Heroes of the USS Nimitz remembered at the Brotherhood of Heroes Military Museum & Library

May 27, 2026 By Staff Report 3 min read

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Chris Cammarota, U.S.S. Nimitz survivor and event organizer, speaks during a Memorial Day tribute at the Brotherhood of Heroes Resource Center Museum. MARK CLIFFORD

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The Brotherhood of Heroes Military Resource Center & Museum hosted a special Memorial Day Tribute Monday to those who served on the U.S.S. Nimitz. The open-to-the-public Memorial Day event honored those who perished on the ship as well as veterans who were on board the day the vessel that incurred a catastrophic flight deck fire 42 years ago that took the lives of 14 sailors and injured 49. The tribute included a number of veterans, including (at left) World War II Navy vet James Elmer Smith who recently celebrated his 101 birthday. Also pictures is his aid, John Ferris. MARK CLIFFORD

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The Brotherhood of Heroes Military Resource Center & Museum hosted a special Memorial Day Tribute Monday to those who served on the U.S.S. Nimitz. The open-to-the-public Memorial Day event honored those who perished on the ship as well as veterans who were on board the day the vessel that incurred a catastrophic flight deck fire 42 years ago that took the lives of 14 sailors and injured 49. Among those taking part were the Calendar Girls. MARK CLIFFORD

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The Brotherhood of Heroes Military Resource Center & Museum hosted a special Memorial Day Tribute Monday to those who served on the U.S.S. Nimitz. The open-to-the-public Memorial Day event honored those who perished on the ship as well as veterans who were on board the day the vessel that incurred a catastrophic flight deck fire 42 years ago that took the lives of 14 sailors and injured 49. Among those taking part were the Calendar Girls. MARK CLIFFORD

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The Brotherhood of Heroes Military Resource Center & Museum hosted a special Memorial Day Tribute Monday to those who served on the U.S.S. Nimitz. The open-to-the-public Memorial Day event honored those who perished on the ship as well as veterans who were on board the day the vessel that incurred a catastrophic flight deck fire 42 years ago that took the lives of 14 sailors and injured 49. Among those taking part were the Calendar Girls. MARK CLIFFORD

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The Brotherhood of Heroes Military Resource Center & Museum hosted a special Memorial Day Tribute Monday to those who served on the U.S.S. Nimitz. The open-to-the-public Memorial Day event honored those who perished on the ship as well as veterans who were on board the day the vessel that incurred a catastrophic flight deck fire 42 years ago that took the lives of 14 sailors and injured 49. Among those taking part were the Calendar Girls. MARK CLIFFORD

The Brotherhood of Heroes Military Resource Center & Museum hosted a special Memorial Day Tribute Monday to those who served on the USS Nimitz.

The open-to-the-public event honored those who perished on the ship as well as veterans who were on board the day the vessel incurred a catastrophic flight deck fire 42 years ago that took the lives of 14 sailors and injured 49.

The event also drew in $8,000 in donations for the center, a not-for-profit “committed to helping First Responders, Military both active and Veterans alike, their families, and the Cape Coral community as a whole.”

Cape veteran and one of the event organizers, Chris Cammarota, was among those aboard the USS Nimitz and he was among other survivors from across the county attending the tribute.

“The event was all that we could have expected,” he said. “We had over 200 people at the event. The Coral Ridge event was great and this was another one that pulled a lot of people in.”

He said thanks to a pair of donations, this year’s event was a lot more comfortable for the outdoor component.

“What made the difference this year is we had two tents donated, one by the city — like a circus tent 40 by 60 — and we had a citizen who donated another one. It was fantastic, it made a difference, we were out of the heat.

“Thanks to Todd King, the Parks and Rec Department, they came through, it was what the doctor ordered. We raised over $8,000 in donations over the weekend for the Military Museum with one person giving $1,000 and another $5,000.”

The $5,000 donation came from James D. Oberweis, who is running for Congress. The $1,000 donation came from County Commissioner David Mulicka.

He also thanked the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, which provided an honor guard and had its ice cream truck there, and the museum, which provided hot dogs, hamburgers, drink and chips.

On May 26, 1981, a Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler crashed on the flight deck of the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier named after World War II Pacific fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

The crash, which occurred right off the coast of Jacksonville, and subsequent explosions and fire, either destroyed or damaged 19 other aircrafts.

The fire was fed by the steady flow of fuel from the punctured tank of a just-refueled aircraft.

When the fire was believed to be out and orders were given to start the cleanup, a “sparrow” missile warhead detonated, killing two and injuring seven while rekindling the fire. It left a 12-inch by 24-inch wide by 3-inch-deep depression in the flight deck. Two other warheads detonated after the first explosion.