Terrorism Victim Is Remembered

In an emotional ceremony Wednesday, a sailor killed in the Middle East in 1985 by terrorist hijackers was remembered as a patriotic American who “gave up his life rather than compromise his honor or integrity.”

And the commanding officer of a guided-missile destroyer named in honor of that sailor said the ship may soon sail to the Persian Gulf to fight the same kind of terrorists.

Petty Officer Robert Dean Stethem was a construction diver, a group in Navy-ese known as “steelworkers.” Successive crews on the ship named for him have adopted that as their collective nickname.

Cmdr. Craig Faller, commander of the Stethem for the last 20 months, said he had a “message for terrorists: Fear the men of steel.”

Faller’s comments came during a routine change-of-command ceremony in which Faller was relieved by Cmdr. David Melin.

Stethem’s parents, Richard and Patricia Stethem of Maryland, said they hope the ship and one named for Marine Corps Col. William Higgins, killed by terrorists in 1988, will participate in the war against terrorism.

“We would like it very much if both the Stethem and the Higgins get to shoot Tomahawks and deliver some justice,” said Richard Stethem, a retired Navy senior chief petty officer.

Stethem’s brother, Kenneth, a retired Navy SEAL, acting as guest speaker, said he remembers seeing his brother’s flag-draped coffin at Arlington National Cemetery.

“Every time I look at the flag now and for the rest of my life,” said Stethem, his voice breaking, “the red will represent the blood he spilled, the blue the beating and bruises he endured, and the white the purity and integrity he demonstrated in sacrificing his life.”

Robert Stethem was singled out by the terrorists because he was part of the U.S. military. He was returning to the United States after completing a repair job at a U.S. military facility.

Stethem, 24, was beaten and shot in the head and his body dumped on the tarmac in Beirut. While being beaten, Stethem refused to denounce the United States.

The hijacking occurred minutes after TWA Flight 847 departed from the civilian airport at Athens. The hijackers, Lebanese Shiite Muslims, demanded that Israel release several hundred Shiite Muslim prisoners.

After days of delicate negotiations, the prisoners were released, and the remaining hostages were freed. In 1989, one of the hijackers was convicted of air piracy and murder in West Germany and given a life sentence.

Stethem was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. In 1995, a newly commissioned Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was named for him.

The Navy has taken special care to preserve Stethem’s memory and to forge ties with his family. An annual wreath-laying service is held.

After Wednesday’s ceremony, Stethem family members said they regret that the United States has not taken stronger action against terrorism in the past.

“We had war declared on us by terrorists in 1979,” said Kenneth Stethem, referring to the Iranian hostage crisis, “but we decided not to show up.”