Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It

More than just a tad bit curious about the fire and explosions aboard the USS Forrestal, I purchased this booklet and read it through. Perhaps expecting to find a somewhat dry report on the incident, I was mesmerized by the page by page descriptions of events. Freeman based so much information on first person accounts. 5,000 stories onboard the Forrestal that day, July 29th, 1967. A sampling of stories is offered. While there were several parts in which details were repetitive or less than exciting, overall, from beginning to end, this is an outstanding page turner. For anyone who wishes to get a better understanding of the incident, naval operations during Vietnam, or the life of brave navy crewmen during disaster, this booklet comes highly recommended.

This story recounts how dangerous Aircraft Carriers may be even out of combat as the author describes how a series of failures on the USS Forrestal created one of worst naval accidents, killing 134 men in 1967, as the crew was preparing to launch an air offensive on Vietnam.The story, which centers on a tragic fire, looks at the incident from various sailor's perspectives, and paints an excellent picture for the reador of real life on an aircraft carrier and the mindset of a group of young men battling for their survival againt two of a sailor's greatest enemies -- Fire and the Sea.

As a sailor myself maybe I just have a soft spot for the guys on the USS Forrestal who lived through an incredible disaster at sea during the Vietnam war. I can attest that what you read here is still taught in shipboard firefighting training sessions in the US Navy.Freeman does an admirable job of portraying a chaotic and unprecedented event in history. In 1967 an accidental missile firing on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal struck John McCain's plane, starting a series of events that ended in the deaths of more than a hundred brave sailors.What really stood out for me in this story is the heroism of ordinary guys risking their lives to save the ship, themselves and their shipmates.WARNING: There are really gory descriptions of some of the casualties so be prepared to be shocked.

Even though the reader already knows the ending, the way the story is told and the attention to detail keeps him enthralled from the first page. For those Tom Clancy addicts who need to read about things military this will certainly assuage that craving. For those whose interest are of the more political or historical bent, it is a less than subtle indictment of Johnson and Macnamara. It should be good reading to them because it is in a way a microcosm of the Vietnam conflict: showing the galant bravery of the men who go into harm's way, and the self-serving incompetence of the men who sent them.

Like so many others, I was there and the author brings back memories that have been long tucked away. He makes that day come alive for the reader and adds details that most who were there could not have known. Thank you for honoring those men who gave their life and who history has ignored.