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We now recognize the gentleman from Kentucky, Mr. Massie, for 5 minutes. >> I request unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks and to introduce

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other material into the record. >> Without objection. >> Mr. Speaker, it's my great honor, maybe one of the biggest honors of my lifetime, to stand

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here on the floor and do something that's 59 years overdue, to recognize the survivors and those who gave their lives of the on the USS Liberty

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59 years ago today, when they were viciously attacked by IDF jets and also after that by torpedo boats.

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I'm going to tell you a little bit of their story. And they're By the way, there's at least a dozen of them here today with us. I just met with them in my office and

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they related the story to me. You know, uh it was a clear day. The USS Liberty was one of the most technologically sophisticated ships in

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the Navy, but it was virtually unarmed and it was sent to observe the Six-Day War going on in the Middle East between Israel and its neighbors.

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It arrived on June 7th and the weather was clear. The uh planes came out to meet them, to

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investigate, and then on the next day, on June 8th, they started the day, the visibility was unlimited, the American flag was flying

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proudly on the USS Liberty, more planes came from Israel to surveil the boat the ship. And they thought they were in good

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shape, but what happened next surprised them all. French Mirage jets showed up and for 25 minutes strafed and attacked

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the USS Liberty. They shot rockets. They shot 30-mm cannons into the hull and into the ship.

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They even dropped napalm on the bridge of the ship. This was an effort to kill everybody on board. There was no intention of taking

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prisoners. After the 25 grueling minutes of attack on this virtually unarmed ship, and they thought

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things were over and they could recover, the torpedo boat showed up. Three torpedo boats. They launched four torpedoes.

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One of them hit the hull of the USS Liberty and killed 25 people instantly. It blew a 40-ft by 40-ft hole in the

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side of this ship. They were intent on sinking it, but they were also intent on not having a single survivor. According to eyewitness accounts,

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the Israelis machine-gunned the lifeboats that they put down. They machine-gunned the firefighters who were on the deck.

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They were bringing the wounded and the dead to the mess hall to triage them. They had one doctor who was trying to help them all, put a few stitches in.

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It was harrowing. And it's amazing. The If not for that crew, they would that boat would have sunk that day. But, it still wasn't

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over. Helicopters showed up, combat helicopters. And the USS Liberty, even though their signals were being jammed by the

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Israelis, got a signal out. And there were ships that tried to respond. The USS Saratoga, the USS America, sent

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planes. Both of them sent planes to help the USS Liberty. And something happened that's never happened before. A ship under attack, the planes were recalled.

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This has never happened before. And they sat there for 17 hours. 34 dead,

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174 wounded out of 294 crew members. That's over 70% casualty rate, unheard of. The Israelis were

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intent on leaving no survivor. And what about our own military? Why did they not send anybody for 17 hours to

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help these men? So, what really happened? You know, the official reports say that it was a case of mistaken

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identity. But, if you listen to Dean Rusk, former Secretary of State, Richard Helms, CIA director, Bobby Ray Inman, head of the

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NSA, Captain Ward Boston, who was the chief counsel of the court of inquiry, if you listen

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to Admiral Moore, who served in Pearl Harbor, Midway, commanded both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet, and was chairman of the Joint

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Chiefs of Staff, none of these distinguished men think this was an accident. They think it was intentional murder by the country of Israel, either

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as a false flag operation, or because they simply didn't want anybody observing what they were doing that day.

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Well, I've got a call to action for everybody here. Honor these individuals. Quit ignoring that they exist. Go to their

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website, ussliberty.org. Support them. And while they're still alive, they need closure. Let's give them closure. Let's have an investigation. Let's pass a resolution

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honoring them. It's long overdue. And then, they can have their justice. With that, I yield back, and I ask

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unanimous consent to enter into the record a declaration of Ward Boston declaring that the only official court of inquiry was

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invalid. >> Without objection, so ordered. >> I yield back. >> yields back. The chair now recognizes >> [applause]