Yes Johnny sounds like he had a relaxing week sheltering in Saigon with a NYT reporter, recovering from his “ despondency” and pondering his career ( strange preoccupation for a blameless accident victim)
unlike the rest of the ships crew that were pullng together to account for the missing, put out the fires, enable the ship to get underway to Subic, start debriefings and writing reports. After all 134 families needed to be notified of the dead and another 160 of the injured ...and then there was the onboard memorial service attended by 2,000 of the crew- minus LT McCain
At least he had time to talk to Dad, get his personal version of events out through the NYT probably before some families even knew what happened and to get his story lined up before the accident board convened
Again, back to my theory - and I must admit it is conjecture: McCain DID “wet start” his aircraft several times before this particular fire to startle other pilots and showboat at the pilots’ behind him expense and embarrassment. It was part of his reputation, it is consistent with his reputation, and he was written up many, many times for that sort of rude and illegal behavior in public, off-duty, on-duty and while in the Navy’s planes as a pilot.
Easy to understand the crew’s assumptions and the crew’s rumors that McCain did it again. That needed someone to blame - the ones who pulled the pins and the ones fighting the original fire were dead in the fire and bomb explosions. McCain lived, left his airplane, left his support crew to die on deck, and then went below to safety.
He was hated by the flight deck crews, the maintenance crews, his fellow pilots, and - through all of the air crews the ship’s crew left alive. He was the son of an Admiral, the grandson of an admiral, and he was sent off by helicopter to Saigon before the fires were out and the bodies counted. When that helicopter was needed for supplies, medical personnel, and wounded crew members.