January 23, 2018 will bring the 50th Anniversary of the seizure of the USS Puebloby North Korea.
Many, perhaps most, Americans have forgotten the U.S. Navy ship that, today, sits on display, moored along the Potong River at a dock near Pyongyang, as a tourist attraction in North Korea's Victorious War Museum.
The small ship was commissioned on April 7, 1945--the same day the U.S. Navy sunk the huge Japanese battleship Yamato.
The Pueblo is 177 ft. long, 32 feet wide, and draws 9 ft. of water. Her top speed: 12.7 knots.
On January 23, 1968, she was classified as a Banner-class environmental research ship operating as a "spy ship" gathering signal intelligence off the coast of North Korea, sailing in international waters.
After her capture, the North Koreans claimed she had violated their territorial waters.
It is worth remembering what was happening in Southeast Asia when the Pueblo was taken.
A week before Pueblo's capture
:
On January 16, 1968, 31 North Korean commandos infiltrated South Korea through the Demilitarized Zone. Their mission, the Blue House Raid, was to assassinate then South Korean President, Park Chung-hee at his official residence (AKA: the Blue House) on January 21, 1968.
On January 21, 1968, the raid was interrupted by South Korean forces when a firefight ensued near the Blue House.
On the day the Pueblo was captured, remaining elements of the North Korean Unit 124 commandos were being killed in scattered groups.
At the close of the Blue House Raid, 26 South Koreans were dead, and 66 wounded. Four Americans were also killed. Of the 31 North Korean commandos, 29 were dead, one captured, and one escaped.
A week after Pueblo's capture:
On January 30, 1968, Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army (VC/NVA) forces launched their Tet Offensive throughout South Vietnam.
On February 27, 1968, Walter Cronkite ended the evening CBS News broadcast with his now famous prediction that the Vietnam War would end in a "stalemate." Few today remember how very wrong Cronkite's prediction was.
Of the 83 members of the Pueblo's crew, 82 were taken captive by the North Koreans. One American sailor was killed by hostile action when the ship was captured.
The crew was released on 23 December 1968, after 11 months of imprisonment.
Today, the USS Pueblo is listed in the Naval Vessel Register as "Active, in commission."
Petty Officer Duane Daniel Hodges, born September 5, 1946, died on the USS Pueblo six months short of 50 years ago. He is buried at Creswell Pioneer Cemetery, Creswell Lane County, Oregon, USA.
It is time the United States Navy decommissions the USS Pueblo by sinking her in place.
Lee Cary——Bio and Archives
Since November 2007, Lee Cary has written hundreds of articles for several websites including the American Thinker, and Breitbart’s Big Journalism and Big Government (as “Archy Cary”). and the Canada Free Press. Cary’s work was quoted on national television (Sean Hannity) and on nationally syndicated radio (Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin). His articles have posted on the aggregate sites Drudge Report, Whatfinger, Lucianne, Free Republic, and Real Clear Politics. He holds a Doctorate in Theology from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, is a veteran of the US Army Military Intelligence in Vietnam assigned to the [strong]Phoenix Program[/strong]. He lives in Texas.
January 23, 2018 will bring the 50th Anniversary of the seizure of the USS Pueblo by North Korea.
Many, perhaps most, Americans have forgotten the U.S. Navy ship that, today, sits on display, moored along the Potong River at a dock near Pyongyang, as a tourist attraction in North Korea's Victorious War Museum.
The small ship was commissioned on April 7, 1945--the same day the U.S. Navy sunk the huge Japanese battleship Yamato.
The Pueblo is 177 ft. long, 32 feet wide, and draws 9 ft. of water. Her top speed: 12.7 knots.
Of the 83 members of the Pueblo's crew, 82 were taken captive by the North Koreans. One American sailor was killed by hostile action when the ship was captured.
The crew was released on 23 December 1968, after 11 months of imprisonment.
Today, the USS Pueblo is listed in the Naval Vessel Register as "Active, in commission."
Petty Officer Duane Daniel Hodges, born September 5, 1946, died on the USS Pueblo six months short of 50 years ago. He is buried at Creswell Pioneer Cemetery, Creswell Lane County, Oregon, USA.
It is time the United States Navy decommissions the USS Pueblo by sinking her in place.
