Remember June 8th, 1967, We Remember USS Liberty

HONORING ALL VETERANS

USS Liberty Memorial Site

Remember June 8, 1967, Remember the USS Liberty

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We just celebrated Memorial Day 2010. Memorial Day is a day where we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for America. At the recent wonderful “Tight lines for Troops” event General Fausone made a speech where she said “It is the duty of all Americans to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice”. I totally agree. You would think that it would be a simple act to honor veterans for the sacrifices they make. You would think that it would be a simple act to defend veterans from injustices after they have defended us. I am sure that there are many veterans who have paid the price with their lives and have been forgotten by America, and we can never repay them. There are veterans, and intelligence officers who have been captured on secret missions, tortured and killed all in the service of their Country. We will probably never know their names. We can only honor them, and remember them in our prayers and thoughts, especially on Memorial Day.

But I have never heard of a group of veterans who gave their lives and blood in service of their Country, and then be vilified for questioning the fairness of the justice they received, until I heard the story of the USS Liberty.

On June 8, 1967 the USS Liberty (basically unarmed) was attacked by Israel in the Mediterranean in international waters. Out of a crew of (295) two hundred ninety five, 34 were killed and 171 were wounded. The ship was sailing on a clear day with a slight breeze. The flag was standing straight out dancing in the wind. The ship was circled a dozen times by “marked” Israeli reconnaissance aircraft in the morning, some at mast height. The men on board could see the faces of the pilots, they waved to them. The attack began in the afternoon with rocket fire by multiple “unmarked” Mirage jets, radio frequencies were jammed. Nine men lay dead; more than a hundred were wounded. A message was sent to the Mediterranean Sixth fleet. Help was on the way (two separate flight of jet aircraft were launched from separate aircraft carriers), but were recalled by Lyndon Johnson. He said “He did not want to embarrass an ally”. After the recall of the American jets, the ship was attacked by Israeli torpedo boats – another 25 men died. The torpedo boats came in and machine gunned the life rafts as they were launched in the water. If Johnson were alive, I would ask him “Mr. President, what do you think was more important – embarrassing an ally or saving the lives of another 25 dedicated countrymen”?

It took another 16 hours until the men received assistance from the Sixth Fleet. Only Doctor Kiefer and some medical technicians were on board to care for 171 wounded. When the men reached shore, they were threatened with court martial and prison if they spoke about the attack, their records were falsified (so they received no VA benefits) and after a quick one week investigation the case was closed.

Airmen Ronald Gotcher, Steve Forslund and Rick Block, observed real time US Air Force Security Group EC-121 aircraft translations and will testify that they overheard the messages between Israeli headquarters and their pilots identifying the target as American. Seamen Aimetti, Smith, Tourney, Easton and Painter will testify about the machine gunning of life rafts (an international war crime). An Israeli pilot named Evan Tovni was jailed when he returned to his base because he refused to attack.

I do not believe that we can put an asterisk behind the name of a veteran who has paid the ultimate sacrifice and say “We seek justice for you because you may embarrass an ally” or “It is not good for our political career to honor you. So we will just keep it quiet”. I have written Senators Levin (D), and Stabinow (D) and Congressman Hoekstra (R) and Attorney General Cox (R) many times – they will not request justice for these men. I have written President Obama, Secretary of Defense Gates, and all the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Admiral Mullen, General Cartwright, General Casey, Admiral Roughhead, General Conway, General Swartz) many times – they will not request justice for these men. Congressman Hoekstra, to his credit, has honored the USS Liberty on his website. The Israelis have denied that they identified the ship as American, they have denied that they jammed the radio frequencies (which would prove they knew that the ship was American), and they have denied machine gunning the life rafts. So it is the word of the many American witnesses or the word of the Israelis. Our leaders (political and military) refuse to stand with these men. They hide behind a rushed, manipulated one week investigation or some other concocted deceitful version (by Jay Cristol) of what really occurred.

Vice President Joe Biden said this Memorial Day at Arlington “It is our sacred obligation to give our soldiers the equipment they need, and the sacred obligation to care for their needs when they return home”. Well Mr. Biden the men of the USS Liberty have returned home and they need justice.

The thirty four brave men of the USS Liberty lie silently in their graves, no longer able to speak for themselves, no longer able to seek justice”. If politicians and military leaders care more about their promotions and campaign contributions, and will not speak for the men of the USS Liberty, or seek justice for them, then we must replace these “leaders”.

Will you honor the men of the USS Liberty? Will you speak for them? Will you seek justice for them?

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Supporter Ted Arens of Manistee, MI reports that Manistee News
Advocate Editor David Barber ran the following article today:

USS Newsletter by John Gidusko #253  06/07B/10