Victims of warship disaster still fighting for recognition of mates

Victims of warship disaster still fighting for recognition of mates

 

Yeah, sounds about right. They'll all be dead and gone and THEN, their shipmates will be added.

 

No, unfortunately I doubt it.

The incident did not occur in the Vietnam area, and the vessel was participating in the SEATO Exercise SEA SPIRIT.

To be fair, the 28 who died on the USS Enterprise fire and explosions on January 14, 1969 are not on the Wall either. The carrier had deployed from CONUS to Vietnam, and was undergoing an operation readiness exercise off Pearl Harbor when the accident occurred.

 

Not to appear contrarian, but I think they're wrong. The accident occurred during a training exercise outside the war zone (as Takao states). Tragic but "shit happens". We have recently had seven sailors killed in a collision involving the USS Fitzgerald and another ten killed in a collision involving the USS John S. McCain, should they be included in a future GWOT memorial? Many had probably deployed in support of the ongoing combat operations, but that's not what they were doing when killed. Sam-same with the USS Frank E. Evans, a line has to be drawn somewhere.