MARINES MET DEATH ON USS LIBERTY
         San Antonio Express-News
             August 11, 1996
            By Maury Maverick

Note:  Columnist Maverick reports that his
interview with Liberty survivor Bryce Lockwood
received more comments than anything he has
ever written before in over 22 years as a
newspaper columnist.

            ====================

"In June 1967 jet aircraft and motor torpedo boats
of Israel brutally assaulted the American naval
intelligence gathering ship USS Liberty. The
attack was preceded by more than six hours of
intense low-level surveillance.  The attack lasted
more than two hours, killing 34 Americans and
wounding 171 others, and inflicted over 821
rocket, cannon and machine-gun holes in the
ship..."
    Liberty News, first quarter, 1996

              ----------------

Only recently I found out from James Ennes Jr.,
author of the out-standing hook "Assault On The
Liberty," that there were three Marines on the
Liberty. Two were killed. Bryce Lockwood, a staff
sergeant, survived and won the Silver Star for
saving the lives of shipmates while risking his
own. He is a resident of Springfield, Mo.

Lockwood and I talked on the telephone and
exchanged letters. He's a union truck driver and
an ordained Baptist preacher. Because of space
limitation I had to edit his remarks.

Q:  What were you Marines doing on the Liberty?

A:  We were linguists. I spoke Russian; the two
killed Marines spoke Arabic.

Q:  Were you crew members anti-Israel before the
attack?

A:  No, many of us were friendly to Israel. Some
of the guys even made an Israeli flag which was
hanging on the starboard bulkhead. An Israeli
torpedo exploded within a few feet of the Israeli
flag the guys had made.

Q:  What were the sailors and Marines doing on the
Liberty?

A:  We wanted to know what the Russians were
doing. We weren't even targeted against Israel.

Q:  What about the torpedo attack by Israel?

A:  It exploded inside the ship about 10 feet from
me, killing a bunch of guys, about 25. Lots of
stuff in my face, but I survived and saved some of
my shipmates.

Q:  Who ordered the attack?

A:  I think Yitzhak Rabin, chief of staff at the
time. When I heard Rabin's granddaughter crying
about being deprived of her grandpa I thought
about the moms, wives and children who lost their
loved ones during the attack on the Liberty.

Q:  When did the Israelis quit attacking?

A:  When they beard the USS Saratoga pilots were
on the way to defend us. The Israelis were jamming
our distress signals.

Q:  Didn't the U.S. pilots get ordered back?

A:  Yes, by (Defense Secretary) Robert McNamara. I
was told (President) Lyndon Johnson was sitting
near him. To this day Lyndon Johnson deeply
offends me.

Q:  What do you want after all these years?

A:  I want the Israelis to quit lying. I want them
to tell the truth. I could forgive them if they
just told the truth.

Q:  Why does it bug you so much?

A:  Every now and then the mothers of some of my
shipmates call me. They start crying. I have to
fight back tears. Sometimes I don't make it.

Q:  Anything else you want to tell the folks of
South Texas?

A:  Adm. Kidd's U.S. Navy court of inquiry at
Malta refused to enter into the record any
testimony about troop helicopters. The Israelis
sent in two of them to finish off the job. They
were fully loaded with Israeli combat troops armed
with automatic weapons. They backed off only when
the USS Saratoga acknowledged our Mayday distress
signal.  When we tried to bring up the Israeli
helicopters at the court of inquiry we were told,
"You weren't asked that. Confine yourself to
questions asked."


Author's note: My research reflects that the
attack on the Liberty is the only such attack in
our history not honored with a congressional
investigation. Why not? Because of pro-Israel
political money donations and because of the worst
kind of intimidation.

Semper Fidelis.

To leave a message for Maury Maverick, call the
Express Line at 512 554-0500 and punch 4422.