J.B. Boarts tells his military experience.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Manorville resident “J.B.” (James Bernard) Boarts, 70, shares his experience that happened 50 years ago tomorrow, July 29, 2017.
I graduated from FCHS in 1964, enlisting in the military shortly after graduation.
In June 1967, we were the first aircraft carrier from the east coast to go to Vietnam. I was half-way through my four-year enlistment. I was in the Squadron as a mechanic working on jet aircraft. My job was ejection seats and all the components of that rate (including) canopy system, liquid oxygen, cabin pressurization, and air conditioning.
I was stationed as NAS Oceana Virginia. The carrier was based out of Norfolk, VA. The pilots in my Squadron flew the F-4 Phantom.
>We departed in June 1967 from Norfolk, VA, down the Atlantic seaboard, went through the initiation at the equator, then on to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for a five-day liberty; then across the Atlantic Ocean, down around the tip of South Africa, up through the Indian Ocean. Then we pulled into Subic Bay, Philippines, to take on new personnel and supplies. Then it was off to Yankee Station. That was the area in the Gulf of Tonkin, where the carriers operated to fly their missions to North Vietnam. It was about 35 miles off the coast. There were 2 carriers at a time operating there. One was in port for R&R (rest and relaxation) while the other one was on duty.
All was going normal with flight operations which lasted sometime up to 18 hours a day. We were working 12 hours on and 12 hours off. On your 12 hours off, you did some serious sleeping just rest up your body for your next shift of 12 hours.
Things were fairly hectic for 4 days. Then on the 5th day, things turned for the worst. It was a Saturday morning at 10:52 AM on the 29th of July, 50 years ago on Saturday, July 29 - a day that will never escape me. To me, it is so fresh in my mind, it is like it happened yesterday.
The planes were turning up for a strike at 11AM when a Zuni rocket from one of our F-4 Phantoms fired and shot across the flight deck and stuck the external fuel tank on a A-4 SkyHawk, next to Senator McCain, who was a lieutenant then. He was a pilot in one of the A-4 squadrons. He was shot down later after transferring to another carrier and was a POW for five years.
After the explosion of the external fuel tank, things went from bad to very bad.
I did not see the Zuni rocket that shot across the flight deck, but I heard and saw the fuel tank explode. I was assigned to the line division, which were plane captains, as a AME Troubleshooter. In case something went wrong, I could maybe take care of it, pertaining to my rate, so the flight could go on.
“J.B.” Boarts stands by his compartment in this 1967 photo. (submitted)
When the 500 and 1000 pound bombs started to cook off and explode, they sounded general quarters - all hands, man your battle stations. My general quarters station was in Hangar Bay 3.
There was total destruction everywhere - loss of lives, airplanes totally destroyed, and massive holes in the flight deck where the bombs went off.
There were 134 of my shipmates that lost there lives that day in a matter of minutes and hundreds more that were seriously injured and had to be taken off the ship. The Squadron I was in, VF-11, lost a total of 48 sailors - personnel that I worked around every day! Our berthing area was back aft on the 03 level, which is directly under the flight deck. That is where they perished! It happened so fast that the majority never had a chance to get out of their racks or out of the berthing area.
I lost everything I had that day except the clothes that I was wearing at the time. After the biggest part of the day, the fire was brought under control. That is when the true devastation set in. We were no longer a fighting unit, but one that was crippled terribly.
They took a lot of the injured personnel off the ship by helicopter to the USS Repose, which was a hospital ship operating in the area at that time.
From there, we went back to Subic Bay in the Philippines. The bodies were flown to their respective states. All were escorted by someone from the ship that knew them very well.
After all that was finished, we started back to Norfolk, Virginia. We were 30 days in transit until early September 1967. Our berthing area was completely gutted out by the fire so my rack was a cot forward from the devastation in our squadron personnel office with 3 or 4 of my shipmates.
On our way back to the states, I went back to where our compartment was. It was completely burnt out with that awful smell that never will escape me. I broke the lock off my locker and lifted up the bunk part. There were small compartments under the rack which I kept my belongings in. Everything was burnt up and I picked up what I believed to be my wallet. When I did, I heard this sound of coins hitting the deck. I had a flashlight with me and shined it on the deck. There were two 1967 Kennedy half-dollars that someone had given me before we left as good luck coins. This is what I have still to this day as a memento of what happened that fateful day - July 29th, 1967. They do mean something special to me. God has a plan for all of us, but I find myself asking the question: “Why them and not me?”
“J.B.” Boarts works in aircraft during his military enlistment between 1965-1969. (submitted)
After that all happened, it was back over to NAS Oceana to try to live a normal life but it was never easy after all that happened that day. In the summer of 1968, we departed Norfolk for a nine-month cruise to the Mediterranean Sea. I had only six months left on my four-year enlistment. What was really hard, I’m sure, on most of us that experienced the fire and loss of lives from the year before, was being put back in the same berthing area that we were in when the fire happened. I tried to put it behind me, but it is not a easy task.
I got discharged in February 1969. They flew me back from Naples, Italy, to Philadelphia Naval Base. Then it was on to home to try and lead a normal life.
I salute all veterans, past, present, and future. Thanks for your service! Also thanks to those reading this, for giving me this opportunity to share my story about Vietnam with you. Without the military, where would our country be today!
JB Boarts
US Navy 1965-1969