Mars (AFS 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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SHIPMATES , A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE INTO THIS BOOK TO HELP US REMEMBER OUR TIME ON THE NUMBER ONE AFS IN THE UNIVERSE-THE STAR SHIP MARS. AS I LOOK BACK AT ALL WE ' VE DONE TOGETHER IT BRINGS A WARM FEELING OF TEAMWORK AND A JOB WELL DONE. AND THEN SADDAM HUSSEIN HAD HIS INVASION OF KUWAIT AND WE FOUND OURSELVES BACK IN SAN DIEGO DOING A TRAINING READINESS EXAMINATION FOLLOWED FOUR DAYS LATER BY REFRESHER TRAINING WHICH WE BREEZED THROUGH IN SEVEN DAYS VICE TEN DAYS. WE PASSED EVERTHING AND HEADED FOR HOME FOR A MONTH PRIOR TO DEPARTING SIX WEEKS EARLY IN SUPPORT OF DESERT SHIELD OPERATION. ON 8 NOVEMBER, A BEAUTIFUL SAN FRANCISCO DAY, BRIGHT, CLEAR AND CRISP, WE SAID GOOD-BYE TO OUR LOVED ONES WITH THE GLINTER OF A TEAR IN OUR EYE AND HEADED- WEST. AFTER TWENTY TWO DAYS OF ROUGH WEATHER INCLUDING TYPHOON PAGE WE MADE IT TO SUBIC. A FTER SUBIC WE STOPPED IN PHUKET, THAILAND AND REPORTED FOR DUTY IN THE NORTH ARABIAN SEA ON 23 DECEMBER. WE DID AN AIRHEAD ON 23 AND 25 DECEMBER WHICH REALLY GOT US OFF TO A FAST START. ON 17 JANUARY THE WAR STARTED AND WE WERE READY. OUR SHIP PERORMED MARVELOUS- LY, BECAUSE WE WORKED HARD TO TAKE CARE OF HER. THE SACRIFICES EACH OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES HAVE MADE OVER THE COURSE OF THIS CRUISE ARE NOW A PART OF HISTORY. YOU MADE HISTORY. I FOR ONE AM SO VERY HAPPY I WAS ABLE TO SHARE PART OF THAT HISTO- RY WITH YOU. AND AS THE YEARS PASS AND WE GROW OLD, I HOPE WE CAN LOOK THROUGH THE PAGES OF THIS CRUISE BOOK AND CONJURE THE WARM AND GOOD FEELINGS THAT COME WITH TEAMWORK, BEING A GOOD SHIPMATE, AND KNOWING WE DID OUR BEST. SEE YOU ON THE DECKPLATES, SHIPMATES! W. W. PICKA VANCE, JR 4 CO

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CHANGE OF COMMAND 6 CO