USS Missouri Sailors Visit the "Show Me State"

By Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, Commander, Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (NNS) -- Just slightly beyond the two-year commissioning anniversary of USS Missouri (SSN 780), the commanding officer, chief of the boat and three Sailors will visit their namesake state, Aug. 26-30.

Cmdr. Mike Luckett, who took command of Missouri in April 2012, will embark on his first namesake state visit since assuming command of the Virginia-class attack submarine. The crew's visit will serve as commemoration of the submarine's entry into the U.S. Navy, and will allow the crew to connect with the citizens of Missouri.

"This will be my first official visit to Missouri and it's a great honor to visit our namesake state," said Luckett. "I'm looking forward to meeting with the USS Missouri Commissioning Committee and all the citizens of Missouri who've provided such great support to the ship and our crew throughout the ship's life."

During the visit to the "Show Me State," Luckett and his crew members will participate in a three-city tour across the state, with stops in Kansas City, Jefferson City, and St. Louis.

Samuel M. Bushman, chairman of the USS Missouri Commissioning Committee said he looks forward to the visit by the commanding officer and crew of USS Missouri. "The USS Missouri Commissioning Committee takes great pride as an ongoing support system for our Sailors who serve to guard our freedom," said Bushman.

While in Kansas City, the crew will visit with patients at Children's Mercy Hospital and tour historical landmarks. Luckett added that this is one of the stops his crew is looking forward to most.

"It will be a wonderful opportunity to talk with the patients at Children's Mercy Hospital and to share with them a little of what we do to serve our nation and the citizens of Missouri," said Luckett.

During their visit to Jefferson City, which was named for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, the crew will tour the Missouri State Capitol and meet with Gov. Jay Nixon.

They will also visit with the American Legion, Submarine Veterans, the Navy League of the United States/Mid-Missouri Council, and USS Missouri Commissioning Committee members. While in Jefferson City, the Sailors will meet and speak with middle and high school students in science, math and history classes at the various schools in Jefferson City.

During their final leg of their visit, in St. Louis, the crew members will share their military experiences and mentor the Cleveland High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NRJOTC) Unit.

The crew will also meet local officials, including St. Louis City Mayor Francis Slay and St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, and speak to local members of the Commissioning Committee as well as other supporters of the military.

Missouri is the seventh submarine of the Virginia class, built for the U.S. Navy by General Dynamics Electric Boat and commissioned July 2010. The submarine's crew consists of about 134 officers and enlisted personnel. Missouri is the fifth Navy ship to be named in honor of the people of the "Show Me State."

Carter ‘Walking the Walk’ on Strategic Rebalance

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, July 18, 2012 – Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter stood here today on the deck of the USS Missouri, the battleship that served as the site of the surrender that ended World War II, and summoned U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines gathered there to what he called “a new purpose in a new moment in our nation’s national security history.”

Carter visited Hawaii on the first leg of an Asia-Pacific regional tour that will take him to Guam, Japan, Thailand, India and South Korea. In Hawaii, home to U.S. Pacific Command, he told the roughly 150 service members in attendance that they will witness the U.S. strategic rebalance to the Pacific, while at the same time carrying on a long legacy of successful service in the region.

The USS Missouri’s teak deck the deputy secretary stood on is now part of a floating museum. The warship, the last Iowa-class battleship the U.S. launched and the last to serve, was anchored in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945, when U.S and Japanese representatives signed the document marking Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.

“The folks who fought that war were about your age, or some of you are younger, and they were -- they were the greatest generation of that time,” the deputy defense secretary said.

Carter said his main points in speaking to the troops were to thank them for their service, and to explain why that service is important.

“You all are the greatest generation of this time,” he said. “And I want each and every one of you to go home tonight, to your family or your close friends, or call your parents or whoever is close to you, and say that today you were thanked by the leadership of the Department of Defense, and your country, for what you do.”

Everyone who works in national defense supports an effort greater than themselves, and greater even than the nation, Carter said, “because the United States still provides security to much of the world.”

The Asia-Pacific region shows the value of that security in its booming economies and enduring peace, he noted.

“It really starts with the principles that we [in the United States] stand up for, that we uphold, and that we have stood for in this part of the world for 70 years now,” Carter said.

The U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region has been constant and strong over those decades, he said, and is largely responsible for the region’s stability.

“In that environment of peace and security, first Japan was able to rise, then Korea was able to rise and now, yes, China [is] able to rise to develop their own people [and] to develop economically,” Carter said. “And that’s only possible in an environment of peace and security.“

Defense leaders “aim to continue to be the pivotal factor for peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region,” he added.

Carter noted the rim of the Pacific exercise, known as RIMPAC, which is underway now off the coast of Hawaii and involves the U.S Navy and 21 other nations’ sea forces. He said RIMPAC is a model of the U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy to further-strengthen partner nations’ military capabilities and build partnerships, alliances and friendships on which regional security and stability rests.

The deputy secretary noted that as President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta have outlined, the U.S. military’s focus will shift to the Asia-Pacific region as the last decade’s wars wind down.

The nation’s defense efforts have “understandably and justifiably” focused on Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, Carter noted. Battling terrorism and countering insurgency “are important things to do, and they’re important things to bring to an end,” he added.

The deputy secretary noted U.S. forces have concluded their mission in Iraq, and are within sight of ending combat in Afghanistan.

“We have a plan that is shared with all our coalition partners, to bring that down -- our activity in Afghanistan -- to an enduring presence starting in 2015,” he said.

Carter said by shifting to the Asia-Pacific resources that had been dedicated to Iraq and Afghanistan, the rebalance can succeed “within the constraints of the amount of money that the country is able to give us.”

President Obama and Panetta understand, he said, that as the era of Iraq and Afghanistan ends, “we need to lift our heads up out of the foxhole we’ve been in, look up, look around, and see what the problems … and the security opportunities … are, that will define our future.”

“Those challenges and those opportunities are, very importantly, in the Asia-Pacific region, which you now serve,” Carter told the troops. “So this is where our future lies, and you, right here, right now, are a very important part of … that great transition that this great military is embarked upon.”

Carter noted his visit to the region follows trips by the president, Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“I’m out here in their wake, to show that when they talked about rebalancing our security effort to the Asia-Pacific theater, that we aren’t just talking the talk, we’re walking the walk,” he said.

The deputy secretary said on his week-plus travels, “I’ll be looking at our relationships with those countries and implicitly with all of the other countries in this area, and saying, ‘What is it that I need to go back to Washington and make sure we’re doing on our end to hold up our bargain with you?’”

Carter told the Pacom troops aboard the USS Missouri this is “a period, it’s a moment in history, that you should always, as you go forward in your lives and your careers, keep in your mind. This was an important moment to be here, to be doing what you’re doing.”

Earlier today, Carter met at Pacom headquarters with Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, Pacom commander, and senior representatives of the command’s Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps components, who briefed him on current and future operations implementing the rebalancing strategy.

The deputy secretary’s next stop is Guam, where he is scheduled to meet with Governor Eddie Baza Calvo and military leaders.

Fleet Week Sailors Help Display National 9/11 Flag

By Mass Communcication Specialist 1st Class Jeremy K. Johnson, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (NNS) -- Sailors from USS Mitscher (DDG-57), USS Gonzales (DDG-66) and USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) joined members of the New York Says Thank You Foundation (NYSTY) in a brief ceremony to unfurl and display the National 9/11 Flag at The Sullivans Pier May 26.

Also participating in the ceremony were local Boy Scouts, New York Civil Air Patrol members, Fleet Week volunteers and Fleet Week attendees.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate," said Seaman Dustin Johnson of USS Mitscher.

The 30-foot American flag displayed was discovered hanging on the side of a building tattered and torn, close to where the World Trade Center towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001. The flag was recovered, and has been fully restored by NYSTY volunteers.

"There's a lot of love in this flag," said Jimmy Sands, a NYSTY volunteer and New York City firefighter. "We estimate probably about 6 million people have held this flag since 2008."

Volunteers of the NYSTY organization answered the call to serve after Sept. 11, 2001, and travel around the country to help rebuild communities affected by disasters.

The National 9/11 Flag contains patches from retired flags of all 50 states, patches of flags recovered after the 9/11 disaster, a patch stitched aboard USS Missouri (BB-63) on Pearl Harbor Day by World War II survivors, and many more patches representing the strong history and pride of our nation.

Fire Controlman 3rd Class Jeremy Kirby of Donald Cook said seeing this flag was a very moving experience.

"To see the way these volunteers came together to repair this flag is encouraging. It shows what we can do as Americans if we just believe in ourselves."

Held nearly every year since 1984, Fleet Week New York is the city's celebration of sea services. Fleet Week New York provides an opportunity for the citizens of New York City and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as see, first-hand, the latest capabilities of today's maritime services. More than 6,000 service men and women from the U.S. and coalition nations are participating.

This year, Fleet Week New York is one of the signature events around the country commemorating OpSail 2012, the bicentennial of the War of 1812, and the Star-Spangled Banner. The Commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 is a salute to all Sailors and Marines who fought gallantly in that conflict, who served in all our nation's conflicts since then, and who are defending freedom around the world.

American Legion Hosts Sailors and Marines for Fleet Week

By By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) J.C.J. Stokes, USS Wasp Public Affairs

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla (NNS) -- Sailors from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) and Marines assigned to the Marine Expeditionary Unit 26 embarked aboard Wasp attended the second annual American Legion Post 304 dinner in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., April 28 in celebration of Fleet Week Port Everglades.

American Legion Post 304 (Marshall LaBree) offered the event for the first time last year to the visiting USS Iwo Jima and decided to continue it this year by offering it to Wasp Sailors as a sign of appreciation for their service.

"I am glad I came to this dinner. The hospitality and service shown was excellent," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 3rd Class (AW) Eddie Berryhill IV, from Wasp. "This entire week in Ft. Lauderdale has been great, but the American Legion dinner was definitely the highlight of my Fleet Week."

The American Legion staff treated service members to food and camaraderie, entertainment, and special military gifts, as well as a chance to greet three WWII survivors who were witnesses to history.

"It was a humbling experience to see those military legends remaining active and thanking me for my service," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class (AW/SW) Michael Michaud, from Wasp. "All in one night I was able to meet a Marine who survived Iwo Jima, and two Sailors, one from USS Missouri and the other from USS Waldron, who watched the Japanese surrender to the American forces aboard the Missouri. This was definitely a moment in my life I will cherish forever."

William Eckerth, the Iwo Jima survivor; Richard Klug, from USS Missouri; and Albert Trapanese, from USS Waldron (DD 699) came to the event to greet the men and women serving their country as they once did.

"If I died today I've seen it all," said Eckerth. "I just could not pass up the opportunity to come down and spend time with you. Thank you for coming and spending time with us old guys at the Legion and for serving our country."

Wasp is in Port Everglades April 25-30 for Fleet Week which, this year, commemorates the War of 1812 Bicentennial. Overall, there are about 3,000 Sailors and Marines and six ships in attendance. The commemoration is part of a series of city visits by the Navy that will occur over the next three years, and is a salute to all Sailors and Marines who fought gallantly in that conflict, who have served in our nation's conflicts since then, and who are defending freedom around the world today.