Remarks Upon Presenting the Medal of Honor to Maj. Merlyn H. Dethlefsen, USAF

Major and Mrs. Dethlefsen and children, Secretary of the Air Force Brown, General McConnell, distinguished and honored Members of Congress, ladies and gentlemen:

This is an afternoon when it is good to stand beside a man in uniform. He is a brave man, who has come to claim the honor that his courage has earned. He is also a spokesman for the courage of thousands like him who are protecting you and serving us in Vietnam at this hour.

This is also a very special afternoon for all of them. They are not thinking of medals or ceremonies in the East Room, in face of a desperate enemy offensive. They are thinking of you and of us, and they will not fail us. They will not fail us even if it means dying before another morning comes.

That is as sure as this brave man is standing here. It is he who says the enemy will fail--again--and again--for as long as he threatens the freedom and the peace we Americans will never yield.

So as this Nation waits, let it take heart from the story of one who was there.

Major Dethlefsen had a most vital mission last March. His mission was to knock out a critical missile site in North Vietnam.

On the first pass, his flight leader was disabled and his own aircraft was badly damaged. Still, he made another pass, and pass after pass, at the site, under constant attack by enemy fighters, missiles, and antiaircraft fire combined.

He knocked out that site--he knocked it out maybe on a wing and a prayer--but he knocked it out and he did his job. He cleared the way for a bomber flight that was to follow without deadly fire from the enemy missiles.

This great courage demonstrated by this fearless man spared many American lives. He had plenty of time to think about the danger to himself, to figure the odds, and actually plenty of excuses to even turn away. But his courage was calculated. It came not from desperation, but it came from dedication. He answered a call that was far beyond duty, as others of his comrades are answering for you at this hour.

I stood before some of them at midnight at an air base in Thailand just a few weeks ago. I wanted so much that night to give medals to all of them. Instead, I gave them something just as meaningful--I gave them this Nation's pride in their unequaled bravery and their unexcelled record.

These are the men who have rewritten the rule book and the flight book of aerial warfare. These men are comparatively few in number, but each day they are pinning down from 500,000 to 700,000 North Vietnamese, and they number only a few hundred.

These same men are matching courage with a careful and with a very precise restraint.

We are using our greatest resources--of industry, of technology, of skilled and courageous men--to conduct a limited war at the lowest possible cost in human life.

Let those who would stop the bombing answer this question: "What would the North Vietnamese be doing if we stopped the bombing and let them alone?"

The answer, I think, is clear. The enemy force in the South would be larger. It would be better equipped. The war would be harder. The losses would be greater. The difficulties would be longer. And of one thing you can be sure: It would cost many more American lives.

The men who have met and who have matched the enemy on the ground these past few hours--in I Corps, in the II Corps, in the III Corps, in Saigon, the cities along the entire countryside--have a very special understanding and a very special appreciation, I assure you, of what air power really means. It cannot keep the enemy from ultimately moving into battle position. It cannot keep the sniper from climbing a roof. But it can and it does reduce their momentum. And it can keep many of the enemy's men off the backs of our men who are defending our lives.

Until we have some better signs than what we have had these last few days--that I hope any American can see and read loud and clear--that he will not step up his terrorism; and unless we have some sign that he will not accelerate his aggression if we halt bombing, then we shall continue to give our American men the protection America ought to give them, and that is the best America affords.

Major, as we honor you here in the East Room today, we think of so many who share your burden and who share our pride.

--The men on the ships like the Pueblo, who are not with us, but who perform the most perilous missions for their country's sake.

--The men who gave their lives to protect our Saigon Embassy yesterday, and to protect that staff from terrorism during a supposedly truce period.

--The men who will throw back the enemy in the hills of Khe Sanh.

They are the bravest and they are the best of the men that we can produce. And none, sir, will do better service to their courage or do better service to our cause, our cause of liberty, our cause of freedom, our cause of compassion and understanding--none will do better service to that cause than you, sir.

The distinguished Secretary of the Air Force, Harold Brown, will now read the citation.

[Text of citation read by Secretary Brown]

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1896, has awarded in the name of The Congress, the Medal of Honor to

MAYOR MERLYN H. DETHLEFSEN UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

On 10 March 1967, Major Dethlefsen (then Captain) was one of a flight of F-105 aircraft engaged in a fire suppression mission designed to destroy a key antiaircraft defensive complex containing surface-to-air missiles (SAM), an exceptionally heavy concentration of antiaircraft artillery, and other automatic weapons. The defensive network was situated to dominate the approach and provide protection to an important North Vietnam industrial center that was scheduled to be attacked by fighter bombers immediately after the strike by Major Dethlefsen's flight. In the initial attack on the defensive complex the lead aircraft was crippled, and Major Dethlefsen's aircraft was extensively damaged by the intense enemy fire. Realizing that the success of the impending fighter bomber attack on the center now depended on his ability to effectively suppress the defensive fire, Major Dethlefsen ignored the enemy's overwhelming firepower and the damage to his aircraft and pressed his attack. Despite a continuing hail of antiaircraft fire, deadly surface-to-air missiles, and counterattacks by MIG interceptors, Major Dethlefsen flew repeated close range strikes to silence the enemy defensive positions with bombs and cannon fire. His action in rendering ineffective the defensive SAM and antiaircraft artillery sites enabled the ensuing fighter bombers to strike successfully the important industrial target without loss or damage to their aircraft, thereby appreciably reducing the enemy's ability to provide essential war material. Major Dethlefsen's conspicuous gallantry, consummate skill and selfless dedication to this significant mission were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the armed forces of his country.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

[At this point the President resumed speaking.]

I know you are curious about what Mrs. Dethlefsen said to me. She is glad to have him back.