Leyte Gulf (CG 55) - Naval Cruise Book

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m LEYTE GULF in the Adriatic during operation Provide Promise.

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Air Force C-130E Hercules cargo planes enroute to Sarajevo. YUGOSLAVIA ■ J „„ M.l , 1 Slo». f V. Subotica r— rv r Croalla l ,NoviSad . ■ ' fr Hetcflgovlna (Beograd) f I T .-,? L YUGOSLAVIA J Bulgaria p BLACK J SEA A llaly -x { r Mace. I V ' v- X C ' ' Vr l r- Cj IONIAN V ' Turk., j -- : I V (n y,,;.-....- .- 1 MEDITERRANEAN SEA U ' 40Okm .. 20 .„„, A Croatian member of the National Guard takes aim at Serbian snipers. PROVIDE PROMISE Yugoslavia has disintegrated, destroyed by rising nationalism, ethnic hostilities and separatism. The process has been anything but peaceful. Civil war has turned ancient cities and towns into rubble, killed as many as 15,000 people and created two million refugees. Yugoslavia was always an amalgam of diverse and sometimes antagonistic ethnic groups. Marshal Josip Tito, Yugoslavia ' s national hero and longtime Communist leader, kept the ethnically divided nation united with his blueprint for decentralized political decision making. But with the end of the Cold War, four of the six republics that made up Yugoslavia — Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, and Macedonia — declared independence. The remaining republics, Serbia and its weaker ally, Montenegro, have declared themselves a new Yugoslavia. Slobodan Milosevic, the charismatic Communist-nationalist leader of Serbia, has played the role of archvillain in the past year. His dreams of creating a Greater Serbia have fueled the bloodbath, as he pursues his goal of annexing parts of the other republics that have large concentrations of ethnic Serbs. Serbia has supplied, supported and created Serbian ethnic guerrillas in the other republics. One third of Croatia was in the hands of Serbian forces by the time a cease-fire was put in place in January 1992. In the spring of 1992 all-out war spread to Bosnia and Hercegovina, where the ancient capital of Sarajevo came under siege, trapping 300,000 people in the city. The onset of winter led to great hardship in Sarajevo and President Clinton made the decision to provide humanitarian relief via USAF cargo planes. LEYTE GULF was at hand to provide SAR TRAP assistance and track all relief flights while communicating their progress to the Specified Commander in London.

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COMMANDING OFFICER CAPTAIN MARK A. ROGERS UNITED STATES NAVY Captain Rogers was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Soon thereafter he moved with his family to Nashville, Ten- nessee, which he now calls home. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1970 with a degree in Systems Engineering. Reporting to USS BUCHANAN (DDG 14), Captain Rogers served three division officer tours, followed by duty in USS ENGLAND (CG 22) as Missile Officer and Navigator. After completion of Destroyer School in 1975, he returned to the West Coast as the Operations Officer aboard USS LYNDE MCCORMICK (DDG 8) and later as the Engineer Officer aboard USS ANCHORAGE (LSD 36). A tour as the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, ended in December 1980, when Captain Rogers re- ceived his Masters of Science Degree in Computer Science. He then served as Executive Officer aboard USS SEMMES (DDG 18) followed by a tour as Commanding Officer, USS FEARLESS (MSO 442). Captain Rogers commanded USS UNDERWOOD (FFG 36) from October 1985 to October 1987. From January 1988 to May 1989, Captain Rogers served on the staff of the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (Surface Warfare (OP-03)) as the Branch Head for Surface Combatants. He then was assigned as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Navy Program Planning (OP-08)) from May 1989 until March 1991. He has commanded USS LEYTE GULF (CG 55) since August 1991. Each ship commanded by Captain Rogers has been awarded the Battle Efficiency E and the Meritorious Unit Commendation. USS FEARLESS was awarded the Type Commander ' s Mine Warfare Excellence Award. USS UNDER- WOOD won the Battenberg Cup as the best ship in the Atlantic Fleet. USS LEYTE GULF was the Commander, Carrier Group TWO ' S nominee for the Marjorie Sterett Battleship Fund Award for overall operational excellence. Addition- ally, LEYTE GULF was also awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Coach Guard Special Operations Ribbon and a second consecutive Battle Efficiency E under Captain Rogers. Captain Rogers ' personal decorations include the Legion of Merit with Gold Star, Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star, Navy Commendation Medal with two Gold Stars, Navy Achievement Medal with Combat V and Gold Star, and the Combat Action R ibbon. Captain Rogers was the recipient of the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Leader- ship Award presented by the Chief of Naval Operations in 1986. Captain Rogers was recently selected for the 1992 John Paul Jones award for Inspirational Leadership. Captain Rogers is married to the former Mary Damon Akin of Franklin, Tennessee. They have a daughter, Courte- nay Damon, and a son, Matthew Newman, and presently make their home in Mayport, Florida.