Frank Eurice of Balitmore, Maryland was 18 years old when he received his draft notice on Christmas Eve 1965. With some fancy footwork he manages to get himself in the Navy and “out of the frying pan into the fire” aboard the Forrestal by July of '67.
The Burning Ballet is the much anticipated new documentary from Baltimore Documentary filmmaker Jerel Jones. This 40th Anniversary set relives one of wartime’s most horrific stories of sacrifice, heroism, and daring: the 13 hours on July 29, 1967 that plunged 5,000 men aboard the super aircraft carrier USS Forrestal into a fiery hell. Using intimate personal accounts never before made public, Jerel Jones reveals how these young men’s lives were forged that day in a crucible of exploding bombs, flaming jet fuel and amazing sacrifice that claimed 134 sailors. More than a stirring meditation on how ordinary men summon heroic strength, The Burning Ballet takes you to the edge of the catastrophe as you peer into the maw of this man-made hell.
Airmen from Attack Squadron VA-65 out of Virginia Beach, Va tell how they ended up in the A-6 Intruder Squadron that would eventually find itself aboard the USS Forrestal on July 29, 1967.

Get the full story on the event that set into motion John McCain's legendary journey towards the White House.

See McCain's narrow escape from the exploding flightdeck after jumping nine feet into a pool of flaming jet fuel.

 
Click to view clip

Click to view clip 		Cliff Ashley of VA-106 describes the moments before the first explosion. Did he aid Lt. McCain in his escape? It's a question that intrigues him to this day after 40 years.