Page 1 of 2 Sud; deposition - attack on USS LIBERTY through my eyes: Date: 10/14/2006 8:07:35 P.M, Eastern Standard Time From: tonktime@hughes.net To: ‘emie7200@e0l.com ce: tonktime@hughes.net Emie, This is my recollection as you requested. Philip F, Tourney, June 8, 1967, petty officer third-class shipfitter engineering Duties were: shipboard maintenance of potable water, frsfighting, maintenance ofall lines, pumps and supporting damage control systems, sound and security, ete Yes, | personally saw Israeli planes before and during the attack, bearing the Star of David Before the attack, | had just finished GQ chemical and biological drills, During the attack, | saw Israeli aircraft strafe our ship with rockets, canons, and napalm. Being assistant onscene leader in the forward repair party | was literally all over the ship. Yes, | personally saw Israeli torpedo boats fire machine guns and | also saw Israeli jet aircraft attack our ship. | also witnessed the machine gunning of our 3 remaining liferafts which were put over the side, of which | participated in, to evacuate our wounded. | also saw 3 torpedos fired from the torpedo boats, Following the attack, | experienced terror and tragedy. | helped Doc Kiepher operate on wounded. | held a battle lantem while he operated. | will always remember a sailor with kidney wounds asking me to take off his socks, his feet were hot. He wasn't wearing any ‘socks. | talked to him and he asked me if he was going to live. | looked at him and shook my head no. | regret telling him that. He died soon after. | also helped with washing body parts and blood off the decks. Not a favorable job. | stayed with the ship to Malta and experienced the death smell, and the overwhelming smell of fuel oil | stayed in Malta until the ship was ordered back to Virginia. The smell of death and fuel oil never left the ship. I was on sound and security taking the ship back to Virgina. It was @ heavy task to go into the CT spaces and check for leaks or any matters that concerned we stay afoat, | had been in the CT spaces before the attack several times doing welding and whatnot jobs. I remember some steel braces | welded to hold books were still inplace. A very chilly feeling came over me when I saw that those pieces of steel were still there but nothing else except the smell of death | did personally have contact with and was debriafed by Admiral Isaac Kidd. This is when we were stil at sea heading to Malta. He asked us what we had seen, what we had done. We opened up our hearts and told ‘Sunday, October 15, 2006 America Online: Ernie7900Page 2 of 2 him everything. He had even gone as far as to take off his stars and lay them on the table in sickbay. When he was finished with our testimony, there were only a few in sickbey atthe time, he placed his stars back on and said that we should never talk about the attack to ‘any fellow sailor, family or friends under penalty of prison or worse. ‘We all knew what worse meant. | will never forget that moment as he was ‘especially interested in what | had to say because | was on sound and security before the attack and saw many things he wasn't wiling to accept If can be of anymore assistance, please advise. Phil Tourney P.S Emie - please send this to Gary Brummet. He wanted it, Thanks ‘Sunday, October 15, 2006 America Online: Ernie7900