In July of 1967, The mighty aircraft carrier U.S.S Forestal saw only four days of combat duty in the waters of Vietnam. In the middle of Day four, on July 29 a rocket was accidentally launched from a parked plane. The rocket slammed into (Senator) John McCain's plane and then exploded on the flight deck. The ensuing fire caused nine 500-1000 pound bombs, sitting on the flight deck in parked planes to explode at full force, doing some 73 million dollars worth of damage to the ship and aircraft, and killing 139 men. Most of them died in the initial explosion. More would suffer horrible deaths and severe burns in a raging fire.
Gregory A. Freeman writes a vivid description of the horrors and heroism of the 5000 men of the Forestal who defeated the fire, and saved the ship. Though Freeman's story telling is good, I am most moved by the accounts of the disaster by my father, Cecil Clancy, who served aboard the Forestal as a communications man (My vision of him was always Lt. Uhura from Star Trek--not in the least bit accurate) . He confirms most of Freeman's report, adding his own vexed recollections of horror and irony.
In many ways the hellish tragedy on board the Forestal (Later Navy men called it "Forest Fire") was a result of a bureaucratic Navy and U.S. Government unable to decide how best to conduct its actions in Vietnam. The large bombs that went off on the flight deck were old World War two bombs, a condition endemic of the ammunition shortage that plagued war efforts. Older bombs become quite unstable, and the "cook times" are quite dangerous even in normal operations, much less a Jet fuel fire.
The heroism of the men who survived the fire is a testament to the U.S. Navy, and the kind of greatness we too easily take for granted. My father rarely talks about his Forestal experiences, but I notice that he becomes quiet, even pensive every July. Fifteen years ago, I watched him leave the room one day when I was watching the movie Backdraft. What is remarkable about my father to me is that, unlike so many war veterans I have come to know, he never openly broods on the past. Still there is a vague disquiet, and it is all the more understandable to me now that I have read Freeman. Like many of the other 5000 men on board the Forestal, my father is a hero. But even heroes have to live with the traumas of war. The same quality that made them brave must be re-employed to keep them from being consumed by tragedy in the past. Freeman reminds me of the strength of my father, now and before I was born.
I recommend this book.
2 comments:
Nice post.
Eric, thank you for sharing this. I was a little girl when we heard about that explosion. We had no word about your dad, my beloved big brother, for a week to ten days afterwards. What a horrific time! Cecil shared some details with us, but not many. The ones he did share were for the most part morbid and heartwrenching. His job after that event was recovering the dead and wounded. Yes, he was a hero!
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