Kearsarge (LHD 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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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,

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gem gym., s 'he' s+5+5a-Didwudefateaf fr L1-H19-3 , -- 1 3: P .'..N'W rg -g- '.' '19 4- ' 3 .a' -iff' 'tx Q ...fn J , -r if ,y , . -f -we - it n.'.i'1-, f -ig.-.. 4.- ,liu xtssq. , X X ' . 5 - It Q9 T .'- N '. 4 ,J N .A ',- U ' - ', 9 X . -q- ..' '.. .I I Q, F-Q. -f - A Q: so' Z' . 3-' -.', .. -'Mm If 4' KEARSARGE, 2D MEB Support Presulentuzl Summits in Egypt and Jordan By JO1 l S WJ Chris Hojjpauir AT SEA ABOARD USS KEARSARGE ILHD-31 - USS KEARSARGE ILHD-31 and the Second Marine Expeditionary Brigade t2D MEB! stood on .station in the. Red Sea and the Guh'1f Aqaba, in support if President George W Bush 's visits to Sharm el-Sheik. Egypt, June 3 and Aqaba, Jordan, June 4. The President was in the Middle East to take part in two historic Summit meetings with Arab leaders, including Israeli Prime MinisterAriel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmozul Abbas. K EARSARGE aml the 2D MEB are returningfrom a deployment in support of Operations Enduring Freedom aml Iraqi Freedom. K EA RSA RG E 's homecoming is setfor .lune 26. 88lJU NE 5 The ship 's primary mission was to provide a level-two medical facility with trauma capability in the vicinity ofthe President 's visits to Egypt and Jordan. The timing of KEARSARGE 's passage through the Red Sea, coupled with ship 's robust medical facility, augmented by Fleet Surgical Team EIGHT made it the ship if choice for the mission. The ship 's secondary mission was to provide surveillance and, hcrequired, air and sea borne extraction learns to deliver the President aml other officials to safety in case if emergency. This mission proved the inherentjle.x'ibility of our naval forces, 2D MEB Commanding General BGEN Richanl F Natonski said. There were two ME Us lMarine Eapeditionatjv Units I, the I 5th in the Gulf if Oman aml the 26th in the Adriatic Sea, but neither was close enough to make it to the GulfofAqaba in the timeframe allowedlhnr the President 's visit. The closest naval force at hand was Amphibious Task Force '1 flux ' Presidential Support . Gulf of Aqaba , --'v .r 8 ' ':!.,4' 'if , Hi fi 1:0 '. Lguqf- -:T E -' H K rr, 1 L? 2 ',. 'I .izahq I xp' 7. 'gl a ., t - nl' ! 0 '45 - ' V 11121 7 'I L. 1 Dx' 1 , ' 44 1 A, , -Q ,if .Mt .E .-'1 ' :H . v J' ,j'.' ' q,,A'sx'th.' s ' - . 5 vu . ' . - Q., , .5 x,.jq.S:'blt.,I4 .4 ' 21 rf 1 . I H . ' .-fuk' ' ,J 1 J: I ,005 v tn : ' - cz.: 8' 'IAN' ' ' 1 . -.5!f !.v:jw- . - ' . ,, X Q 04:41 ..r,, Q 5 1 , 1 .. ' ' . 'Nz-r :2 ' x ' ' xl ' M ,. : : ' hh. I P ' '. Hai ..' v . ,ip- vu' '3 . Qoh'--'J ' ' JE-Inv fi r F,-.-,-V' ' '.a.'..ir -,IQ - an . N ,X l .- 5 ., '.75r.-tv EAST steaming up the Red Sea on its way home-h'om Operation Iraqi Freedom. We put together a force aboard KEARSARGE, the Generalcontinued, utilizing this plamrrm because if its command and control capabilities and its flexibil ity. Wm have a Slllflll' and helo capability built in. Ajew additional assets were brought aboard specifically for the mission, including AH- I W Cobra attack helicopters aml additional Erplosi ve Ordnance Disposal and communicatiotrs personnel. Acconling to KEARSARGE Commanding Oljicer CAPT Terence E. McKnight, the ship was chosen for the mission because it already 's had the right lr1i.x'ol'41s.w1s aboanl to cover a lnoad range ofa'ontingeneies. Operations like this asmzlir take three orjoar weeks Ia plan. McKnight said. W were able to plan and pal everything together in a 72- hoar period. M' already ln. all the pieces in place andw were ready 1020 ll'f 'H 'l upon. Before tlte order came IU. I l headjor Aqaba, K EARSARGE was due to transit the Sue: Cana and visit the MediterraneaH alta. where the crew would lam' I f . , -' - 1 + had ajew rlay-S fill- I' 'W' 1 - , , ' 1 ' ' H' have been lhejn st ldn ttyl lfyjlllll change course am ,wrt city of Wtlletta. M ofthe deployment- , . , ' l. the port call s cam 4 llafw' the crew