"The assault occurred on June 8, 1967, in broad daylight, when the ship's markings and a large American flag rippling in the breeze clearly identified the Liberty as American. Israeli fighter planes, in more than 30 sorties, sprayed the vessel with deadly rocket and machine-gun fire and napalm. A torpedo from Israeli gunboats ripped huge holes in its hull. When rubber life-rafts were lowered into the water as a preparation should the abandon-ship order be given, the torpedo boats shot them to pieces.
"In the wake of the assault, 34 U.S. crewmen were dead and 171, including Captain McGonagle, were injured—some critically.
"Despite wounds and heavy bleeding, he stayed on the badly-damaged bridge throughout the assault and for 17 hours thereafter, inspiring the damage- and fire-control efforts that miraculously kept the ship afloat. "The citation that accompanied the medal gave him a well deserved salute: "[McGonagle] with full knowledge of the seriousness of his wounds, subordinated his own welfare to the safety and survival of his command.... Despite continuous exposure to fire, he maneuvered his ship, directed its defense, supervised the control of flooding and fire, and saw to the care of the casualties....He [later] refused much-needed medical attention until convinced that the seriously wounded among his crew had been treated...." "The citation did not mention that the deadly assault was carried out by Israeli military forces, and, unbelievably, the medal was awarded only after U.S. officials received assurances that the Israeli government had no objections.
"Breaking with time-honored tradition, the president of the United States took no personal part in the presentation ceremony. He had it moved away from the White House—and the news media. While President Johnson spent the day in the White House, the medal was given to McGonagle by the Navy secretary in an unpublicized ceremony at the obscure Washington Navy Yard.
"Admiral Thomas Moorer, who had become chief of naval operations a few months earlier, had protested without success over the denigrating arrangements, urging that the medal be presented in the traditional manner. He later said, "The way they did things, I'm surprised they didn't just hand it to him under the 14th Street Bridge."
"At no point in the ceremony were assaulting forces identified as Israeli." You can read the full account at the above link. I have also read the Assault on the USS Liberty by Lieutenant James Ennes, Jr. I highly recommend it for anyone that would like a first hand account of deliberate murder and a Presidential cover-up. There's another book I highly recommend: The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt. After you read that book you'll understand why Captain McGonagle was treated so poorly by Lyndon Johnson for an act of heroism that should have had Hollywood lining up at his door to make a movie of it. Our Presidents and Congress are afraid of the Israel Lobby...it's been that way for a long, long time...tail wagging the dog. I will say no more...