Military Officer - August 2008 - (Page 69)

pagesofhistory The Ghost Squadron After years of silence, a naval squadron whose members risked their lives on a classiﬁed surveillance mission in Vietnam is honored with the highest award given to a military unit. M ore than 40 years after carrying out top-secret surveillance missions in Vietnam, 48 surviving members of Observation Squadron 67 (VO-67) were honored with a Presidential Unit Citation at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., May 14. From November 1967 to July 1968, the naval squadron, nicknamed Ghost Squadron, was tasked with placing highly sophisticated surveillance equipment along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to detect enemy movement. Navy planes would risk ﬂying low to the ground through the heavily defended airspace to drop electronic sensors. The squadron eventually would implant several thousand listening devices. The squadron also lent intense aerial support to the Khe Sanh Marine Corps base during the 1968 Tet Offensive. VO-67 implanted sensor ﬁelds around the base as it was under siege by North Vietnamese troops, potentially halving the number of casualties. For decades, members of VO-67 couldn’t talk about the classiﬁed missions. After the information was declassiﬁed in 1998, squadron members were allowed to speak to others about what they did. Members of the squadron have held several reunions; THIS MONTH IN HISTORY ■ On Aug. 19, 1871, Orville Wright was born. He and his brother, Wilbur, later would invent the airplane. Today, the day is celebrated as National Aviation Day. Also, on Aug. 2, 1909, the U.S. War Department bought its first plane from the brothers. PHOTO: COURTESY A.G. ALEXANDER/VO-67 ASSOCIATION the 20 men who died while serving on the mission are remembered at each reunion. A Duty on Display collection of photographs honoring the duty, courage, camaraderie, and sacriﬁce of U.S. servicemembers is on display at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington, Va., until Labor Day. The collection features 115 black-andwhite and color photographs that depict U.S. soldiers and Marines in action spanning from the Civil War to the present day. The photos include a black-andwhite shot of “California Joe,” one of the North’s deadliest sharpshooters during the Civil War; a line of grunts making their way across a rain-drenched rice paddy during the Vietnam War; and pictures of U.S. servicemembers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. MO AUGUST 2008 Crew Two of Observation Squadron 67 (VO-67) prepares to take off on a surveillance mission. MILITARY OFFICER 69

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Military Officer - August 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Member Services Cover Story: A Stronger Voice Virtual Combat Mental Floss Steady as She Goes Pages of History Faces of MOAA Member Books Information Exchange Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Scholarship Donors Encore

Military Officer - August 2008

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