Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2000 17:15:56 EDT

Howdy,

My name is Robert Bailey and i just wanted to let you know of vp-2's Involvment with your ships capture by the n.k.'s. Our crew (crew 10) came Back from cam rahn bay, viet. To our home base at sangley pt.,p.i. a few days Before your capture. Our crew was sent to iwakuni, japan for what was suppose to be a practice Electronic bombing and mining range that was broke down. Turned out to be More of an r&r. While there, we were sent to a base up in northern japan (u.s. airforce) and when we landed , the co-pilot filled us in on a still Secret at the time capture of your boat.

They sent us there for repairs of Our radar and some radios and also ended up getting a new pilots windshield Which cracked from the cold i figure. Iwakuni was not equipped in many ways for much. Anyway, we went south to iwakuni after our repairs and it was a very quite Flight and we knew we would be involved with this operation and we all felt What our fathers felt when the japs bombed pearl harbor, rage !!!

That night after we landed we postflighted our bird(refuel,repairs,all Checks,etc.) And our co- pilottold me to be at the aircraft early to (0430) Rig the bombay for 8 depthbombs and 4 torpedoes, plus rockets on the wing Stations for day flights and flare pods for night flights. Well. I almost Went into a shock because i left all 16 bomb shackles in a bucket soaking in C.r.c. cleaner at sangley. So i checked all the hangers at this base and like I said before, there wasn,t much there. After our crew finished post Flighting our bird(0100) we went to the barracks for a little rest.

Next day Out on the a/c line, there were 3 more vp-2 aircraft that rolled in after we Left our plane. I immediately went to each crewmen and borrowed 4 Bombshackles as they only needed 12 and lucky for me they all had 16 onboard. At daylight,we were ready to take off and to my surprize, there were all Kinds of navy and marine a/c on this once desolate base that a.m.. In fact, When we reached the end of the runway to take off, the control tower told our Pilot not to use our jet engines for takeoff as there was an f-4 arming Sidewinders behind us. So off we went with just the recips. Turnin" and we Used everybit of runway to take off as we were a little heavy. Crew 10 of vp-2 was headed for the sea of japan for what we thought was The beginning of ww3.

I'll have to leave you with this for now as i must go out. To be Continued if you wish. God bless the crew of the pueblo and welcome home and have a great Independence day. Cheers bob bailey....

Please email me if you want to know more of our involvment and other p-2 sqd's and p-3 sqd's. Involved.

Howdy again,

now that i reread all letters, i noticed a mistake in the first Part, cam rahn bay was where we were sent shortly after the big t.e.t. (a few Weeks) as two of our birds were dinged up from mortars there at the onset of Those attacks. Our crew went there for a few days and then the top brass sent Us to cam rahn bay as they thought it was safer there, little did they know. Cheers , b.b.

Sorry, tan son nuht was the base i was talking about for a correction cam rahn was after your capture and tet..b.b. end of this story....

Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2000 20:36:48 -0700

dear sirs.

in 1968 i was a third class bm3 on board the uss enterprise. we were on our way back from hong kong heading back to the combat line in vietnam when we got the call. the pueblo was under attack and probably and in serious trouble. we started heading in your last reported position at flank speed. we were hours away but were the closest aircraft carrier around. we went to general quarters at the higest level. our pilots and aircraft were on the catipults ready to fly at a moments notice. we even had the nucular wepons on the flight deck ready to be loaded to the wings of our planes.

at this time i was standing watch on the bridge as boatswains mate of the watch. i remember heading down a very narrow channell and noticing how close we were to the shore.off in the distance i saw somthing like a thin line reaching from one shore to the other. the brass on the bridge started buzzing and i knew somthing was wrong.the captain announced that there were boats trying to block our way. as we got closer you could see hundreads of sampan like boats and anything that could float strung from one shore to the other.

our escort destroyers were ordered to form to our rear, and the captain ordered full ahead. we plowed thru those little boats like they were not even there.im sure that a lot of people in those boats were lost. we did not fire a single shot from our machine guns mounted in the cat walks maned by our marines. and i do not believe we were ever shot at, thou its hard to tell being up on the bridge.

it always amazed me that they knew we were coming and in such a short time were able to orginize all those boats and civilians. we were ultimitly called down and ordered to leave . i can tell you everyone all, 5500 men on that ship sent there hearts out to all of you, and were sorry we could not get there sooner to help.if it is any concellation i can tell you a lot of people in those boats did not make it back for dinner that day.

i just wanted to share this story with you. maybe you have heard it before. i can tell you we were all scared that day and expected to be droping our wepons in korea, instead of vietnam. after being called off it ended up being a political situation of which im sure is the reason it took so long for all of you to be realeased.
you were all heros in our eyes. god bless, a fellow sailor Edward Menard

Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2000 19:58:16 +1000

Dear Mr McClarren and Mr Peppard,

By way of introduction, I am an Australian journalist posted in Beijing by The Age, Melbourne and the Sydney Morning Herald newspapers. I have just visited your web site, but perhaps of more interest to you is that I have just (yesterday) visited the Pueblo itself, now moored on the river in Pyongyang. This came about as I was given a four day visa to travel to North Korea with the Australian Ambassador to the DPRK who this week presented his credentials to the North Korean government. (Australia has just resumed diplomatic ties after 25 years).

This incidentially makes me the first Australian journalist to travel to the North Korean capital in over a decade. I was restricted in where I could go and who I could meet in Pyongyang, but one request the authorities eventually agreed to was a visit to the Pueblo, which is now moored at the spot where the USS General Sherman was sunk in the 19th century. I was given a full tour of the vessel, a lecture, shown a video, allowed to take photographs and even met one of the North Koreans who boarded the vessel.

I'm hoping to write a story about the visit for my papers and would very much like to interview members of the Pueblo crew asap by telephone from here ... perhaps Pete Bucher or yourselves would be available. Could you let me know of some numbers and times by return email if this is possible? You might be interested in return in hearing about what I saw and certainly you're most welcome to copies of photos I took.

Yours sincerely, John Schauble

Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 00:36:54 -0500

Dear Sirs,

I previously posted a notice in your guestbook ... now I have one more request. I found a listing in a Movie Title Almanac for a movie called "The Pueblo" or The Pueblo Surrender" .... it was notated that it was a "Made for TV Movie" .... I have searched movie archies and cannot find a commercial version of this available for purchase. Are you aware of anyone having a copy of this movie on video tape that I could possibly purchase - rent- borrow? I believe the movie starred Cliff Robertson .. but I could be wrong .... Any help appreciated ...

- Vern Greunke Korea TDY - Feb. 1968 as a Special Identifications Techniques Operator (Direction Finding) .... Army Security:

Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 09:53:08 -0400

I got out of the Navy in "65",ETN3, I think the fight Mrs. Bucher put up for the crew was what makes this country great. We have to keep working for this country and it's freedom.

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 10:00:04 -0700

My father was Lt Gen. Gilbert H. Woodward[decd],who successfully negotiated the release of the Pueblo in 1969 at Panmungom, as Senior Member, UNC MAC. As the surviving son, I have formerly classified photos of the crew upon its release and other memorabilia. Currently, Im trying to get a copy of the PBS video of the play PUEBLO, starring Hal Holbrook. Can you help me? Plus, who would I develop an ongoig dialogue with about the Pueblo? Call me.

Thanks, Bruce Bruce Woodward

Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 20:20:22 EDT

I am very pleased to have found this site. Ever since reading The Pueblo Incident I have felt a sadness at the forgotten heroes of Pueblo. In addition, I believe the Navy did the unthinkable, placing a Captain of a vessel in a position where he could neither defend himself and his ship and crew, or even know what was going on in spaces aboard his ship.

It might interest you to know that when I read the book I lived in Reno, NV. My next door neighbor was a retired captain and former commanding officer of the Naval Missile School at Mare Island. From our first discussion he told me that Captain Bucher was derelict. I argued and finally convinced him to read the book. When he finished he agreed with me that a terrible injustice was done by the Navy.

I was an FTG3 serving in USS INGERSOLL (DD-652), part of the time with LCDR Marcus Aurelius Arnheiter as my Exec. From that experience I can honestly say I would follow Captain Bucher anywhere. I sincerely hope the Captain his family and crew of Pueblo are all fine. Well done!

W.J. Darusmont

Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 23:42:33 EDT

Dear USS Pueblo Veterans,

I was recently in Pyongyang on business and I had the great opportunity to go aboard the USS Pueblo on a tour. As an active US military member, you must imagine how astonished I was that I was allowed aboard. When you enter the Pueblo, you are shown a propaganda tape about the incident. Our "tour guide", a military woman told us we were sitting in the dining area (galley) and that only the US sailors whose families had money were allowed to sit there. We were allowed into the radio room and into the crypto room also.

You could see where the sailors had attempted to destroy the equipment before capture. They explained to us that the crypto room was locked, and that the men wouldn't open the door. They said that they got the Captain and he gave a "secret knock" to open.

I just wanted to share this experiance with you and I will try to get ya'll some photos of the ship later this week. God Bless!!

Mike

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000 14:24:35 -0700

Would like to say thanks for adding Banner to your web site, as I was aboard during decommissioning in Nov 69. I think I have one of the last underway black and white photos of her. It is later than the one you show, would you be interested in it? If so, I'll scan you a copy. The photo provided by Capt Clarke was before they worked her over to reduce topside weight, she rolled too much, anyway they removed the 26' mwb and a number of other mods. Also after the Pueblo was grabbed, LTV installed destruct devices aboard and it proved to be a very interesting and unconventional tour. D. L. Pfister was the CO when we decommissioned in Yokosuka. Thanks again.

Jerry Minas

Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 17:55:33 -0400

Sir

Would like to purchase a Pueblo Patch. Would you please forward me the price, who I make check or money order to, and address.

V/R Jim Newsome HMCS (SS) USN RET

Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 21:25:15 -0700

I was onboard one of the destroyers that joined USS ENTERPRISE in the Sea of Japan early on the morning of 29 Jan 68. I've been unable to find any information about the Navy's plan to re-take the PUEBLO itself on the morning of 30 Jan 68. Any idea where I can research that effort?

Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 21:07:49 -0700

I wasn't very forthcoming in my first email because I wasn't sure how it might be received. In view of your prompt and gracious reply, I'll try to correct that. Here are my recollections. I was Weapons Officer on USS COLLETT (DD 730), one of several ships from DESRON 9, homeported in Yokosuka, that were ordered to the Sea of Japan following the PUEBLO's capture. I well recall seeing PUEBLO and BANNER moored in Yokosuka over the Christmas holidays. Also remember seeing some of the PUEBLO's officers, including the skipper, in the Black Ship Lounge at the O Club during that period. None of my crowd knew of the mission of the ships - except that they were engaged in some kind of "special operations."

COLLETT left Yoko a couple of days before the capture, headed for Subic Bay. I recall distributing cold weather clothing on the first day out -- our stores of special clothing had been well below allowance, and I had expended some big bucks to order new gear, which arrived just a few days before we got underway. That saved our butts over the next couple of months (only time I've ever seen sailors wear those blue cold weather masks).

We were off Kyushu when we got word of the capture and were ordered to divert. We pulled into Sasebo during the night to top off fuel, then joined ENTERPRISE and TRUXTUN at first light. One other DD was also there - OZBOURN I think.

Later that day, a helo came over and took our CO over to ENTERPRISE for a meeting with the embarked flag and the other ship COs from the task group. He came back a few hours later with a roll of charts under his arm. He called the XO and department heads up to his cabin and briefed a plan to re-take the PUEBLO, with the following elements: - 3 DD's (OZBOURN, COLLETT, and one other - forgot which) would make a run into Wonson harbor at first light the next moning (30 Jan)

OZBOURN would carry the Marine Detachment from ENTERPRISE - COLLETT and the other DD would be shotguns for OZBOURN, laying down suppressing fire in the vicinity of PUEBLO while OZBOURN went alongside and grappled/secured PUEBLO with assistance of the Marines, who were to be put aboard the ship, get rid of the resistance, and cut PUEBLO loose from the pier - OZBOURN would secure PUEBLO alongside and tow it out of the harbor at maximum possible speed - ENTERPRISE aircraft (and maybe USAF as well - I don't remember) were to strike the Wonson harbor gun emplacements and provide continuous air coverage -- one of the charts that the CO had brought back showed the latest known positions of the guns; they seemed to be everywhere - dozens if not hundreds. - A go-no go decision was to be made in Washington during the night I briefed my department and made the necessary preparations.

Spent much of the night in CIC with the charts, highlighting probable gun-target lines and the best positioning for the ship during the runs in and out and near the pier. Quite frankly, I didn't have any confidence that the mission would succeed - there were just too many guns on the shore, we would be under fire from them for 2-3 hours, and I knew from our experiences on Sea Dragon ops against North Vietnam that air-launched weapons and the guns of DDs maneuvering at high speed are often quite inaccurate.

Word came in the early morning to stand down. As I recall, the JCS had approved the mission, but the president had not. If that is true, it would be hard to argue with his reasoning - God only knows what your captors would have done to the crew regardless of the outcome of the raid, what their military response may have been to such an attack by the U.S., or what the response of the U.S. would have been to the sinking of three DDs. Whatever, I can't tell you how relieved I was that the mission was scrubbed.

During a tour on 7th Fleet Staff a few years later, I asked a senior spook on the staff if he knew anything about this plan. He responded that he did. He said recovery of the ship was the only way to determine the data compromise with certainty. I guess this is just a footnote to history now. I've been trying to find documentation to confirm my recollections about this but have come up dry. I appreciate your suggestions. The next time I saw BANNER was back in Yokosuka when she was being stripped after decommissioning.

Thank you for your sacrifices and duty to country.

Don Walton CDR, USN (Ret.)

Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 02:11:49 +0000

Was looking for your site, to check something from Bucher's book of 1970. Saw your invitation to offer info if I were involved.

I was on Okinawa, on duty, at the time of the attack. We were handling CRITIC traffic regarding the incident. There were only two of us at the site. Some of the information I received at that time may have been speculation, as it was very early in the incident. Details may have changed later.

We were told that the reason F105s did not respond from Osan was the ones there were loaded with nukes, and had to be offloaded, and then reloaded with conventionals, a process that would take several hours. F105s at Naha were on rotation out of Vietnam, and were not armed at all. We sent an SR71 (please note my email name) to search for the vessel. The aircraft departed from Kadena and flew to N. Korea. According to info I had at the time, it took about 12-15 minutes to get there, but weather was apparently a factor, and as far as we knew, there was no sighting of the vessel.

Incidentally, I was also on duty when the 31 NK infiltrators approached the embassy in Seoul, and in fact, our CTC called us up in a FLASH/CRITIC and announced the embassy was actually under attack. Turned out not to be true, but the first reports we got were "explosions within a few blocks, and we are securing classified material." However, no material was destroyed as far as I knew.

Unfortunately, though it was long ago, I hesitate to provide my name. I'm sure there would be no problem, but a TS is a TS! But I "was there" on the radio circuits during those two incidents. We handled a wide range of FLASH messages between CINPAC, Kadena, Naha, Yokota and Seoul.

In reading the book by Bucher (I have an old copy) I found I really wanted some other opinions. Enjoyed your site. Are you aware an American visited the USS Pueblo in 1999 and brought back many photos of the interior of the SOD? Including photos of the receivers and the crypto gear, and that they are on a website? You can find them by quering the spooks@onelist.com site, or searching for R390A sites. Thanks for the site. Some of the people in other actions in the Far East theater did not return. We are glad those of the Pueblo did.

WGD

Gentlemen:

My name is Jeff and as you can see, I am standing in front of the bridge of the DPRK-held USNS Pueblo. I am a US merchant mariner employed aboard a US flag cargo ship. I have just returned home from a voyage to the DPRK. We were one of the first US flag ships allowed entry into the country.

While we were in port at Nampo, the officers and crew of my ship were allowed to go on a tour of the capital of Pyongyang (under escort, naturally) to see the highlights of communist living. We inquired to our escorts as to the fate of the Pueblo, and we were told (quite proudly) that she was tied up in the heart of the city. We immediately wanted to go and see her, but lacking the proper clearance we were unable to do so at that time.

Three days later, the proper clearance came down from the top and a group of 5 of us and our escorts were off to see the Pueblo. It is true - she is now on display as a national museum! We were driven to Pueblo's berthing site and we were allowed to board her. We were informed that we were the first Americans to step foot back aboard her since she had been 'confiscated.' We were also informed that we were some of the only civilians ever allowed aboard.

Apparently, going aboard her is a privilege reserved only for those in the military and high ranking government officials. (So much for equality) Stepping aboard was like going back to the 60's. I am sure she is just how you all remember her. All the espionage equipment is still in the racks while all the encryption machines are still in their room with their 'Top Secret' labels in place.

We were taken to the forward berthing area and were allowed to look around. The bunks and lockers were still there, with everything being illuminated by a single clear 100 watt bulb in the center of the room. Apparently, florescent light bulbs are hard to come by in the People's Paradise, as most were out throughout the ship. Instead, they have strung up strings of single bulbs throughout the passageways and cabins.

We were taken to the bridge where we met the man who claimed to be the officer in charge of the boarding party in '68. He was standing at the con in full military uniform and told us, via a translator, that he is ready to "Fight to the death to defend his country from the imperialist Americans." The mood of our group was one of subdued anger, although we did not express this openly.

We were then taken down to the crew's mess deck where we sat at the original tables, still bolted in place, and looked around. The water fountain was still there, the galley appeared to be intact, the wiring bundles in the overhead were still tagged. Everything originally written in English was still in English. The only difference was the fact that the room was full of North Korean Army officers.

Now we were treated to watch a full-blown communist propaganda video (shown on a Sony TV via a Sony VCR no less) of their interpretation of the events surrounding their capture of the Pueblo. Conveniently enough, it was produced in English. All the while, we were surrounded by high ranking military officers who were watching us, looking for any kind of apologetic reaction from us. (We didn't give them one.)

After the film, we were taken to the fantail area and the upper deck inboard of the Stbd. lifeboat. The damage inflicted to the stern of the vessel from their rounds was obvious. Large holes pierced the port antenna mast base and the after lifeboat davit. Each bullet hole is circled in red paint to show where they had hit the ship. (If you look closely in the picture above, you can see two red circles in the glass on the port side lower bridge window). The machine guns were still in their mounts however, cleaned and well oiled. The overall condition of the ship was pretty good, although not up to US Navy standards I'm sure. They have painted everything gray recently, and every brass tag, label and item onboard was polished to a gleaming shine.

Soon after this, our tour was over and we filed off, ready to go see what else this cold, barren country had to show us about the joys of communist living. One question that their Army officials wanted to know from us was what "GER 2" stood for. They apparently have never been able to figure out what it means. No one in our group could answer this either, so 30 years later they are still scratching their heads over this. This is the short version of my/our tour of the Pueblo.

I was also the only one of the group who was allowed to bring a camera. I have 2 rolls of film of the Pueblo, inside and out as she sits today. I would be interested in sharing them with your group and maybe writing a more detailed version of this story and about our experiences in the DPRK. If you are interested, please contact me and we can work something out. Great job on your web site!

Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 21:39:23 -0700 (PDT)

Dear Shipmate:

Found your web page through a search. I was the corpsman in USS BANNER (AGER-1), from the early part of 1968 until her de commissioning in November-December 1969.

Shortly after reporting to my new assignment at Naval Beach Group One, Wespac Detachment I received a commission from the ranks and spent another thirteen years in uniform. I'd love to hear from other BANNER crew members of that era.

Sincerely, John E. Kraft LCDR USN RET. Las Vegas, NV

Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 19:40:32 +0000

It was a confusing time. In those first couple of hours we received a lot of different information, and some of it was later found to be inaccurate. It was my understanding, though, that there definitely was a plan to get fighters up there for help.

My memory is sketchy, but I understood there already were F105s at Osan (or Pusan) and they were nuclear equipped, in other words, they were based there, not flown there in response to the incident. Others were apparently flown there, also, but I thought they were conventionally armed. I also believed that this second flight was not allowed to continue, as the Pueblo was by then believed to be in NK waters.
The SR71 was to find it as quickly as possible, in hopes military action could be taken. But the time elements just didn't permit that, by the time decisions out of DC were made. I don't think there was a n error in decision making, actually, but simply a matter of finding out where the right response equipment might be. By the time all the ducks in the water were counted, it was too late.

I would have thought, and thought it odd even then, that F105s based in SK for protection of the 38th parallel would be conventionally armed, as NK certainly had no nukes. But it is quite likely they were there more as a possible response to China than to NK. And that was indeed a nuke problem. I honestly don't know.

I do know there was discussion of how long it would take to arm the 105s at Naha. I don't know what capability existed at Naha to arm the planes, as the discussion was dropped due to time element; it just became impossible to do.

As far as I know, there was no quick response fighter operation on Okinawa, as there was no need for one. Kadena was a base for B52 bomb runs to N Vietnam, on nonstop, refueled flights. It was also a base for SR71 flights over NV, which was primarily how they were used. (That is not to say they did not "collect" as they flew south over the China Sea.)

Can't even begin to guess why you weren't notified of the Palace attack. We knew about it instantly, while it was in progress, and we notified our people in DC within minutes of our knowledge. Since our facility handled ALL classified traffic out of the Embassy, we were, in fact, the very first to notify DC, before the shooting stopped.
Our man told us on the circuit, just as he was about to shut down for the evening and go have a cold one, he had been in the hallway and ran back to the comm center to send to us, not a message, but a live comment, "I heard gunfire, don't shut down." He contacted the Marine guard who confirmed there was some sort of weapons firing going on, and then our man at Seoul stayed on the air with us, while embassy traffic started to flow. He also gathered materials for destruction, but did not have to destroy anything, as it was very soon over.

I doubt we were much better equipped for destruction at our site than you were, and we had a lot more equipment to destroy. I don't recall that we even had a real plan of attack toward destruction. Felt too secure, I guess, due to our location. Crypto paper materials were all in a single location, and could be relatively easily destroyed. Equipment was a very different matter. Just for example, we had some 30 or so KW26 sets, along with some KW7s, in the ops room, and maybe 3 or 4 more might be in the maintenance room. And about 20 TTY monitors that did clear text page copy for quality control. And gobs of Teletype tape that had clear text TS and above traffic on it. That's rolls and rolls of paper that has to be pulled off and destroyed. Plus all the manuals and procedures. Plus we had at least two rooms of special project equipment, hardware, that would absolutely have to be destroyed, to protect frequencies and methods, and no way to do it except piece by piece, with a hammer. It would have been a real nightmare, and with usually only two or three personnel on duty, two at night, probably completely impossible.

Looking back, the only real way to destroy it would have been with large quantities of explosives. As to using my name, etc., despite the fact the secrets are very old, and all of that technology has been replaced by newer, several times over, a signed agreement 'could' be used for prosecution, if they wanted to do so. The agreement has no expiration date. I'm not overly cautious or concerned, but would hesitate to put my name on a web site relating to this. In addition, it's been a long time, and my recollections are somewhat hazy. If I've been able to contribute anything in the way of memories, that's good. Hopefully others will add to it as well. Enjoy. Take care. WGD

Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 13:49:59 +0900

I have been reading your Pueblo web site with great interest. It is of
special interest to me since I currently reside in South Korea and was
recently shocked to find out that North Korea still has the Pueblo and uses
it as a tourist attraction.

I was very interested in seeing the picture (../photos/13finger.jpg) , but
there must be something wrong with the link to the picture in:
http://www.usspueblo.org/v2f/captivity/room13.html
<http://www.usspueblo.org/v2f/captivity/room13.html>
Would you please check the link to the picture?

Bob Stewart

Hello

Thanks to all who contributed to the outstanding web site, and especially to the captain and crew of the Pueblo for the horrors they endured while engaged in defense of our nation.

I was 6 years old at the time of the incident and am only now learning the complete, outrageous history of the event. I'm currently reading Lloyd Bucher's book and plan to read Edward Murphy's next.

Best regards to all Paul Domeier

Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 07:05:55 -0400

I'd like a few of the pix you have of the Pueblo. A small handful representative of the ship. Thanks,

Richard K. Baker

First I would like to say that your Webpage is excellent and interesting. I was in the Navy from June 64 to September 67. I was a CTR brancher, and worked in COMSEC, wasn't real popular with the radio operators. Years ago, I read several books about the Pueblo. I was stationed on Guam from about April 65 to October 66. After Guam, was stationed in Japan, for the rest of my hitch. Reported to Kamiseya, but was detailed to Yokosuka.

Someone told me about 3 years ago, that the cave I worked in, in Yokosuka, was still being used. I'm not positive, but I believe the Pueblo was on Guam or Japan, during those same time periods, trying unsuccessfully to obtain destruction machines.
Could you tell me please how Cdr. Bucher is doing these days, and where he lives? How many of the crew are left? Do any live in Missouri? I live in St. Louis.

Thank you. C. Heller

Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 06:42:10 -0500 (CDT)

Why was no return fire offered ?
Thank You

Ormond Harrison

Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2000 00:23:03 -0700

Sirs,

As a former CTI in the USNR, I hold the sailors of the U.S.S. Pueblo in the highest regards. The only regret I have from my Navy days was lack of information in "A" & "C" schools regarding the history of the U.S.S. Pueblo and the U.S.S. Liberty. Every time I hear the song "Ride, Captain Ride' I tell those around me (with pride) that the song is about the heroic sailors of the U.S.S. Pueblo.

Regards, A Proud, fromer Cryptologic Technician

Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 17:54:25 -0700

Hello folks,

Just wanted to know if there were any books written about the Pueblo? Also, was wondering if there was any way of getting in touch with "Pete Bucher"?

My Parents worked at NAS Mira Mar when it was run by the Navy...Commander Bucher used to come into where my parents worked and enjoyed visiting with them. Also used to go have coffee with my father who has passed away since then. My Mother said that Commander Bucher was not aware of my father's passing. I would enjoy hearing from you people and hope that you will be able to pass along some information to me...Thanks for being here..All the best,

Lawrence M. Garrisi

Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2000 22:56:23 -0400

I am an Air Force veteran of 22 years. Thanks for your website. I first became aware of he Pueblo incident from the movie starring Hal Holbrook many years ago. As a teen unfamiliar with this part of history or the military, I was puzzled over the aftermath (trial and findings), though I will always remember the Hawaiian good luck sign. Questions surfaced again while studying the Code of Conduct. One of the comments in the material I read stated that the Code, originally published in 1955 under President Ike, was revised in 1977 in light of the realties of Vietnam and the incarceration of the crew Pueblo. I understand the Code was used as evidence against the crew's behavior. Since I didn't join the AF until '78, I am unfamiliar with the previous Code, only the '77 version (I am an American fighting man...) and Pres Reagan's 1988 gender neutral revision (I am an American, fighting...). Do you know of anywhere I can get a copy of the original Code? Thanks for your help.

v/r Christopher Cooper, MSgt (E-7), USAF

Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 19:39:30 EDT

I am Keith Taylor, veteran of 23 years with Nav Sec Gru. I am now a columnist for two navy publications, Navy Times and an Internet publication called NavyHQ.com

To start with you have a great site. Last week I attended a reunion of the Naval Cryptologic Veterans Assn. The skipper of Pueblo, Pete Bucher, was there also. I am now writing an article about Pueblo. A few questions: 1. I cannot read the wording on the red field on the "rescue" patch designed by officers on USS Oriskiny. Please help me out. 2. Is Pete Bucher affiliated with your web site? Do you have a phone number where I can reach him? 3. How about the XO? Is his name Ed Murphy? Is he affiliated with the web site? Do you know if Murphy and Bucher ever buried the hatchet? Also, I'd appreciate his phone number if you have it. 4. Who was the senior SecGru officer on board? Steve Harris? Phone number also?

Keith Taylor

Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 10:56:49 -0400

Good Morning, I have been reading the information on your website for the past few days, and have been quite taken by the accounts of that ordeal. I spent six years in the Navy from 1982 through 1988, on board the USS Constellation for the last four. To my embarassment, I had never learned that much about your ship's incident. I have not yet completed reading all the information on your site, but I have really enjoyed all that I have read.

My interest was first sparked at another site that deals with old shortwave radios. I was looking for info on a particular radio that was used extensively by the military. This site has quite a few recent pictures of the USS Pueblo. Most are of the radio room inside the "Hut", but there are a few of the ship as well. I thought that you might be interested in contacting that site for more information. The link is: http://users.erols.com/eengineer/ The pictures are in " Lots of R390A History". I noticed that Ralph McClintock was quoted in that site, but I was unsure whether or not he had anything to do with the Pictures. Thank you and best wishes,

Pete Axson

Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 23:34:42 EDT

Dear USS PUEBLO Veterans Association, I am 13 years old, and i am doing a project about pueblo's in war. I was hoping you could help me with some information on this subject. If you can please contact me

Autumnkiss13

Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2000 19:33:16 -0500

Dear Sirs:

I am trying to write a history paper on the Pueblo Incident. I need to use primary sources: actual records or accounts from that time. I am hoping you can assist me by providing some information: copies of legal documents, letters from the men, names of people it would be okay for me to contact directly. I have just begun to look at your website, and I know I will find valuable background information there, but the professor insists on the primary sources as well. Please let me know as soon as it is convenient whether I can receive anything from you. I am willing to pay reasonable fees for copies, etc. Thank you in advance.

Louise M. Rofougar

Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2000 14:47:17 -0500

I am in the process of writing a book on the USAF response to the seizure of the USS Pueblo in 1968. I was the Task Force commander that responded from Okinawa, the same day, and was ordered to ready my F-105's to sink the Pueblo when ordered buy "higher authority". I would like to work with your organization to fill in what gaps I may have to make this book as "pure" as possible.

I and my pilots were willing to sacrifice our lives to make sure the ship would be of no use to North Korea should the order be given. The entire side of this story is known totally by my self, as I was tasked to ready, deploy, organize, plan and execute the mission. Thank you very much,

Colonel John C. Wright USAF Retired

Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 21:35:54 -0500

Thank you for the snail mail reply. I cannot see why your e-mail response did not reach me. An alternate e-mail for me is lrofou01@7-11.com (work.)

I will meet with my professor and see what is acceptable to him as far as e-mail contact for information. If I can get e-mail confirmation from the contributors to the anecdotes on your web site I hope I can use their stories as written there.

Of course I would love to hear from any of the men who were captured, and perhaps from their wives/girlfriends/family about their lives while the men were in captivity.

I am an older-than-usual student: I was a child living in Korea when the Pueblo was captured. I lived close to the Presidential Mansion when the infiltration happened, followed so closely by the Pueblo. I watched you all on TV as you crossed the bridge when released. After sending my original e-mail to you, I spent a couple of hours touring the web site. As a student of history, and as a patriot, I was moved deeply. Thank you again for your time.

Louise M. Rofougar

Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 22:29:23 EDT

Can you tell me-----before the pueblo became a spy ship was it the uss hewell Akl 14? It resembles the hewell on which i served during the closeing days Of the korean war. It was a station ship in japan. We ran up and down the Korean coast. Thanks,

Bill Schranz