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August, 2011 / Issue 3 |
Honoring: USMC 3/5 Darkhorse |
Welcoming 3/5 Marines to Santa Barbara:
Every SBNL Member Plays a Role
Doug Crawford, longstanding SBNL Board Member and National Navy League Vice President, attended the 3/5 Battalion's Change of Command Ceremony at Camp Pendleton in June. Doug found the occasion to be inspiring, and shares his impressions with Santa Barbara Chapter members:
Arriving at the top of Camp Pendleton’s desolate Area 62 LZ on that warm June 2011 morning was a surreal moment. Anyone who ever read a book about American troops fighting in Afghanistan could have imagined with their mind’s eye the scenery that stretched out and up around the 3/5’s helicopter landing zone (LZ) where the 3/5 Change of Command (CoC) was about to take place. This is where the men of 3/5 worked, trained, played and bled together during the hot summer months that were leading up to their September 2010 deployment to the Sangin District of Afghanistan.
Sangin was well known to every fighting man in every one of the coalition’s armed forces. It was the District the Taliban had taken back, where the British forces fought and incurred heavy casualties before pulling out earlier in 2010. It was where the women of Sangin were no longer allowed to be out of their meager shelters without a male escort, where children - young girls in particular - were no longer enjoying the sun on their faces, nor learning about the world in school, nor gaining wisdom about living as free people.
The area around the 3/5’s LZ made me think of “yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for thou art with me”. Just then I saw a thousand or more Marines forming up on the other side of the LZ, preparing to follow their colors and march together into the CoC. They were not thinking what I was thinking. They were thinking “I am the best trained, strongest, and meanest fighting man any government has put on the battlefield at any time in the history of the world…and we just proved it in Sangin District."
As the couple of hundred guests of all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds moved toward the seats, members of the 3/5 were moving among them. I was thinking “my God they are big.” The Marines in uniform moved among the crowd and talked to the guests on the way to their seats. The Marines with prosthetic limbs and obvious battle scars were surrounded by lingering guests, guests not wanting to turn and walk away from the men who wore the remnants of war, who reminded them of the kid down the street, or their own sons, and whose lives were clearly changed forever there in the Sangin District between September 2010 and May 2011.
The Commanding Officer of 3/5 got out in front of the crowd following the obligatory presentation of the colors and invocation. As he began to speak a hush settled over the LZ. “To our twenty-five Gold Star Marines and their families, to our two hundred injured brothers, to the Marines who fought and returned to fight another day, to the new Marines of the 3/5…and to all the families of all Marines who belong to the 3/5Family – WELCOME!"
Explosions were heard off in the distance. Booming voices heard across the LZ shouted “GET SOME”
Earlier in the morning, before going up onto the LZ, I drove around by myself until I found the 3/5 HQ building. Over the front door a sign hung that read “GET SOME.” As I stood there looking up at the sign a large Marine approached me and said “Good Morning Sir. Are you here representing the Santa Barbara Navy League?” “Yes Sir” I replied, “my name is Doug Crawford and I am honored to be here to meet the men of the 3/5, to watch the CoC, and to take the story about the 3/5 home to our League Members and the community before you all come to Santa Barbara in early September as our guests.”
He smiled, shook my hand, and said “we are really looking forward to the weekend in Santa Barbara and we REALLY appreciate your League adopting us as we all prepare for our next deployment. I am the new CO and I have to get ready for the CoC, but I want you to come on in and look around…and then go on up there – the top of that hill is the 3/5’s LZ…and that is where you will see the men of the 3/5 DARKHORSE.”
Santa Barbara Navy League Members: Your mission, should you decide to accept it:
HOST, HONOR, SUPPORT, & SERVE the Marines and families of the U.S. Marine Corps 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (Darkhorse) beginning on September 8 – 12, 2011.
We can’t “GET SOME” for them without you.
We CAN “GET SOME” for them WITH you.
-- J. Douglas Crawford
SBNL Celebrates Navy Days LA on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)
San Pedro / August 11, 2011
The Santa Barbara Navy League President, Kevin McTague, Vice President, Lynn Behrens, Public Affairs Officer, Patricia Westberg and Staff Interim Executive Director, Alex Baker were recent guests at a reception on board the Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72). The visit was in conjunction with the end of July celebration of Navy Days LA. Over 1000 people attended this event, including the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jon Greenert, USN and Commander of the LINCOLN Battle Group, Rear Admiral Michael Shoemaker, USN.
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Rear Adm. Mike Shoemaker, USN, Commander, USS Lincoln Battle Group, Patti Westberg, Kevin McTague onboard USS Lincoln. |
After passing through multiple layers of security, guests were greeted with a salute from local Navy Sea Cadets on the pier before climbing the stairs to the carrier’s quarterdeck. Once on board, the guests had the unique opportunity of meeting and talking with the crew on the LINCOLN. When asked what he thought about the ship’s visit in Los Angeles, with the many visitors they were expecting over the weekend, Rear Admiral Shoemaker stated, “We love opening up our ship to the people of Los Angeles so they can meet the crew and learn more about the Navy.”
Guests were also able to experience riding on the deck edge elevator from the hangar bay up to the flight deck where they spoke to the pilots of an F/A 18 jet and E-2 C Hawkeye from VAW 116. These “Sun Kings” pilots are stationed at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu when not deployed.
The LINCOLN welcomed over 40,000 visitors from the greater Los Angeles area during the Navy Days LA weekend. During that time, visitors were able to tour the ship and, demonstrate their appreciation for the young men and women who are dedicated to serving their country in the U.S. Navy.
-- Patricia Westberg, SBNL Public Affairs Officer
SBNL Heads out to Sea:
Topside Thursday Mixer on the Condor Express
July 14, 2011 - Santa Barbara Harbor
At sunset, approximately 40 members of the Santa Barbara Navy League's Tri-Counties-based adopted units, their family members, and SBNL members and Directors boarded the Condor Express at Santa Barbara Harbor's Sea Landing for a two-hour cruise. Part of the SBNL's Topside Thursday social mixer series, this gives SBNL members the opportunity to meet the service members who they support with their dues and donations.
As the following photos show, much mixing occurred!
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SBNL Members Mr. / Mrs. Ed Hogan,SBNL Officers |
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Mixer attendees enjoy food and drink |
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Board Member Rick Reeves with members of |
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Members SBNL's adopted ROTC squad |
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SBNL Members bond with members |
-- Rick Reeves, SBNL Webmaster / VP Education
Seabee Museum Prepares for Opening
July 20, 2011 Naval Base Ventura County
A bubble at the bottom of the sea and a dome at the bottom of the Earth are starring in the grand opening Friday of the new Seabee Museum at Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme. The Naval Experimental Manned Observatory, or NEMO, is a 2-ton motorized acrylic bubble that allowed non-divingscientists to travel far below the ocean's surface in the 1970s. "It was the first time you could take a see-through plastic submersible underwater," said Phil Rockwell, program manager of ocean engineering support for the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center at the base. The second big attraction is the top of a geodesic dome that sheltered the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for more than 25 years. Three men who helped design and construct the dome in the early 1970s traveled to Port Hueneme last week to supervise Seabees as they suspended the top rings of the dome over the Antarctica section of the museum.
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"John, Lee and I are very excited to be a part of it," said Jerry Marty, 63, of Long Beach, who served as the construction liaison for the National Science Foundation during the dome's construction. "Not to mention that it is 'full circle' for us." The dome was going to be torn down, but Marty fought to preserve it along with Lee Mattis, 66, of Danville and retired Navy Cmdr. John Perry, 73, of Fairfax, Va. Mattis was with the engineering firm that designed the dome, and Perry was in charge of the Seabees constructing the dome. The 35,000-square-foot museum is designed to be a walk-through history that begins with the start of the Seabees in 1942 and brings visitors up to present-day Seabee projects, such as building roads, bridges and camps for areas devastated by natural disasters.
Finding NEMO
Rockwell remembers the first time he sat inside NEMO as it was lowered over the side of a Navy ship into the cold waters 25 miles offshore between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The sea swallowed the observation bubble and Rockwell and his co-pilot began their descent. Fans hummed to expel the carbon dioxide they were exhaling. They turned on their lights at 250 feet, when the sea grew black. "You could hear crustaceans clicking. It gets transmitted through the hull," Rockwell said. They continued their descent to the ocean's floor, more than 600 feet down. NEMO was built to withstand a depth of 3,000 feet. NEMO was a pioneer when Rockwell helped develop it in the late 1960s and '70s, when moon exploration was at its peak. "It's the Navy's version of the space race," said Seabee Museum director Lara Godbille. NEMO was unique because of its spherical design to resist underwater pressure and its clear, acrylic hull. "There are now acrylic viewports and screens submarines use, but back then, it was real experimental," said Wayne Tausig, department head of ocean facilities of the Navy Facilities Engineering Command. During the Cold War, the Seabees were involved in laying cable along the ocean floor that would help them detect communications in submarines. NEMO also allowed scientists to conduct deepwater exploration that Rockwell found more promising than outer space. "The ocean's bottom is way more interesting than the moon's behind," Rockwell said. Newer technology retired NEMO, which was banished into storage until it turned up outside Disneyland's submarine ride. Rockwell and other volunteers from the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center donated their time to refurbish NEMO and create an undersea mural as a backdrop, complete with undulating lights to simulate a deepwater drive.
They Build, They Fight
The Seabees were developed as a construction force after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. "They had civilians building infrastructure but saw it was too dangerous to have them near the front lines, so the Navy trained them and the Seabees were born," Godbille said. The Seabee story begins in the museum with a World War II section, where digitized 16-millimeter footage of Seabees will run continuously next to a display of Seabee World War II memorabilia. The Vietnam War portion of the museum has an actual-sized "hootch," which is a wooden house with a corrugated steel slanted roof that Seabees would build in the humid jungles of Vietnam. All of the items on display were distilled from a collection that sits in a silent, cavernous storage room in the museum. A heavy door protects the silent, humidity- and temperature-controlled room, where row after row of floor-to-ceiling shelves are stacked with boxes. "This is 60-plus years of history," Godbille said. Godbille's staff spent two years categorizing and researching every letter, every ship's log, every carving and every uniform from the original museum, which opened on base in 1947, and the additional collection. "There were 325,000 Seabees in World War II, and 85 percent of them went through Port Hueneme from the Pacific," Godbille said. "We have a great stockpile of stuff." In the boxes are uniforms, letters, handicrafts created from shells and ammunition casings, stuffed penguins and a bear rug that was the result of a Seabee shooting a bear in Kodiak, Alaska.
A Dream, Realized
Guests who walk through the Antarctica exhibit can see a subzero polar suit, the control panel used at the South Pole station and part of the 164-foot-diameter geodesic dome considered a marvel at its time because it helped resist the weight of accumulated snow. Marty, Perry and Mattis all spent time under the dome, creating human bonds strengthened by the inhuman conditions outside the 52-foot-tall structure. In the buildings under the dome, scientists conducted research on everything from global warming to the origins of life. All three men remember walking between buildings and looking up to see the top of the dome, which visitors will now see. "It's above you in the museum, so when you look up, the top ring has three vent openings," said "If it was a clear day, it was pure blue. You couldn't help but stop and look up. It was so beautiful." The dome was declared outdated in the early 1990s and slated for demolition. But Lee, Marty and Mattis returned to Antarctica in 2005 to determine how each piece could be dismantled, labeled and shipped to Port Hueneme. In 2009, they supervised the dismantling over speaker phone and in late 2010, were there to see the pieces arrive in Port Hueneme. Seeing part of the dome go on display is a triumph for the three men "It's going to be a small percentage of the total dome, but ... it's really a good preservation of Seabee history," Marty said.
The Seabee Museum is now open for business. Visitors should enter the base at Sunkist Gate, at the intersection of Ventura Road and Sunkist Street.
U.S. Navy Seabee Museum
Naval Base Ventura County
Building 100
Port Hueneme, CA 93043
805-982-5165
www.history.navy.mil/museums/seabee_museum.htm
-- Kim Lamb Gragory
The Amazing 3/5 Darkhorse: A Century of Valor and Honor
in Service of our Nation
Rick Reeves, Vice President for Education - Santa Barbara Navy League
This report describes events in the recent successful, 7-month deployment of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (AKA Darkhorse) to the Sangin Valley, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
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Staff Sgt. Nathan Stocking, of Lima Company,
3/5 Battalion, |
April, 2011 - The Third Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, also known as the 3/5 Darkhorse, has a long and storied heritage. And a large part of this heritage has been to take on, and achieve, the toughest missions that modern warfare has to offer.
As the name implies, the Darkhorse Battalion is part of the famed 5th Marine Regiment, the most highly decorated regiment in the United States Marine Corps. The 3/5’s service record reads like a survey of major military battles of the 20th (and now, the 21st) Century. First organized in 1917, The Darkhorse fought in World War I, where, among many other battles, played a pivotal role in the Battle of Belleau Wood. Deployed to the Pacific Theatre during World War II, the 3/5 fought in the major battles at Guadalcanal, New Britain, Peleliu, and Okinawa.
During the Korean War, the 3/5 fought at Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, Seoul and Chosin Reservoir. During the Vietnam War, the 3/5 received TWO Presidential Unit Citations for action at many places,< including Chu-Lai, Da Nang, Quang Nam, the Que Son valley, and The Battle of Hue.
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Lima Company members move past a small village |
During Operation Desert Storm in 1990, the Darkhorse served honorably as a Battalion Landing Team during Operation Desert Shield (the campaign to protect Saudi Arabia from invasion by Iraq) and in combat operations in Al Wafrah, Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm (the liberation of Kuwait from the Iraqi Army).
En route to the United States after Desert Storm, the Darkhorse participated in disaster relief operations in cyclone-ravaged Bangladesh.
Not surprisingly, the Darkhorse has continued its tradition of exceptional service in the Post-911 era. In 2003 the 3/5 was deployed in the invasion of Iraq that removed Saddam Hussein from power. Answering the call of duty once again in 2004, the Darkhorse fought in the battle for Fallujah, helping the coalition forces to liberate this city from insurgent forces’ control.
The Darkhorse ended 2004 by fighting in Operation Phantom Fury (Second Battle of Fallujah), the climax of the battle with Iraqi insurgents to control the Fallujah region.
The most recent achievement took place in the Afghanistan, in the Sangin District of Helmund Province In the fall of 2010, the Darkhorse Battalion relieved British troops, and continued the battle to secure the region valley from the Taliban. Their seven month long effort, including over 500 separate enemy engagements that killed an estimated 470 enemy fighters, was successful. But the cost to the battalion was high: 25 Darkhorse soldiers and sailors were killed in action, and almost 200 were wounded.
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Lance Cpl. Ron Long, Jr., 3/5 India Company |
But their many sacrifices helped turn the tide against the Taliban in the Sangin valley. When Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew to Sangin in February, 2011, he said he had been praying for the 3/5 Marines daily, because they had paid an extraordinary price in sweat and blood to add their names to the Marine Corps roll of honor. But the result had been a dramatic turnaround, in his view, for an area of the country that had bedeviled and bloodied British troops and the Afghan government for years. You’ve killed, captured or driven away most of the Taliban that called this place home. And in doing so, you’ve linked northern Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces, a major strategic breakthrough,” Gates told the Marines.
In April of this year, the Darkhorse returned to its home base at Camp Pendleton, San Diego County, California. As they recovered and regrouped from the deployment, the 3/5 Marines gathered to honor their wounded colleagues, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and share with family their observations of their time on the ground in Sangin. Here are the impressions of four Darkhorse members, excerpted from an article in the San Diego media (location of Camp Pendleton):
Capt. Richard Barclay, Battalion Operations Officer:
Capt. Barclay said the Marines took an aggressive approach against the insurgents: “We wanted to come in here and punch them in the face. … This area and its violence needed a kind of fresh perspective going into it.” By late winter, Sangin became much quieter because “they can’t beat us on the ground in direct firefights. With the amount of intelligence surveillance equipment that we have, and the amount of arms that we can use, artillery and air, it is not a fair fight and it never was meant to be a fair fight for them. It was only a matter of time before we learned their tactics for IED (improvised explosive device) lay-in, found a way around that the best we could, and really just saturated the area with patrols.”
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1st Lt. Josef Patterson and Sgt. David “Bibi” Castillo |
HM3 Sky Saintlouis Navy Hospital Corpsman:
HM3 Saintlous, who immigrated from Haiti as a boy, said the insurgents’ homemade bombs created wounds unlike any seen in typical emergency rooms. On his second field operation in Sangin, he almost lost a young Marine whose legs were blown off by an IED. Saintlouis, another corpsman, the platoon commander and several others helped stanch the bleeding and save his life. There was no leg left to apply tourniquets, so Saintlouis stuffed the Marine’s wounds with gauze treated with blood clotter. “His eyes had rolled back. He was completely out, and with a little help we got him to survive. That was the best feeling,” Saintlouis said. But months after another Marine died, Saintlouis kept brooding about the loss, wondering what more he could have done. “You’re going to make it,” he told the Marine before he was flown out of the war zone. When he passed away weeks later in the hospital, “that hurt.”
“I cannot choose who survives,” Saintlouis said.
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3/5 Darkhorse members on patrol: Sangin Valley, |
Lance Cpl. Zachary Stangle, Combat Engineer / Explosives Disposal
An engineer who swept ahead of the patrols for bombs, Stangle said, “The beginning was horrible. It was so bad here. You’d step outside the wire and five minutes later you’d start getting shot at, you’d see one of your buddies get hit by an IED. But now, you hardly have to worry anymore. There are far less IEDs, far less firefights, far less Taliban in general. I hope they’re not just laying low and hiding.” Despite the heavy combat, and because of it, “we’re finding the good things in life still. We’re not coldblooded killers now. We still appreciate flowers, and dogs. The little things. We care about the little things more than we used to,” Stangle said, because “we’ve seen a lot of good people go down.”
Lance Cpl. Stephen Cribbs, Infantryman:
Lance Corporal Cribbs was in the rear guard getting to know his newborn daughter when the battalion asked for combat replacements to send to Sangin in November. “I’d already missed enough time with my brothers — they were making history out here,” Cribbs said. “Every day it seemed there was news coming back about another buddy getting hit.” Cribbs earned his combat action ribbon the day after Christmas. “All day long, they were shooting at us from the green zone (of trees and fields). You could hear the bullets whizzing by. It sounded like Star Wars lasers. You know when it’s close, it’s the scariest sound.”
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3/5 Members Show the Colors at WWII Memorial, France |
These are only of a few of the 1000 men and women of the 3/5 Darkhorse who we are honoring with the Welcome Weekend celebration during the weekend of September 9, 2011. Over 100 Darkhorse Battalion Marines and their families will attend four days of special events in and around Santa Barbara. If you would like to meet them, get to know them, tell them in person how grateful you are for their service, come out and attend the events!
Acknowledgment
Content sources for this article:
The official 3/5 Darkhorse website
Event Schedule: 3/5 Darkhorse Welcome Home Weekend
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Santa Barbara Navy League Photo Gallery:
2011 Old Spanish Days Fiesta Parade
An estimated 100,000 people jammed downtown Santa Barbara to watch the 87th Annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta parade. Among the 81 parade entries (which included more than 540 horses), were two entries representing the Navy League and its adopted units. Here is a selection of photos from the 2011 Fiesta Parade:
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The Fiesta Flower Girls lead the 2011 Fiesta Parade |
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Navy League and United States Coast Guard: L to R, back rows: Coast Guard command, |
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The Fiesta Flower Girls, from a different perspective |
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United States Coast Guard Color Guard and marchers from Santa Barbara's |
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Doug Crawford, Santa Barbara Navy League National board member interviews |
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Fiesta float entry: City of Santa Maria, California |
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Mounted Color Guard: Santa Monica, California Mounted Police |
From a 3/5 Marine: Our Mission in
Helmand Province
Editor's note: Americans who support our Armed Forces, as do Navy League members, seek to understand the true nature of the war to which our soldiers and sailors have committed their lives. We collect information from many sources, and then assemble our viewpoint. When the sources are our polarized mass media, we must filter out the redundancy (most media reports are adapted from the same wire services), and point-of-view of the media outlet.
Occasionally, we are privileged to hear directly from the parties involved in the conflict. As part of the preparations for the Welcome Home Weekend, we spoke with 3/5 member SSGT David Sandifer, leader of a Marine Scout/Sniper platoon, who recently returned from the 3/5's seven-month deployment to the Sangin Valley, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. We asked SSGT Sandifer about the nature of their mission, the importance of the region to both sides in the conflict, and the role that the Afghanis, both civilian and military, play in the conflict. Here, lightly edited, are SSGT Sandifer's comments:
"Helmand Province is an agricultural valley that is also one of the world's largest growers of opium poppies. It is also a major supply route for the opium trade. As such, Helmund is of major importance to the Taliban, who fund their political and military operations from the sale and transport of opium and war materials. The Taliban time their 'fighting season' around the poppy growing and opium production cycles. And they controlled the region through fear and intimidation.
"Our mission in Helmand Province is to bring stability to the region by denying the Taliban a stronghold there, and by enabling the local Afghan citizens, who oppose the Taliban, the opportunity to build their own economy and government. Given the economic importance of Helmand to the Taliban, this is a difficult mission. And it continues."
"Accomplishing this mission requires two things. First, the ability to quickly understand the 'human environment' in the region: to understand who the Taliban (and their supporters) were, and also which Afghans opposed them. This is not a simple proccess. All of the opposing parties may dress alike, but they do not ACT alike; observing the actions of individuals is the key to identifying the various factions.
"The second thing is determination: The will to stand up to the Taliban and, through combat, deny them control of the region. Achieving this drives the Taliban out, and proves to the opposing Afghans that you are serious about supporting them. At this point, they begin to openly support your efforts.
"The 3/5 worked with Afghan forces to aggressively patrol the region, successfully engaging the Taliban in many battles between September (2010) and March of this year. Slowly, we turned the tide against the Taliban, aided by the increasing number of Afghan civilians who saw our determination and success and switched loyalties from the Taliban to the (U.S. led) coalition.
"Until the 3/5 began its deployment, few outside forces had stood up to the Taliban. And the Afghan opposition took notice of this and acted accordingly.
"By the time we turned the mission over to the 1/5 Marines, who relieved us in March, we had greatly reduced Taliban control of Helmand Province. And the key factor in our success was the sheer determination and will of the 3/5 infantrymen to aggressively bring the fight to the Taliban.
"I have served three tours in Iraq (in Falloujah - ed.) and elsewhere in Afghanistan. And the displays of courage and determination by the 3/5 Marines in Helmand Province were the finest that I have seen."
SSGT Sandifer is concluding his active Marine Corps service in September. He will attend law school in his home state of Texas in 2012.
--Edited by: Rick Reeves
Dispatch from the USS Stockdale
In April 2009 the SBNL hosted the USS STOCKDALE (DDG 106) Commissioning Ceremony in Port Hueneme, and proudly “adopted” her and her future crews. On June 23, Commander Jeffrey A. Bennett II, the Stockdale Commanding Officer (CO), highlighted STOCKDALE’S 8-month maiden deployment for the SBNL.The deployment began on 29 November 2010 and began with joint exercises with the CARL VINSON Strike Group off of the Southern Californian coast. “Although relatively close to home,” Commander Bennett wrote, “the STOCKDALE maintained an intense focus every day mastering essential skills and simulating every scenario we might encounter in the Fifth and Seventh Fleet Areas of Responsibility (AORs).” Although among the longest and most challenging days of the entire deployment, Commander said it “was challenging, rewarding and fun.”
The STOCKDALE also escorted the USS RONALD REAGAN on her way to the Gulf and the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON following the major earthquake in Japan. Two weeks in February were spent in the Gulf of Thailand supporting the USS ESSEX Amphibious Ready Group, where the STOCKDALE functioned as the Air Defense Commander during amphibious exercises.
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USS Stockdale: alongisde USS Ronald Reagan, |
Other highlights of the STOCKDALE’s maiden deployment included “amazing port visits in South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, and Malaysia,” Commander Bennett wrote. “For many members of the crew, it was their first visit to a foreign port. We operated along side the Japanese, Korean, Thai and Malaysian Navies, compared first-hand the different traditions and operational process among us, and enjoyed learning about different cultures.”
The Stockdale returned to the Third Fleet AOR and in July spent several weeks in Pearl Harbor preparing for a major weapons testing event. “Although this assignment extended our deployment,” Commander Bennett noted, “it is a significant test for the future of the Navy and we are proud to have been selected to participate.”
“From [the Commissioning] in Port Hueneme to the conclusion of this deployment,” Commander Bennett reflected, “these outstanding sailors saw the Stockdale rise from a new vessel to a fully operational warship.”
Here is a description of the speech, which discussed the ships currently serving in the USN submarine fleet and their missions. Then the speech outlined the attributes of the latest Virginia class ship.
And the SBNL—and American’s everywhere who understand and appreciate the sacrifice and dedication of such outstanding sailors—could not be more proud.”
For more on the STOCKDALE and her crew, visit them on Facebook:
http://www.face book.com/pages/USSSTOCKDALE-DDG-106/128805733826735.
You can listen to the speech by visiting the New Releases section of the Navy League TV web page.
--Brady Bustany, SBNL Board Member
Japan, USA VIPs Thank the USS Ronald Reagan
By: Mass Comm Spec 2nd Class Josh Cassatt
USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs
April, 2011 - Dignitaries and senior military leaders from Japan and the U.S. visited USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) April 4, to express appreciation to the crew for their support and dedication during Operation Tomodachi of a Virginia-class submarine under construction at Electric Boat when he volunteered to go to Camp Bucca, once the largest prison in Iraq, from 2007 to 2008. The SBNL reprints it for the enjoyment of our members.
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USS Reagan crewmen prepare packages for kids |
The Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa; the U.S. ambassador to Japan John Roos; Commander, Joint Support Force, Adm. Patrick Walsh; and 12 other distinguished guests flew to the Ronald Reagan
to personally express their thanks while it operated in the Western Pacific Ocean.
“I want to express my heartfelt appreciation and admiration to each and every U.S. service member that came to the aid of the victims of the disaster,” said Kitazawa. “Your warm help will be cherished and engrained in the hearts and souls of the Japanese people.”
“Operation Tomodachi, which is a Japanese word meaning “friend,” is a joint U.S.-Japan mission to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) to the victims of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan March 11.
Upon their arrival, the distinguished visitors received a tour of the ship, a series of briefings with the Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 leadership, and held an all-hands call in the hangar bay with the crew.Kitazawa, Roos and Walsh spoke to the commitment and duty of the Ronald Reagan and CVW 14 Sailors and Marines, and highlighted the strengthened bond between Japan and the U.S.
“It is that fabric of friendship between our two countries, represented by each one of you here today that brings our two countries together,” said Roos. “Today we stand together - Japan and the U.S. - side by side on the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan as friends who have worked together, day and night, to uplift this great country.”
The ambassador’s sentiments were echoed by Walsh in his remarks to the crew.
“To the Ronald Reagan, thank you; you make us all proud,” Walsh said. “For the men and women who have participated in this operation, it is a memory that will last a lifetime.”
Sailors and Marines who attended the all-hands call were humbled by the show of appreciation.
“It was wonderful they all took the time to come out here to thank us,” said Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Jillian Yates. “Operation Tomodachi is still going on, and they still made the trip to say thank you. It definitely makes us feel appreciated.”
The ships of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group were the first on the scene in Japan, and began providing HADR support immediately after arriving March 13.
The visit also represented the conclusion of Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group’s role in Operation Tomodachi.
“It is my sincere wish that those of you who will depart from the relief efforts to assume a new mission, leave with a feeling of utmost pride for taking part in a noble cooperation like Operation Tomodachi,” Kitazawa said. “The Japanese people will be your tomodachi forever.”
-- Submitted by Brady Bustany, SBNL Board Member
SBNL
P.O. Box 4007
Santa Barbara, CA 93140-4007
The SBNL is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Charitable contributions are tax deductible. Federal Tax ID: 77-0553915
To join the NLUS Santa Barbara Council or to learn more about unique ways you can help: Call 805.879.1775.
Visit www.SBNL.org or e-mail SBNLdevelopment@gmail.com
Presidents' Advisory Committee
Karen Crawford - Lin Graf
Honorary Board
John Barletta - Sr. Christine Bowman - Fred Brander - CDR Alan Brown, MD - Earnest Cowell - George Krebs - Connie Los - Stan Los - John McGowan - Kathleen Yabsley
SBNL Officers
President:Kevin McTague
First Vice President: Brenda Blalock
Second Vice President: Lynn Behrens
Third Vice President: Rick Reeves
Judge Advocate: Kevin McTague
Secretary: Robert Duncan
Treasurer: Steve Hicks
Executive Committee: Grant Ivey
Executive Committee: Jerry Lomonaco
Chief Executive Officer: Karen Crawford
SBNL Directors
Brady M. Bustany - Ed Carr - Col. Phil Conran (USAF, Ret.) -
Jeff Cotter - Doug Crawford - Philip Hons - CDR Charles "Crash" Huff USN (Ret.) - Grant Ivey - Jerry Lomonaco - Debbie Neer - Susie Pridmore
- Sarah Reeves - LCDR Thomas Watson (USN, Ret.) - Patricia A. Westberg
Strike Team
Leslie Lund - Sarah Reeves
Interim Executive Director
Alexis Baker - 805.879.1775
SBNLDevelopment@gmail.com
The Bridge
The Bridge is a publication of the United States Navy League, Santa Barbara Council
Editor: Rick Reeves
Public Affairs Officer: Patricia Westberg
Questions? Comments? Story Ideas?
Please email us at Newsletter@sbnl.org