Liberty's Wounds

By Jeremy Amick

Bryce Lockwood has amassed a trove of unique military experiences during a brief span of time. Born on a small farm in rural New York State in 1939, he graduated from high school in Afton, New York in 1957. He soon made the decision to enlist in the Marine Corps and, in 1960, married his fiancee, Lois. In the next few years, his military career led to language school in Monterey, California, where he completed Russian linguist training followed by Cold War assignments in locations such as Scotland, Turkey and the former West Germany. However, the most unforgettable moment of his military assignments came with temporary orders for service aboard the USS Liberty - a U.S. intelligence ship. While serving as a Russian linguist aboard the vessel, he lived through an attack by Israeli warplanes and torpedo boats during the Six-Day War, resulting in the deaths of 34 and wounding 174 Americans. As the only U.S. Marine to survive the incident, Lockwood became the recipient of a Silver Star medal for rescuing three sailors trapped in flooded compartments in addition to receiving a Purple Heart for severe burns incurred in a torpedo explosion. Lockwood later served a tour in Vietnam and, in 1971, received a medical retirement after thirteen years of service. In recent years, he has sought the truth behind the unprovoked assault on the USS Liberty, which left many of his friends severely wounded or dead. In recent decades, Lockwood has joined other Liberty survivors in petitioning Congress for an open and thorough investigation of the attack.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Yorkshire Publishing
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781954095397

Jeremy Amick

Jeremy P. Amick has for years chronicled in writing the legacy of United States veterans - past and present. A veteran of the U.S. Army and Missouri National Guard, he volunteers with the Silver Star Families of America - a non-profit that honors the service and sacrifice of those wounded, injured or suffering an illness from their service in a combat zone. He makes his home in the rural community of Russellville, Missouri, along with his wife, Tina.

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ISBN 978-1-950034-96-3 (Paperback)

978-1-954095-39-7 (Ebook)

Liberty’s Wounds

Copyright © 2020 by Jeremy Ämick

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

Yorkshire Publishing

4613 E. 91st St,

Tulsa, OK 74137

www.YorkshirePublishing.com

918.394.2665

Printed in the USA

Acknowledgments

As with any historical and literary endeavor, there have been scores of individuals and organizations that helped contribute through their knowledge, support or resources. First, I must thank the countless hours that Bryce and Lois Lockwood have graciously granted for interviews. Oftentimes, it must have seemed as if we were in a marathon of detailed questioning, frequently resulting in them having to dig into personal photos and document archives that were for years buried away in basement boxes. In addition, successful completion of this book would not have been possible absent the accessibility of valuable records that helped in my research, such as the now-unclassified National Security Agency interviews with Liberty survivors, in addition to the books that have been written by others who were victims of the assault on the ill-fated U.S. Navy vessel. I can now reflect upon and celebrate the achievement of the completion of Gunnery Sergeant Lockwood’s biography but, as with all such works, it was a team effort requiring the investment of many. Regardless of however large or small one’s contribution may have been to this biography; I remain ever grateful for the assistance and insight provided.

Dedication

To the memory of the thirty-four selfless men whose lives were taken during the attack on the USS Liberty on June 8, 1967. May your families someday find the closure that comes with the revelation of the truth behind the shameful episode in the annals of our nation’s Cold War history.

The author, Jeremy P. Ämick, left, pictured with Gunnery Sgt. (ret.) Bryce Lockwood at the Saline County Courthouse in Marshall, Missouri, on December 8, 2018. This day marked the first of dozens of interviews used in compiling Lockwood’s biography. Courtesy of Lois Lockwood

Introduction

Throughout the last few years, I have heavily invested much effort in researching military history, especially that which is in some way linked to the great state of Missouri, and then penning articles and stories regarding my discoveries so they can be preserved and shared with others. With so much time spent in the pursuit of this endeavor, I have received the blessing of learning a great deal about a broad range of military subjects.

When I was first introduced to Bryce Lockwood in the north-central farm community of Marshall, Missouri, in September 2017, someone briefly explained to me his association with the USS Liberty—a vessel attacked by Israeli jet fighters and torpedo boats several decades earlier. To be embarrassingly honest, despite what I proudly considered an in-depth knowledge of military history, when I first met Lockwood, I was somewhat at a loss as to the concentration of the historical significance whose presence was now standing before me.

We were attending a ceremony on the west lawn of the Saline County Courthouse in Marshall, where my friend, James Shipley, (whose biography I had written a year earlier to highlight his service as a mechanic with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II) was present to dedicate a memorial brick honoring the service of all Tuskegee Airmen. The brick was to be placed in a sidewalk outside the courthouse alongside a brick honoring those who had served aboard the USS Liberty. Following the ceremony, we crossed the street for a book signing, during which Mr. Shipley and I signed copies of his biography while Mr. Lockwood, who sat next to us with his wife, Lois, signed copies of a book about the attack on the Liberty, in which part of his military experience is described. While sitting next to one another, Lockwood and I had the opportunity to visit and then swapped business cards with our personal contact information.

Time passed on… as it is inclined to do, and several weeks later, I received an email from Lockwood in which he asked whether I might be interested in writing his biography. For me, not only was this an affirmation of the quality of effort I invested in writing the biography of James Shipley months earlier, but it was also a demonstration of the trust Lockwood had in my abilities to share the story of his complicated and captivating military journey. It did not take me long to verbally commit to his project, but I stressed to the former Marine that I must first get a couple of other book projects off my plate, the first of which was the biography of the late Major General Don D. Pittman. Lockwood bluntly replied, "It’s been fifty years [since the USS Liberty incident]… so a little bit more of a wait isn’t going to hurt anything."

Finishing off these projects in October 2018, I took a few weeks off to gather my thoughts and regain a foothold in my present circumstances, charting out the course of my upcoming writing endeavors. Finally, in late November, I contacted Lockwood and informed him that I was ready to begin the process of interviews that I would use to help compile his story in a linear fashion. Our friend, Charlie Guthrie, soon invited us to another event that was to be held at the Saline County Courthouse on December 7, 2018, in honor of the seventy-seventh anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Both Lockwood and I were to be special guests at the ceremony and we agreed to make the trip there together. Early that morning, Lockwood and his wife picked me up at my home and, while he drove us the hour-and-half north, I asked him an endless list of questions about his youth while scribbling his responses upon my wide-ruled writing pad. During our return trip, the same process took place.

The next several months included sporadic visits when I would drive to his home nearly two hours away in Strafford, Missouri, and sit for several hours not only to ask questions about his life experiences but also to sift through various documents and scan countless photographs for potential inclusion in the biography. In addition, during the time that passed between these visits/interviews, many of my questions were answered by utilizing the grand technology of texting with our phones. As an unexpected blessing, the book seemed to come together rather seamlessly without any major hiccups or complications.

I must admit, as has been the case with those I have written about previously, the story of his life and military service took second seat to the friendship that we have developed throughout the last couple of years. My friend, Bryce Lockwood, is a humble individual who has amassed a collection of amazing encounters during his military service and subsequent careers, and it has truly been an honor to have been provided the time to listen and absorb some of the wisdom of his experiences. My cardinal wish is that I have been able to, in some small fashion, introduce the public to just a glimmer of what he has accomplished throughout his life. He may not consider himself a hero but I think that you will find that his story speaks for itself and reveals a life that bears witness to several fascinating incidents that deserve to be preserved and celebrated by subsequent generations.

His is a story centered on the events of June 8, 1967, during which an incident unfolded in the height of the Cold War between nations long considered allies and which, I have discovered, has been the basis for many politically charged and heated debates. While writing this book, I have encountered those who have encouraged me to uncover what they believe to have been criminal and deadly intent by the Israeli government. On the contrary, others have stressed that it was an accident that should simply be tucked away in the forgotten pages of history—a wound between two nations that should be given the opportunity to heal absent the assignment of blame. One thing that can be agreed upon is there has been—and continues to be—much speculation on the basis for the attack on the Liberty.

The intent of this book is not to be contentious or controversial nor to serve as a means to vilify Israel; conversely, it is not presented in a manner to diminish the suffering of those who were victims of the attack. The principal foundation of this work is to present the facts of the events that unfolded that day as perceived by Lockwood. These pages are not only the unvarnished account of one man who endured the living hell that took place during the assault but also a fascinating story of military service that began years earlier and carried forth into the Vietnam War and beyond. Many still seek answers regarding the details surrounding the attack on the Liberty, Lockwood included; however, this biography will by no means provide any revelations that have not already been debated ad nauseam. It is the story of a man… a Marine, who raised his right hand and took an oath to serve his country. It is a sequence of fascinating events that carried him through many unique aspects of our nation’s Cold War with Russia, which then transitioned into Vietnam. Most important, it is the story of my friend, Bryce Lockwood, presented to you in his bold, unembellished manner, which captures a small part of one man’s American military experience. It is my pleasure to present to you Liberty’s Wounds.

Jeremy P. Ämick

Russellville, Missouri

January 2019

Chapter 1

Trouble from the Beginning

"I hadn’t even been born and I was already in trouble." – Bryce Lockwood, sharing a humorous account of his sister’s birthday celebration, which was followed by his unexpected birth in December 1939.

Trouble. If an individual were granted the minor indulgence of using a single noun to characterize several of the most formative experiences of Bryce Lockwood’s life, trouble certainly seems one of the most fitting. From the early difficulties he created for his sister and mother during a birthday celebration that began prior to his birth to the wounds he sustained while serving as a resilient U.S. Marine during the attack on the USS Liberty less than three decades later, his life’s narrative has been rife with a mixture of both interesting and challenging circumstances .

Before his birth on a small farm only a short distance from the rural community of Nineveh Junction, New York, his mother, the former Iva Dewey, made preparations for a modest birthday celebration in 1939 for her three-year-old daughter, Edith. But, as his mother soon discovered, attempting a birthday celebration while full-term with an unborn son would soon lead to a mirthful memory for both a mother and daughter, though it might not have been viewed in such a humorous light at the time it unfolded.

It was December 19, 1939, and my sister Edith had been born three years earlier, Lockwood stated in jovial reflection. My mother had been planning a little birthday party for my sister even though there had been a sizeable snowstorm a little while earlier and the ground was covered with about eight inches of snow. Pausing, he added, My mother had baked a beautiful cake for my sister using the old wood stove in our house because we didn’t have any electricity for an electric oven at the time. When the cake was finished and decorated, she carried it outside. She had taken out one of the chairs from the house and plopped it in the snow so that she could set the cake on it for a birthday picture.

His mother then stood Lockwood’s three-year-old sister next to the chair and snapped a photograph with her little Brownie camera to capture the image for posterity. Picking up the cake to carry it back to the warmth of the indoors, where it could then be enjoyed by her three-year-old daughter, she suffered a sharp labor pain, which resulted in her dropping the cake upside down in the snow where the family dog, Babe, had been sitting only moments earlier.¹

With a laugh, Lockwood murmured, I hadn’t even been born yet and I was already in trouble.

During his birth on the family’s farm shortly thereafter, Lockwood’s mother was attended by a friend from college who had become a registered nurse. Despite the youngest Lockwood’s unanticipated and marginally problematic entry into the world, the event would soon become the basis for mirthful reflection since he now shared the same birthdate as his sister, separated by exactly three years. The youngest of his siblings, Lockwood noted that his mother gave birth to five children, including his older sister Edith and an older brother George, the latter of whom was born in 1930. However, there existed an undercurrent of sadness from his mother’s past because she had given birth to a daughter, Margaret Esther, who passed away from pertussis on January 4, 1936, just three days shy of turning two years old, and a son, Raymond Jr., had died from streptococcal infection on June 25, 1936, at only the tender age of seven.

It was a very difficult time for my mother, not only because she lost two children within such a short period of time, but also because she had been pregnant with my sister Edith through most of this time of mourning, he said.

His father, Raymond Lockwood Sr., was born in 1905 and by the time the United States entered World War I a little more than a decade later, he was not yet a teenager and much too young to be drafted into the military. When the Selective Service Act of 1940 was instituted in September 1941, Lockwood’s then thirty-five-year-old father would have been required to register for the draft. Even though the elder Lockwood was among fifty million citizens between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years old who were required to register for draft by the end of the war in 1945, he received a deferment from military service due to his age and the fact that he had three children and a wife to provide for.² Instead, Lockwood’s father spent the years leading up to the war building a couple of poultry houses on the family’s small farm, raising pullets and selling eggs—work that helped provide a meager income during the difficult and economically stressful period of the Great Depression. The family, like most living in a rural environment during that era, did not have any disposable income to speak of and finances were often tight, necessitating that they make do with what little they could scrape together.

A grinning 10-month old Bryce Lockwood, seated on the cart, is pictured in October 1940 at their home near Nineveh Junction, New York. Also pictured are his older brother, George, and his older sister, Edith. Courtesy of Bryce Lockwood

The community we lived near, Nineveh Junction, was decades ago a booming railroad town situated at the intersection of two branches of the Delaware and Hudson Railway. The crews would change out in the town and they often stayed across the street from the railroad yard in a place called the Central Hotel, which had quite the questionable reputation, he grinned. My great-grandfather owned a country store nearby called Arrowhead General Store—it was part of a chain of stores that no longer exist. It was one of those types of stores that you used to see in a lot of small towns, providing a range of services for the community with a restaurant and a post office inside.

Around the corner from the rail yard was a brick building where boys from the area would find empty liquor bottles that the men working on the rail crews had discarded once they had been entirely drained of their contents. As a form of entertainment, Lockwood remembers several of the kids from the neighborhood grabbing bottles from the pile and slinging them against the brick wall, laughing as the sound of the shattering glass helped break the monotony of otherwise uneventful summer days. Though now decades past, Lockwood also recalls clearly the moments he spent ambling through his great-grandfather’s store as a young boy, gazing in fascination at the assortment of horse harnesses that hung in the rear section of the store.

Things were much more basic then and the store had no electricity back in those days; all of the lighting was from oil lanterns, he said. I can also remember that my great uncle had been allowed to set up a glass case in the store that contained a collection of coins that he had for sale, he added. It may have been a small town, but I can certainly remember a beehive of activity going on in that store.

When Lockwood was but a few years old, his father made the decision to pull up their rural stakes and moved the family into the community of Afton, New York, only a few miles down the road, where he could secure employment that would provide a more substantial