The USS Kitty Hawk Riot, October 1972
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- Wallace Green, USS Kitty Hawk, recalls his experience during the ship's 1972 race riot, which occurred while deployed to Vietnam.
This oral history was recorded by staff at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. To learn more about the naval museum and its new exhibit, "The Ten Thousand-Day War at Sea: The U.S. Navy in Vietnam," visit www.hrnm.navy.mil. If you are a Navy Vietnam veteran in the Hampton Roads area and would like to record your oral history, please contact 757-322-3108 or HRNavalMuseum@navy.mil.
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I can confirm some of the story. I was attached to RVAH 7 aboard the USS Kitty Hawk Oct 72 and during the "riot" was pulled from my rack by an unknown black sailor and tossed to the deck while being struck repeatedly by a dogging iron. (piece of pipe used to tighten down the ships hatches) Yes I am white. It did happen, and it was out-of-control. Not something the Navy is proud of I'm sure since it was generally swept under the carpet. BTW my medical records from sick bay came up missing, as did many others who were attacked and injured, from my understanding. Go figure.
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Thank you for sharing your experience with us! I'm so sorry that you experienced this, but certainly hope it helps to be able to tell about it now. Thank you.
Wow,my dad was on that ship in 79-80 and I didn't know that history. Thanks for the details... Though not a good thing.
Wow, I never knew that. I have been aboard KH several times when she was in Subic Bay in 71,72. Nice ship, nice crew. I was a mineman at the naval magazine and we had to deliver ordinance to her
My dad was there. One of his black friends saved him from getting beat up by saying “leave em alone! That’s my pineapple friend! He’s from Hawaii” My dad said he saw with his own two eyes these guys run into sick bay and start attacking people.
According to his black friend who saved him it started because a black guy beat up a white guy over a Filipino girl, so then his friends attacked the white guy it drastically escalated. It wasn’t black vs white it was a small group of thugs wreaking havoc on the ship who happend to be black
I was there also, they came through our compartment I was attached to VA-52 senior plane captain. as I recall we did not miss breakfast that morning. what I recall is the rioters and that's what they were locked themselves in the aft mess hall thinking they would have some leverage untill the captain threatened to flood the compartment, although that wasn't possible apparently they decided to vacate that area. this what I was told by our line officer true or not it take hours to prepare meals for that many people and as I said earlier I don't recall anyone missing breakfast. I would think that if a few thousand men missed breakfast it would have been Duelley noted, since the Hawk had some fantastic food.
I served aboard a carrier during the mid sixties for 20 months. During that time I berthed in with the culinary ship's stewards which were entirely Black and Philippine. We got along great. They didn't resent my berthing with them and sharing their lounge. We had a few Blacks and Philippine in my own division.
There was never a problem between the races aboard that ship during my time. This Kitty Hawk event surprises me.
There were severe racial issues in the USN, @ the time I served.....'69 to '73; especially @ Subic Bay Naval Base.
Share your store on youtube and post a link here I would love to hear it
@@ratx1729 Suggestion: Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War by David Cartwright. A list of race riots in every branch of the US Military during that time--it’s a page turner!
There was a book written about it and it was so bad there was talk of a mutiny and total ship take over. It was bad enough some sailors were injured so badly at least one permanently paralyzed by being hit by a brass fire extinguisher.
"CHOW HALL"; never heard anyone call the aft mess deck chow hall. hmmm.... ( I berthed directly below the aft mess deck in X-Division). Postal assistant 71-73 *** I did go to work not long after the aft mess deck confrontation but, I do not remember the aft mess deck being locked down. I was chosen (fairly) to make the round of picking up mail in the several US Mail boxes spread throughout the ship. I saw many of the (black) guys I had worked with in S2M (mess cooking-90 days). No one was friendly, hindered me or, tried to pick a fight with me. I believe every comment on this page but, I had my own experience.
I believe what he says because you can look it up from different sources online just google it
We had riots on Air Force bases at that time. Soon after everyone had to go through race relations training.
Good. They will stop them from rioting for sure.
Yeah I remember a complete lock down of Minot AFB in ND.
One of my older friends said race riots were happening all over in the 70's she said it happened in her high school and was pretty bad.
The US Navy had a very non PC way of dealing with minorities as did the country as a whole.
Talk with Filipino sailors who served after the Second World War and they have stories of their own about being treated as little more than servants.
I served 3 years on the 'Hawk, where I first learned of these atrocities. Years later as a USAF Civvy working at the DoD's Race-Relations Institute (original name, renamed DEOMI), I learned that so, so many more instances of this hate-fueled behavior was obscured by the Military, the Feds, and in some cases the press. To say learning about these events was the lowest point in my education is an understatement. Fast forward decades, and the division exists in ways, fueled by cultural mistrust of what our fathers and grandfathers went through. The cycle needs to stop.
BLM mattered back then too.