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When there is no wind, and the pilots can't see the flag.Alan Fisher
Richard Brooks still remembers when the alert came.
With klaxons sounding and people yelling, the tannoy system warned everyone "Standby to receive torpedo hit".
"I thought Iāll never get out of this mess alive. Weird things were running through your minds, because Iād chalked myself off."
He felt the torpedoes hit and the ship pitch to one side but realised he was still alive.
And then the priority became survival. As chief engineer, he could tell the engines were still working. āMy machinery was still intact and I was still making headway. I yelled through the voice tube āGive me all the steam pressure youāve got, letās get the hell out of this areaā".
Eventually his ship, The USS Liberty made its way to safer waters and managed to take stock of the sustained attack. Thirty-four were lying dead, more than 171 were injured.
The victims of the day Israel attacked America.
The Liberty had been sitting in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula. A spy ship, it had been gathering information as the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War raged on land.
'Mistaken identity'
During the course of the day, the ship had been buzzed by Israeli aircraft. But flying the American flag, there was no cause for panic, no need for alarm.
āPeople were sunbathing, enjoying the June sunshine,ā said Brooks, who was more concerned with keeping the engines running. The demands of the job perhaps saved his life.
Israel insisted it was a case of mistaken identity. It alleged that pilots were exhausted having fought so hard over the previous days. The US naval vessel was thought to be an Egyptian warship.
And thatās why it was attacked with rockets and cannons and missiles and torpedoes.
But Brooks doesnāt buy the Israeli apology. Standing next to the graves of his shipmates in Arlington National Cemetery he tells me āIt wasnāt a tragic accident, It was a deliberate attack. They knew who we were. They tried to sink us. They wanted us out to either bring the Americans into the war by blaming the Arabs or we picked up some information about their war plansā.
INVESTIGATION: The Day Israel Attacked America
Websites set up to discuss the Liberty back Brooksā suggestion. Some claim the Israeli planes which attacked were unmarked, hoping theyād be mistaken for Arab fighter jets. Others speculate that it was known the radio signals from the Liberty could be hacked by the Russians. And worried the US had picked up sensitive information about plans for the Golan Heights, which the Russians would pass to their allies, the Egyptians, the Israelis tried to sink the spy ship.
Every year on June 8, the survivors gather to mark the attack - to read the names of the dead and to share stories and memories.
The numbers are less every year. This year there were just seven survivors in attendance. But the passion to find out exactly what happened remains undiminished. As they stand between the white grave stones, a light summer breeze taking the edge off the afternoon heat, the memorial service also includes a call for justice and for truth.
'We had a ship to sail'
Ernie Gallo is the president of the USS Liberty Survivors Group.
When you apologise, you apologise with the truth. Not with a lie. So itās not an apology.
Ernie Gallo, USS Liberty Survivors Group
He remembers the attack and how everything seemed surprisingly calm. āWe had to do what we could for our dead and wounded. We had a ship to sail. We had to get to safetyā
Heās read the reports, the official inquiries and read the books about the incident. Heās even written his own.
I ask if he accepts the Israeli apology, and the explanation it was all a mistake created in the fog of war: āWhen you apologise, you apologise with the truth. Not with a lie. So itās not an apology. Not as far as Iām concerned and our government is just as bad off for going along with it," he answered.
To get a job on the Liberty, sailors were to have an outstanding service record and were chosen for their honesty and moral character. āSomeone is lying here,ā says Gallo, āand it isnāt usā.
Even now he hopes there will be a full official inquiry into the events of June 8, 1967.
Robert Brooks and Ernie Gallo know itās unlikely, but they still hope it might happen. They both say the families of the dead and the survivors deserve the truth, before they mark another anniversary.
Source: Al Jazeera Remembering USS Liberty When Israel attacked America - Al Jazeera English
I can't see why folks would blame Israel, they thought the Liberty was an Egyptian Warship.
Who wouldn't confuse the flag of the US and Egypt? I mean really?
View attachment 42508
There can be no denying it was deliberate attack on an American vessel and what is worse is that the US Government recalled the fighters sent to protect the Liberty.
These sailors were all intense purposes were left for dead by the LBJ administration.
The ship was not supposed to be in the war zone. They were supposed to have received orders putting it closer to the libyan border but for some reason the orders were sent via the Philippines to the Med so the orders were delayed.
Israel twice asked for conformation that the US had no ships in the area.
There was a laundry list of mistakes, even disobeying Captain McGonagle's orders not to fire in the Israelis.
All of this was recoded in the initial interviews on board the Liberty right after the incident. There were several inquiries into the events and it always came down to error and mistaken identity, not a deliberate act against the US.
US asked Israel to pay restitution, which they did.
Agreed, and of course the US has *NEVER* in it's whole history hit the wrong target in any military operation ever conducted.
Everyone grasps that concept, and attacks the military repeatedly for any mistake... but when it comes to Israel, suddenly is magically an intentional deliberate attack, pre-planned to kill Americans.... or maybe it was a mistake, like we have done millions of times.
Anti-Israel people just make up crap. I'm used to it.
Alan Fisher
Richard Brooks still remembers when the alert came.
With klaxons sounding and people yelling, the tannoy system warned everyone "Standby to receive torpedo hit".
"I thought Iāll never get out of this mess alive. Weird things were running through your minds, because Iād chalked myself off."
He felt the torpedoes hit and the ship pitch to one side but realised he was still alive.
And then the priority became survival. As chief engineer, he could tell the engines were still working. āMy machinery was still intact and I was still making headway. I yelled through the voice tube āGive me all the steam pressure youāve got, letās get the hell out of this areaā".
Eventually his ship, The USS Liberty made its way to safer waters and managed to take stock of the sustained attack. Thirty-four were lying dead, more than 171 were injured.
The victims of the day Israel attacked America.
The Liberty had been sitting in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula. A spy ship, it had been gathering information as the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War raged on land.
'Mistaken identity'
During the course of the day, the ship had been buzzed by Israeli aircraft. But flying the American flag, there was no cause for panic, no need for alarm.
āPeople were sunbathing, enjoying the June sunshine,ā said Brooks, who was more concerned with keeping the engines running. The demands of the job perhaps saved his life.
Israel insisted it was a case of mistaken identity. It alleged that pilots were exhausted having fought so hard over the previous days. The US naval vessel was thought to be an Egyptian warship.
And thatās why it was attacked with rockets and cannons and missiles and torpedoes.
But Brooks doesnāt buy the Israeli apology. Standing next to the graves of his shipmates in Arlington National Cemetery he tells me āIt wasnāt a tragic accident, It was a deliberate attack. They knew who we were. They tried to sink us. They wanted us out to either bring the Americans into the war by blaming the Arabs or we picked up some information about their war plansā.
INVESTIGATION: The Day Israel Attacked America
Websites set up to discuss the Liberty back Brooksā suggestion. Some claim the Israeli planes which attacked were unmarked, hoping theyād be mistaken for Arab fighter jets. Others speculate that it was known the radio signals from the Liberty could be hacked by the Russians. And worried the US had picked up sensitive information about plans for the Golan Heights, which the Russians would pass to their allies, the Egyptians, the Israelis tried to sink the spy ship.
Every year on June 8, the survivors gather to mark the attack - to read the names of the dead and to share stories and memories.
The numbers are less every year. This year there were just seven survivors in attendance. But the passion to find out exactly what happened remains undiminished. As they stand between the white grave stones, a light summer breeze taking the edge off the afternoon heat, the memorial service also includes a call for justice and for truth.
'We had a ship to sail'
Ernie Gallo is the president of the USS Liberty Survivors Group.
When you apologise, you apologise with the truth. Not with a lie. So itās not an apology.
Ernie Gallo, USS Liberty Survivors Group
He remembers the attack and how everything seemed surprisingly calm. āWe had to do what we could for our dead and wounded. We had a ship to sail. We had to get to safetyā
Heās read the reports, the official inquiries and read the books about the incident. Heās even written his own.
I ask if he accepts the Israeli apology, and the explanation it was all a mistake created in the fog of war: āWhen you apologise, you apologise with the truth. Not with a lie. So itās not an apology. Not as far as Iām concerned and our government is just as bad off for going along with it," he answered.
To get a job on the Liberty, sailors were to have an outstanding service record and were chosen for their honesty and moral character. āSomeone is lying here,ā says Gallo, āand it isnāt usā.
Even now he hopes there will be a full official inquiry into the events of June 8, 1967.
Robert Brooks and Ernie Gallo know itās unlikely, but they still hope it might happen. They both say the families of the dead and the survivors deserve the truth, before they mark another anniversary.
Source: Al Jazeera Remembering USS Liberty When Israel attacked America - Al Jazeera English
I can't see why folks would blame Israel, they thought the Liberty was an Egyptian Warship.
Who wouldn't confuse the flag of the US and Egypt? I mean really?
View attachment 42508
You might be able to write off the attack as mistaken identity if only aircraft were involved.
However, About 30 minutes into the attack, three torpedo boats appeared. Flying the Star of David, the vessels were not on a rescue mission. They proceeded to attack the Liberty with cannons, machine guns and torpedoes. One torpedo struck the Liberty midship, instantly killing 25 Americans while flooding the lower decks. The Israeli torpedo boats later struck the life rafts the Liberty crew had launched when preparing to abandon ship, sending the message that there would be no survivors. so there s no way it was a case of mistaken identity.
The other thing is that everyone is ignoring the fact that the naval aircraft that were sent to protect the Liberty were recalled and the Liberty crew were left on their own.
That is a total failure of our government to protect out service men. LBJ should have been crucified for that alone.
More Excuses for the Israelis....Yet not a word about the recall of the fighters sent to protect the Liberty.You might be able to write off the attack as mistaken identity if only aircraft were involved.
However, About 30 minutes into the attack, three torpedo boats appeared. Flying the Star of David, the vessels were not on a rescue mission. They proceeded to attack the Liberty with cannons, machine guns and torpedoes. One torpedo struck the Liberty midship, instantly killing 25 Americans while flooding the lower decks. The Israeli torpedo boats later struck the life rafts the Liberty crew had launched when preparing to abandon ship, sending the message that there would be no survivors. so there s no way it was a case of mistaken identity.
The other thing is that everyone is ignoring the fact that the naval aircraft that were sent to protect the Liberty were recalled and the Liberty crew were left on their own.
That is a total failure of our government to protect out service men. LBJ should have been crucified for that alone.
The Israelis torpedo boats were fired on by the Liberty before they fired. This is where the crew disobeyed Captain McGonagle's order
The rafts were damaged, they were not sunk by Israelis
>>Lt. Painter testified that most of the life rafts had been damaged and set alight during the prior jet attacks on the ship, and that his crew pushed many of these burning life rafts overboard:
"At this time [after the torpedo attack], the DC central passed the word to prepare to abandon ship. We then filed out to our life rafts which were no longer with us because they had been strafed and most of them were burned, so we knocked most of them over the side... All during this time in Repair Three, my men were fighting fires and knocking burning life rafts, etc."<<
Why don't people actually read the records before making accusation?
Israel did not shoot the rafts in the water.
More Excuses for the Israelis....Yet not a word about the recall of the fighters sent to protect the Liberty.You might be able to write off the attack as mistaken identity if only aircraft were involved.
However, About 30 minutes into the attack, three torpedo boats appeared. Flying the Star of David, the vessels were not on a rescue mission. They proceeded to attack the Liberty with cannons, machine guns and torpedoes. One torpedo struck the Liberty midship, instantly killing 25 Americans while flooding the lower decks. The Israeli torpedo boats later struck the life rafts the Liberty crew had launched when preparing to abandon ship, sending the message that there would be no survivors. so there s no way it was a case of mistaken identity.
The other thing is that everyone is ignoring the fact that the naval aircraft that were sent to protect the Liberty were recalled and the Liberty crew were left on their own.
That is a total failure of our government to protect out service men. LBJ should have been crucified for that alone.
The Israelis torpedo boats were fired on by the Liberty before they fired. This is where the crew disobeyed Captain McGonagle's order
The rafts were damaged, they were not sunk by Israelis
>>Lt. Painter testified that most of the life rafts had been damaged and set alight during the prior jet attacks on the ship, and that his crew pushed many of these burning life rafts overboard:
"At this time [after the torpedo attack], the DC central passed the word to prepare to abandon ship. We then filed out to our life rafts which were no longer with us because they had been strafed and most of them were burned, so we knocked most of them over the side... All during this time in Repair Three, my men were fighting fires and knocking burning life rafts, etc."<<
Why don't people actually read the records before making accusation?
Israel did not shoot the rafts in the water.
Getting tired of hearing from the Israeli apologists. Why were our jets sent to protect the Liberty recalled?
More Excuses for the Israelis....Yet not a word about the recall of the fighters sent to protect the Liberty.You might be able to write off the attack as mistaken identity if only aircraft were involved.
However, About 30 minutes into the attack, three torpedo boats appeared. Flying the Star of David, the vessels were not on a rescue mission. They proceeded to attack the Liberty with cannons, machine guns and torpedoes. One torpedo struck the Liberty midship, instantly killing 25 Americans while flooding the lower decks. The Israeli torpedo boats later struck the life rafts the Liberty crew had launched when preparing to abandon ship, sending the message that there would be no survivors. so there s no way it was a case of mistaken identity.
The other thing is that everyone is ignoring the fact that the naval aircraft that were sent to protect the Liberty were recalled and the Liberty crew were left on their own.
That is a total failure of our government to protect out service men. LBJ should have been crucified for that alone.
The Israelis torpedo boats were fired on by the Liberty before they fired. This is where the crew disobeyed Captain McGonagle's order
The rafts were damaged, they were not sunk by Israelis
>>Lt. Painter testified that most of the life rafts had been damaged and set alight during the prior jet attacks on the ship, and that his crew pushed many of these burning life rafts overboard:
"At this time [after the torpedo attack], the DC central passed the word to prepare to abandon ship. We then filed out to our life rafts which were no longer with us because they had been strafed and most of them were burned, so we knocked most of them over the side... All during this time in Repair Three, my men were fighting fires and knocking burning life rafts, etc."<<
Why don't people actually read the records before making accusation?
Israel did not shoot the rafts in the water.
Getting tired of hearing from the Israeli apologists. Why were our jets sent to protect the Liberty recalled?
Not excuses, those are the facts of the testimony. The rafts had been damaged before even being put in the water.
As for the rescue planes...
Vice-Admiral William I. Martin recalled the planes that had left the USS America within minutes of their take off. Orders came from Secretary of Defense McNamara and confirmed by President Johnson for the recall.
More Excuses for the Israelis....Yet not a word about the recall of the fighters sent to protect the Liberty.You might be able to write off the attack as mistaken identity if only aircraft were involved.
However, About 30 minutes into the attack, three torpedo boats appeared. Flying the Star of David, the vessels were not on a rescue mission. They proceeded to attack the Liberty with cannons, machine guns and torpedoes. One torpedo struck the Liberty midship, instantly killing 25 Americans while flooding the lower decks. The Israeli torpedo boats later struck the life rafts the Liberty crew had launched when preparing to abandon ship, sending the message that there would be no survivors. so there s no way it was a case of mistaken identity.
The other thing is that everyone is ignoring the fact that the naval aircraft that were sent to protect the Liberty were recalled and the Liberty crew were left on their own.
That is a total failure of our government to protect out service men. LBJ should have been crucified for that alone.
The Israelis torpedo boats were fired on by the Liberty before they fired. This is where the crew disobeyed Captain McGonagle's order
The rafts were damaged, they were not sunk by Israelis
>>Lt. Painter testified that most of the life rafts had been damaged and set alight during the prior jet attacks on the ship, and that his crew pushed many of these burning life rafts overboard:
"At this time [after the torpedo attack], the DC central passed the word to prepare to abandon ship. We then filed out to our life rafts which were no longer with us because they had been strafed and most of them were burned, so we knocked most of them over the side... All during this time in Repair Three, my men were fighting fires and knocking burning life rafts, etc."<<
Why don't people actually read the records before making accusation?
Israel did not shoot the rafts in the water.
Getting tired of hearing from the Israeli apologists. Why were our jets sent to protect the Liberty recalled?
Not excuses, those are the facts of the testimony. The rafts had been damaged before even being put in the water.
As for the rescue planes...
Vice-Admiral William I. Martin recalled the planes that had left the USS America within minutes of their take off. Orders came from Secretary of Defense McNamara and confirmed by President Johnson for the recall.
We know the fighters were recalled. The question is why?
Why would Secretary of Defense McNamara and President Johnson leave our servicemen so vulnerable? What is your excuse for that one?
Of course they were fighters, the idea was to prevent any further attacks on the Liberty from either the Israeli aircraft or their patrol boats. However the traitor LBJ hung our troops out to dry.More Excuses for the Israelis....Yet not a word about the recall of the fighters sent to protect the Liberty.You might be able to write off the attack as mistaken identity if only aircraft were involved.
However, About 30 minutes into the attack, three torpedo boats appeared. Flying the Star of David, the vessels were not on a rescue mission. They proceeded to attack the Liberty with cannons, machine guns and torpedoes. One torpedo struck the Liberty midship, instantly killing 25 Americans while flooding the lower decks. The Israeli torpedo boats later struck the life rafts the Liberty crew had launched when preparing to abandon ship, sending the message that there would be no survivors. so there s no way it was a case of mistaken identity.
The other thing is that everyone is ignoring the fact that the naval aircraft that were sent to protect the Liberty were recalled and the Liberty crew were left on their own.
That is a total failure of our government to protect out service men. LBJ should have been crucified for that alone.
The Israelis torpedo boats were fired on by the Liberty before they fired. This is where the crew disobeyed Captain McGonagle's order
The rafts were damaged, they were not sunk by Israelis
>>Lt. Painter testified that most of the life rafts had been damaged and set alight during the prior jet attacks on the ship, and that his crew pushed many of these burning life rafts overboard:
"At this time [after the torpedo attack], the DC central passed the word to prepare to abandon ship. We then filed out to our life rafts which were no longer with us because they had been strafed and most of them were burned, so we knocked most of them over the side... All during this time in Repair Three, my men were fighting fires and knocking burning life rafts, etc."<<
Why don't people actually read the records before making accusation?
Israel did not shoot the rafts in the water.
Getting tired of hearing from the Israeli apologists. Why were our jets sent to protect the Liberty recalled?
Not excuses, those are the facts of the testimony. The rafts had been damaged before even being put in the water.
As for the rescue planes...
Vice-Admiral William I. Martin recalled the planes that had left the USS America within minutes of their take off. Orders came from Secretary of Defense McNamara and confirmed by President Johnson for the recall.
We know the fighters were recalled. The question is why?
Why would Secretary of Defense McNamara and President Johnson leave our servicemen so vulnerable? What is your excuse for that one?
You expect me to make excuses of the SoD or POTUS? Not privy to that intel. One possibility was that they realized errors had been made and did not want a possible escalation. Fighter were not needed that might fire on Israeli vessels. Liberty was not sinking and could make their way back for repairs. The incident was a tragic accident and did not need a farther strain on relationships.
There was no need for the response aircraft and did not need to trigger either Israeli or US planes being shot down in the war theater off the Israeli coast. The planes were fighters not rescue helicopters and could not help the Liberty or the sailors. What do you expect the fighters to do in the war zone? It was not enough that they had a ship there by mistake?
Forget it, your last line shows where your Allegiance really is.[ It was not enough that they had a ship there by mistake?
Of course they were fighters, the idea was to prevent any further attacks on the Liberty from either the Israeli aircraft or their patrol boats. However the traitor LBJ hung our troops out to dry.More Excuses for the Israelis....Yet not a word about the recall of the fighters sent to protect the Liberty.The Israelis torpedo boats were fired on by the Liberty before they fired. This is where the crew disobeyed Captain McGonagle's order
The rafts were damaged, they were not sunk by Israelis
>>Lt. Painter testified that most of the life rafts had been damaged and set alight during the prior jet attacks on the ship, and that his crew pushed many of these burning life rafts overboard:
"At this time [after the torpedo attack], the DC central passed the word to prepare to abandon ship. We then filed out to our life rafts which were no longer with us because they had been strafed and most of them were burned, so we knocked most of them over the side... All during this time in Repair Three, my men were fighting fires and knocking burning life rafts, etc."<<
Why don't people actually read the records before making accusation?
Israel did not shoot the rafts in the water.
Getting tired of hearing from the Israeli apologists. Why were our jets sent to protect the Liberty recalled?
Not excuses, those are the facts of the testimony. The rafts had been damaged before even being put in the water.
As for the rescue planes...
Vice-Admiral William I. Martin recalled the planes that had left the USS America within minutes of their take off. Orders came from Secretary of Defense McNamara and confirmed by President Johnson for the recall.
We know the fighters were recalled. The question is why?
Why would Secretary of Defense McNamara and President Johnson leave our servicemen so vulnerable? What is your excuse for that one?
You expect me to make excuses of the SoD or POTUS? Not privy to that intel. One possibility was that they realized errors had been made and did not want a possible escalation. Fighter were not needed that might fire on Israeli vessels. Liberty was not sinking and could make their way back for repairs. The incident was a tragic accident and did not need a farther strain on relationships.
There was no need for the response aircraft and did not need to trigger either Israeli or US planes being shot down in the war theater off the Israeli coast. The planes were fighters not rescue helicopters and could not help the Liberty or the sailors. What do you expect the fighters to do in the war zone? It was not enough that they had a ship there by mistake?
Forget it, your last line shows where your Allegiance really is.[ It was not enough that they had a ship there by mistake?
That's only one side of the story.Alan Fisher
Richard Brooks still remembers when the alert came.
With klaxons sounding and people yelling, the tannoy system warned everyone "Standby to receive torpedo hit".
"I thought Iāll never get out of this mess alive. Weird things were running through your minds, because Iād chalked myself off."
He felt the torpedoes hit and the ship pitch to one side but realised he was still alive.
And then the priority became survival. As chief engineer, he could tell the engines were still working. āMy machinery was still intact and I was still making headway. I yelled through the voice tube āGive me all the steam pressure youāve got, letās get the hell out of this areaā".
Eventually his ship, The USS Liberty made its way to safer waters and managed to take stock of the sustained attack. Thirty-four were lying dead, more than 171 were injured.
The victims of the day Israel attacked America.
The Liberty had been sitting in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula. A spy ship, it had been gathering information as the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War raged on land.
'Mistaken identity'
During the course of the day, the ship had been buzzed by Israeli aircraft. But flying the American flag, there was no cause for panic, no need for alarm.
āPeople were sunbathing, enjoying the June sunshine,ā said Brooks, who was more concerned with keeping the engines running. The demands of the job perhaps saved his life.
Israel insisted it was a case of mistaken identity. It alleged that pilots were exhausted having fought so hard over the previous days. The US naval vessel was thought to be an Egyptian warship.
And thatās why it was attacked with rockets and cannons and missiles and torpedoes.
But Brooks doesnāt buy the Israeli apology. Standing next to the graves of his shipmates in Arlington National Cemetery he tells me āIt wasnāt a tragic accident, It was a deliberate attack. They knew who we were. They tried to sink us. They wanted us out to either bring the Americans into the war by blaming the Arabs or we picked up some information about their war plansā.
INVESTIGATION: The Day Israel Attacked America
Websites set up to discuss the Liberty back Brooksā suggestion. Some claim the Israeli planes which attacked were unmarked, hoping theyād be mistaken for Arab fighter jets. Others speculate that it was known the radio signals from the Liberty could be hacked by the Russians. And worried the US had picked up sensitive information about plans for the Golan Heights, which the Russians would pass to their allies, the Egyptians, the Israelis tried to sink the spy ship.
Every year on June 8, the survivors gather to mark the attack - to read the names of the dead and to share stories and memories.
The numbers are less every year. This year there were just seven survivors in attendance. But the passion to find out exactly what happened remains undiminished. As they stand between the white grave stones, a light summer breeze taking the edge off the afternoon heat, the memorial service also includes a call for justice and for truth.
'We had a ship to sail'
Ernie Gallo is the president of the USS Liberty Survivors Group.
When you apologise, you apologise with the truth. Not with a lie. So itās not an apology.
Ernie Gallo, USS Liberty Survivors Group
He remembers the attack and how everything seemed surprisingly calm. āWe had to do what we could for our dead and wounded. We had a ship to sail. We had to get to safetyā
Heās read the reports, the official inquiries and read the books about the incident. Heās even written his own.
I ask if he accepts the Israeli apology, and the explanation it was all a mistake created in the fog of war: āWhen you apologise, you apologise with the truth. Not with a lie. So itās not an apology. Not as far as Iām concerned and our government is just as bad off for going along with it," he answered.
To get a job on the Liberty, sailors were to have an outstanding service record and were chosen for their honesty and moral character. āSomeone is lying here,ā says Gallo, āand it isnāt usā.
Even now he hopes there will be a full official inquiry into the events of June 8, 1967.
Robert Brooks and Ernie Gallo know itās unlikely, but they still hope it might happen. They both say the families of the dead and the survivors deserve the truth, before they mark another anniversary.
Source: Al Jazeera Remembering USS Liberty When Israel attacked America - Al Jazeera English
Yes, it is the American side of the story. You support the Israeli side of the story.
The American side is that it was a mistake.That's only one side of the story.Alan Fisher
Richard Brooks still remembers when the alert came.
With klaxons sounding and people yelling, the tannoy system warned everyone "Standby to receive torpedo hit".
"I thought Iāll never get out of this mess alive. Weird things were running through your minds, because Iād chalked myself off."
He felt the torpedoes hit and the ship pitch to one side but realised he was still alive.
And then the priority became survival. As chief engineer, he could tell the engines were still working. āMy machinery was still intact and I was still making headway. I yelled through the voice tube āGive me all the steam pressure youāve got, letās get the hell out of this areaā".
Eventually his ship, The USS Liberty made its way to safer waters and managed to take stock of the sustained attack. Thirty-four were lying dead, more than 171 were injured.
The victims of the day Israel attacked America.
The Liberty had been sitting in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula. A spy ship, it had been gathering information as the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War raged on land.
'Mistaken identity'
During the course of the day, the ship had been buzzed by Israeli aircraft. But flying the American flag, there was no cause for panic, no need for alarm.
āPeople were sunbathing, enjoying the June sunshine,ā said Brooks, who was more concerned with keeping the engines running. The demands of the job perhaps saved his life.
Israel insisted it was a case of mistaken identity. It alleged that pilots were exhausted having fought so hard over the previous days. The US naval vessel was thought to be an Egyptian warship.
And thatās why it was attacked with rockets and cannons and missiles and torpedoes.
But Brooks doesnāt buy the Israeli apology. Standing next to the graves of his shipmates in Arlington National Cemetery he tells me āIt wasnāt a tragic accident, It was a deliberate attack. They knew who we were. They tried to sink us. They wanted us out to either bring the Americans into the war by blaming the Arabs or we picked up some information about their war plansā.
INVESTIGATION: The Day Israel Attacked America
Websites set up to discuss the Liberty back Brooksā suggestion. Some claim the Israeli planes which attacked were unmarked, hoping theyād be mistaken for Arab fighter jets. Others speculate that it was known the radio signals from the Liberty could be hacked by the Russians. And worried the US had picked up sensitive information about plans for the Golan Heights, which the Russians would pass to their allies, the Egyptians, the Israelis tried to sink the spy ship.
Every year on June 8, the survivors gather to mark the attack - to read the names of the dead and to share stories and memories.
The numbers are less every year. This year there were just seven survivors in attendance. But the passion to find out exactly what happened remains undiminished. As they stand between the white grave stones, a light summer breeze taking the edge off the afternoon heat, the memorial service also includes a call for justice and for truth.
'We had a ship to sail'
Ernie Gallo is the president of the USS Liberty Survivors Group.
When you apologise, you apologise with the truth. Not with a lie. So itās not an apology.
Ernie Gallo, USS Liberty Survivors Group
He remembers the attack and how everything seemed surprisingly calm. āWe had to do what we could for our dead and wounded. We had a ship to sail. We had to get to safetyā
Heās read the reports, the official inquiries and read the books about the incident. Heās even written his own.
I ask if he accepts the Israeli apology, and the explanation it was all a mistake created in the fog of war: āWhen you apologise, you apologise with the truth. Not with a lie. So itās not an apology. Not as far as Iām concerned and our government is just as bad off for going along with it," he answered.
To get a job on the Liberty, sailors were to have an outstanding service record and were chosen for their honesty and moral character. āSomeone is lying here,ā says Gallo, āand it isnāt usā.
Even now he hopes there will be a full official inquiry into the events of June 8, 1967.
Robert Brooks and Ernie Gallo know itās unlikely, but they still hope it might happen. They both say the families of the dead and the survivors deserve the truth, before they mark another anniversary.
Source: Al Jazeera Remembering USS Liberty When Israel attacked America - Al Jazeera English
Yes, it is the American side of the story. You support the Israeli side of the story.
the American side of the story, as in the American government saying themselves it was a mistake?
I tend to believe the survivors, not a group that wanted the whole thing to go away.
New revelations in attack on American spy ship - Chicago Tribune
