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Memories of LBJ at Pope AFB

By Jack Marquess

Memories/recollections are thoughts that float in the mind. People who study the mind's memory will tell you that we often slightly change the story’s content each time we retell it. Except for one, the memories of my story have not changed because they are few, unique, and very memorable. However, the experience of those who were there—well, I’ll let you discover that as you read below.

A couple of weeks or so—I can’t specifically remember—before our company, 147th LEM, was scheduled to ship out, I took a ride with a buddy (Joe Carroll, as I remember) after chow. I liked to wander the forested roads in Ft. Bragg. We ended up at the entrance to Pope AFB. An airman was hitchhiking. I picked him up. He quickly told us an incredible story. He arrived at the base early because a battalion of the 82nd Airborne was to be deployed to Vietnam. Once he got there, they were told that LBJ would be there to give a sendoff speech. You can imagine what that meant to both the Army and Air Force commands—and how it trickled down. Turns out, some of the troops were drunk, and, according to the airman, some had just come back—some heckled LBJ during his speech. LBJ watched the planes depart, then took off in AF-1. A few hours later, the planes returned, and the battalion returned to their barracks. Our airman then had to do maintenance on his craft. He missed the bus back to his barracks and chow. Besides being bewildered, he was hungry and afraid he might miss chow. He thanked me several times during the ride. I dropped him off in time.

Decades later, I am watching Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. I got the impression that he was there at Pope. (Moyers was not; he resigned in December 1966.) Moyers said that when LBJ returned that day to AF-1, he despondently sat down and looked at the floor for quite a while. Finally, he reportedly said, "We’ve lost … send those boys back… turn the planes around…"

For years, I equated Moyer’s story with the reason our scheduled November 1967 VN deployment was suddenly canceled just a few weeks before departure. I thought that if Hanoi had been informed of Johnson’s action, Tet might have been averted; Tricky Dickie would not have bombed; Pol Pot would not have destroyed the Cambodian population. It weighed heavily on me. I have told several people of the experience with Nov. 67 as the date of the occurrence.

It was only when I started to write this article on August 24, 2026 that I discovered it was really February 1968, not November 1967 (I never kept a diary). I read a 1976 New York Times article which quoted The Armed Forces Journal. That version, which I condensed and rewrote, provides illuminating and humorous details.

Only hours before LBJ’s arrival did the 82nd command learn of the visit. The battalion was at a nearby picnic ground having a farewell party (probably an all-night banger). For LBJ's speech, command got units that had just returned from Vietnam to replace them. Not all of them had been informed of the charade. After his speech, LBJ told command that he wanted to go down and be with the men as they boarded their planes.

According to the February 27, 1976 New York Times:

Brig. Gen. Donald Blackburn, assistant commander of the 82d Airborne, "thought he was going to have a heart attack" and the division commander, Maj. Gen. Richard Seitz, "turned pale" when President Johnson decided to mingle with the GI's.

Blackburn was fearful that if LBJ saw them board, the troops might break out of the plane and start rioting.

The 82nd Airborne Battalion, a STRAC unit, was being sent as reinforcements less than three weeks after Tet (January 30, 1968). The unit’s actual deployment took place a day or two later.

The Incident happened February 17, 1968. Pope AFB, NC, was LBJ’s first stop on a tour of military bases that ended in California. His mission was to rally the troops. Six weeks later, on March 31, 1968, LBJ announced he was not running for president that November. Perhaps Bill Moyers' story was accurate even though he was not present.

In early March 1968, my company went over with all our repair equipment and vehicles via the USS Barnett. The USS Barnett was the first ship to rescue the crew of the USS Indianapolis in WWII. The sinking of the Indianapolis was a US Naval HQ scandal (documentaries were made). Its courageous captain, Charles McVay, was scapegoated through a court-martial. Many of his crew stood up for him. The captain of the Japanese sub was given special permission to testify. He told the jury that he would have sunk the ship no matter what evasive actions were taken. McVay was nevertheless found guilty. He committed suicide in 1968. Congress passed a resolution exonerating McVay; President Clinton signed it in 2000. The deadly fog of war and memories go on and on. Eventually, some truths become visible, but are seen by few.

Jack Marquess, RA US Army 1965-1968, Radar Mechanic 23G20, ETS December 17, 1968.