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SSgt John Paul Jones, Sr. (JJ)
to remember
Kemmerer, Donald Richard, Maj.
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On 06 August 1967, Captain Albert L. Page, Jr., pilot, and then Captain Donald R. Kemmerer, co-pilot, comprised the crew of an F4C that departed DaNang Airbase on a morning strike mission over the southern portion of North Vietnam codenamed "Tally Ho." Their aircraft was the lead in a flight of two.
Upon arriving in the target area, Capt. Page established radio contact with the Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center (ABCCC) directing all air operations in the region. After providing the flight with currant mission information, the ABCCC handed the flight over to the on-site Forward Air Controller (FAC) who was responsible for directing their strike mission. Shortly thereafter, the FAC cleared the Phantoms to attack a specific target.
At 0955 hours, the flight made a pass on the enemy target when the lead aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire. The wingman observed one engine on fire as lead pulled off target. As Capt. Page turned the crippled Phantom toward the sea where the crew would have a greater opportunity for rescue, he transmitted they were ejecting. At the time that transmission was made, Lead's position was still near the target area and over land.
By the time the ejection sequence had been completed, the aircraft was over water and it was seen to crash into the Gulf of Tonkin approximately 4 miles northeast of the shoreline, 10 miles north of the city of Vinh Linh, 12 miles north of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separated North and South Vietnam and 30 miles southeast of Dong Hoi, Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
In the chaos of battle, no parachutes were seen and no emergency beeper signals heard. Because the location of loss was in close proximity to a heavy concentration of enemy troops on land and sampans in the water, no search and recovery (SAR) operation was possible. At the time the wingman's initial search was terminated, Albert Page and Donald Kemmerer were immediately declared Missing in Action. His body was not recovered; he is memorialized on Court A of the Courts of the Missing.
Other Comments:
This Veteran has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii.
Description This period was from March 2, 1965-January 30, 1966.
On June 29. I966. the USAF bombed petroleum storage and distribution facilities for the first time in the immediate vicinity of Hanoi and Haiphong, after political leaders authorized limited and specific strikes within the buffer zones for these cities. Gen. William W. Momyer replaced General Moore as Seventh Air Force Commander on July l. The United States expanded the Rotuwo Tittmou campaign as of July 9 to include petroleum targets in the northeast and rail lines and highways between China and Hanoi. although the buffer zone on the border limited targets. American aircraft also flew armed reconnaissance over North Vietnam.
On July 30. 1966. the USAF bombed targets in the dernilitariaed zone (DMZ) to counter the build-up of North Vietnamese forces there. By September the U.S. air campaign against North Vietnam had destroyed or damaged two-thirds of the enemy's petroleum storage capacity. several thousand trucks and watercraft. hundreds of rail cars and bridges. and numerous ammunition and supply storage areas. Beginning on February 14. I967. USAF aircraft hit additional strategic targets in North Vietnam, knocking out major power plants. and railyard repair facilities. But these results had little effect on the enemy's ability to carry on the war. because the country possessed only a small industrial base and imported most of its military materiel. In the face of extensive air attacks. North Vietnam further strengthened it's air defenses. By January 1967, the United States had lost 45 aircraft within 2 years. Anti-aircraft guns and SAMs accounted for most of the losses. but MiGs continued to challenge U.S. air strikes.
On January 2 the Seventh Air Force enticed a large MiG-2| force over North Vietnam into battle against F-4s. The USAF pilots destroyed 7 MiGs within 12 minutes without a loss. Four days later. On January 6. the Seventh destroyed 2 more MiGs. and the North Vietnamese temporarily abandoned aerial combat to regroup and retrain. In South Vietnam Allied forces continued search and destroy operations. blunting new Viet Cong and North Vietnamese offensives. Between July 14 and August 4, 1966. U.S. Marines and South Vietnamese troops battled North Vietnam Army forces near Quang Tri. 20 miles south of the DMZ. Later. between October I5 and November 26. the Allies engaged in a major battle with Viet Cong and NVA forces northwest of Tay Ninh. near the Cambodian border. 60 miles northwest of Saigon. Enemy resistance was light at first. but on November 4. as ARVN and U.S. troops approached storage areas, the Viet Cong and NVA counterattaclted. The Allies responded by airlifting more troops. including elements of the U.S. Army’s 1st. 4th, and 25th Infantry Divisions. and the l73rd Airborne Brigade. The USAF provided close air suppon. and between November 8 and 25. B-52s bombed targets in the area. The Allies drove the enemy from the region temporarily. seizing weapons. ammunition. food. and other supplies that the Communist forces left behind.
The next year. between Febmary and May I967, U.S. Army units joined ARVN forces to retum to Tay Ninh Province, about $0 miles north of Saigon and 15 miles northeast of Tay Ninh. Seventh Air Force C-l30s drtmped American paratroopers near the Cambodian border to cut off the Viet Cong retreat. The airlifters also flew reinforcements and supplies to the ground troops during this operation. With the help of forward air controllers flying O-1s. Air Force F-I00 and F-4 pilots provided close air support. and AC-47 gunship crews illuminated targets and conducted air strikes at night. Again, the enemy withdrew into Cambodia. leaving behind weapons. supplies. and ammunition.
In the panhandle of Laos, the USAF pounded enemy forces on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. while in northem Laos U.S. pilots supported Allied forces under attack. By August 1966 Laotian troops fighting Pathet Lao insurgents had advanced. with the aid of U.S. close air support. to Nam Bac. only 45 miles west of the North Vietnamese border and about 55 miles northeast of Luang Prabang. an ancient city on the Mekong River some 130 miles north of Vientiane. The Laotian gains were short lived, however, and by February 2. I967. the insurgents had regained lost territory and were in a position to attack the airfield at Luang Prabang.
