Just like he does most years, Frank Spicher will hear the name of his father, John “Butch” Clarence Spicher of Brackenridge, called among the other 34 American servicemen killed aboard the USS Liberty 50 years ago.

Israel attacked the Navy intelligence-gathering ship in the Mediterranean Sea on June 8, 1967, during the Six Day War.

Israel later said it mistook the Liberty for an Egyptian ship.

However, many ship survivors and the families of the fallen soldiers think it was a ruse to pull the United States into the war.

That claim has been repeatedly denied by both the Israeli and American governments.

Spicher's parents and family in Brackenridge were devastated by the loss, according to his sister-in-law, Mary Ann Spicher, 75, of New Kensington.

Her husband, the late William J. Spicher Sr. — Butch's brother — took on the grim task of identifying his brother's remains in Arlington, Va.

Both brothers and their father, John E. Spicher, served in the Navy.

“Every time the anniversary came up, Bill would say, ‘If there was a God, why did he let my brother die?' ” Mary Ann Spicher said.

Frank Spicher, 51, of Finksburg, Md., was only 18 months old when his father was killed.

He doesn't remember much about his dad, but his first visit to Arlington National Cemetery stayed with him for many years.

Spicher's grandfather hoisted the young boy on his shoulders so he could witness his father's funeral service.

“I remember the 21-gun salute,” he said, “and that is what I would hear in my head when I went to sleep.”

Frank Spicher this year is attending the 50th anniversary of the attack on the USS Liberty, which includes a memorial service Thursday at Arlington.

“I go because it is what I should do and to honor the folks who served with my dad,” Spicher said.

His father was 30 years old when he re-enlisted and became the ship's postal clerk.

On the day of the attack, Spicher's father played gin rummy with a shipmate, whom Spicher got to know over the years during the annual memorial services.

“They both were talking about what they were going to do when they got out,” he said.

“My dad said he wanted to grow up with his son and be a postmaster in some small hamlet or be a truck driver,” Spicher said.

During the attack, Spicher's father tried to clean the napalm from the deck of the ship but the hoses being used were riddled by Israeli gunfire, making them ineffective.

So Spicher headed back into the ship, where he was killed by a rocket blast.

“The next person who saw him was asked by my father if he would be OK,” Spicher said.

Not long after that, CPR was administered, but Spicher's father died.

Butch Spicher's memory lives on not only during the annual memorial service but in everyday life for Frank Spicher, who named his daughter Liberty.

One of four children, Liberty will turn 28 on June 13 and lives in Carnegie.

Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. She can be reached at 724-226-4691 or mthomas@tribweb.com or via twitter @MaThomas_Trib.

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