Lost on his birthday

There are two dates floating around the internet about this incident. I go with August 14th versus August 7th as the date Liberty 603 went off the flight deck of the USS Midway and slammed into the North Arabian Sea at 0200.  The E2-C aircraft - the same one pictured here, had five personnel aboard. 

The USS Towers was in plane-guard position 1500 yards astern of Midway and we were first on the scene. The details of all that unfolded after that are well documented in this blog. Three of the five personnel were rescued. Two were lost forever that night. 

That means Lt. Kuhnigk lost his life just 72 hours after his 27th birthday. It most likely means he crashed into the ocean and was lost on his birthday. But declared lost by the Navy after 72 hours of searching. 

If I knew that, I'd forgotten it until tonight. 

Rest easy Lt. Kuhnigk and Ensign Christopher Mims, you are lost and missing, but you are held dearly in the hearts of your family and in those who were there that night. 

We honor your service at every opportunity.  I will continue to tell your stories. 

We never met, but I was there that night in August 1985 on that very dark moonless night on the North Arabian Sea. But I know we’ve met since then. Just in a different way. 

I'm not the only one who has carried some of you with them every day since. I know you know that now. 

This week - I will be honoring you both - and giving you a proper send off because I now know you don't want others to carry any guilt with them from that night. 

Oh how I wish that night had been different. 

I hope you can accept the ceremony happening on a Great Lake (an inland sea) instead of the North Arabian Sea.  

It's time to let go of what happened on that night. 

Thank you for understanding. 

With more respect than you can imagine, 

Kevin Osgood, BM2, Surface Rescue Swimmer, USN