Jack Broughton graduated from West Point in 1945. For the next 33 years, he was a fighter pilot. He flew 114 missions in the Korean War. He commanded the Thunderbirds. Later, he was deputy commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing in the Vietnam War. The wing flew F-105 Thunderchief fighter/bombers out of Takhli Air Force Base in Thailand. The targets were the Ho Chi Minh Trail and industrial and transportation sites in North Vietnam. Broughton flew 102 missions, including three where his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. The targets were chosen by civilians in the White House and approved by President Lyndon Johnson. The micromanaging President once said: “Those boys can’t hit an outhouse without my permission.” Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara insisted on rules of engagement that put ridiculous restrictions on American pilots. Some of the rules included no attacks on MiG bases, no firing at MiGs that had their landing gear down, no firing at MiGs that “did not have hostile intent”, no attacking SAM sites that were not operating, and absolutely, positively no attacks on Soviet and Red Chinese ships in North Vietnamese harbors.
Broughton abhorred the rules which were made by clueless pencil-pushers in Washington. His men were being shot down by anti-aircraft batteries and SAM sites provided by the Soviets and delivered by Soviet ships. On June 2, 1967, one of Broughton’s squadrons was sent on a raid against a rail yard near Cam Pha Harbor. Shipping in the harbor was off limits. Major Frederick “Ted” Tolman and his wing man Maj. Alonzo “Lonnie” Ferguson encountered anti-aircraft fire from enemy batteries near the harbor on their approach to the target. Tolman was determined to get revenge so after dropping their bombs, the two Thuds returned to strafe the A-A guns. In the process, Tolman strafed the Soviet ship Turkestan. It was not a mistake and clearly was a violation of the ROE. When they landed, they lied to the debriefers by saying nothing special happened on the mission. Ferguson did not snitch on his partner. Realizing they were in big trouble, the two pilots went to see Broughton and told him what they had done. Understanding their frustration and realizing the incident could ruin their careers, Broughton decided to cover it up by destroying the gun camera footage.
When the Soviets complained to Johnson that one of their ships had been attacked and they provided a spent 20 mm. shell as proof, the President demanded an investigation. He did not want to hear that most likely the shell came from one of the numerous F-105s downed in North Vietnam. The investigation resulted in a court-martial for Broughton, Tolman, and Ferguson. The famed aviator Col. Chuck Yeager headed the trial, but he was determined to go lightly on the men. The charges were destruction of government property (the gun camera footage) and conspiracy to deceive authority. The trial was in October, 1967. The conspiracy charge was dropped due to lack of evidence and the two pilots were acquitted. Broughton was given a slap on the wrist. He was found guilty of destroying government property and fined $100 per month for six months. However, his chances of promotion were destroyed since civilians running the Air Force were incensed that he was treated with kid gloves. Knowing that he was going to be ostracized, Broughton decided to retire. He subsequently wrote one of the greatest non-fiction books about the air war in Vietnam entitled Thud Ridge and then the story of his war with the micromanagers entitled Going Downtown. The second book discussed his role in the incident. In August, 1967, the Miami Herald printed a story where an eyewitness who was on the Turkestan that day claimed the holes in the ship were from North Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns trying to shoot down the two F-105s. Later, Broughton won his appeal, but by then he was out of the Air Force and good riddance. He could be proud of the two Silver Stars, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, and the Air Force Cross that he was awarded for serving his country bravely despite the infuriating rules that made his job much more dangerous. However, the United States constitution does call for civilian control of the military and the rules, no matter how ridiculous, were clearly violated by Broughton, Tolman, and Ferguson. By the way, Ferguson went on to complete 103 missions and retired as a Brigadier General. Tolman continued flying and retired as a Colonel, the same rank that Broughton retired as.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/valor-thud-ridge-a-legacy-and-a-legend/
https://www.historynet.com/turkestan-incident-vietnam/
https://www.historynet.com/turkestan-incident-vietnam/
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