Not the first time, definitely won't be the last.
Back in 1967, my dad was aboard the USS Forrestal when The Fire broke out. As a newby AO, he was manning a hose down on the hanger deck during that whole mess; he never made it clear whether that was his regular GQ/DC assignment or if he'd been pressed onto that assignment when the exploding weapons were taking out the regular shipboard firefighting crews. Given how his story turned out, I suspect the latter.
Anyway, when my dad's chief called the roll to find out who was where, my dad wasn't. He was reported up the chain aboard the ship as MIA. Later that evening, when the casualty reports were transmitted to shore, some clerk/typist handling the report misread when he came to my dad's name. He tapped out the telegram to my grandmother, regretting to inform her yada, yada, yada, "KILLED IN ACTION aboard the USS Forrestal, 29 July 1967". My dad was MIA for 3 days before he and his superiors got things straightened out, but nobody thought to correct the info sent to my grandmother. My grandmother did not know that dad wasn't dead until after the Forrestal was back in port, dad was given leave, and he came ambling up her front walk.
