German sailors render extraordinary honors to US at sea

German Embassy, Washington, D.C. ^ | Sept. 15, 2003

[Gorilla44]

Military vessels routinely render honors to military ships of other countries when they pass at sea by dipping their flag, as a sign of respect. The German frigate FGS Niedersachsen went above and beyond this normal gesture of respect when it asked to come alongside the USS Doyle on September 11, 2003, the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the US. On this day, as the two ships approached and passed, the entire crew of the German vessel stood top-side in full dress uniforms, holding their hats over their hearts. And as the ultimate gesture of respect, the FGS Niedersachsen was flying the United States flag from its main mast. A US Naval Officer, in an email that also reached the German Embassy in Washington, told of how touched the US crew were by the “classy and emotional” presentation by their German counterparts.

In an interview on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered on September 14, Commander Bernd Kuhbier of the FGS Niedersachsen explained this extraordinary act. “When you are on a warship, you don't fly a foreign flag on the top mast,” Commander Kuhbier told host Steve Inskeep. “But we thought the occasion was suitable to do that, so that's what we did. We were proud to do so.”

The unexpected gesture touched the US sailors, Vice Admiral Timothy LaFleur described in an unclassified email: “From their main mast they flew our flag and they held their covers over their hearts. Needless to say, the whole crew was choked up and a few tears formed in our eyes. Both ships stayed next to each other in silence for about 5 minutes. These are the days that remind me why I joined the Navy.”

The FGS Niedersachsen and the USS Doyle are both part of NATO’s Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT), a permanent peacetime multinational naval squadron composed of destroyers, cruisers and frigates from the navies of various NATO nations.

[Gorilla44]

Gulp. Could somebody please post the picture from the article. Thanks.

[Alter Kaker]

[scab4faa]

[Pan_Yans Wife]

ping

[max_rpf]

I bet this makes Gerhard Schroeder want to puke.

[scab4faa]

Show off =)

[tsmith130]

A class act from one sailor to another!

[aposiopetic]

Good

[maro]

The Germans can be brought back into the fold, which I doubt can be done with the French. We should look for ways that Germany can be split off from France.

[risk]

Yeah, we're a ruthless empire alright.

[dinok]

Other German ships did this right after 9-11 as well. And German soldiers lined the streets to salute the wounded from Iraq last spring as the ambulances went by.

Their chancellor is an idiot, but the German military are a different breed. Much different than their grandfathers who my father chased across North Africa...but I digress.

Thanks German Navy. At least you didn't give us the finger like the French...

[agitator]

Very nice.

[Ready4Freddy]

http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/politics/new/pol_lutjens2002a.html

[dts32041]

This smacks of a hoax so I started looking, came across this blog.

http://www.billspricht.net/2003_09_14_archive.html

Still trying to verify this cause I trust NPR about as far as on of their trnasmitters sends a signal.

[The Westerner]

Thanks for posting this.

[pierrem15]

The Germans can be brought back into the fold

I believe you are correct: I think there's only so much left-o-babble and anarchy the average German will put up with, as the CSU victory in Bavaria shows.

The Gerhard and Joschka schau may have energized the base, but its unnerving the majority of Western Germans.

I hope we have the good sense to lend a little assistance behind the scenes to the CSU/CDU like we did back in Adenauer's time.

[Ready4Freddy]

A hoax posted on the German Embassy website?

[Consort]

[Kay Soze]

Class Act Germany!

Thanks for the repsect to those who perished as well as those who want to make sure it never happens again.

Thank you.

[max_rpf]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/976718/posts