Bob Smith has kindly given me permission to pass on his description of what happened in the military on the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Romi/Blue ...
April 4, 1968 I never heard all of this, but like my black and red brothers in the Navy at the time knew it instinctively. That particular day I was the duty Weapons Dept. Officer on a Destroyer Tender (USS Tidewater, as I recall). That evening meal started out like any other with the mess cooks (Junior enlisted serving six months of Mess Duty) setting up the chow line. I passed through the mess hall on my way to the Weapons Office to do some reports and noticed more of my black shipmates then usual gathered on the mess deck. I didn't think to much about it at the time. Finished my reports and started back to eat and saw something I had never seen before. The chow line was still not moving. Just then the PA system blared for the duty Weapons Officer and the duty Gunners Mate to report to the office of the XO (Executive Officer, second in command). So I turned around and went back the way I had come. the XO was waiting and gave me the order to clear the Mess Decks as the black's had barricaded them self in it. He ordered the Gunners Mate to issue what ever weapons I thought we might need. I had a idea, so I told the GM to go forward and round up everyone he could find and meet me with them on the hanger deck. Then I started aft rounding up everyone I could find and sending them to meet me on the hanger deck. When I had everyone available assembled I briefed them on the situation and my plan. Soon every entrance to the mess decks was filled with people with charged fire hoses ready to open the door and hose down anyone they saw. When I verified that every entrance was covered I went to the Quarterdeck and gave the signal "NOW" over the PA system. My hose crews moved in spraying and knocking down everyone who was part of the barricade. Followed by more crew members tying them up moving them out to the hanger bay. My crews then dewatered the Mess decks and had the cooks prepare another supper for those of us who had not eaten. The XO and the CDO went through and had the ringleaders moved to the Brig and sent the rest of them back to their sleeping quarters. The ship departed on a nine-month deployment three days later so I lost track of what else happened because of Dr. King's killing. It did happen on most Navy ships with some being deprived of lights, ventilation and power until they gave up. A few military units used armed force to break up the so-called mutinies. So, I was glad I used a different tactic. Robert N. Smith PO1 USN RET The Conspiracy to Kill MLK: Not a Theory But a Fact By Ira Chernus On April 4, 1968, the government was part of a successful conspiracy to assassinate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34509.htm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
