E.S. Tasker, a U.S. Navy veteran and career law enforcement officer, brings powerful perspective to his memoir Men of Forrestal, a deeply personal account of surviving one of the Navy’s darkest days. Tasker, who was only 19 years old and newly assigned to squadron VA-106 at the time, had just loaded ordnance onto A-4 Skyhawks and was preparing for a second-strike mission off the coast of Vietnam when catastrophe unfolded.
“We had already loaded one strike that morning and were getting ready for the second,” recalled Tasker. A rocket misfired from another aircraft and struck fuel tanks under a nearby Skyhawk. “What followed was a chain reaction of fires and explosions,” recalls Tasker. “The ordnance started cooking off. At that point, fighting the fire became impossible. It was just a matter of taking cover.”
The story begins at Arlington National Cemetery and expands to the flight deck of the USS Forrestal, where Tasker was stationed during the explosion. His narrative provides insight into the fear, confusion, and courage that overtook the crew during the unfolding tragedy.
“There have been a lot of stories written about the USS Forrestal over the years,” said Tasker. “Some blamed people unfairly, including John McCain, who was in the sister squadron,” he states. “But my book is just my personal story, what I witnessed firsthand on the flight deck. There are 134 stories that were never told because those men didn’t make it. Six of them were close friends of mine.”
Following the disaster, Tasker and the surviving crew stayed aboard the ship, which returned to Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs. Eventually, the Forrestal sailed back to the United States and never returned to Vietnam.
“We stayed in Subic Bay for several weeks. There was talk of repairing the Forrestal in Japan and returning her to action, but the damage was too severe. She was later decommissioned and scuttled.”
Tasker later went on to serve in law enforcement for more than three decades, with posts in Jacksonville, Kent State University, and Miami-Dade. His previous books, Rocks and Bottles and Always Remembered, Never Forgotten, centered on his police service. Men of Forrestal marks his third publication.
Published by Newman Springs Publishing, Men of Forrestal captures the grit, pain, and resolve of Tasker’s experience and brings readers directly onto the scorched flight deck of the USS Forrestal. As he emphasizes, the book stands not just as a memoir but as a tribute to those lost.
“I think the important thing to stress is this is just my own account. But there are 134 stories that aren’t told and this book honors them.”
Readers can find Men of Forrestal at major bookstores or online at the Apple iBooks Store, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
Newman Springs Publishing is a full-service publisher that works with serious authors to bring compelling stories to life. Its publishing process includes professional editing, layout, cover design, circulation, distribution, and publicity. Titles are offered in both print and e-book formats and distributed to retail outlets across North America and internationally. Newman Springs welcomes manuscripts in all genres and collaborates closely with authors to bring their books to market with a relatively low initial investment.
