Ron Kukal, former US Navy Petty Officer and USS Liberty survivor, discusses his firsthand account of Israel’s attack on the Liberty on June 8, 1967; the carnage of dead sailors below decks from the Israeli torpedo strike; Phil Tourney’s book What I Saw That Day; how PTSD still effects Kukal’s life and family relationships; the dangers facing Liberty survivors who dare tell the truth about the attack; and Kukal’s thanks to the rescue ships and sailors who saved the Liberty from sinking and helped get it back to port.
MP3 here. (23:35)
Ron Kukal is a former chaplain for the USS Liberty Veterans Association. He was a US Navy 1st Class Petty Officer stationed on the USS Liberty during Israel’s attack on June 8, 1967.
Much respect to Mr Kukal, and the other souls on board that ship. Thanks for the interview scott
Kukal and the rest of LIBERTY's crew have good reason to be proud of themselves–their gallantry and seamanship saved their ship. And don't forget LIBERTY's skipper, the late Captain William McGonagle, USN–he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
I made a mistake on the time of the attack. In all actuality the time of the attack was 1400 not 1300. We had General Quarters exercise at 1300 until 1400. Sorry for the mistake.
Illusions of good — Blind the mind by burning the emotions
This interview should have been all about the root cause and solution to the problem, instead it was 100% about the bloody effects of the problem. And just like corporate owned mainstream media, which never mentions the root cause or solution to anything, all this interview accomplished is make people disgusted with the problem, such that they back away from the problem giving the rich unlimited freedom to do as they please with the problem.
As to the chaplain’s opinion that heaven protects our good nation in time of war, such that good sailors in a good Navy are saved from death because they are so good, surely this does a gross manifest injustice to any deity that may be over all of heaven and earth. For the purpose of wars is to reach the ultimate conclusion of misery, and until that happens heaven shall not intervene in the affairs of men.
The Navy has an overabundance of mortuary sailors to take care of the dead, so why were the sailors who suffered such a horrific disaster required to piece together the body parts of their closest friends? Because a complete blackout was this historic event to be from all history books and only those who suffered the disaster were to know anything about it.
Additional proof most absolute that our corporate rich have absolute control over our military, and of those officers invited to banquettes among High Society to hand-pick each and every admiral and general who rules the military.
I've read over at Military.com some quite heated exchanges over this. Of course there are the usual apologists for Israel but the question that always comes to my mind is even if you were to excuse the Israelis for mistaking the ship as Egyptian, while traveling at hundreds of miles per hour, there could be no excuse for the patrol boats who slowly sauntered in and began torpedoing and machine gunning people to death. To say THAT was a "mistake" is an outright lie.
The Zionist liars in Tel Aviv claim that LIBERTY resembled an Egyptian horse freighter, or something. Bullshit. LIBERTY was a distinctive-looking ship. Her superstructure was festooned with special eletronics gear.
(Mistaking a ship's identity is not unknown, of course. A famous WW2 incident involved a mistaken attack on the cruiser H.M.S. SHEFFIELD by Swordfish torpedo bombers from H.M.S. ARK ROYAL. The planes were on their way to attack the battleship BISMARCK. SHEFFIELD was shadowing BISMARCK, and the Swordfish mistook her for the enemy. Fortunately, SHEFFIELD evaded several torpedoes. This incident, of course, took place under the stress of combat.)
Where was the blame to fall?
Whether one believes that Israel rules Empire USA or that the Western corporate rich rules nations, a key issue is why did President LBJ allow the USS Liberty with all its high-tech equipment that could intercept most any communication, why did he allow it to be sailing near the 1967 invasion-genocide of Palestine?
Was Palestine or perhaps Egypt to be blamed for the sinking of the USS Liberty?
I've heard two explanations for the Israeli attack; to prevent the discovery of Egyptian prisoner's executions, or to conceal Israeli troop movements in the Golan Heights. At risk of being labeled a conspiracy theorist, I propose another possibility. I suspect the operation may have been conceived in upper ranks of LBJ's administration and assigned to the Israelis for execution. The Gulf of Ton kin incident a few years earlier was a weak fabrication that could have unraveled with even modest investigative journalism. A survivor-less sinking would not be subject to question. Might explain why attack aircraft dispatched from USN carriers to defend the USS Liberty from further attack were recalled by none other than LBJ himself. The false flag sinking would have given LBJ pretext for a war with Egypt.
I wouldn't put it past the SOB but that doesn't absolve the trigger happy Israelis. It's ironic that I've read where some pilots came forth and admitted what had happened was deliberate but where are the navy men on those patrol boats and their "confessions"?
NOT in its 60+ years of existence has Israel ever been an 'ally' or a 'friend' of the US.
One Israeli pilot was even courtmartialed by Israel for his refusal to continue to strafe the lifeboats filled with US Sailors.
B – 52 aircraft had been launced toewards Egypy – but – had to be called back when a sailor aboard the Liberty notified the Government that it was an attack by Israel.
Johnson and McNamar committed TREASON by calling back the US aircraft sent to defend the Liberty.
Shame on Israel for its deliberate attack on the USS Liberty – shame on Israel for ALL of the war crimes that they've committed in its 60+ years.
A "friend" like Israel is worth, say, 20 enemies!
Had this atrocity been committed by any other country, there would have been hell to pay but because it was Israel who did this they get a pass because AIPAC and other israeli lobbies have a stranglehold over our government and its foreign policy. When will Americans and kick the traitorous bums who are beholden to Israeli special interest out of Congress and replace them with true patriots?
You know, I've sometimes wondered what would have happened if it had been a Soviet vessel the Israelis attacked. How would Premier Alexei Kosygin have reacted? You reckon he would have put a major hurtin' on Tel Aviv?!
I have an alias over at Huffpo… I posted on the USS Liberty incident….
It was unreal the number of firsters that jumped on board …defending israel…
one …named Trance would not stop….
saying everything was a lie…
saying in the end that anyone would didnt support israel over the US in this situation was un-America….
that is the supposed friends of the US…
The firsters are too dogmatic to submit to any facts. They are well beyond reason.
In 2003, Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, USN (Ret.)–ex-Chief of Naval Operations, ex-chairman of the JCS–held an independent inquiry into the LIBERTY attack. He and his associates roundly slammed Israel for the attack. They also condemned the U.S. Government's subservience to Israel.
Here's the report of the Moorer Commission. I call your attention to the first 12 paragraphs: http://gtr5.com/evidence/moorer.htm
Even as an Australian this interview is so hard to listen to. Its just so damn sad and frustrating to know that the firsters that severely dominate the US government and media will continue to treat its own people as cannon fodder. Like Ron said the only people that will receive comfort is the christians that believe that God held that boat up on that day and will bring perfect justice to this earth one day.
news. Scott you can't stop. I will throw a good monthly donation your way. I don't have tons of money, but you are worth more than a few dollars a month to m
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