by Joe Meadors, USS Liberty Survivor
As of this writing it has been 18,419 days since the attack on the USS Liberty.
This translates to 50 years, 5 month and 3 days.
And still no investigation in sight.
According to a November 8th press release, DoD will be sending AFRICOM’s investigation team to locations in the US, Africa and Europe.
This week U.S. Army officials contacted the family members of the four U.S. soldiers killed Oct. 4 during an ambush in Niger in order to provide a timeline on U.S. Africa Command’s investigation into the incident. Families were informed that AFRICOM’s investigation team will travel to locations in the U.S., Africa and Europe to gather information related to the investigation. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, AFRICOM’s chief of staff, will lead the command’s investigation team. Officials also relayed that the investigation is expected to be completed in January 2018, but that if circumstances required additional time, that they will be kept informed.
They further tell us that:
Once the investigation is completed, briefing the families of the fallen will be the department’s first priority.
While these actions are appropriate, it should be noted that the US Navy:
- Never contacted the family members of the USS Liberty to provide a timeline;
- Never sent an investigation team anywhere except the USS Liberty and they only remained aboard for a week;
- Never briefed the families of the fallen let alone made that briefing a priority;
- Never briefed the families of the crew on the findings of the US Navy Court of Inquiry;
- Has refused to provide a spokesperson to attend a USS Liberty reunion to explain the findings of the US Navy Court of Inquiry; and,
- Has refused to speak with a group of survivors representing the USS Liberty Veterans Association to discuss the US Navy Court of Inquiry Report.
