Reagan Calls Stark Victims Heroes During Memorial

President Reagan on Friday praised the 37 sailors killed aboard the frigate Stark as heroes who willingly sacrificed their lives “so that wider war and greater conflict could be avoided.”

Amid a growing controversy over America’s increasing involvement in the Persian Gulf, Reagan said “our own nation’s security and our freedom” are at stake in the region, torn by more than six years of war between Iran and Iraq.

Accompanied by his wife, Nancy, Reagan joined Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger, Navy Secretary James Webb and other military leaders at a memorial service in an airport hangar at the frigate’s home port near Jacksonville.

About 300 relatives and friends of the victims sat on folding chairs in front of the stage in the hot, muggy building where 2,000 people gathered to pay respects. A wreath of white carnations in the shape of an anchor faced the audience.

Crewman Breaks Down

Several members of the Stark crew--lucky enough to have been at home on leave when the ship was attacked Sunday by an Iraqi warplane in the gulf--were present. One of them broke down in the arms of a woman with him.

At the playing of taps, sobs and cries of grief filled the building.

The outpouring of emotion continued as the Reagans walked through the rows of chairs, shaking hands and consoling family members for nearly 45 minutes. An elderly woman collapsed and was helped up by the President, then carried away by someone else.

The United States and Iraq both say last week’s missile attack was inadvertent. Baghdad has offered to pay compensation for the victims and the ship.

‘Choke-Point for Freedom’

Stressing the strategic importance of the gulf, Reagan told the mourners: “Were a hostile power ever to dominate this strategic region and its resources, it would become a choke-point for freedom--that of our allies and our own.

“That is why we maintain a naval presence there,” he said. “Our aim is to prevent, not to provoke, wider conflict, to save the many lives that further conflict would cost us.

“The fallen sailors of the USS Stark understood their obligations. They knew the importance of their job,” Reagan said.

“So, too, I believe that most Americans today know the price of freedom in this uneasy world; they know that to retreat or withdraw would only repeat the improvident mistakes of the past and hand final victory to those who seek war, who make war.”

‘Final Sacrifice’

He said: “Young Americans of the USS Stark gave up their lives so that the terrible moments of the past would not be repeated, so that wider war and greater conflict could be avoided, so that thousands, and perhaps millions, of others might be spared the final sacrifice these men so willingly made.”

The Iraqi attack focused sharp attention on the Administration’s plan to put Kuwaiti oil tankers under the U.S. flag and defend them.

On a 91-5 vote, the Senate voted to require the Administration to inform Congress about the security situation in the gulf before U.S. ships begin escorting 11 Kuwaiti vessels.

A three-member Senate delegation--Jim Sasser (D-Tenn.), John Glenn, (D-Ohio) and John W. Warner (R-Va.)-- prepared to fly to the Persian Gulf this weekend on a fact-finding mission.

En route to Florida, presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said the Administration believes that consultations already under way with Congress “will probably meet the spirit certainly, if not the letter” of the reporting requirement demanded by the Senate.

No Judgment Yet

He said the White House would not make a final judgment on the matter until it sees if the House also approves the measure.

Reflecting a split within the Administration, Fitzwater also disagreed with testimony last week by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy, the State Department’s senior Middle East specialist.

Murphy had said that an attack by Iran on American naval forces would open a new dimension to its war with Iraq, leaving open the possibility of American involvement.

“We disagree with Murphy’s testimony,” Fitzwater said on Air Force One. “He was not authorized to say that.”

‘Just a Deterrent’

Fitzwater said, “Our position is that reflagging (of Kuwaiti vessels) is just a deterrent but does not represent an increase in hostilities in any way.”

Friday’s service marked the sixth time Reagan has attended a memorial service for members of the military or the seven Challenger astronauts. About 309 servicemen have died in the line of duty during his Administration.

Here, Reagan recalled the dead of World War II and said that, “in some ways, it was easier to bear then because it was easier to understand why we were there, why we were fighting.”

“The burden of our own time is so different,” Reagan said.

Importance of Region

Noting that U.S. ships have patrolled the gulf since 1949, Reagan pointed out the importance of the region in supplying oil to the rest of the world.

“Even more important,” he said, “this is a region critical to avoiding larger conflict in the tinderbox that is the Middle East, and our role there is essential to building the conditions for peace in that troubled, dangerous part of the world.”

Reagan said at the memorial service: “The men of the USS Stark stood guard in the night. . . . They were great. And those that died did embody the best of us.

“Yes, they were ordinary men who did extraordinary things,” he said. “Yes, they were heroes.”