STARAN AUTHORIZED PUBLICATION OF tU.S. ARMED FORCES IN THE FAR EAST

IPES(«g.?D34<M fl 218 W attSIKSWIS'

Vol. 24, No. 124

*****

Sunday, May 5, 1968

DAWSON, Tex. (AP) - ABraniff International Electraexploded while flying in a rain-storm Friday, scattering bodiesand wreckage over a half-milesquare area.

Braniff said there were 84persons aboard—79 passengersand five crew members. No sur-vivors were found at the scene.

The plane fell about one mileeast of this small central Texasfarm community. Dawson isabout 25 miles southeast of Cor-sicana and about 90 miles southof Dallas.

The flight was Braniff 352 enroute from Houston to Dallas. Itwas due in Dallas at 4:58 p.m.,and was to have gone on to Tul-sa, Fort Smith, Little Rock andMemphis.

Jerry Strader, publisher ofthe Corsicana Sun, was one ofthe first at the scene.

"I saw no survivors, no bodiesintact," he said. "At least 50 percent of the bodies appeared tobe burned.

"The pieces of the plane werejust fragmentary. The largestpiece I saw was just a portion ofthe landing gear,"

Strader said he found whatappeared to be an engineer'sflight plan and turned it over toa Texas Department of PublicSafety officer.

"You couldn't tell whether itwas a plane crash or a trainwreck— pieces of wreckagewere so small," Strader said.

Rain fell heavily as ambu-lance drivers and other rescueworkers picked up pieces ofbodies and wrapped them insheets.

Witnesses said the plane ex-

Ike Doing WeilMARCH AFB, Calif. (AP)—

Former President Dwight D,Eisenhower, hospitalized Mon-day after a mild heart attack,is feeling well enough to do somereading. A condition report Fri-day said he is in excellentspirits,

Celtics WinINGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI)--

The Boston Celtics recapturedthe National Basketball Associa-tion championship T h u r s d a ynight with a 124-109 victory overthe Los Angeles Lakeis, Detailson Page 17,

ploded in the air and plummetred through the storm like a ballof fire.

Dean Montgomery saw theplane blow up as he drove withhis wife and two children abouttwo miles east of Dawson.

He said the plane exploded

once and. then a. second time.An Electra is. a four-engine

turbo prop plane, meaning thatit uses a combination of jet en-gines and propellers.

Braniff lost one Electra pre-viously, in 1959, when an airlin-(Con Untied on Back Page, Col. 2)

WASHINGTON (UPI) —The United Stalesand North Vietnam agreed Friday to meet inParis late next week to start discussing condi-tions for possible Vietnam peace talks.

President Johnson announced at a nation-afally televised and broadcast news conference:"I have sent a message informing Hanoi thatthe day of May 10 and the site of Paris areacceptable to the United States."

The President's statement Came shortly overan hour after a Hanoi Radio broadcast proposed Parisas "an appropriate venue for the fonnal bilateral talks."The North Vietnamese broadcast said talks should begin"on May 10 or a few days later." !l

In Paris, the South. Vietnamese consulate said repre-sentatives of their government "will sit in on" the talks.

v 1

Johnson told newsmen he was informed of Hanoi'swillingness to meet in Paris "about one o'clock this morn-ing.

"As all of you know, we have sought a place for theseconversations in which all of the parties would receivefair and impartial treatment," Johnson said. "France isa country where all countries should expect such treat-ment."

The President expressed"hope that, this agreementon initial contact will provea step forward and can re-wpresent a m u t u a l and aserious movement by allparties toward peace inSoutheast Asia.

"I must, however, sound acautionary note," Johnson said."This is only the very first step,and there are many, many

PRESIDENT JOHNSONUPI Raciiophoto

ANNOUNCES PEACE TALKS WILL BE HELD IN PARIS.

Related stories Pages 4 and 5.

hazards and difficulties ahead."I assume that each side

would present its viewpoint inthese contacts,

"I have never felt that it wasuseful for public officials toconfuse delicate negotiations bydetailing personal views orsuggestions, or elaborating onpositions in advance."

The President promised thatthe United States will "continuein close consultation at allstages with our allies." Henoted that all of them haverepresentation in the Frenchcapital.

Paris is also an adequatelocation from the North Vietna-mese point of view. Hanoimaintains a mission there,headed by a senior diplomat,Mai Van Bo, and CommunistChina is also represented inParis.

In Paris, the South Viet-namese consulate said Consul(Continued oit Back Page, Col. 1)

By The Associated Press

Three middle-aged men, twoIn the United States and one inLondon, fought to survive Fri-day night after heart trans-plants—the second, third andfourth in a week. All three werereported doing well.

Transplants were performedFriday in Houston, Tex., end

London, following by less than24 hours a transplant operationin Stanford, Calif. A heart trans-plant was performed in ParisSaturday, but the patient diedTuesday.

In Houston, doctors said thatEverett Claire Thomas, 47, anaccountant from Phoenix, Ariz.,was "doing fine" after receiving

the heart of Mrs. Charles L.Martin III, 15, who died of agunshot wound to the brain. Sur-geons said Thomas was awakethree hours after the operationand that he had shown no signof rejecting the new heart.

Doctors in London did notidentify the recipient of theheart in Britain's first trans-

plant operation except to saythe patient was a man of 45.Newspapers identified the Uonoras Patrick Ryan, 26, a buildingworker who was killed in an ac-cident. The doctors said the pa-tient's condition was "entirelysatisfactory/'

The third pat ient , Joseph Ri-(Coiitinued on Back I'age, Col .» )

SAIGON (UPI)—U.S. Marines battling for controlof a strategic river were beaten back by a huge NorthVietnamese force in fighting so close Leathernecks usedCommunist weapons when their ammunition ran out, itwas learned Friday,

The battle centered around the village of Dai Do,about 1 % miles northeast of the big Marine supply baseat Dong Ha, the key outpost in the allied line of defensejust south of the Demilitarized Zone.

At stake in the fighting was the free flow of supplytraffic from the coast to Don Ha on the Cua Viet ftiver.

U.S. Pilot

MIG KillS&S Vietnam Bureau

SAIGON — A U.S. Navy F4Phantom pilot reported shootingdown a Communist MIG21 overthe Gulf of Tonkin Thursdaynear the 20th Parallel.

If the report is confirmed, itwould be the first time one ofthe North Vietnamese fightershas been downed in the Gulf,patrolled by U.S. Navy aircraftcarriers on Yankee Station.

The U.S. command in Saigonsaid the downing was still un-confirmed and was being re-ported based on the pilot's re-port.

A command spokesman said.he did not have details on theincident.

If the MIG kill is confirmed,it would be the lllth Commu-nist fighter clowned over NorthVietnam by U.S. warplanes.

Poor weather over North Viet-nam Thursday limited U.S. pi-lots to 92 missions north of theDMZ as they continued to con-centrate on Communist supplylines below the 20th Parallellimit placed by President John-son on April 1.

Tet HomelessTotal 821,246

SAIGON (UPI) — Some 821.-246 South Vietnamese civilianswere left homeless after theViet Cong Tet offensive, theU.S. mission reported Friday,

The mission said 301,208 per-sons have resettled, bringing to

-520,038 the current total of Tetrefugees in the 44 provinces.

Some 181,192 refugees are intemporary camps, while the oth-ers are being cared for by re-latives and friends, the missionsaid.

In four days of fighting, U.S.spokesman reported 661 NorthVietnamese killed in the area,c o m p a r e d to 39 Americanskilled and 238 wounded.

The b a t t l e was triggeredTuesday morning when a U.S.Navy LCU supply boat on theriver was hit by CommunistBPGs, (rocket propelled gre-nades) fired from the northernbank. Three sailors were killedand six wounded, according toUPI photographer Nick Wheel-er.

A Marine platoon was sent toinvestigate and met heavy re-sistance from a large NorthVietnamese force entrenched inbunkers at Dai Do. By Wednes-day, the Leathernecks hadbrought in a battalion underfire.

A company sent across theriver on amtracks was hit withheavy automatic weapons fireand RPGs as th«y hit the north-ern bank. Seven were killed and14 were wounded within min-utes of the landing.

"We ran low on ammo andhad to scratch for our lives. Iguess I .scratched harder thanthe rest of them/' said a ma-chine g u n n e r , Pfc. WilliamHuey of New Orleans.

Huey said that a group ofMarines caught on the northernside of the river ran out ofammunition and was forced topick up AK47s from dead Com-munists to fight their way tosafety.

Each time the Marines wouldfight their way into the village,the North Vietnamese w o u l dpound them with artillery andcounterattack under the protec-tive blanket of the shelling,driving the Americans back tothe river bank.

There was hand-to-hand fight-ing at several points, Wheelersaid.

By Thursday night, the Ma-rines had pulled back to a smallportion on the southern edge ofDai Do because there were notenough Marines left to hold theentire village.

The Marines were reinforcedFriday and the battle was re-portedly continuing.

y VC in SaSAIGON (AP) — Viet Cong

gunners f i r ing rockets and au-tomatic weapons have hit twomerchants ships on consecutivedays — Thursday and Friday —at nearly the same spot on theSaigon River southeast of thecapital, the U.S. Navy disclosedFriday.

Damage was said to havebeen light to both vessels, andno casualties were reported ineither incident.

iver

^ Pacific Stars & StripesSunday, May 5,

The Navy said Friday's at-tack was made on the 838-footNavy merchant ship Fentress 15miles southeast of Saigon.

In the a t tack Thursday 12.5miles southeast of Saigon, theDel Sol, a IIH vhant ship undercontract to the U.S. Navy, washit by rocket and automaticweapons fire.

The Navy said both vesselscontinued up the river to Sai-gon. No fu r the r details concern-ing the two ships were availablehere.

Red Terror Blast Kills 3 in SaigonRescue workers search through rubble,-look-

ing for survivors after a terrorist explosion rippedthe headquarters of the World University Ser-

vice, located next to the Vietnamese and Ameri-can radio and television station in Saigon.. ThreeVietnamese were killed. (AP Radiophoto)

US. Lisfs 2,096 Plains,7,608 Copters Losf in Vief

SAIGON (AP) — U.S. militaryheadquarters reported Fridaythat 2,096 planes and 1,608 heli-copters have been lost in thewar in JNorth and South Viet-nam.

In one of its periodic reportson aircraft losses, the U.S.Command said 831 planes andnine helicopters went down overNorth Vietnam since bombingof the North started in Februa-ry, 1965. The helicopters allwere lost on rescue missions topick up downed pilots.

The Command said 251 planes

have been lost in-/combat inSouth Vietnam and 65*9 helicop-ters shot down in the South, in-cluding those downed in the re-cent U.S. drive in the A ShauValley.

In another category, 1,014planes and 940 helicopters havebeen lost during the war in bothNorth and South Vietnam. Thiscategory includes losses to non-hostile action such as mechani-cal failures and other accidentallosses or support aircraft suchas cargo and transport planesand helicopters.

ROKs Find CacheOf 32,300 Rounds

SAIGON (AP) — Soldiers, ofSouth Korea's White HorseCDiv.Thursday found an arms cachecontaining 32,300 rounds of am-munition while on a sweep nearthe coastal town of Tuy Hoa,Korean spokesmen reported.

No fighting occurred as thetroops made the discovery, butother White Horse units killedsix enemy Thursday in the vici-nity of Van Ninh and NhaTrang.

No Korean casualties were re-ported in -the actions, thespokesmen said.

WASHINGTON (S&S) - TheDefense Department has an-nounced the following casualtiesin connection with the conflictin Vietnam.

KILLED IN ACTIONArmy

SP4 Victor A, AAohr, AAontevallo, Ala.Cpt. John H. South, Hot Springs, Ark.SP5 Kenneth E. Kotyluk, Sacramento,

Calif.SP4 Jay D. Richter, Pasadena, Calif,SP4 Robert E. Lea, Campbell, Calif.SP4 Ronald J. Walbsr, Nevada City, Calif.SP4 Gary A. Stading, Orange, Calif.Cpl, Ronald N. Wanbaugh, Torrance, Calif.Ptc. Ronald H. Chilcott, Pico Rivera,

Calif.Cpl. David P. Speath, Hartford, Conn.Sgt, John A. Franklin, Pompanp Beach,

Fla.Ptc. Earl P. Summersill, Apopka, Fla.Pfc. Robert E. Terrell, Starke, Fla.SSg. Sieve A. Hardinci, Augusta, Ga.SP4 George R. Bennett, Fitzgerald, Ga.Sgt. Stanley A. Bullis, Savanna, III.Sgt. Phillip W. Grindol, Decatur, III,Pfc. William D. Noddln, Morton Grove, III.Pic. Terry W. Shott, Charleston, 111.SP4 Ronald J. Colone, Fort Wayne, hid,Sgt, Roy A, Lamon, Liberal, Kan,Pic. Jackie D. Walker, Junction City/

Kan.SP4 Billy R. Foster, Monticello, Ky.Col. Donald M. Gutrick, Nanjemoy, Md.SP4 Thomas E. Raubolt, Wyondotte, Mich.SP4 Michael J. Cox, Detroit, Mich.SP'1 Patrick J. Graham, Minneapolis,

Minn.P!c. Dennis W. Hoff, Minneapolis, Minn,Pic. Eric Ficklin, Morton, Miss.Pfc. Jerry B, Truitf, Novinaer, Mo.Sat, Russell F. Deitchler, Billings, Merit.SP4 James R. Campbell, Trenton, Neb.Pfc. Andrew P. Corbin, Fort Dix, NJ.Pfc James W. Terry, Pleasantville, N.J,SSt). Clark E. Barlow, Glens Falls, N.Y,SP4 Edward J. Zewcrt Jr., Aiverne, N.Y.SP4 Felix Vazquez Jr., Island City, N.Y.Pi'c. Michael Cacciuttolo, Brentwood, N.Y.Pfc. Michael T. Evans, VYadesboro, N.C.Pic. Lane K. Hargrove, Mount Olive, N.C.Pic. Carmello Aiige, Broadview Hciql-.ls,

Ohio.SP4-George 8. Allison, Chelsea, Okla.Pic. Paul D. Boyett, Oklahoma City,

Okla.Sat, Raymond J. Smith, Philadelphia, Pa,SP4 Jock Bitting, Philadelphia, Pa,Cpi. William Rauber, Wheatland, PCI.Cpl.. Harry L. Sowell Jr., Kershaw, S.C.Pic. Claude H, Covinyton, Hodaes, S.C.Pic. Pi-iul B. Creighton, Memphis, Term.SSg, John M. Weath.erford, Mesquite, T?x.U.t. Peter F, Donnell, Fails Churcii, Va.SP4 Gary Loduha, Milwaukee, Wis.

SP4 Luis A. Ortiz-Perez, Ponce, PuertoRico.

Navy ,HM3 Bernard J. Newhouse, Saint Johns,

Mich.WO Jesse L. Samford, St. Louis, Mo,GMG1 Arthur C. Williams Jr., Norfolk,

Va.Marine Corps

Cpl. Don E. Davis, Cabot, Ark.LCpl- James C. Smith, Lake Village, Ark.Sc?t. Leslie P. Hapara, Claremont, Calif.Pfc. Roger A. Boomsma, Arcadia, Calif.Cpl. James L. Turner, Pueblo, Colo.LCpi. Kevin P. Beauchamp, Fort Louder-

dale, FlaLCpl, Frank R. Simmons, Decatur, Ga.Ptc, John L. Colemun, Indianapolis, Ind.Pic, Richard J. Rudd Jr., Keokuk, Iowa.Pfc. Irving D. Barrows, Derldder, La.Pfc. Gary A. Chabert, Metalrie, La.Pfc. Michael W. Crash, Baltimore, Md.LCpl. Thomas J. Worley Jr., Detroit,

Mich.Cpl. John S. Wiseman, Saint Louis, Mo,Pfc. Charles J. Rachon, White Plains,

N.Y.SSgt. Seth L. West Jr., Klnston, N,C.LCpl. Jerry R, Nichols, Wlndham, Ohio.Pfc. Herman A. Hesselschwardt, Defiance,

Ohio.Pfc. Ronald C. Kearsley, Sandusky, Ohio.LCpl. Michael G. Turner, Portland, Ore.C->l. Lawrence J. Snyder, Rochester, Pa,pic. John M. Vaughn, Erie, Pa.P(c. Neil H. Exurn, Providence, R.I.LCpl. Alexander Chisolm, Charleston, S.C.Pfc. James P. Clarke, Fremont, Tex.LCpl. Yldefonso Sola-Maldonado, Caguas,

Puerto Rico.Air Force

Copt. James J. McKinstry Jr., Alameda,Calif,

TSgt. Russfill R. Fyan, Muskegon, Mich.Sat, Daniel J. O'Connor, St. Paul, Minn.A 1C Kenneth L. Johnson, West Point,

NebMaj. John L. McDaniel, Graham, N.C.Maj. Liiburn R. Stow, Tulsci, Okla.SSgt. Beryl S. Blaylock, AAurfree.shoro,

Tenn.DIED OF WOUNDS

Marine CorpsLCpl. Arthur W. Romero, Springs, Coio.LCpl. Dennis R. Sieisema, Calumet Park,

III.GYSgt, Daniel Perry, Wilmington, N.C.

MISSING TO DEAD—HOSTILEArrny

SP5 Daniel F. Sandoval, Huron, Calif.SP4 Frank L. Freedle, Fort Ord, Calif.Pfc. Michad G. Lipsius, Milpitas, Calif.SP5 Janis Miculs, Grosse Point Park,

AMch.Cpl. Timothy G. Robinson, Hoyt Lakes,

M'nn.WO Willis W. Smith Jr., Dtcatur, AAl..;s.Sgt, Wesley VV. Sperling, Arlington, NcO.

1Lt, Dennis E. Painter, Tiffin, Ohio.SP4 Oren.B. McCarroll, Columbus, Ohio.Pfc. Michael D. Newland, Lima, Ohio.Cpt. David A. Peters, Lawton, Okla.WO Herbert R. Hayashida, Lawton, Okla.SP4 John. R. Brooks, Pittsburgh Pa.WO Paul L. Larson, Everett, Wash.SP5 James A, Pemberton, Raleigh, W.Va.

Marine CorpsCapt. Lawrence Himmer, Fallbrook, Calif.Cpl, Roy D. Hurlbert, Whealrldge, Colo.Cpl. David G. Redenius, Plymouth, III.Cpl. Robert F. Owens, Monroe City, Ind.Cpl. Alfred L. Leblanc, Ponchatoula, La.LCpl. William C. Medeiros, New Bedford,

Mass.LCpl. Hugh E. Schavelln, Norma, N.J.Sgt. Robert Rice, Flushino, N.Y.Pfc. Robert D. Cicio, Farmlngdale, N.Y.Pfc, Jerry A. Sweet, Valatle, N.Y.LCpl: Daniel K. Christian, V'adsworth,

Ohio.Pfc. Jack L, Hinkle, Lyons, Ohio,Pfc. Gale E. Craun, Portland, Ore.Pfc. Danny R. Kilgore, Myrtle Point, Ore.LCpl. Terry J. Rampulla, Easton, PaCpl. Nathaniel E. L. Jackson, Georgetown,

Pfc. Marvin G. Rush, Memphis, T^nn.Cpl. William C. Averltte, Dallas, TexILt. Michael P, Hayden, Falls Church, Va.

MISSING IN ACnONArmy

ILt. Kenneth - G. SpencerWO Ervin J. HoytSP5 Buford G. JohnsonSP5 Daie L. LambertSP5 Bolen P.- McGeeSP4 William R. DennisSP4 Michae! P. MakcukPfc. Kenneth H, DelpP.c. Linden D. Eiler, Jr.Ptc. Jesus MartinezPtc. Jerry D. McManusPfc. Thomas E. Tongret

NavyHN Charles B. Boynton Jr.

Air ForceLt. Col. John S. Finiay, 111Lt. Col. Edwin D. PalmgrenILt. Wesley L. Rumble

DIED NOT AS A RESULT OPHOSTILE ACTION

ArmySP5 Thomas J. Davis, Placerville, CaMf.SP4 William R. Jennstt, Lafayette, Ind,Sgt. Ronald Oglesby, Philadelphia, Pa.

NavyPH3 Christopher P, Battagiia, Burbcmk,

Calif.Marine Corps

Pic. Brook R, Schramm, San Carlos, Calif,Cpl. Edward C. Root, Topeka, Kan.LCpl. Steve Davis, Hallsviile, Mo.Ca-jt. James P. Cawley, Scranton, Pa.H.I. RoDeri C, Klmmel,

W.Va,

Cares

By SGT/tt0t*Mt<A'. NEUMANN1 ' S&S Vietnam Suffcau

PltANcall him '.."Father' Pat." His.is the "other** war in Vietnam^the fight against poverty andignorance.

Father Pat McCormick, RoyalAustralian Air Force chaplainat Phan Rang AB, holds therank ot squadron leader with theNo, 2 Canberra jet bomber1

squadron, but a sigh on his doorreads: "Pat McCormick, OIC,Vatican City Enterprises.'*

Father Pat fnakes a daily riminto the city outside the base totend to one of his fiiafty civicaction projects. He usually man*ages a Visit to the nearby vil-lage of Tan Tai, "/here two sis*ters of the Order of the Im*maculate Heart of Mary run anorphanage.

The orphanage cares for morethan 50 children, aged from twodays to 10 years.

"It is tremendously hard, andthe sisters are doing a magn-ificent job," says Father Pat

The orphanage is the priest'sfavorite project The men of hissquadron have followed hislead* visiting the ;hdm'e whenthey: have time and offeringtnedical assistance when pos-sible.

They have donated, medicalsupplies, clothing, food, milkand toilet articles. Most of theclothing has come from wives ofairmen at the Richmond basein Mew South Wales, Australia.The women Conduct clothingdrives,and send the items totheir husbands*

When Father Pat decided thechildren needed more toys, hecontacted the RAAF base atButterworth. Soori swings, a see-saw and other toys arrived. Theyoungsters have also receivedbicycles* scooters and Wagons.

His greatest love is for thevery young. You cannot visitthe orphanage with him withoutseeing the nursery, There, thebabies rest on cots, some sleep-ing, some crying and kicking.One boy has both feet missing.

"He's such a beautiful child,"says Father Pat.

The priest Was trained atPope Pius %ltt Seminary inBanyo. near Brisbane, and wasordained in 1954. He has beenan RAAF chaplain for eightyears.

Father Pat hasn't forgottenthe fight against aggression.

Whenever he goes to town, hecarries a pistol and takes anarmed guard.

"I can get shot just as easilyas anyone else tin the base,"he says. "Jt seems, pretty safein town now, but you neverknow."

ProjectCAMP HASKINS, DA NANG,

Vietnam (PAO) — Constructionnear Da Nang of a large campcomplex for the Force LogisticsCommand (FLC) MaintenanceBn. has been assigned to MobileConstruction Bn. 62.

The project is the first of anygreat size for the battalion sinceits: arrival in Vietnam in lateJanuary. Up until now, MCB (52has been occupied with relative-ly small projects throughout theDa Nang area.

Preliminary surveying hasstarted at the project site, andearth-moving is to begin soon.Once under way, work on theMaintenance Bn.. camp willoccupy most of the men in thebattalion for the rest of its Viet-nam deployment.

Cmdr. William J. Richeson,commanding officer of MCB (12,says the project will become theprimary task for both Charlieand Delta Cos., with assistancefrom Bravo Co.

Details may be detached fromtime to time to work on smallprojects in other areas, Riche-son says, but then they willreturn to work on the new camp.

The major part of the projectwill be construction of 18 pre-engineered steel (Butler) build-ings measuring 40 by 100 feet.These will house transportationmaintenance shops for the FLCunit.

There will also be a 1,000-manmess hall, complete medical anddental facilities and buildings tohouse administrative o f f i c e s.More than 50 huts will be builtas living quarters for the battal-ion officers and men.

Enlisted men's clubs, a tenniscourt, a soi'tball f ield and aswimming pool are included inthe project.

FATHER PAT McCORMICK, ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE CHAPLAIN, VISITS FRIENDS AT AN ORPHANAGE.s&s

PLE1KU, Vietnam (10)—Theteakwood pews and church win-dows came from Taiwan. Aleprosarium in Qui Nhon, Viet-nam, supplied the rust-red floortiles. The pine exterior wasshipped from the northern for-ests of the United Stales. Thebell was airlifted from Shrove-port, La.

Thus from all over the worldcame the materials to build the52nd Arty. Group's new chapel,which stands near the peak ofArtillery Hill, Pleiku. It is oneof more than 100 houses of wor-3 Viefs Saved

From Buffalo Surgery Ends in Smiles

ship built by American service-men in Vietnam.

Designed to fill the need of"providing adequate worship fa-cilities for the men of the 52ndArtillery," the small church be-came a project which involvedall the unit's troops.

Construction began in Octo-ber, 1967, from plans drawn bythe 299th Eng. Bn. The concretefoundation was m i x e d andpoured by the enlisted men andofficers of the 52nd Arty.

By December the structurebegan to take form. Only thesheet metal roofing had yet to

be added to the A-s h a p e dframe. First services were heldon Christmas Eve. with the con-gregation sitting on crude wood-en benches.

Furnishing the interior provedto be as challenging as erectingthe building itself, since suitablematerials were scarce. The twoCroup chaplains, Maj. LutherMcCullin of Ringold, La., andCapt. Herbert Turner of Savan-nah, Ga., resorted to letterwriting, telephoning and travel.The scope of their activities isindicated by the variety of

places from which furnishingscame.

The troops who man the gunsof the artillery unit were keptinformed of the chaplains' prog-ress — giving each man a shareof feeling of accomplishment.

Through their church, themen of the 52nd Arty, are sup-p o r t i n g construction of thePleiku Leprosy Clinic and theEvangelical M e d i c a 1 Clinic,which treat the Vietnamese andMontagnard tribesmen in thePleiku area.

McCullin's letters to businessfirms and organizations in theU.S. have resulted in a steadysi ream of antibiotics, drugs,bandages, vitamins and othermedical supplies for the clinics.

CU CHI, Vietnam (10) — A25th Inf . Div. lieutenant on hisfirst day in the field .savedseveral Vietnamese childrenwhen he shot a rampagingwater buffalo.

First Lt. Sylvain L. White, ofVine Grove, Ky., killed the beastduring a 2nd Bn., 14th Inf . , 2ndBrigade- .sweep during OperationToan Thang.

'M .saw three children runningdown the street being chased byan enraged buffalo. After every-one was out of the w a y, Ipumped six rounds i n t o it,"White said.

The platoon medic, Pfc. JohnR. Stubinger, of Rochester,N.Y., treated one child forminor injuries.

Phuoc Ly Village

CUA VIET, Vietnam (ISO) —An anonymous finger recentlyreached out from a Vietnamesecrowd to assist a U.S. medicalofficer performing minor sur-gery on a small Vietnameseboy,

Navy Lt. Paul Grotenhuis ofSheboygan Falls, Wis,. medicaloff icer with the 1st AmphibianTractor Bn., was offered thefinger during a medical civicaction program (Medcap) visi tto a .small resettlement island

in the Cua Viet River in QuangTri Province.

"The Medcap had concluded,and most of the men were backaboard ship when a small childwas brought to me with a gashon his foot," recalled Dr. Gro-tenhuis! The youngster had cuthis foot on a tin can.

Examining the boy's foot, Dr.Grotenhuis saw it would requireminor surgery.

"I had just made the lastsuture when one of the villagersstuck his hand out towards theboy's foot. I looked up and

realized that he wanted to offerthe use of his finger for me tolie the surgical knot," Dr.Gro tenhuis said.

Smiling, the doctor thankedthe man, and all of the villagerssmiled with him.

Members o f . the 1st AmtracBn. perform weekly Medeaps onthe island which serves as homefor .some 2,500 refugees.

The villagers were ousted fivemonths ago from their homevillage of My Loc by the Nor thVietnamese and have resettledtm the Cua Viet.

DA NANG, Vietnam (ISO-After 10 months of working withthe villagers of Phuoc Lyhamlet, Marine 1st Lt. CharlesVogt, civil a f f a i r s officer of the1st Recon, Bn., attended theculmination of his e f f o r t s —dedication of the hamlet's firstand only school.

Vogt, 23, (of Oconomowoc,Wis.), was presented a hand-lacquered plaque from the vil-lagers.

Pacific Stars & Stripes \~fSunday, May 5. 1JKI8

(Af*)—Viet Cong terrorists* tised a taxiloaded with explosives to, blast allied televisiott studiosarid a student center in downtown Saigon Mday4, "ai*hows before the North VietMfflfe^ government agreedto Paris as the site to* preliminary peace talks, .

The explosion killed three yietnemege* wounded 30, including five Americans.

It triggered a fresh wave ofnervousness a m o n g militaryand police units in Saigon, al*ready on the alert because of re-ports the Viet Cong are prepar-ing to invade the capital again*

Most of the Vietnamese vic-tims of the blast were younggifls in, the, building of thechurch'Sponsored World tfrtiver-sity Service. The Americanswere walking along the sidewalknear the main studios of theSouth Vietnamese governmenttelevision station.

The government station ap-parently was the terrorist'sprime target, but the force froman estimated 120 pounds of TNTalso smashed windows and col-lapsed a ceiling in the adjacentXJ.S. Armed Forces televisionRation.\The two-story1 university cen-ter was "destroyed'..-The.roof.,ofthe government television sta-;tion was knocked loose, some ofits partitions blown down andwires ripped out.

Both the government and theU.S. military stations, whichwere hot on the air at the time,began their evening broadcastson schedule. : The South Viet-namese program opened withfilms of the damage.

Police began an investigationto determine how the terroristssucceeded in getting the \dyna-mite-packed v e h i c l e -pastguards around the stations; Thetaxi had been backed into adriveway between the studentcenter and the government sta-tion.

(Continued Prom Page .1)General Ngo Tan Canh, will be

-an ''observer" at the talks.There was no immediate con-

firmation from other sources.Canh will be joined by other

.Officials from Saigon, expectedto arrive in Paris next week,according to Tran Than Quan,a s s i s t a n t consul and pressspokesman of the Consulate.

The statement from the SouthVietnamese consulate came asa major surprise since most ob-*^servers had predicted Hanoiwould not accept a preliminary

'conference where Saigon was.represented*

Quan said the consulate herereceived news of the impendingtalks in a 'cable from Saigonbefore the official announcementwas made by Washington andHanoi,

In the same cable, he added,Canh was designated to/ sit inas an observer for Saigon.

"We are waiting for furtherdetails from Saigon," Quan saidwhen asked about the SouthVietnamese officials who will becoming to Paris,

Quan refused to specify thecharacter of the South Viet-namese role as an "observer,"

.but said, "Our representativewill sit in at the same table"with the Americans and NorthVietnamese.

He said he expected to havefurther details about the SouthVietnamese role in the talks"early next week." Airliner-

(Continued From Page 1)er crashed near Buffalo, Tex.,50 miles southeast of Dawson.

A Braniff spokesman said theplane made its normal 4:30 p.m.,departure from Houston andthere was no indication of trou-ble until an air traffic controllerat Great Southwest Internation-al Airport in Fort Worth said itdisappeared from his radarscope at 4:51 p.m. Apparentlythere were no radio conversa-tions between the pilot and traf-fic controllers, the Braniffspokesman said.

J*v.

Mrs. Kathleen Martin's heartwas transplanted into EverettClaire Thomas after she diedof a gunshot wound in Houston.

(AP Radiophoto)

Would Bar JailersCOQUILLE, Ore. <AP) — In

Coquille, Dist. Atty. RobertBrasch wants the county com-missioners to fire all but two ofthe jailers at the Coos Countyjail. The d i s t r i c t attorneycharged in a report that prison-ers were allowed to roam thestreets to do personal shoppingor look for jobs,

South Vietnamese firemen carry wounded civilians downladder in Saigon after an explosion rocked the building in whichthey were working. Related photo on Page 6. (UPI Radiophoto)

Ordered fo Reduce,Teacher Disappears

LARKSPUR, Calif. (UPI) —A 212-pound high school gymteacher, who faced dismissalbecause of being overweight,disappeared Thursday beforeshe was due to testify before aslate hearing officer.

Elizabeth R. Blodgett, 41, leftbehind a note to her attorneywhich said, "I can no longerbear this constant strain .I am a very ordinary humanbeing."

Marin County sheriff's dep-uties immediately initiated astatewide search for the woman.A check of her home in the sea-coast town of Marshall turnedup the note to her attorney, A.

Heart(Continued From Page 1)

zor, 40, a carpenter, was report-ed in fair condition in Stanford,Calif., after Thursday's trans-plant, but doctors warned hestill faces a critical period.They said the transplantedheart — taken from Rudy F. An-derson, 45, of San Carlos, Calif.,who died of a brain hemorrhage—was beating normally andthat Rizor's blood pressure wasnormal. The transplant was the

Pacific Stars & StripesSunday, May 5, 1968

second such operation at theStanford University MedicalCenter.

The Houston operation, per-formed at. the Baylor UniversityCollege of Medicine, was differ-ent from other transplants inthat it was performed withoutmassive blood transfusions. Thesurgical team, headed by Dr.Den ton A. Cooley, performedthe operation in three hours.

The London transplant teamwas headed by Dr. Donald Ross,of South Africa, a former col-league of Dr. Christian Barnardwho performed the world's first

heart transplant. The donor wasrushed across London in an am-bulance to King's Hospitalwhere the transplant was per-formed.

The London operation was theworld's 10th heart transplant.

In Stanford, Dr. Robert Shum-way, who headed the transplantteam, said "The patient stillfaces a critical period ahead."Doctors said Rizor continued toneed respirator assistance inbreathing, but said that resultedfrom a lung condition broughton by his long-standing heartdisease.

Leonard Bjorklund Jr., of Sau-salito.

She had been told by Red-wood High School PrincipalDonald Kreps that her contractwould not be renewed becauseshe was "a living hypocrisy ofthe subject she is teaching."

Miss Blodgett then requestedthe hearing and was scheduledto testify Thursday before hear-ing officer Paul A. Winton toconclude three days of tes-timony on her contract renewal.

Miss Blodgett's note also said,"It becomes clear that there isto be little or no considerationgiven to the thyroid problem ofsuch indefinite dimensions."

She contended that a thyroidcondition was the cause of heroverweight, and said she hadbeen under the care of Dr.Wendell H. Butler, who pre-scribed daily doses of thyroidextract. She had dropped inweight from 253 to 212 poundssince beginning the treatment.

Husband Fed UpC H I C A G O (UPI) - Ralph

Grady, 28, was granted a di-vorce after telling the judge hesuffered a nervous breakdowndoing the housework his wifewould not do. Grady said thatafter a day's work managing adrugstore he had to come homearid clean house, wash dishesand serve when company came.

Md<(AP)"-lVo men were kill-ed arid 23 persons were in-jured Friday as a boiler: ex-ploded in the steam geti«crating plant of a Bethle-hem Steel Co* plant.

The force of the blast hurtledthe metal roof of the three->storybuilding hundreds of yardsaway to :a parking lot. , .

All four sides of the buildingfell away, Two other boilers re-mained intact. Four 100-foot-talistacks remained standing.

, Company police identified thedead, both employes 'of Riggs-pistler Co., an electrical, con-tracting firm, .as Richard A,Carter, 62, of Baltimore, andHenry R. Listmah Jr.,' 34, ofPasadena, Md.

Fires broke out immediately.In the. plant and in cars parkednearby but they were'controlledquickly.

The explosion at 1:25 p.m.showered the Sparrows Point.area .with steel debris. Windowswere broken in nearby homes,an J elementary school and carsparked on the company parkingV.. ,

• Five of the injured who wereresidents of the area, includingtwo young girls, were taken toCity Hospitals. Another 18 per-sons were treated for minor in-juries at the dispensary of thehuge steel, plant east of the city.

.State Police, Baltimore Coun-,ty police and National Guards-men joined Bethlehem Steel po-lice in searching the plant andnearby homes for injured ordead.

Mrs. Nina Hand, secretary tothe principal at the SpamowsPoint Elementary School, saidnone of the pupils was hurt.

"We took them all to the audi-torium because of the hugeamount of dust that blew in aft-er the explosion," she said, add-ing the blast "rolled in like alarge thunderclap — it wasvery, very loud."

Come and Get ItNICE, France (UPI)-A resi-

dent of this French Riviera citywas delighted when police toldhim they had discovered hiswhite Mercedes Benz, stolenFeb. 3. But he was at the sametime puzzled about how to re-cover the $6,000 automobile. In-terpol agents found it in Mexico,

WeatherAsian Weather Central

TOKYO AREASaturday Night: Clear; Low: 48Sunday: Partly Cloudy; Hltjh: 11

TEMPERATURESMay 3

H LBangkok 90 76 NahaChltose 57 50 Suig-nGuam 90 74 SeoulItazuke 66 50 TaipeiManila 95 79 Tokyo

H LAlbany 55 41 MelbourneAtbu'que 80 46 MemphisAmarillo 89 50 MiamiAtlanta 81 53 MilwaukeeB'mingham 83 51 MoscowBismarck 64 43 N. OrleansBoise 69 36 NYCBoston 66 49 N. PlctteChicago 86 46 Okta. CityCincinnati 79 43 OmahaCleveland 69 30 ParisDenver 76 42 Phila.Des Molnes 87 55 PhoenixDetroit 75 34 Pit'burghDuluth 71 38 Port., b.Fairbanks 53 29 Rapid CityFargo 73 44 RenoFort Worth 85 62 SingaporeHong Kong 85 72 St. LouisHonolulu 84 71 St. PaulHouston 82 65 Salt LukeInd'polfs 83 44 S, AntonioJack'ville 89 59 San DiecjoJakarta 97 77 Sun Fran.Kansas City 91 62 SeattleK. Lumpur 93 73 ShreveportLas Vegas 91 61 svdrievLondon 57 49 ;ydr'ey

t.A. 70 59 TucsonLouisvlil* 82 53 Wash.

H L75 6291 7563 4884 6268 62H L58 4685 5888 6781 3559 5078 5167 4386 4085 5688 6159 4666 4190 6368 3472 3865 4677 3086 7590 5181 5773 4789 596V 6060 5065 4383 5670 63«5 5«77 44