temporary duty at Korat air force base in Thailand. As operations officer for the 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron, he was soon planning missions and flying an F-105 Thunder- chief against targets in Vietnam once again. On June 14 the odds finally caught up with Guarino. Shot down by North Vietnamese antiaircraft fire, he was captured by militiamen brandishing rifles andtwo-handedswords. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^PI^^ilA^i^^^^^^B His hands bound behind his back, Guarinowas taken Shifting allegiances fromvillagetovillageandparadedpastjeeringpeasants whopeltedhimwithstonesandkickedhimtotheground. During Lorry Guarino's twenty-year absence, the tides of Finally handed over to a regular army unit, the flier was nationalism and communism had transformed Southeast wrappedinblanketsandthrown inthebackofacovered Asia. During World War II, Americans fought alongside truck. When he stepped into the light of day, Guarino Asian nationalist groups against Japanese forces. None foundhimselfinalarge,wolled-incourtyardindovsmtown weremorefamous than theFlyingTigers, led by General Hanoi. Hewas the eleventh Americanprisoner-of-war to Claire L. Chennoult. This small band of volunteer pilots arrive at Hoa Lo Prison, already being referred to by its helpedtodefend Chinesetroopsand theirtenuoussupply inmatesasthe"HanoiHilton." linealongtheBurmaRoadfromJapanesecarattacks. Striding up to Guarino, an NVA soldier shoutedat him By 1943, withtheU.S. wareffort reachingfullstride, the inEnglish: "Whydidyoucomeheretomurdermypeople? FlyingTigerswereabsorbedintothe 14thAirForceunder Now you are going to pay for your crimes." Guarino de- Gen. Chennault's command. Operating from bases in manded his rights to proper treatment under the Geneva unoccupied China, the Americans took the offensive Convention. "Rights? You have no rights," the guard agcdnst the Japanese, striking enemy bases throughout screamed."Youorenothingherebutacriminal." Southeast Asia, including those in Hanoi and Saigon. In late 1944 an American flier, shot dovm on a mission over Precedingpage. Americanpilots ofthe "Flying Tigers."Hy- Vietnam,foundhelpfromanunexpectedsource. ingP-40 Tomahawks, return tobase aherstrafingJapanese Parachuting into the jungle, a Lieutenant Shaw was truckconvoysalongtheBurmaRoadinApril1942. foundbya groupofarmedVietnamesewhocalled them- SmokerisesaboveJapaneseinstallationsnearSaigonafteranattackbyplanesoftheU.S.PacificFleetonJanuary12, 1945.