But a zuni missile did misfire so he didn't cause that.
He claims the missile hit (false) caused his aircraft to release 2 bombs (only one bomb was released)...
The A-4 aircraft only carried one 1,000 pound bomb so the author got that wrong.
I don't know about when he left the Forrestal but the Navy investigators said the fuel tank on McCain's and White's aircraft were hit and that the 1k lb. bombs were old and cooked off in the fuel fire 1 minute and ten seconds faster than the newer bombs they were used to using. You can believe the historian and I'll believe the Navy investigators.
“The A-4 aircraft only carried one 1,000 pound bomb so the author got that wrong”
It was McCain who claimed to release 2 bombs, It was the historian who caught his narrative on that noting there was only 1 bomb. I leave you to draw your own conclusions about why McCain would state that repeatedly over many years and interviews. As well as state his aircraft was hit by the missile when it was not
“I don’t know about when he left the Forrestal..”
You do know when he left the Forrestal (or could know) because it is in the article I linked in McCains own words, and because the NYT published an interview with him from Saigon 2 days after the accident, with the reporter who had flown out to the Forrrestal to specifically interview the Admiral’s son and who gave him a helo lift back to Saigon. With or without orders from the ship. McCain never did sweat the rules
The curiousity of how McCain ended up in Saigon within 48 hours of such a major disaster intrigued me, which is how I found this article. For normal military, the unit is like the family and who in the Navy leaves their buddies behind in a situation like that???? Not to pitch in or even just stick around for the memorial service for people who worked with you and for you and who died all around you while you walked out without a scratch????? WHO IN THE MILITARY DOES THAT???
I cannot escape the feeling that McCain was a man looking to get out of Dodge. Can only think of one reason why
I don’t think you or I will ever know what the “Navy investigators” found because CNO Admiral Moorer was a personal friend of Jack McCain and these reports always have extensive areas of known, possible, probable and unknown and the decision which words go in the report are often political
But if and when you read the article (which I doubt you will) you will see the historian interviewed eyewitnesses who contradicted McCains version of some events and McCains embellished wanderingss, even minor, from facts are very interesting and revealing