Word: bucher
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PALE and emaciated, the witness clenched his fists, blinked his hooded eyes and stumbled over his words as he relived the interminable nightmare. In 4½ days of torturous testimony before a Navy Court of Inquiry last week, Commander Lloyd M. Bucher recounted the details of the capture of his ship U.S.S. Pueblo and the eleven-month ordeal that he and his crew endured while they were prisoners of the North Koreans. The tale he told was one of almost unbelievable hardship and endurance, and it left unanswered many troubling questions about higher-echelon complacency and shortsightedness...
...Bucher rehearsed Pueblo's tragic odyssey before a panel of five admirals in the stark auditorium of the Naval Amphibious Base at Coronado, Calif. His wife Rose sat in the front row, and he appeared at times to enjoy the opportunity to tell his story. The Navy made it clear that this was an inquiry, not a trial. However, depending on the testimony, the panel will have to decide whether there is cause to recommend bringing charges against the commander or his crew. And midway through his account last week, Bucher was informed that his testimony rendered him suspect...
Frustrating Task. More scow than ship, the 24-year-old Pueblo seemed singularly unsuited for her mission. Her wheezing boilers could deliver a maximum speed of only 13.1 knots. The ship's steering mechanism was worn out. Bucher's initial duty was to supervise the refitting of Pueblo from an Army freighter into a first-class, electronic spy ship. It was a frustrating task...
...that have bothered many Americans. "It is a very sad and tragic affair," he said. "We presented the Russians with hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of research in communications." Russell said that he wanted to see the orders issued to Pueblo's skipper, Commander Lloyd M. Bucher. "These men are being hailed as heroes," he added. "They are heroes in the sense that they survived the imprisonment. But they did sign a great many statements that did not reflect any great heroism in my mind. I'll have to investigate further to see just what hero...
...surprisingly few psychic bruises. "They were trying to create doubts in our minds about our country and about our religion," says Hayes. Law was assured that the American people had forgotten Pueblo. When the freed crewmen were granted a brief New Year liberty from questioning by intelligence officers, only Bucher was restricted to a San Diego Naval hospital room, recuperating from nervous and physical exhaustion...