SBT-22 Supports Trail of Honor

By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger, Naval Special Warfare Group 4 Public Affairs

May 27, 2010 - JACKSON, Miss. (NNS) -- Special Boat Team 22, the only command in the Department of Defense specifically designated to conduct special operations in riverine environments, participated in the annual Trail of Honor and Run for the Wall May 22-24.

Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) demonstrated the capabilities of their highly-specialize Special Operations Craft-Riverine during the annual Trail of Honor. The event itself is a chance to explore reenactments, as well as meet heroes, such ex-POWs, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients and Pearl Harbor survivors.

"This event showcases the whole evolution of warfare and the American spirit," said Special Warfare Boat Operator 2nd Class (SWCC) Damon Deravin, who recently returned from Iraq. "It means a lot to all of these veterans that we took the time to come up here, but when a Medal of Honor recipient is thanking you for your service, it's unreal. We're honored just to be able to listen to their stories."

For the SWCC, a chance to interact with their own history, the Vietnam-era Gamewardens of River Division 593, in particularly Navy Cross recipient Dave Larsen, was a highlight, even among the dozens of other American heroes who attended.

"Last year I told my family it was one of the coolest events of my life. I couldn't stop talking about it, so I volunteered to come back this year," said Special Boat Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SWCC) Jason Woodall, who has deployed to Iraq since being attached to SBT-22. "I've never seen anything like it. There are so many heroes here at the same time. It's like reading a history book, but the pages are walking around, and telling their stories."

This is the first year the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall was part of the Trail of Honor. The Wall is a three-fifths of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, standing six feet tall in the center and almost 300 feet long. The Wall is a reminder of the sacrifices made during the Vietnam War, and allows those who otherwise could not travel to Washington to chance to see it.

The Trail grew out of the Wall stopping in Jackson year after year. The owner of the local Harley Davidson dealership offered to feed the hundreds of bikers who escort the Wall from California to Washington in the Run For the Wall. The first year, 2003, a single civil war cannon was the only military display. This year, the trail had replicas and reenactments from every American military conflict since the French-Indian War, demonstrations from the Army's jump team the Black Daggers, and displays from dozens of organizations that support the military and their families.

A formal ceremony was held to recognize all of the heroes present. One of those, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Army Maj. Bruce Crandall, retired, said that for him, the war ended April 9, when four of his men who had been MIA were found and returned to their families. He thanked all those who had worked to find them, and ensure that they were properly remembered.

The audience for his speech ranged from members of Congress to hundreds of bikers but all had one thing in common - the wish to recognize those who had honorably served their country. "Freedom's not free, the burden of maintaining it is carried on the shoulders of men and women who made sacrifices," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour during the ceremony. "It's altogether fitting and proper to come together to remember and celebrate these people."