Beling was commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS "Forrestal" (CVA-59) at the time of the July 29, 1967 fire that killed 134 Sailors, injured 161, and caused $72 million (1967 dollars) in damage to the ship. The Navy investigation into the fire cleared Beling of wrongdoing. After retiring from the Navy as a rear admiral in 1973, Beling worked as a Department of Defense civilian, as well as for a defense contractor, before retiring for good in 1985. He died November 5, 2010 in Reston, Virginia.