Pueblo crew gathers for 40th reunion

AP, via the Rutland Herald ^ | September 7, 2008 | Wilson Ring

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

When Ralph McClintock boarded the USS Pueblo in January 1968, he was planning for a three-week mission.

Instead, the 24-year-old communications technician became a prisoner of war, a pawn in the Cold War sideshow that began with North Korea's capture of the Navy spy ship and imprisonment of its 82 crew members.

Forty years later, as McClintock and the other survivors of the Pueblo prepare for a reunion, he's proud of his service and the bonds he made with his crew mates during 11 months in captivity.

But the pride is tinged with bitterness.

"We were treated as heroes when we got back, but what the Navy, the institution of the Navy really wanted, in my opinion, is the Pueblo to have sunk," McClintock said at his Jericho home. "When we came back, the Navy now has to look at itself and they don't like to look at themselves."

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

In our enthusiasm over Governor Palin's selection as McCain's running mate, we certainly don't want to forget about these men and the hell that they went through forty years ago.

[mylife]

Gid Bless the Sand Pebbles

[mylife]

God Bless the Sand Pebbles

[mylife]

DoH!

[mylife]

These men destroyed all the gear with thermite before the Commies got them

[mylife]

Repel Boarders

[mylife]

These are my brothers

[mylife]

For my Army friends in Afghanistan

[mylife]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz5PfsJVPJw&feature=related

[mylife]

50 freekin years and still fighting

Kiss it lil Kim

[mylife]

Some day they will tell they the tale of Libya.

F' all them bastards

Best wishes the the sailors in the Black Sea

God Bless our expeditionary forces

[Last Dakotan]

...the institution of the Navy really wanted, in my opinion, is the Pueblo to have sunk...

It is not too late for that.

[germanicus]

The Pueblo has been used as a floating museum highlighting American “imperialism”. Personally, I still believe it belongs to us and I wouldn’t have a problem if the Navy sent a couple of well placed cruise missiles into her, sending her honorably to the bottom. We could just say we are creating an artificial reef.

[NonValueAdded]

"It wasn't just an American ship that was captured. The crew was beaten and publicly humiliated and the U.S. couldn't do anything about it"

Couldn't or wouldn't?

[jesseam]

I was stationed at the Naval Hospital, San Diego when they brought the crew in. They had been terribly beaten with rifle butts, I saw one who lost his hearing because of a beating. The North Koreans were/are savages

[cva66snipe]

Wouldn't. They ignored Captain Boucher's warnings as well about onboard E.D. concerns. Johnson and McNamara should have been removed from office over this incident. They purposely hazarded a vessel. Why is it when acts of war are done against our military our presidents don't give a Rat's? China forcing down our plane is another example. They too lacked the means to do an absolute ED and like Pueble stalled for time to do what they could do.

Pueblo was six months after LIBERTY and I do wonder what LBJ and his stooges did to cause that one as well. LBJ should have had Pueblo ordered off the mission. LBJ and friends knew that NK knew the ship was on it's way. Boucher was running blind yet the Pentagon and White House made him or tried like hell to make him the Scapegoat.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

You’re 100% correct, sir! Both the Johnson Administration and the U.S. Navy behaved abominably before, during, and after the incident, especially toward Captain Bucher and his crew.