Time to honor crew of U.S.S. Indianapolis

Many, like me, learned of the horrific and heroic actions of the U.S.S. Indianapolis while watching the movie Jaws. Arguably one of the most gripping monologues in movie history, Quint (Robert Shaw) told the tale of Indy’s fate, mesmerizing the audience with his drunken oration of heroism and heartbreak.

What was depicted in the movie were basic facts: The crew of the Indianapolis delivered the Hiroshima bomb; the Indy was torpedoed; no distress signal was sent; 900 men went into the water and five days later 316 came out alive.

What was not portrayed was the terrible treatment the crew, and especially its officers, have endured over decades since their disastrous ordeal. Capt. Charles McVay was wrongly court-martialed for failing to zig-zag the ship’s course to throw off the Japanize submarines, a tactic that was later shown to be useless. He was cleared in 2001, 33 years after he committed suicide.

The crew itself was continually denied commendation as the Navy held that “they were sunk and suffered, but that’s not what these awards are all about.” However, their atomic bomb delivery record still stands in terms of distance and average knots per hour and would have merited commendation had they made their return journey without incident. Instead, for years their story was but a sad footnote in history rarely shared even with members of their closest relations.

Sixteen survivors of the Indianapolis are still with us, most in their mid-to-late 90s. They deserve to be recognized for a truly extraordinary feat of bravery and accomplishment. An endorsement to award the crew the Congressional Gold Medal has been proposed through legislation H.R. 4107 and S. 2101. Doolittle’s Raiders, the Tuskegee Airmen, and even the crew of the Enola Gay have received the Congressional Gold Medal. It is time to salute the men who made the Enola Gay’s mission possible. Please contact your representative and senators to help this award pass. BRAD WELCH Fayetteville