Lowery Gathers Signatures in Support of Vincennes Crew

Seeking to muster support for the captain and crew of the U.S. warship that shot down an Iranian passenger jet carrying 290 people, Rep. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego) on Friday began gathering signatures for a letter of encouragement to be sent to the sailors.

“This letter does not speak to the Iran Air incident or our policy regarding the U.S. naval presence in the Persian Gulf,” Lowery said in a speech to about 100 people at the Broadway Pier. “It’s simply an expression of support to the sailors who have undergone a traumatic experience.”

Offers ‘Strong Support’

The letter, addressed to the cruiser Vincennes’ commander, Capt. Will Rogers III, offers “strong support to you as you strive to do your duty to God and country in troubled waters far from home.” It will be attached to a 567-foot sheet of signature-filled white paper--matching the length of the cruiser--and mailed Monday.

The Vincennes, whose home port is San Diego, shot down Iran Air Flight 655 in the Persian Gulf on July 3 after the Airbus failed to respond to demands by the cruiser to identify itself, the U.S. government has said. All passengers and crew aboard the aircraft were killed.

Lowery said his letter is not an effort to excuse the downing of the plane or to exonerate the sailors.

“We have an investigation under way, and that’s appropriate,” he said after addressing the crowd. “We’re not trying to shift the blame for this tragedy. If the United States was wrong, we are big enough to admit it. We are a free society, and that’s the way we do things.”

However, Lowery said, he has seen little evidence indicating that the crew may have acted too quickly in shooting down the plane.

“Under the circumstances as we know them, they hadn’t any choice,” he said. “It was tragic, a mistake. But, given the very compressed time and the facts, there wasn’t much else they could do.”

During his address, Lowery also read a message he said was written by Rogers to relatives of the Vincennes crew. Rogers mourned the death of those on the jet, but maintained that “defense of . . . the Vincennes has been and always will be my first priority.”

‘We Do Understand’

After briefly debating the circumstances surrounding the incident, Lowery insisted that neither his letter to the crew nor the signature drive have anything to do with his opinions of the Persian Gulf incident or of the Reagan Administration’s foreign policy.

“It’s simply a statement from the people of San Diego to let (the Vincennes crew) know that we do understand,” he said.

Sections of the paper will be available for signatures at a number of locations around San Diego, including the Over-the-Line Tournament on Fiesta Island, the Fashion Valley mall, the Mira Mesa Mall and the Sports Arena. The sections will be taped together at the end of the drive.