Kearsarge (LHD 3) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 92 text:

271 rf-:llp1lv -- -f , an 5 rr- gin,-QV, , . S-15? i it S315 p0 Mernonhl Day Service Hits Home By JOCSIS WIA WI Gregg Snaza As an intense heat engulfed USS KEARSARGE ll-HD fl- at sea in the Guy' of Aden, more than 1,000 Marines and Sall0fS gathered for a special Memorial Day Service to pay tribute F0 not only all service members who have lost their lives tn. defense of our great country, but specyicall y the 23 Marines from the 2D Marine Expeditionary Brigade who paid the ultimate sacryice during Operation Iraqi F reed0m- For the majority ofthe Marines, Memorial Day will forever be dqjferent. No longer will Memorial Day be a day to remember those faceless Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who have fought in previous wars. No longer will it be a day of remembrance for people they have heard about but never met. From this day jbrward, Memorial Day will hold special signdicance, having served side by side, in combat, with their brothers who died fighting frr the freedom if the Iraqi people. They died fighting. They died Marines. In an extremely .somber ceremony, the chilling display 1y'23 helmets, M -I 6 ryles, dog tags, cammies and boots was an extremely visual, poignant reminder of fallen comrades. From the opening remarks by KEARSARGE Command Chaplain, Commander Douglas Rosanderg to the compelling words tf2D Marine Expeditionary Brigade Commanding General, Brigadier General Richard Natonski, to the patriotic words to Lee Greenwood 's God Bless the U.S.A., sung by ATCSfAW1 .lay Gillon, the Marines and Sailors stood in silence, hung on Each paragraph from scripture each remark by the General, each name called out ajter the ringing ofthe bell, fell on the ears' if Marines and Sailors who today know the price ty' reedom up close and personal. Twenty-three members if the 2d MEB gave their lives so otherts could be free. They will be every word. ' remembered not only today, but frrever by Marines and fellow service members the world oven jirr all tj time. Consider the enormity tjsacryice the los.s tj even one serviceman or woman represents. Multiply that by the legion ty' those who have given their lives in the service if our country a - ' I . . t 'f, ,-' A- 'ilu I. -. P r P nd the act if honoring them adequately seems rverwhelmtng said General Natonskt In fact there is no mg le spec ch trtbute or gesture that can be rendc red equal to heirsacryice. As the score.s' of Marines and Sailors frught with the emotion ' f the moment, the General who led them into battle continued raymg Although we know their losses can be marked, we also :now we can never full y measure the value if what was gained y their sacry'ice. We lt ve it everyday in the comjrrts tjpeace V . ,nd the gm if freedom. These ha ve been purchased for us or a figh cost. 86!MAY ' L1-to-3 -Q-4 r 1 s, . One :fthe battles mentioned singled out duriny 'lu' ' 'X the battlefrrAn Nasiriyah. The strugglelhrr control trlulllfll 4' was one ofthe bloodiest :fthe wan The battle clairneil luv The battle claimed Marines. PFC .lames Sigwalt said, very time a .speaker woulll mention An Nasiriyah, lfelt proud because we were tltvn'..J were a part tfit, along with the other big lrattles. ' A. LCP! Nathan Henderson reflected on his own role tn Ull. stating, It 's hard to think it could have been rne...lmu- ms, parents would react, or what they would have 10.2 ', g I' . - ' l ' I I HM.H't:1f For every Martnc the Memorial Da servuc lu lil t J, y , I the very ship that brought them to the wan was a tintl' ',, . remember the dedication and commitment nl ir ,fm ul. arms. The 23 Marines from the 2D Marine l5Xl'f'fl f'mU Brigade did not die in vain. They gave their Wi' -W'f '-Q N Corps that remembers their own. Q, UIQ.. Q, rf I sn: In .44 g . 'si F -i I . A. ,- gf rJ,' ,., Q . 1 3. TJ :Pj wel 12.4 TM E In ra Q -t n -e ,A Lili' 3 1' ttf phil .figfl An Num llllllll' l l-Us tn lun jim lll lllpil. hu' illllfl jp'-W! fl Glflmuu New -llltl ultll tht, Im, lullltrm rm il , i In Ally tjruttny hug A . llll'flfun I Wal,

Page 91 text:

. X. ' -at ff ' e and lsuffmeli vim TEA. 11 A, ff ' N 1 E ' Vx ' ' ' 3 1 - ...?lk1up,fsf: ' .J lei. A. , ,5 ll-el-,li-531 . 1 Y , . . I ., gf- - ,,q 1 A .J- , .-if 4 ' Y s l V. ,'r?4 Fffu' ifl3.'T?'f7f'. W .1 -U -u b lx-3 , .,'x ,I .Q I-' ! u gap I -A gfZ5'S?22:ji'i i Q,lf.l-LlJ-L'-Q' fm ' ' V A 'Jr llslwv ?2rLl.L1,l,ll.Ux - .. 4 - +1 - ' ' -' i' 5' ,l ' iq gf - B A Qeliiil-irslarlzw.l.': 4. . . ' .gg f 1 A- NORALE K e4,'f QEQN ww-if Aff' . sw.-,. wg .Jef , M- 'D ,Sy t, -1 jig h 'ii lb, K .b 'S . 1-,Q f . ' fl - if-.sg -.1 . w 1 'i1'9 '. 'tv -is QM l '4 ' Although the back load was complete, the ship was clean, and everyone seemed content knowing we were headed home, there was one more thing that needed to happen to put some closure to the end of our participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom. May 26 was Memorial Day and the Marines and crew began to prepare to honor 23 of their own who had paid the ultimate sacrifice during the war. Not all the Marines were going home. In heavy fire fights, almost two dozen Marines from the 2D MEB had been killed. Memorial Day was going to be difTicult...and that day will forever mean something more to all who senled in Iraq. fy M e.gfggL 5 fag, : A12 5 5 Moy

Page 93 text:

1- E sv., ,, 1'-Q. ' t , Q. , if , 4' 0, ,ww 2 X ,- - ., ff fg 'P' Q' Q5 X ? 'i'24, ' av' aww ., ' 31 g ' i ' . 4 4 3' 2 if 4 5' Yi 9 S- fe 'f' N I. V: 2 - , V 5 -. 31 if i I., . . P 6 Q, ,Q , ' J A f ? iFF'w'1g-ii. fx . e e ,e e , 1 ' Tlx, 3 - . , , . ' 2 ., Q , Q 'h 9 ' 'SX Q 7 F' .t L gn , H ' V AV I q qgffixxx Z S fy' ,' 4' .fi V 'y lg' 1 r' are :lx -h .1-if Y . 1 n e U' ' N Xi A Hs ' A . N K - ' - 1 In . T Mi lu ii? . - Je' ' ' ,v-if Ui. 1 1 ' A M'-Vifiyah was just a little town in Iraq. Today, the city 's A ll if you here today, and those whom America lost in name lives on ' h In I e hearts ry' Marines with the same meaning Operation Iraqi Freedom, are part if a most cherished 'T N QW? fm Saipan, and Guadalcanal. Today 's Marines fight heritage fy' service, if generosity, rfsacryice and courage. wlmilxggflh. Tomorrow 's Marines will fight in honor if those .USS K EARSARGE is headed home. The ship is filled Comma, with the 2p.MEB. with men and women who went to a battle and .served N Gregg Judy ef Amphibious Squadron EIGH71 Commodore gallantly. They carry the spirit if the fallen Marinesland U ' andthe me 5170166 ffhistory. He spoke ry' famous battles look forward to the homecoming with their own families and fwmm V. I -Sl .ents who gave speeches that rallied Marines to friends, knowing full well there are at least 23fam1l1es and I ..ThgA'U f'f'-5'- friends who will have no such jubilant homecoming. It is ,Wann hmerican spirit, the love if freedom, the disdain jbr those Marines and their families that they will remember Amerigunllz, not changed since those days. Not since the each and every Memorial Day in years to come. They will Wm. evolution. The price is :Wen dear: The sacryice is never ftrget. MGY