Forty-one years and counting……….June, 1967. I had been in this country four and a half months, was standing talking to my then-husband’s young second cousin as she did the breakfast dishes, my 11mos. old daughter in my arms. The radio had been on for a while…a music station…when a news flash broke in. I remember freezing in place, shouting for his cousin. Less than one year before, my husband had left myself and our daughter in Scotland while he returned to the U.S. reporting aboard ship for an eighteen month tour of duty. Our daughter was five weeks old at the time. She and I moved to the U.S. to stay with his family in Oklahoma five months later and, since his departure from Scotland, he had been able to spend two weeks leave with us that March. I had met his cousin when she came from Illinois to visit her family in OK. Her husband was stationed at Great Lakes NAS. When ready to return home, they invited us to travel back with them for a vacation, which my daughter and I did and before I heard the news, I was preparing to return to OK the following day.
The news was reporting a U.S. naval vessel which had been attacked the day before while in the Mediterranean. The name of the ship was U.S.S. Liberty. The country which had attacked her was Israel. My husband was on board that ship along with less than 300 of a crew, mostly navy men, some civilians. Thirty-four men were killed, almost all others were injured in varying degrees. Some, much later, died as a result of wounds received.The ship was taken, eventually, to Malta for enough repairs to get her back to Norfolk where, later, she was mothballed and then scrapped. She and her crew had been napalmed, taken multiple rocket fire. Torpedoes had been fired at her…one hitting work spaces where most of the deaths occurred. For forty-one years Israel has claimed this was an ’accident’. Our govt….along with many of our own people…accepted that then and continue to do so. Those survivors who are left tell their story, tell how it happened, what ’went down’ that day. Their families have supported them for forty-one years, some govt. officials have done likewise as have more than a few military brass. There have been Presidents who have not given those crewmen the time of day; there have been a few others who seemed to want to but the rug still has that ugly lump under one corner where this story was swept in 1967. Long past time to do some proper cleaning don’t you think?
I could say more. I won’t. Instead, I’m happy to provide sources where you may wish to avail yourself of what the participants knew and decide for yourself. The only other thing I would add, here, is that when many of us do speak out we are accused of being Anti-Semitic. That would include the crew, their families and supporters of each. That’s unfair and inaccurate. At least in my opinion…which is that one country made a swift attack on us for reasons others can explain; they said it was an “accident”, “mistaken identity”. The feelings I have are nothing to do with their religion or those beliefs just anger at their audacity in attacking their best ally, at our country turning a blind eye to the plight of it’s own and, worse, the denials directed at those Liberty crewmen who served their country with honour , did their best to protect and save their ship and, most of all, their shipmates while it has long seemed our govt. would just as soon they “went away” . Isn’t it odd, in light of the tiny Iranian speed boats reported to be tailing our ships currently in the Med and widely criticized for it, we might even be prepared to make an incident of it, justify retaliation and yet with a deliberate and deadly attack on the USS Liberty, we did and have done…NOTHING.
http://home.cfl.rr.com/gidusko/liberty/
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/margolis12.html
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ussliberty.html
These, of course, are just a few of the links pertaining to and supporting the crew of this ill-fated vessel. And, yes…there are a very few which rebut these accountings. Having as close a personal connection to this ship and it’s crew as probably any lowly civilian would have, these links listed here are the ones about which I have no doubt or reservations. I lived with the aftermath. The reader can make up his/her own mind.All I know is there are still men, women, families who have never forgotten, never will…while most of the nation aren’t even aware it ever happened.
Another USS Liberty website that may be of interest is: http://ussliberty-inquiry.us
The surviving servicemen and their families, and the families of those who are now departed have two enemies in this outrageous ordeal; The Israeli Government and the US Government. This is a cover up of monumental proportions, and why? because it protects a country who calls itself our friends, the operative word being ‘calls’. If it was indeed an accident, then bonafide answers, causes would have flowed from their shores to ours. But since there were none forthcoming, it is evident it was a hostile act. Now the question becomes, “Why?” 41 years later, many of the key officials gone, our government hopes it will just fade into obscurity, no one fessing up to wrongdoings, on either side. This is a very sad story and one which again demonstrates how vulnerable we are to both outward sources and those within.
I remember that day as if it were yesterday. I am sure it was a Thursday, I was a teenager at the time.
A newsflash broke on TV just before 8pm, UK time. Sitting with my Mum and Dad listening to that horrific news and knowing that one of our family was serving on that ship. We called our relative’s parents in the USA who knew nothing about it at all, but the whole of the UK knew about it before they did!!!! Our relative survived with his life, but suffered a great deal throughout the years. He was awarded the purple heart but I am sure all those Servicemen would rather not have gone through that trauma. All those who survived, lived with that day for the rest of their lives, as did their families. Forgotten heroes.