Surviving officer says more should be done for families of four officers killed

By TAMARA McKENZIE,Guardian Staff Reporter

"I think about the incident like breathing," said Lieutenant Whitfield Neely, a survivor of the HMBS Flamingo, which was sunk 24 years ago today on May 10, 1980.

In the attack, four Defence Force marines were killed by the Cuban Air Force.

The 44-year-old survivor told The Guardian on Sunday that 24 years later he was "greatly disappointed" about how the tragic incident had been observed over the years by The Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

"I really think that an incident of that magnitude on the Force would have some significance in our everyday life and would be an incident where the Force draws some strength from, but it has gone to the back of everyone's minds," said Lt Whitfield Neely in an exclusive interview with The Guardian.

At the time of the Flamingo incident, Lt Neely was 20-years-old and had recently completed his training earlier that year (1980) in February. At the time, he served as a Steward and a Dorry (small boat) Operator.

On May 10, 1980, after arresting two Cuban fishing vessels near the Ragged Island chain, Able Seaman Fenrick Sturrup, 21, Marine Seaman Austin Rudolph Smith, 21, Marine Seaman David Allison Tucker, 21, and Marine Seaman Edward Arnold Williams, 23, were killed when Cuban MIG jets fired upon and sunk the HMBS Flamingo.

Six of the fifteen surviving crewmembers of the Flamingo are still serving members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. They are Captain Anthony Allens, Lieutenant Whitfield Neely, Force Chief Petty Officer Dencil Clarke, Chief Petty Officer Greg Curry, Chief Petty Officer Anthony Russell, and Petty Officer Leo Kirby.

Observers recognised the tragic event at the time as not only a defining moment in the history of the embryonic Defence Force but also in the history the relatively newly-independent Bahamas.

The officers and marines were lauded for bringing their prisoners unharmed to the capital to face charges.

Lt Neely said that the government had recently highlighted that they were looking for national heroes, and many times, he had thought about his shipmates.

He noted that in The Bahamas' short history as an independent nation, he could not recall "remember anyone talking about the four guys who gave the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives." "We should lift them up and name them to the list of national heroes, but no one even remembers. I just sit in my little corner and shudder as I think about their families and kids." According to Lt Neely, the Flamingo affair had been the "crowning moment" in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, but it seemed as if nobody gave an "iota" about the accident, and many now saw it as "insignificant."

"Recently it has really been relegated to the archives of history and the entire incident is just full of dust. It appears to me sometimes that people are even afraid to touch it or mention it. It has really done a disservice to the sacrifice that my ship mates have made," Lt Neely said, adding that the men who were a part of the Flamingo incident who are now retired, did not leave as heroes and left at a low point in their lives and the country had not been fair to them.

He said that governments had to continue to remember the sacrifices that his living and deceased shipmates had made and such an event should be taught to children.

"Let them know that not only have other people died for their county, but we have had people who have died in this country for this country," he said.

On the other hand, Lt Neely said he had been awarded the Purple Heart by the RBDF, issued to those who have been under enemy fire, as well as a gallantry medal for his bravery and discipline displayed under fire. Meanwhile, a somber memorial service will be held this morning at the Defence Force base for the family members of the four marines killed in action 24 years ago during the sinking of the HMBS Flamingo. Family members of the four marines will join officers and marines of the RBDF in observance of the fatal event.

Commodore Davy F. Rolle, commanding officer of the Defence Force, is also expected to attend the special Morning Colours Ceremony, after which a wreath will be laid at sea in memory of the Flamingo and its fallen crew. The Defence Force ensign will also be flown at half-mast throughout the day.