By Val R. Johnson

I would like to reply to Mr. Ronald J. Clark’s questions, insinuations and accusations as written in his Dec. 21 letter. First, I can answer his questions as I maintained an explicit daily journal during my tour with the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon, Thailand, from 6 March to Aug. 28, 1966. I also kept a detailed record of each of my 100 missions over North Vietnam and 14 over Laos as to date, time, target, ordnance and mission results.

My records indicate that the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing received their first napalm on July 1, 1966. I dropped my first napalm while leading a flight of two F-4C Phantoms on July 11, during my 57th Rolling Thunder mission, to the coastal road north of Dong Hoi and released six canisters on two trucks driving north. I am sorry to say that the residents of Quang Khe, Ron, and Dong Hoi suffered from our nightly rocket, bomb and napalm attacks on targets in their villages.

Mr. Clark is correct that I could have avoided Vietnam, as he did, because my military commitment had ended in 1965. However, I decided to protect my country because my Commander in Chief misled me into believing that North Vietnam was a dire threat to our country. It was foolish of me to remain in the military after Vietnam, but I believed that I should use my war experience to train replacement pilots on how to survive a dangerous conflict. Many of my Air Force and Navy students appreciated my expertise, and I managed to find time to become day and night carrier qualified and graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons Course (TOPGUN) during my exchange tour.

Mr. Clark insinuated that I did not contribute to the cold war, but three years of pulling air defense in Europe and a remote tour in Korea standing both nuclear and air defense alert aided our defense. I was an F-4D Squadron Commander in Spain and responsible for the wartime mobility mission of two NATO forward operating bases in Turkey and Italy. I also served NATO when I was responsible for establishing nuclear policy guidance, doctrine, employment plans, and weapons requirements for NATO strike units within the southern region of Europe while stationed at Naples, Italy.

Mr. Clark stated that I should have been employed in other areas of public service. However, President Carter’s staff appreciated my expertise when I was summoned to the White House Situation Room when I was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Crisis Action Team. I was also pleased that the JCS Chairman and Secretary of Defense liked my personally prepared and highly classified presentation for President Reagan when he took office.

I realize I have not currently been contributing to our national defense, but I have two sons who are serving our country. My oldest son, a Navy Commander, recently returned from Afghanistan where he served as a front-line medical doctor. My second son, an Air Force Lt. Col., spent three years in Germany treating the wounded returning from Iraq.

Mr. Clark wanted to know why I had remained in the military for 25 years because he had quickly departed after four years of service. I must admit that the majority of my pilot training classmates immediately left the military for the safety of high-paying jobs with the airlines. However, I was just a dumb fighter pilot who wanted to defend his country.

Val R. Johnson, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.) lives in Anacortes.