US Online Military Newspaper Coddles Israeli War Criminals
by Joe Meadors
“Service members and their families rely on MilitaryTimes.com as a trusted, independent source for news and information on the most important issues affecting their careers and personal lives.” From Military.com About Us.
Really?
Then why do they coddle Israeli War Criminals?
Reading their article, “Valor Friday: This Navy captain received the Medal of Honor for heroism under friendly fire” you learn that the attack on our ship was simply a case of “friendly fire” for which the Israeli government “apologized for the mistake, claiming that it believed the Liberty to be an Egyptian vessel.”
Jon Simkins who wrote the apologia wants you to believe that an attack that includes the use of unmarked aircraft, the jamming our radios on both US Navy tactical and international maritime distress frequencies, the deliberate machine gunning of life rafts we had dropped over the side in anticipation of abandoning ship, the slow circling of our ship by Israeli torpedo boats as they fired from close range at crewmen who were either trapped topside or who ventured topside to help their wounded shipmates, Israeli helicopters filled with armed assault troops hover very close to our ship in an apparent attempt to find a place to allow those troops to rappel down to the ship; and, the torpedo boats immediate departure from the scene of the attack after cessation of hostilities instead of offering assistance as is their obligation under international law is simply a case of “friendly fire.”
In preparation of his article Mr. Simkins could have done a simple Google search and found many USS Liberty survivors to interview for his article.
But he didn’t.
Why not?
I don’t want to ascribe dark intentions to whatever motivates Mr. Simkins or the Military Times given the reputation they claim to subscribe to but it is difficult to ignore.
Should I feel sorry for a US military online newspaper whose reputation in our eyes is defined by such a poorly researched article that it serves as nothing more than apologia for those who are accused of committing War Crimes against the very people to whom the newspaper claims to be focused?
I think of our 34 shipmates who were killed in action by attackers using tactics otherwise described as barbaric but that have received the tacit approval of the US government – and apparently editors of Military Times.
And decide no, I shouldn’t.