Yeah, I completely shit the bed with my take of McCain’s involvement in what happened on the Forrestal and I will never live that one down. However, “ bombs cooking off” while at some point that most definitely happened and the physics of the whole thing certainly makes that the conclusion to draw, many eyewitnesses aboard said that McCain exited his aircraft hastily and that they saw the bombs drop to the deck and not cook off.
Not only that, be he took off toward the elevator to get below while other men were fighting the fire. Now I don’t begrudge a man for having the shit scared out of him and I have no idea how I would react but many sailors say that McCain helped to make it worse. There are many that feel that he received preferential treatment. Now keep in mind, that about a year later he is shot down over Hanoi. The investigation is not even in full gear by that time. He becomes a prisoner of war and the rest is history.
The story of another pilot Commander Hope is inspirational. He stays on deck fighting the fire with the B.B. stackers while McCain is in the ready room watching on CCTV.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/john-mccain-make-believe-maverick-202004/
Not only that, be he took off toward the elevator to get below while other men were fighting the fire. Now I don’t begrudge a man for having the shit scared out of him and I have no idea how I would react but many sailors say that McCain helped to make it worse. There are many that feel that he received preferential treatment. Now keep in mind, that about a year later he is shot down over Hanoi. The investigation is not even in full gear by that time. He becomes a prisoner of war and the rest is history.
The story of another pilot Commander Hope is inspirational. He stays on deck fighting the fire with the B.B. stackers while McCain is in the ready room watching on CCTV.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/john-mccain-make-believe-maverick-202004/