Iwo Jima (LHD 7) - Naval Cruise Book

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Thursday, 1 5 September- To be perfectly honest, most everyone onboard IWO JIMA has lost the concept of time. After a while you forget what day of the week it is or what the actual date is. Days are remembered by the big event: completion of a big project, the departure of a unit, or a visit by the President. Thursday 15 September is remembered on IWO JIMA as President Bush ' s second visit. We have now officially renamed compartment 02-59-4-L, formerly the Amphibious Group Commanders Cabin, the Presidential Suite. The ship gathered up seve ral dozen volunteers this morning for a clean up project at a local church. Holy Trinity Cathedral, one of the oldest Greek Orthodox pahshes in the United States. The church was located near the bayou and had sustained about 3 feet of flood damage. The flood waters had barely receded; one edge of the parking lot was still connected to the bayou. The interior of the church was covered in a slippery layer of brown scum. The team went to work clearing out all the furniture and holy items while the ship ' s chaplains cleaned up the altar The saturated carpet was completely pulled up and the beautiful marble floor was washed and cleaned. One group wiped down all the pews with Murphy ' s oil soap, so that by the end of the day the interior of the church was fully restored - ready for services this Sunday The church was aired out and the stagnant smell was replaced by the faint scent of bleach. My time on the project was cut short in order to return to the ship for the visit of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs who was onboard for a tour of IWO JIMA ' s medical facilities and talks with the JTF Commander along with other admirals and generals of the health services. I had to apologize for greeting the Secretary in a set of muddy coveralls. The ship was also visited by the Assistant Chief of NYPD who leads the 300 person NYPD contingent. He wears two stars on his collar and considering the size and reputation of the NYPD compared to most countrys ' armed forces, an Assistant Chief is probably equal to a two star general. With the streets secure, the NYPD contingent is getting close to returning back home. We also had an unexpected visit by a Congressman from

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replenishment (VERTREP). To date we tiave moved half a million pounds of supplies by air alone with two to three times that amount by surface. But it is not just supplies and logistics. It is also the equipment and gear we carry, TORTUGA was the mother ship for nearly two dozen combat rubber raiding craft. They would send groups of boats into the flood areas supported by one of the LCM-8 landing craft acting as a support ship. They rescued dozens of individuals with this innovative tactic. Combined, the amphibious ships BATAAN, TORTUGA, SHREVEPORT, WHIDBEY ISLAND, and IWO JltVIA brought a significant portion of Naval Beach Group and Amphibious Construction Battalion capabilities to Gulfport and Biloxi where they have opened roads, cleared harbors, and rebuilt infrastructure - so that relief aid can pour in. The unsung heroes in all this are the Combat Cargo Marines. IWO JIMA only has 5 t 1arines as part of ship ' s company - one major who coordinates and controls air operations, and a warrant, one Master Sergeant, a Gunnery Sergeant, and a Staff Sergeant who run combat cargo. They account for and move the thousands of people that cross our flight deck and our well deck during operations and get them to where they need to go in this cavernous and confusing ship. They also move and find storage for tons of cargo, and berth thousands of people on this ship. Berthing in officer ' s country is the domain of Culinary Specialist First Class Drakos. With hundreds of staff officers onboard IWO JIMA, she is far more well known than the Captain, and rightly so. As the ship is bombarded with aircraft and guests, the Combat Cargo Team ensures that the right people get to the nght place at the hght time. I had the privilege to volunteer at the soup kitchen in front of Harrah ' s this evening. It is a remarkable place. It provides hot meals to thousands of First Responders and troops each day from eight o ' clock in the morning until close to nine o ' clock at night. Eddie, his brothers, Joe, and Doug all from Alabama and Florida roared into town after the storm and set up this outside kitchen with gas grilles and coolers. They have been here ever since, feeding thousands. It soon expanded to refrigerator trucks packed with donated steaks, hamburgers, hotdogs, shrimp, and vegetables. Soon thereafter, the tents and chairs arrived, and the operation got larger still. Since Sunday, IWO JIMA has had a steady stream o ' volunteers to help set up, cook, serve, and clean up. The operation is typically American: generous souls who see people in need and share they abundance and good will with those less fortunate. And some people still wonder why we are the most fortunate nation on earth. 125

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Oklahoma who was on his way to see his troops - our neighbors - the Oklahoma National Guard. The Congressman took the opportunity to meet with fellow Oklahomans on IWO JIMA and thank them for their support of the humanitarian relief effort. At the request of the ship, VADM Thad Allen addressed the ship at Admiral ' s Call. While the majority of the participants were IWO JIMA Sailors, there were Army, Mahne Corps, Air Force, National Guard, Coast Guard, Center for Disease Control, US Public Health Service, US Marshals, and local members in attendance as well. The Admiral talked at length at what had happened, how the storm had devastated the region and how its affects had impacted relief efforts. He talked about IWO JIMA ' s role in all this and I think the crew was left with a better understanding of what their conthbutions meant to the overall effort. He noted how this relief effort was unprecedented in history, that we had gone beyond having a Dept of Defense response, or a FEMA response, or a State response, but rather had set the course for one coordinated combined response... at all levels. The crew was engaged and asked a lot of questions - probably more than in a year ' s worth of Captains Calls. .. But as expected, the big event today was the second visit by President Bush. He flew aboard late this afternoon and after meeting with VADM Allen, LGEN Honore, Governor Blanco, the Mayor of New Orleans, Secretary Chertoff, and the new FEMA Director, he left the ship to address the Nation from Jackson Park. Upon his return, a large crowd of several hundred Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Soldiers, and Guardsmen had assembled to catch a glimpse of the President as he transited back up the Flight Deck to catch his flight. At the first sign of the President, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers. The President then approached the crowd and shook a couple hundred hands. He thanked the damage controlmen who recently completed the dewatering of the Charity Hospital. He thanked the Sailors who worked the Flight deck. He thanked the doctors and corpsmen who manned up the medical spaces. And the list went on. Since this was one of the last nights for our neighbors, the Rl National Guard, we invited them up to the Hangar as well, and a few dozen Rl guardsmen had a chance to shake hands with the President. And as he turned away to head up the ramp to the Flight Deck, the crowd erupted once again in cheers and applause. One of the Secret Service Agents told me he had not seen such an outpouring by the troops. He said the President really loves the troops. And it was evident to me that the troops love their Commander-in-Chief. In his address to the nation, the President challenged Amencans to ' find your role and do your part. The example has been set down here in New Orleans. The NYPD contingent found their role and did their part without anyone telling them what to do. The same with the Rl National Guard. The same with the brothers from Alabama who set up the soup kitchen across from Harrah ' s. There are dozens of examples. They all saw the need and stepped up to the plate.