Posted on 01/04/2003 4:39:51 PM PST by bkwells
Ship celebrates family as storm clouds gather
Relatives, friends join forces with crew
By Jeanette Steele
STAFF WRITER
January 4, 2003
Nine-year-old Vincent Ramirez pulled his younger sister close as they posed for pictures yesterday in front of the Marine helicopters their father fuels.
"I'll be the man of the family," Vincent said, his big eyes sad under the beige baseball cap he wore low. That will be the boy's job starting Monday, when his Navy father, Vincente, sails for a six-month deployment – probably to the Persian Gulf, and to possible war with Iraq.
It was family day on one of three warships that will carry 2,200 local Marines and 2,000 sailors of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit on a regularly scheduled tour. The ships Tarawa, Duluth and Rushmore leave Monday morning from San Diego Naval Station; their departure will be visible from points along San Diego Bay.
About 750 family members tested the mattresses and crawled into helicopter cockpits on the amphibious assault ship Tarawa, checking out what will be their loved ones' floating home.
With the nation poised for war, many said they carry an extra emotional burden this time around.
"We're nervous and very apprehensive about it," said Bay Area resident Mike Duarte, whose 20-year-old son, Jeff, will depart on his first Marine deployment. But, he said, "We've met most of his platoon, and they are the best people you'd want to meet in this country, and that gives us more confidence."
Single mother Marynell Dempsey is sending her 19-year-old Marine on his first deployment, too.
"It feels like a big hole in my heart," the Kentucky resident said, describing how she worried about the possibility of war. "If I didn't have my job and my faith and my extended family . . . to take my mind off it, I would be a basket case most of the time."
Tarawa skipper Capt. Jay Bowling said he doesn't know exactly where the three-ship amphibious ready group will go. In peacetime, Marine expeditionary units from San Diego head to the Western Pacific, with stops in Hawaii and Asia, and then the Persian Gulf.
Elements of Camp Pendleton's 45,000-person 1st Marine Expeditionary Force received deployment orders yesterday, and several hundred other Pendleton headquarters personnel went to Kuwait in late November.
Bowling said the 15th's three ships can steam directly to the Arabian Sea if they're called upon.
"I don't know. They're not telling us," he said yesterday.
Faye Davis of Los Angeles said she felt less anxious after touring the 820-foot ship where her niece, Petty Officer 1st Class Angela Davis, works in an administrative office.
"I feel better knowing she's safer than I thought she'd be," Davis said. "After seeing it . . . and now I know what her specific job duties are."
Cpl. James Haan said he's glad his grandparents flew out from Muskegon, Mich., to see his ship.
"I want them to know what's going on. It gives them a little security," he said. Capt. Bowling said the ship's defensive weapons, including several .50-caliber guns, will be manned at all times if the ship serves in the Persian Gulf.
Still, Haan's grandmother called the ship "scary."
"I see all these things," said 72-year-old Reho Brentana, pointing to the massive CH-53 cargo helicopters parked on the deck. "I wouldn't want to be on one."
Vincent's mother, Ana, said she squirmed when she saw her 38-year-old husband's future sleeping quarters – one of the many bunks stacked three high in the enlisted men's quarters.
"A little tiny bed for a long person," she said. "He's going to be like a pretzel."
Jeanette Steele: (760) 476-8244;
Copyright 2003 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Last saw the Tarawa in Subic in January of '85. Smooth sailing and fair winds. From a former green passenger of the Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal and several other ships.
BTW, what the he** is an LHA? We used to call them LPHs. (LPH="Luxury Pent House" - at least it meant that in the 60s)
:)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.