When the USS Forrestal Claimed 134 of Its
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
A3 ity Rep READERS’ CHOICE e C o k rt a e L r of the R 2019 BEST BEST Winners! E E C AD I ER HO S’ C IN TODAY’S PAPER SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2019 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $2 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM NEW LAW With hemp legal, will pot Michael Philips/LCR busts Jim Parks was there — and for another fall? aircraft carrier inferno 18 months later. They smell the same, JULY 29, 1967 so odor can no longer be used as probable cause. By CARL MCKINNEY [email protected] When the They look the same, smell the same, and even drug-sniffing dogs can’t tell USS Forrestal the difference. But one is legal now, throwing a wrench claimed 134 into a long-stand- ing method used by law of its own Hunter enforce- AP Photo ment to establish probable cause without a search warrant. Hemp was made legal at 52 years from tomorrow, an ominous anniversary the federal level last year, and a new law has gone into By MICHAEL PHILIPS TOP LEFT: Jim Parks of Lake effect in Florida to develop [email protected] City poses with a model of a an industry for marijuana’s plane he often worked on as Fifty-two years ago tomorrow, a maintenance man during non-high-inducing identi- a horrific disaster happened on a cal twin. Law enforcement naval aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Vietnam. ABOVE: Fire rages agencies, prosecutors and Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam. aboard the USS Forrestal on July defense attorneys through- Decades later the incident would 29, 1967. The plane seen clos- out the state expect hemp’s be used by political operatives to est to the fire is one Parks had newly legal status has effec- try to discredit the war record worked on earlier. LEFT: Parks tively killed sniff-and-search of the late Senator John McCain. (from left), Gary Suczeck and traffic stops. One local man was aboard the Glen Heck pose aboard the USS carrier, and it never sat right with Forrestal. They served in the HEMP continued on 2A him that a fellow Navy man would same squadron and, amazingly, be unjustly accused — even if it were all from the same home- was someone whose politics he town, Alpena, Michigan, a tiny abhorred. On July 29, 1967, a fire broke burg of about 13,000 people in I-10 repair out on the USS Forrestal after the 1960s. A fourth man from Alpena, Tom Seabrook, also a Zuni rocket COURTESY work set to Parks would on a Phantom served on the Forrestal, farther fighter bomber below deck. Before the Forrestal later learn malfunctioned, left the Philippines, Parks end Tues. that the causing it would meet a fifth person from to fire. The By TONY BRITT Forrestal Alpena, Lloyd Gilbertson. rocket would [email protected] was about BELOW LEFT: Sailors scramble an hour hit a combat to clear the deck during the jet, spraying Forrestal fire, which killed 134. Repair work on the away from flammable Interstate-10 overpass at capsizing fuel across the I-75 is nearly complete, before they deck, which “He was in another squadron,” weeks after a piece of heavy got control in turn would Parks said of McCain. “But he machinery, thought to be of the fire. cause a chain had a reputation of being a play- a turbine motor, tumbled reaction of boy. He was cocky. You ever see down the overpass and explosions ‘Top Gun’? He was like those caused extensive damage to across the ship. In the end, 134 (pilots). He was not well liked sailors were killed and 161 were the bridge. among his squadron, but he was injured. The repair work will con- popular among his fellow officers. During the 2008 presidential And he was a decent pilot.” tinue Monday and wrap up campaign a rumor swirled, and on Tuesday night. AP Photo During Vietnam, Parks served it would resurface about nine on carriers as a maintenance man “I expect motorists will deck level when the fire started. from his captain that the Forrestal years later during a political who worked on aircraft. He is I was very fortunate that I didn’t was about an hour away from probably see lane clo- feud between President Donald well versed in the official record get caught up in any of the fire. capsizing before they were able to sures on that westbound Trump and McCain, suggesting of the Forrestal fire. So how did I didn’t suffer any injuries, but I gain control of the fire. lane of I-10, beginning 9 that the incident was the result of the rumor start that McCain was wasn’t able Parks didn’t p.m. Monday,” said Troy McCain’s actions. responsible? to help put know McCain Roberts, FDOT District 2 “It was a huge lie, and it went ‘I was not a fan of McCain’s “The rumor started here,” the fire out.” personally, but, all over the Internet,” said Jim Parks said, pointing to an issue communications special- No one politics, but I’m not one to let like everyone Parks, 79. “I was not a fan of of Stars and Stripes, dated three ist. “It should reopen by from Parks’ a fellow sailor get undeserved else on board, McCain’s politics, but I’m not one days after the incident. “It says 6 a.m. the following morn- squadron blame.’ he knew of to let a fellow sailor get unde- that a hot start was responsible ing. However, if the weather was killed. him, as McCain served blame.” for the fire. Someone later would forces delays, there may be Parks was aboard the Forrestal (“In fact, only a few were even was naval royalty, his father and that fateful day. injured, but they were very grandfather having risen to the FDOT continued on 2A “I was way below the hangar minor.”) He would later learn rank of admiral. PARKS continued on 3A Vol. 145, No. 97 CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER Opinion . 4A (386) 752-1293 Obituaries . 5A SPORTS SUBSCRIBE TO Sports . 1B Carter gets his shot, 1B THE REPORTER: 89 68 Voice: 755-5445 Business . 1C Fax: 752-9400 Scattered storms, 2A 2A SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2019 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER LAW ENFORCEMENT QUICK HITS New state hemp law could Scripture of the Day “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, change plenty for pot busts the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) It’s common to see some- he said. “You may have sit- cultivation as Tallahassee HEMP one in the Columbia County uations where officers are looks to capitalize on the Thought for Today Continued From 1A jail logs with charges for alleging there are safety boom. other crimes coupled with concerns and they need to Florida law permits hemp What is easy is seldom excellent. “The odor of marijuana, marijuana possession. search the vehicle over.” to contain up to 0.3% THC — Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784, English writer by itself, is probably no Columbia County Officers may argue the — not enough to get any- longer probable cause for Sheriff’s Office deputies fre- driver they stopped in a one high, but enough for a a search,” said Lake City- quently write arrest reports dimly lit area kept reach- field test kit to give a false based criminal defense saying the smell of mari- ing under the dash, for positive for marijuana. Winning Lottery Numbers attorney Carey Carmichael. juana established probable instance, Carmichael said. “Most of the test kits that Pick 3: (Friday p.m.) 5-4-6 Florida Senate Bill 1020 cause for a search that later Most field test kits used are out there right now give Pick 4: (Friday p.m.) 0-5-3-0 went into effect July 1 allow- yielded an illegal weapon. by law enforcement can’t a result if there’s any THC Fantasy 5: (Friday) 2-3-27-31-32 ing for hemp cultivation, A defense attorney distinguish hemp from mar- whatsoever,” Carmichael made possible by federal has a good argument in ijuana. said. legislation last year. those kinds of cases now, Wild marijuana comes If better test kits See an error? Not only are raw hemp Carmichael said. in the form of two plant were widely available, The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news and marijuana plants iden- “That seized species —can- Carmichael said smell alone items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, tical to the naked eye and weapon is what’s Florida law per- nabis sativa and might be enough to provide please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will nose — any oils, edibles or called the fruit mits hemp to cannabis indi- legal justification for ana- run in this space. Thanks for reading. other derivatives from them of the poisonous contain up to ca. Most popu- lyzing the suspected drug are, too. tree,” he said. 0.3% THC — not lar pot strains at the scene — and then Columbia County Sheriff “The idea is that bred today are searching a vehicle if it tests Submissions enough to get The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption Mark Hunter is taking a if the search is anyone high, hybrids of both. positive for an illegal sub- information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would cautious approach. not lawful, any- but enough for Hemp is a stance. like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture “Changes to the law are thing that’s specific strain Companies will proba- and information to [email protected].