Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack

Jun 8, '17, 7:55 am

Seamus L Senior Member   Join Date: November 22, 2007 Posts: 8,099 Religion: Catholic

Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack In spite of flying a large American flag and having an easily identifiable electronic superstructure, the ship and crew were suddenly attacked by three Israeli Mirage fighter planes. The attack lasted over 11/2 hours, during which time the ship was shelled, strafed and torpedoed. As men stood on deck trying to wave off the planes, they were strafed. Total casualties were 34 dead and 171 injured. The ship had 85 shell holes and a gaping torpedo hole. http://www.mcall.com/opinion/letters...607-story.html

#2   Jun 8, '17, 10:17 am

PJH_74 Regular Member   Join Date: August 13, 2012 Posts: 1,212 Religion: Somewhere between Catholic and Lutheran

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack That's a sad story, especially because of the Cold War politics behind it. __________________ The eye of the God's needle does not require a narrow mind. Peace, Justice, Hope.

#3   Jun 8, '17, 10:18 am

Dwyer Regular Member   Join Date: February 26, 2007 Posts: 1,361 Religion: Byzantine Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack Quote: Grantski is still here at 70 years old. He believes the best way he can honor 34 shipmates killed when unmarked Israeli fighter planes and torpedo boats attacked the super-secret spy ship on June 8, 1967, in the Mediterranean Sea is to speak his mind about the attack and the coverup that followed. Memorial Day, he said, is as good as any to do so after being told for decades to shut up . . . Israel later admitted to the attack. It paid more than $3.2 million to the families of those killed and over $3.5 million to 74 of the wounded by 1969. Then, in 1980, it paid the U.S. $6 million for damages to the ship’s communications equipment. But the governments of Israel and the U.S. refuse to say the attack was purposeful even though cryptographers and techs aboard the Liberty – including Grantski – intercepted messages they believe inferred the Israelis staged the attack to make it look like Egypt or other members of the Arab coalition did it in order to draw the U.S. into the war on Israel’s side. “In the Liberty case, fighters were put in the air not once, but twice. They were ordered to stand down by Secretary of Defense McNamara and President Johnson for reasons the American public deserves to know,” (Admiral Thomas H.) Moorer Thomas wrote. “The captain and crew of the Liberty, rather than being widely acclaimed as the heroes they most certainly are, have been silenced, ignored, honored belatedly and away from the cameras, and denied a history that accurately reflects their ordeal.” http://www.modbee.com/news/local/new...153082569.html It was 50 year ago today . . . William L. McGonagle, Captain of the USS Liberty, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor "[f]or conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detai...-william-l.php Quote: . . . then shall the voice of liberty be mute?" --Poet E. E. Cummings (1894 –1962) __________________ "It's a free country; you can say whatever you want." --Old American Saying (U.S. Postal Service stamp-- from 1977 Americana series which extols freedom of speech and features a Speaker's Stand decorated with an American Flag shield.)

#4   Jun 8, '17, 11:10 am

Monte RCMS Forum Master   Join Date: November 9, 2008 Posts: 14,691 Religion: Roman Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack Read "Foxbats Over Dimona". Isabella Ginor and Gideon Remez. __________________ Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy Divine Love. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created. And You will renew the face of the earth.

#5   Jun 8, '17, 11:17 am

Richard White Regular Member   Join Date: September 2, 2013 Posts: 3,771 Religion: Roman Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack Wow, I never knew about this. What a horrible thought that all those men could be killed by such a deadly mistake. May God rest their souls. __________________ "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

#6   Jun 8, '17, 11:24 am

Seamus L Senior Member   Join Date: November 22, 2007 Posts: 8,099 Religion: Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-li...t02-story.html

#7   Jun 8, '17, 11:44 am

StudentMI Regular Member   Join Date: February 1, 2013 Posts: 3,358 Religion: Roman Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack And there was an American spy plane flying overhead at high altitude watching the whole thing. May the victims rest in peace. __________________ "There is no length to which He will not go, no depth to which He will not descend, to win the love of your heart and mine." -- Fr. Leo Clifford, O.F.M. Fr. Jacques Hamel 1930 - 2016. Member of the Rational Rat Pack.

#8   Jun 8, '17, 11:57 am

USMC_Convert Regular Member   Join Date: June 29, 2014 Posts: 1,056 Religion: Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack It was no mistake, the USS Liberty was deliberately attacked by Israel because it was an intelligence gathering ship that was monitoring the atrocities going on in Lebanon by the Israeli army. Then, yes the captain eventually got the Medal of Honor, but only after the US Government asked Israel if it was okay, and to throw salt in the wound, the President refused to do it himself, he had the Secretary of Defense do it, which is a disgrace. The Medal of Honor is always presented by the President. Hundreds of my brothers were killed and wounded in that attack, both Navy and Marines. What a disgrace by the US Government. For those out there that don't want to believe me, or think we could never really do that, it is all in declassified documents released by the US Government. Do a little research, I'm only skimming the top. You will be sickened by what happened. __________________ Our Lady of Good Success!!! (look it up)

#9   Jun 8, '17, 12:10 pm

Cathoholic Regular Member Forum Supporter   Join Date: June 8, 2005 Posts: 3,456 Religion: Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack Quote: . . . "But we still try to make Americans aware of what happened," he added, "for the memory of our shipmates and … and to get a complete and full investigation of all the facts" about the attack. Transcripts of radio communications between Israeli pilots and their controllers indicate the attackers identified the ship as American yet continued the assault. But U.S. and Israeli officials still claim it was a case of mistaken identity. . . . . . . Citing the military's failure to identify Israel as the attacker on dozens of awards citations and the Arlington group headstone, to claiming the incident was an "accident" -- an excuse that even the State Department has never officially accepted, Liberty survivors they feel like they've been slighted for almost five decades. "They don't want to talk about it, they don't want to listen to us, they don't want to do anything," Joseph Meadors, a signalman aboard Liberty during the attack, told Military.com. "They don't want to acknowledge our existence." . . . . . . From the start, the attack on Liberty was a political controversy, with a succession of presidents, lawmakers and military leaders showing little or no willingness to fully investigate it. The few lawmakers who pressed for an investigation of the incident have often been dismissed as conspiracy theorists and even anti-Semites. Just days after the attack, even before a brief Naval Court of Inquiry finished a limited investigation into the case, the Navy was calling it an accident in official telegrams sent to the families of the dead. The Court limited its inquiry into whether Liberty was where she was supposed to be and how the crew responded to the crisis, though Adm. John S. McCain, commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, concluded the attack was accidental. . . . . . . Instead, the citations and the headstone said only that the attack and the deaths occurred "in the Eastern Mediterranean." It was only after sustained pressure from survivors and supporters that the stone was changed to include "Killed USS Liberty." But it doesn't mention Israel. And while a Pentagon wall display does reference the incident, it suggests Israel mistakenly attacked the ship -- despite the radio chatter that indicated otherwise. For example, the display marking events in military intelligence history references the Liberty using a reproduced headline from The New York Times of June 9, 1967 -- before the court of inquiry had even convened -- declaring "Israel, in error, attacks Navy ship." . . . http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/06/09/liberty There is no excuse for this.

#10   Jun 8, '17, 1:42 pm

HolyCrusader007 Junior Member   Join Date: October 11, 2014 Posts: 459 Religion: Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack RIP to the American heroes who perished during the USS Liberty attack. __________________ They had better die courageously in the field, than to be butchered in their houses -Fr John Murphy Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/m...niv/1John.3.15

#11   Jun 8, '17, 1:55 pm

M-Dent Regular Member   Join Date: January 2, 2006 Posts: 3,645 Religion: Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack Painful reminder of my Navy brothers. Difficult topic to discuss. __________________ Michael --- Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Pope John Paul II

#12   Jun 8, '17, 4:50 pm

Richard White Regular Member   Join Date: September 2, 2013 Posts: 3,771 Religion: Roman Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack Quote: Originally Posted by USMC_Convert It was no mistake, the USS Liberty was deliberately attacked by Israel because it was an intelligence gathering ship that was monitoring the atrocities going on in Lebanon by the Israeli army. Then, yes the captain eventually got the Medal of Honor, but only after the US Government asked Israel if it was okay, and to throw salt in the wound, the President refused to do it himself, he had the Secretary of Defense do it, which is a disgrace. The Medal of Honor is always presented by the President. Hundreds of my brothers were killed and wounded in that attack, both Navy and Marines. What a disgrace by the US Government. For those out there that don't want to believe me, or think we could never really do that, it is all in declassified documents released by the US Government. Do a little research, I'm only skimming the top. You will be sickened by what happened. Wow, that is so horrible. I really never knew about any of this. I just goes to show the lengths to which members of our government will go to cover things up from the American people for political expediency. Also, we are Israel's best friend, so to perpetuate these lies for 50 years is also a disgrace and an affront to our relationship. __________________ "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

#13   Jun 9, '17, 5:42 am

Monte RCMS Forum Master   Join Date: November 9, 2008 Posts: 14,691 Religion: Roman Catholic

Re: Unsung heroes of USS Liberty attack There are a LOT of issues that are not widely known that are related to the attack on the USS Liberty. If you read the book reviews on Amazon, you can get a flavor for some of them. People in the know have posted many comments. In addition, there are such issues as the USS Liberty was sent to its duty station which was in the middle of a huge Soviet [Russian] fleet which was there to assist Egypt. The U.S. Mediterranean fleet which could back up the USS Liberty was far to the west, out of the line of fire and too far away to be of any material support. In fact, U.S. carrier based aircraft were forbidden to get involved in supporting the Liberty. [Gee, sounds like the mess at Benghazi, doesn't it, in which U.S. aircraft were forbidden to assist the former / retired U.S. Navy SEALs who were in the area doing other tasks who were attempting to safeguard U.S. ambassador Stevens.] There are questions as to the few in number of Hebrew linguists who were aboard the Liberty. Israel was very very concerned about security regarding its super secret nuclear weapons development facility at Dimona. Signals intelligence was only one of the security concerns that they had. One story is that the Russians/ Soviets were going to land Speznav troops to destroy Dimona. Another story is that the Russians / Soviets DID land Speznav troops but that they were defeated by Israel. Seems to me that at least one SR-71 overflew the area and was attacked, but it speeded up and evaded the Israeli interceptors. Another story was that President Lyndon Johnson WANTED the USS Liberty to be sunk so it could be blamed on Egypt and then Johnson could order the U.S. military into action to defeat Egypt and take over. Every story is more and more scandalous. Do the reading from many sources. __________________ Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy Divine Love. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created. And You will renew the face of the earth.