2060071
9780060936907
The aircraft carrier USS Forrestal was preparing to launch attacks into North Vietnam when one of its jets accidentally fired a rocket into an aircraft occupied by pilot John McCain. A huge fire ensued, and McCain barely escaped before a 1,000-pound bomb on his plane exploded, causing a chain reaction with other bombs on surrounding planes. The crew struggled for days to extinguish the fires, but, in the end, the tragedy took the lives of 134 men. For thirty-five years, the terrible loss of life has been blamed on the sailors themselves, but this meticulously documented history shows that they were truly the victims and heroes.Freeman, Gregory A. is the author of 'Sailors to the End The Deadly Fire on the USS "Forrestal" and the Heroes Who Fought It', published 2004 under ISBN 9780060936907 and ISBN 0060936908.
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