Kearsarge (LHD 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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X On April 25, ZJ01, through the efforts of every Sailor Off' . . , lcer and family rnember, USS E set sail on 1t,S fourth deploynient A rainy, dreary day, the weather mafchedthemoodasweallsaidgoodbyetoourfarniliesandfriendsandbeganour Voyage- F 01' the ma.l01'ity Of the Crew, this was their first deployment. Up until the horrible terrorist attacks on New York Ci ty a.nd the Pentagon on September 11, 2101, our deployment was as routine as a deployment pomibly could be. Unfortunate th ly, e attacks on our homeland Shocked not only those in New York a.nd Washington,butalsoeverySailora.ndMarineaboardUSS E.We watdiedinhorrorasthebroadmnstsbroughtusnefwsofaterribletragedysocloseto home. Fortunately, those events cemented our resolve and we put the bow into the vvind and embarked u ' ' ' pon a V1g'OI'0US t1'8.l.hJ.Hg' plan to prepare for a very different Norfolk upon hornecoming on October 15, ZJ01. Thiscruise book depicts the story of six months of accomplishrnentsandunselfish servicetoourcountrybyacrewsecondtonone. Therearedtwordstoproperly describe how proud I am of every Sailor and Marine who helped make USS Eso grwt. Theintense dedication, coupled with incredible pride, allowed ourcreWtomeeteveryexe11:isea.ndoperationl'1eadon. Additionally,thenumberof Sailo1sandoffice1sWhoquaHf1edESWS,EAWSandSWOWasrecordsetting. Those numbers a.re testament to a crew who completely the need to be well trained and more capable than every before For those who joined the Navy to see the world, I have to say this deployment will most likely prove unique to most of the crew. Having visited 12 ports in seven countries, those who made the entire deployrnent saw 56 days of in port tirne in sorne very fun a.nd exciting places. That's more than I have seen in 10 deployments! As We sailed back into Norfolk on October 15, ZJ01, we returned home a little more grateful for the country we serve, a little more proud of being Sailors in the greatest Navyintheworldgalittle more thankfulforourlovingfaxniliesandfriendsganda little more salty from six months at sea. Thisbookpresentsarecordofsixmonthsofsacrificeandservice. Ithasbeena privilege' ' tosailWithyouasyourCommanding Officer. You should takeagreatdeal of pride' in lmovving you performed extremely well, served as superb arnbassadors of your country ovemeas, a.nd met every rnission with dedication and enthusiasrn. I thankallofyouforhavingdoneyourbest Fairwindsandfollowingseas... Qciddwfe gmpsm,,,g0Uf:Nw