“DoD Owes Families, Nation Information on Niger Action” but NOT on USS Liberty Attack

“DoD Owes Families, Nation Information on Niger Action” but NOT on USS Liberty Attack

by Joe Meadors, USS Liberty Survivor

The USS Liberty was attacked on June 8, 1967.  No investigation of the attack was conducted by the US government. The USS Pueblo was attacked on January 23, 1968 – 229 days after the attack on the USS Liberty.  The attack on the USS Pueblo was thoroughly investigated by the US government.  No investigation of the attack on the USS Liberty has been conducted.  No evidence that any investigation has been contemplated by anyone in the US government. The Marine Barracks in Beirut were bombed on October 23, 1983 – 5,981 days after the attack on the USS Liberty.  The bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut was thoroughly investigated by the US government.  USS Liberty survivors are still waiting for word that an investigation on their ship is in the works by the US government. The USS Stark was attacked on May 17, 1987 – 7,286 days after the attack on the USS Liberty.  The attack on the USS Stark was thoroughly investigated by the US government.  USS Liberty survivors are still waiting for an investigation of the attack on their ship. The USS Cole was attacked on October 12, 2000 – 12,180 days after the attack on the USS Liberty.  The attack on the USS Cole was thoroughly investigated by the US government.  USS Liberty survivors are still waiting. The Niger attack was on October 4, 2017 – 18,381 days after the attack on the USS Liberty.  The Niger attack is currently being investigated by the US government.  No investigation of the attack on the USS Liberty is on the horizon. In a DoD Press Release Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joe Dunford tells us “The Defense Department owes the families of the soldiers lost in Niger and the American people an explanation of what the soldiers were doing in Niger and why it was important.” Given its refusal to conduct an investigation of the attack on the USS Liberty the DoD obviously doesn’t feel the same about our families, the families of our fallen shipmates and those of us who survived the attack. I wrote an article in the Arab Daily News that expands on this subject and provides a list of questions we’d like to have answered.  By no means all of the questions on the table.  Arguably not the most important questions. I respectfully submit that the question on the top of the list is: “Why has the US government refused to conduct an investigation of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty?”