Contact: Kythe Watts-Russell 202-783-4665
                   MDW Public Affairs (for cemetery access) 202-685-2888

      Skipper of the USS Liberty and Medal of Honor recipient Captain
      William McGonagle, USN (Ret) to be buried at Arlington National
      Cemetery, April 9, 1999.

WHAT:  Funeral Service and Burial for Captain William McGonagle, USN (Ret.)

WHEN:  9 a.m. Post Chapel, Fort Myer, Virginia followed by burial at
       Section 34, Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

WHO:   Medal of Honor recipients, crew of USS Liberty and military officials
       will be in attendance.  Eulogies will be given by: George Golden,
       representing the crew of the USS Liberty; and Cindy McGonagle,
       daughter of Captain McGonagle.  He will receive full military
       honors and be buried in Section 34, near the common gravesite of
       six crew members killed in the USS Liberty incident.

       The USS Liberty was ordered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to steam
       to its position in the Middle East because war between Israel and
       Egypt was inevitable.  The Liberty was only 1000 miles away from
       the theater of operations during the Six-Day War, which began on
       June 5, 1967.  Three days later, at 1400 hours, the lightly-armed
       intelligence ship, sailing in international waters, was attacked
       by Israeli air and naval units.  Their jets pounded the ship with
       rockets, cannons, and machine gun fire and dropped canisters of
       jellied gasoline (napalm), hoping to start fires that could not
       be controlled.  When the aircraft withdrew, three motor torpedo
       boats began launching torpedoes, one hitting the starboard side
       of Liberty.  After the hour-long onslaught, thirty-four Americans
       were dead and 171 were wounded.  Israelis later apologized saying
       they thought they were attacking an Egyptian freighter.

       Captain McGonagle was awarded the Medal of Honor for his conduct
       in commanding the ill-fated USS Liberty when Israel unleashed its
       deadly attack on the ship.  Captain McGonagle, who was wounded
       during the attack, was able to dodge four out of the five torpedoes
       that were fired at the Liberty.  The fifth struck the vessel,
       smashing a 40-foot hole in the ship's side.  Captain McGonagle,
       however, remained at his battle station on the damaged ship,
       refusing treatment until all his crew had been attended to.
       He continued to exercise firm command of the Liberty for a
       further 17 hours.