|
2004 USS LIBERTY ESSAY CONTEST WINNER
Elizabeth Herrin, Senior Poor weather conditions pounded the Zurich International Airport on November 24, 2001. A small plane bound for Switzerland tottered and tossed through the storm but eventually succumbed, crashing and leaving thirty-four dead. The country was stunned and saddened. They demanded answers. 1 Flashback to June 8, 1967, just outside the Gaza Strip. Torrents of Israeli fire have left the USS Liberty ravaged. The death toll was identical to the aforementioned crash. But despite the equity in fatalities, there was no such equity in public outcry. Instead, the United States Congress refused to investigate and kept reports of the incident minimal and secretive. Purely to avoid complicating Israeli-American relations and to avoid further conflict, our government publicly accepted the Israeli's claim the attack was a case of mistaken identity. Thirty-seven years later, it is still the official position of the US Congress and government that the attack on the USS Liberty was not an act of aggression towards the United States. It was an unfortunate event but ultimately accidental. They maintain this stance despite insurmountable evidence proving the opposite true. It is clear that the Israelis were cognizant of what they were doing and whom they were doing it to. The Congressional apathy towards this tragedy and the lives lost spurred an Independent Commission of Inquiry to convene October 22, 2003. The Commission was headed by Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, General Raymond G. Davis, Rear Admiral Merlin Staring and Ambassador James Akins. The following were some of their official findings. The naval attack waged for two hours while the USS Liberty was simultaneously assaulted by a twenty-five minute air raid. Machinegun fire systematically picked off men bearing the stretchers of fellow injured shipmates. This machinegun fire was later turned upon unarmed rescue boats filled with those attempting to save the most severely injured. 30mm cannons blew 821 holes in the devastated Liberty. Napalm was dropped on the ship. Torpedoes assaulted the hull. After the smoke cleared and the deluge of bullets ceased, 70% of the USS Liberty's crew was left injured or dead. 2 The Israeli's only semblance of explanation was their declaration the ship was mistaken for the out-of-service Egyptian carrier El Quseir. Because there had been no flag displayed, the Liberty was taken for an enemy ship in a war zone and treated as such. In actuality, the Liberty's American flag was prominently displayed and currently resides in the National Cryptological Museum in Fort Meade, Maryland. 3 Whether or not the Israelis saw the American flag remains the pivotal question in this debate. However, recent evidence unearthed by investigative author James Bamford suggests the Israelis not only saw the American flag but continued the attack after the identification was made. A US Navy EC-121 spy plane "intercepted radio communications between attacking Israeli pilots and the Israeli War Room...in which the Israeli pilots report seeing Liberty's American flag flying..." 2 With such damning evidence against the Israeli's explanation of the attacks, one is left only to wonder why. Some of the answer may lie in the fact that the USS Liberty was an intelligence ship. Its primary job was to gather information on the Soviet forces in the area. One explanation of the attack is the theory that "Israeli forces were executing up to 1,000 Egyptian Prisoners of War at El Arish at the very moment that Liberty was just 13 miles off shore." 4 Israel did not want the United States to learn of these killings nor report to others of their actions. It would seem they took it upon themselves to keep that information secret at any cost. In light of the Independent Commissions' findings and other related evidence, one cannot deny that the Israeli attack was a calculated and strategic move against the United States. The US government is aware of all findings related to the USS Liberty debate. They are privy to all information from any commission convened for that purpose. However, they still refuse to call their own full investigation into the matter. As previously stated, the evidence overwhelmingly points to a calculated and deliberate attack. Just as one must wonder why the Israelis would attack in the first place, one must wonder with even more suspicion why the government would turn a blind eye to their own men. During the attack, "the White House deliberately prevented the U.S. Navy from coming to the defense of USS Liberty by recalling Sixth Fleet military rescue support while the ship was under attack..." 2 We are currently enmeshed in a violent, brutal and retaliatory war because of harm incurred to our citizens. In our present situation, it is difficult to fathom our government ignoring such a blatant attack on our own people. However, Mr. McNamara phrased the government's reasoning succinctly--"we are not going to war over a bunch of dead sailors." 2 Fear of aggression and/or retaliation by the Israelis forced the men of the USS Liberty to suffer and struggle and fight on their own. To further embitter the situation, William L. McGonagle (the ship's captain) instead of being met with a hero's welcome was threatened with "court-martial, imprisonment or worse." 2 This outright threat indirectly reveals the government's wrongdoings. They were aware they employed a cover-up and minimized the toll of the attack. Survivors of the assault were then seen as a threat to the government's image, because they could provide first-hand accounts of the incident. They could directly refute the story Congress and the media was telling the American people--that the attack was a case of mistaken identity, with a downplayed emphasis on the lives lost. There was no investigation, because it would be brought to light what every survivor already knows. The government's inaction during and after the attack was a tactical move to avoid further conflict with the Israelis. And the cost was only a meager 206 casualties. America unwaveringly champions unity and cohesiveness. We live under the constant notion that our government is in place to serve and represent us--"for the people, by the people." However, the attack on the USS Liberty proves that the real can fall devastatingly short of the ideal. In this case, the desire to avoid conflict overrode the desire to help fellow Americans.
Citations
2. Ennes, Jim, Meadors, Joe. "Findings of the Independent Commission of Inquiry." 22 October 2003. 21 May 2004
3. Ennes, Jim. "USS Liberty Memorial." 15 May 2004. 21 May 2004
4. Ennes, Jim. "Why did Israel attack?." 21 May 2004
|
Return to the opening page