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Silver Leaf has posted a link in a post on this thread above this one, to a far more researched and sourced article from Truth Dig, well worth the read.
In this article the “Shipmates Together” written by someone named Freeman, contains no quotes from McCain, however McCain wrote a glowing blurb on the cover praising the book. It’s clear “Shipmates Together” has a substantial probability to have been a gloss over account. Freeman is still alive and the article mentions he will not divulge sources (nowadays that translates as .. made it up or 3rd hand stories).
Glad that you detest J. McCain for many good reasons— but it is clear that he misrepresented his actions after the rocket came across the deck and hid Lt. Cmdr. White’s auxiliary fuel tank, spilling fuel on the deck and continuing overboard in to the ocean. The Zuni had not been armed, but was ignited by a power surge from the deck electrical connections— acc. to the US Navy Report. There was no “wet start”—to cause another plane’s rocket to fire off— the planes each had their own external power source- not connected to each other. So in that sense, McCain didn’t cause the rocket firing— he could not have.
Read the link to the TruthDig article Silver Leaf has posted. It is appalling, his leaving the ship 30 hours after the incident, with the fires still going on, and flying to Saigon with an obvious see-eye A plant reporter for the NYSlimes (Saigon Bureau Chief) for some “R&R” (McCain’s quote from his own book— utterly ridiculous and AWOL from the ship. His daddy got Admiral Moorer to back “Ok” the transit from the Forrestal when NONE of his fellow pilots, dead or alive.... were allowed to.
More reasons to detest this brat for life mean bastard, with zero leadership skills.