-Isms: Views on life in rural America

Etch these names in your mind: Greg, Gary and Kelly. They belong to the Sage brothers, of Niobrara. On June 3, 1969, these three native sons were on board the USS Evans, positioned approximately 100 miles off the Vietnam coastline, in the South China Sea, engaged in a training exercise - Operation Sea Spirit - with the HMAS Melbourne, an Australian aircraft carrier. As darkness settled and training continued, the Evans turned right, moving at approximately 21 knots, or 24 miles per hour. An alarm sounds, but it’s too late. The Melbourne heads toward the US ship, splitting it in two.

Two of the...