The FReeper Foxhole - SAM and Snippy Tour the USS Tarawa LHA-1 & meet bkwells - Sept. 5th, 2003

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

God Bless America
...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
to add the Foxhole to your sidebar,
click on the books below.

SAM and Snippy's Personal Tour of
The USS Tarawa LHA-1
by private invitation from the ship's OA (Meteorology Office) crew and FReeper bkwells



Welcome Home Brian and the entire Tarawa crew


Link to USS Tarawa news stories

How it all began:

On January 6th, 2003 FReeper bkwells (Brian Wells), Senior Chief aboard the USS Tarawa LHA-1, posted a thread on FR telling everyone that he was about to be shipped out and I took note of it. I made a decision to do my best at supporting Brian and his crew in his immediate unit, the OA department on board the USS Tarawa LHA-1 Amphibious Assault Ship.

I contacted Brian initially by FReepmail and a wonderful relationship began with Brian and his immediate unit the OA Division on the Tarawa. We were in contact throughout their six month deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom and continued after they arrived home July 13th. It was an emotional roller coaster ride as I know we all felt during that time. During their six month deployment to OIF there was a period of 107 days that the ship did not have a port call.

As the Tarawa headed for home after their outstanding performance in OIF, an invitation arrived in early June to come to San Diego for a private tour of the ship and to meet the OA crew. I was ecstatic to say the least. I immediately called SAM. Then two more invitations came from the crew. Who could say no. LOL. We began planning right away.

Brian told us the ship would go into dry dock in late September and encouraged us to come before that would happen. After over 3 years on board the Tarawa, Brian would be moving on. He is now at NAS North Island for a couple of years of well-deserved shore duty and attending classes.

The Tarawa came home to San Diego from OIF July 13th. Logistically between the Tarawa, SAM and I we came up with a date of September 2nd through the 4th to be in San Diego. We continued to hear from Brian and the crew and made plans for taking them all out to dinner.

Our personal tour of the ship was scheduled for Wednesday. Jeff and Tom thought it would be best to have James pick us up at the hotel and drive us onto base and to the ship. As Tom put it "Chauffeur service and no chance of getting lost!" After the tour we planned on getting together at a called Claim Jumpers near Grossmont."

We anxiously awaited the travel date, hearing from the Tarawa crew up to the last minute. It was hard to believe they seemed as excited as we were.

As far as not letting you all in on it ahead of time, we know just as in life, with the military anything can happen. We decided to wait until our trip was completed and then report back as soon as we returned to Oregon and prepared the thread for Friday the 5th.

SAM and Snippy's Diary

Tuesday September 2nd, 2003


The arrival of SAM and Snippy to San Diego

Snippy was wheels up at 7:04 a.m. EST Tuesday morning, SAM was wheels up at 7:10 a.m. PSTW and we were winging our way to San Diego. SAM arrived at 9:15 a.m. and Snippy at 9:55 a.m. We missed each other at the gate, both of our individual flights were early and we were at different gates than planned. SAM traveled with one carry on and headed down to the baggage claim area to find snippy at the baggage carousel with two huge suitcases and a carry on! Having found each other and retrieving the luggage we headed for the shuttle to the car rental office. We picked up the car and headed for the hotel in Mission Bay.

One of the Tarawa crew, Rebecca would be on duty Wednesday and not be able to attend the dinner so we made plans in advance of the trip to take her and her husband out to dinner our first night in. We called once them once we arrived at the hotel to get directions and that evening we picked them up and headed to the restaurant of their choice, which was Miguel's on Coronado Island.

Becca and her husband were very gracious and had flowers for snippy upon our arrival and we had beef jerky for them. Then off to dinner.


Crossing the beautiful Coronado Bridge is where we got our first glance of the USS Tarawa. We ate dinner outside while birds terrorized Becca, LOL. I don't suppose it had anything to do with SAM throwing tortilla chips around her chair. (He can be soooo bad.)

We spent a very nice evening with a very sweet couple and enjoyed pleasant conversation. We drove them home after dinner and then we headed back to the hotel. Much to my chagrin SAM talked me into watching a movie called "28 Days Later", UGH!!! If you don't know what that movie is about just look up Zombies on google. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Wednesday September 3rd, 2003


The big day

James was scheduled to arrive at 0830 to pick us up at the hotel. We awoke early, had breakfast on the balcony and headed down to the hotel's business center to check in with the Foxhole for a brief moment. As we were headed down the elevator, James called my cell phone to tell me he had arrived and we told him we were on our way. Just as we walked out James pulled up and off we went to the Navy Base.


Our "chauffeur" James from Texas

Before parking at the base James gave us the nickel tour of the base. We saw the base movie theater, the commissary and some other ships docked there. It is evident the base takes the terrorism threat seriously because their were concrete barriers, tire puncture strips and armed guards at the many checkpoints.


The Hospital Ship Mercy

James searched for a spot to park that was below E7. It is quite a long walk to the ship and bless his heart he was trying to get as close to the front of the parking as possible. We ended up "accidentally" taking a chief's parking spot. ;)

After quite a walk we went through more security with our escort and had to walk the entire length of the dock as Tarawa was the last one after passing the Champlain and the Elliot.


DDG Elliot on the right, CG Lake Champlain on the left and then the USS Tarawa behind it.

We walked 8 flights of stairs to get to the ship's airplane elevator on the aircraft deck level. After our escort saluted the flag and officers James signed us in at yet another security check point and we received our passes.

We left the hanger bay area by first walking up a city block long steep ramp to the equipment deck then to another level up a stairway to the flight deck at the stern of the ship where the OA sailors were working. The ship is undergoing construction prior to going into dry dock. After introductions and welcomes Tom took over and we began our "Grand" tour of the USS Tarawa LHA-1.


Snippy sneaks picture of the ramp between hanger decks.

On the way we passed Rebecca and Yvonne the only two women of the crew of 13 who were busy banding helium tanks. From here went down below first and then headed toward the flight deck to the bow of the ship and we climbed ladders and stairways and walked on the outer side of the island tower touring each level all the way to the top!

We saw the ship's exercise room where over $100,000 dollars of equipment is housed and were told that when the Marines are onboard it is used 24/7! It is also one of the few air-conditioned areas of the ship. While proudly not bumping his head or tripping over doorways, SAM managed to trip over an exercise bike in the gym. LOL. He caught himself of course and was fine to carry on. He loved sliding down the interior steep stairwells though! From here we headed back to the stern and the island. On the island the first stop was the Admirals bridge. Here is where the Admiral fought the war when the Tarawa was the Flagship of the Coalition in OIF.


Snippy and SAM on the Captain's Bridge

Next it was up to the Captains bridge with steering and communications. The captain's bridge has a wing. A section that juts out from the bridge kind of like a small balcony. Next up was the Air traffic control bridge on the side of the island. You can sit in the flight control seats to see all of the ship where flight control and coordination is performed.


Tom explains the operation of the Flight Control Station

At the very top of the island is where the OA crew works. What a view from the very top, the roof, so to speak of the tower. Along the way we saw the Sparrow launcher, the Vulcan and 2 .50 -caliber machine guns (MA Deuce)! Tom also pointed out the ship's mast where a flag was flown that we will discuss on the thread later. Next Tom took us to the OA division office where Senior Chief Wells and the crew worked around the clock. A very small office that was in the process of being renovated and updated.


Door to the OA division Office where our Tarawa crew works

We went down halls, up stairs, down stairs and couldn't imagine how one could get used to finding there way on a ship this size. We visited the mess deck where they eat, the flight deck and the well deck where they launch the LCAC's and LCU's and equipment such as tanks and armored vehicles for the Marines that the Tarawa transports.

We toured the ship for almost 2 hours and then were turned back over to James for the ride back to the hotel. Before we left Tom told us dinner had been moved up and hour and would now be at 1530 as Chief Wells class schedule would allow an earlier than first thought dinner.

We arrived right at 3:30 and Brian was waiting outside to escort us in. About six of what would be 11 for dinner had already arrived. We ordered drinks and waited for Senior Chief Wells and the others. They weren't far behind and we finally got to meet our fellow FReeper and one of the Navy's finest and welcome the crew home after a job well done.

[snippy_about_it]

The USS Tarawa LHA-1


April 20, 2003 IN THE NORTH ARABIAN GULF

The amphibious assault ships of Task Force 51 come together in an unprecedented formation during operations in the North Arabian Gulf.

This marked the first time that six large deck amphibious ships from the East and West coasts have deployed together in one area of operations.

Led by the flag ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1), the ships in the second row from bottom to top are USS Saipan (LHA 2) and USS Kearsarge (LHD 3); and the third row ships are USS Boxer (LHD 4), USS Bataan (LHD 5) and USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6).

Commander, TaskForce 51 led Navy amphibious forces in the Arabian Gulf region during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 32 ships of Task Force 51 composed the largest amphibious force assembled since the Inchon landing during the Korean War.

OIF is the multinational coalition effort to liberate the Iraqi people, eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and end the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Amphibious Assault Ships

LHA/LHD

Description: Primary landing ships, resembling small aircraft carriers, designed to put troops on hostile shores.
Features: Modern U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships are called upon to perform as primary landing ships for assault operations of Marine expeditionary units. These ships use Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), conventional landing craft and helicopters to move Marine assault forces ashore. In a secondary role, using AV-8B Harrier aircraft and anti-submarine warfare helicopters, these ships perform sea control and limited power projection missions.

History/Background: Amphibious warships are uniquely designed to support assault from the sea against defended positions ashore. They must be able to sail in harm's way and provide a rapid built-up of combat power ashore in the face of opposition. The United States maintains the largest and most capable amphibious force in the world. The Wasp-class are the largest amphibious ships in the world. The lead ship, USS Wasp (LHD 1), was commissioned in July 1989 in Norfolk, Va.

[snippy_about_it]

San Diego assault ship Tarawa leaves today for Mideast
San Diego Union Tribune ^ | 1/6/03 | Unknown


Posted on 01/06/2003 4:46 PM EST by bkwells

LINK

This was the original thread Brian posted before announcing his deployment. I've pinged most of the original posters that wished them well so they can now welcome him and the crew home.

[snippy_about_it]

[snippy_about_it]

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

.......Good Friday Morning Everyone!


If you would like added or removed from our ping list let me know.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the freeper Foxhole.

Our H.S. football team won it's first game by a point last night off to a great start.

The weather is nice and sunny, we're forecast to hit 90 today.:-D

[RaceBannon]

USS Belleau Wood, LHA-3 maiden WESPAC, 1981, HMM-165

Nice boats, racks finally large enough for this 6'4" Marine!

[GailA]

Good Morning...May our Lord keep his hand on our fine military men and women and keep them safe and return them home soon.

[manna]

Present!

(What a neat, neat trip!! Thanks for telling us all about it!)

[weldgophardline]

This was worth waiting for great job Sam and Snippy. It must have been great to meet the Freepers on board the ship.

[Jeff Head]

Outstanding pics...outstanding post! What an honor and a treat for you to get the chance to visit and tour the Tarawa.

Our best from Idaho to you all, and particularly to those service men and women deployed in defense of our repiblic and our liberty.

God bless them, each and every one.

Jeff

[tarawa]

Thanks for taking the trip. I would have loved to have been back on my old ship, even for a little while. I would think it couldn't have changed THAT much...

[CholeraJoe]

Sounds like a good time was had by all, snippy and SAM!

[Johnny Gage]

Welcome back and what a wonderful surprise!!!!!

Welcome Home to the crew of the USS TARAWA!

[Prof Engineer]

Navy ping.

Thanks!!!

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning all.

Wonderful trip and report.

[firewalk]

Thanks for the ping snippy & good morning

Welcome home to the crew from the USS TARAWA!

bttt

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on September 05:
1187 Louis VIII [Coeur-de-Lion] king of France (1223-26)
1638 Louis XIV the great, king of France (1643-1715)
1735 Johann Christian Bach composer, son of JS Bach (English Bach)
1791 Giacomo Meyerbeer Vogelsdorf Germany, composer (Golt Und Die Natur)
1847 Jesse James Missouri, outlaw
1875 Napoleon "Larry" Lajoie RI, hall of fame shortstop (.426 in 1901)
1892 Joseph Szigeti Budapest Hungary, violinist (Violinist Notebook 1933)
1897 Luella Gear NYC, actress (Joe & Mabel)
1897 A.C. Nielson, founder of the Nielson Ratings.
1901 Florence Elridge actress (Long Days Journey into the Night)
1902 Darryl F Zanuck Hollywood producer & motion picture executive
1905 Arthur Koestler Hungary, writer (Darkness at Noon)
1908 Joaqu¡n Nin-Culmell Berlin, Germany, Cuban/Spanish composer
1912 John Cage LA, Calif, composer (Silence) & fraud
1914 Gail Kubik South Coffeyville, Okla, composer (Gerald McBoing Boing)
1917 Jack Buetel Dallas Tx, actress (The Outlaw, Half Breed)
1921 Jack Valenti Pres of Motion Picture Assn of America
1923 Arthur C Nielsen market researcher (TV's Nielsen's Ratings)
1927 Paul Volcker Federal Reserve chairman
1929 Andrian G Nikolayev USSR, cosmonaut (Vostok III Soyuz 9)
1929 Bob Newhart Oak Park Ill, comedian (Bob Newhart Show, Newhart)
1934 Carol Lawrence Illinois, dancer/actress (Dean Martin Summer Show)
1935 Werner Erhard Phila, founded EST
1937 William Devane Albany NY, actor (Family Plot, Missles of October)
1939 John Stewart San Diego Ca, rocker (Kingston Trio-Fire in the Wind)
1940 Raquel Welch Chic Ill (Myra Breckenridge, 1,000,000 BC, 100 Rifles)
1942 Eduardo Mata Mexico City Mexico, conductor (Improvisaciones)
1945 Al Stewart Glasgow Scotland, rocker (The Year of the Cat)
1946 Freddie Mercury rock vocalist (Queen-We are the Champions)
1950 Cathy Guisewite cartoonist (Cathy)
1950 Kathy Cronkite actress (Annie-Hizzonner)
1952 Graham Salmon blind runner (fastest 100m by a blind man)
1956 Sandra Guiboard US AFB German FR, actress (Donna-One Life to Live)
1956 Steve Denton world's fastest tennis serve-138 mph)
1960 Willie Gault bob sledder/NFL receiver (Chicago Bears, LA Raiders)
1964 Kristian Alfonso actress (Days of our Lives, Falcon Crest)
1965 Christopher Nolan Ireland, handicapped writer (Under Eye of Clock)
1967 Michele Ebadi Omaha Nebraska, Miss Nebraska-America (1991)
1969 Dweezil Zappa rocker/son of Frank Zappa/MTV VJ
1973 Tina Yothers actress (Family Ties)

---

Deaths which occurred on September 05:
1566 Suleiman I, the Great Law Giver, sultan of Turkey
(1520-66), dies
1683 Jean-Baptiste Colbert, French Minister of Navy, dies
1859 W Friedrich Olivier, German landscape painter, dies
1877 Crazy Horse, [Tashunka Witko], last great Sioux war chief, dies
1969 Mitchell Ayres orch leader (Hollywood Palace), dies at 58
1980 Barbara Loden actress (Ernie Kovacs Show), dies at 48
1981 Ayatollah Ali Qoddusi prosecutor-general of Iran, assassinated

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1963 INTORATAT PHISIT THAILAND
[ESCAPED 01/07/67]
1963 DE BRUIN EUGENE H.
1963 TIK CHUI TO THAILAND
[NOT ON OFFICIAL LISTS (CIA) AIR AMERICA]
1965 LA GRAND WILLIAM J. PORTLAND OR.
[CRASH EXPLODE NO EJECT SEEN]
1965 MARSHALL RICHARD C. CHICAGO IL.
[CRASH EXPLODE NO EJECT SEEN]
1965 SHAW EDWARD B. CRANSTON RI.
[EXPLODE CRASH SEA NO PARA BEEP]
1966 ABBOTT WILFRED K. AFTON WY.
[03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 99]
1967 DOWNING DONALD W. JANESVILLE WI.
1967 HANSON THOMAS P. MIAMI FL.
1967 LAPORTE MICHAEL L. LOS ANGELES CA.
[LOST IN HELICOPTER DROP]
1967 MILLER CARL D. MARSHALL MO.
1967 PRATHER MARTIN WILLIAM LOUISVILLE KY.
1967 RAYMOND PAUL D. DEPOSIT NY.
1968 POSEY GEORGE R. ANDERSON IN.
[WASHED OVERBOARD]
1970 HAUER ROBERT D. BROOKLINE MA.
1974 SHARMAN NEIL AUSTRALIA

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
1519 2nd Battle of Tehuacingo, Mexico: Hernan Cortes vs Tlascala Aztecs
1622 Richelieu becomes Cardinal
1666 The Fire of London is extinguished after two days.
1774 1st Continental Congress assembles, in Philadelphia
1781 Battle of Virginia Capes, French defeat British, traps Cornwallis
1804 In a daring night raid, American sailors under Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, board the captured USS Philadelphia and burn the ship to keep it out of the hands of the Barbary pirates who captured her.
1836 Sam Houston elected president of the Republic of Texas
1844 Iron ore discovered in Minnesota's Mesabi Range
1867 The first shipment of cattle leaves Abilene, Kansas, on a Union Pacific train headed to Chicago.
1862 Lee crosses the Potomac & enters Maryland
1877 Southern blacks led by Pap Singleton settle in Kansas
1882 10,000 workers march in 1st Labor Day parade in NYC
1885 1st gasoline pump is delivered to a gasoline dealer (Ft Wayne, Ind)
1900 France proclaims a protectorate over Chad
1901 National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues formed
1905 Treaty of Portsmouth USA, ends Russo-Japanese War
1906 1st legal forward pass (Brandbury Robinson to Jack Schneider)
1908 Dodger Nap Rucker no-hits Boston Braves, 6-0
1913 Phillies & Braves tie record of only 1 run in a double header, Phillies win 1st game 1-0, then a scoreless tie into 10th
1914 George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit his first minor league home run at Hanlan's Point Stadium in Toronto.
1914 Battle of Marne (WW I) begins
1918 Due to WW I, 15th World Series begins a month early
1922 Yankees final game at the Polo Grounds, after 7 years
1923 Flyweights Gene LaRue & Kid Pancho KO each other simultaneously
1925 112ø F (44ø C), Centerville, Alabama (state record)
1927 Red Sox beat Yankees 12-11 in 18 innings
1936 Red Sox turn a triple-play on the Yankees
1944 Allies liberate Brussels
1946 Joe Garagiola plays his 1st major league baseball game
1953 1st privately operated atomic reactor-Raleigh NC
1956 20 die in a train crash in Springer NM
1958 "Doctor Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak published in the US
1958 1st color video recording on magnetic tape presented, Charlotte NC
1959 Wash Senator Jim Lemon is 7th to get 6 RBIs in an inning (3rd)
1960 Cassius Clay captures the olympic light heavyweight gold medal
1960 President Kasavubu fires PremierLumumba of Congo
1961 President Kennedy signs law against hijacking (death penalty)
1968 21 killed by hijackers aboard a Pan Am jet in Karachi Pakistan
1970 Estimated 15 cm (6") of rainfall, Bug Point, Utah (state record)
1971 NY Mets Don Hahn hits 1st inside the park homer at Phillies Vet
1972 11 Israeli athletes are slain at Munich Olympics
1972 Chemical spill with fog sickens hundreds in Meuse Valley Belgium
1975 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme attempts to assassinate Ford in Sacramento
1975 Wings release "Letting Go"
1977 Cleveland Indians stage 1st "I hate the Yankee Hanky Night"
1977 Voyager 1 (US) launched toward fly-by of Jupiter, Saturn
1978 Sadat, Begin & Carter began peace conference at Camp David, Md
1979 Earl of Mountbatten funeral held in Bruma
1980 World's longest auto tunnel, St Gotthard in Swiss Alps, opens
1982 Eddie Hill sets propeller-driven boat water speed record of 229 mph
1983 8th Space Shuttle Mission-Challenger 3-lands at Edwards AFB
1983 Elmer Trettr sets record for highest terminal velocity at 201.34 mph end of a 440 yard motorcycle run from a standing start
1984 12th Space Shuttle Mission (41-D) -Discovery 1- lands at Edwards AFB
1986 NASA awards study contracts to 5 aerospace firms
1986 NASA launches DOD-1
1988 Jerry Lewis' 23rd Labor Day telethon raises record $41,132,113
1988 CFL's Earl Winfield (Ham) scores TDs on 101-yd punt return, 100-yd kickoff return & 58-yd pass reception
1989 Deborah Norville becomes news anchor of the Today Show
1990 Iraqi Pres Saddam Hussein urges Arabs to rise against the West
1991 Actor John Travolta weds Kelly Preston
1991 US trial of former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega begins

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Iran : Iman Ali Day
Namibia, South Africa : Settlers' Day ( Monday )
US, Canada, Guam, Virgin Islands : Labor Day (1894) (Monday)
USA : Be Late For Something Day
Mental Health Workers Week
Cable Television Month.

---

Religious Observances
Buddhist-Laos : Buddhist Holiday
Christian : St Laurence Justinian, bishop of Venice, confessor

---

Religious History
1692 At Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Colonial clergyman Increase Mather, 53, received the first Doctor of Sacred Theology (STD) degree to be awarded in America.
1810 The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was formally organized by the Congregational churches of New England at Farmington, Connecticut.
1870 Three Roman Catholic universities were founded in the United States on this exact same date: St. John's in New York City, Loyola in Chicago, and Canisius in Buffalo, New York.
1888 American baseball player-turned-evangelist Billy Sunday, 26, married Helen Thompson, 20. In later years she became affectionately known as "Ma Sunday," and became his evangelistic campaign advisor. She survived Billy (d.1935) by 22 years.
1950 Baptist Bible College was founded in Springfield, MO, under auspices of the Baptist Bible Fellowship. With an enrollment of over 2,000, it is today one of the largest Bible colleges in America.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

---

Thought for the day :
"No place is boring, if you've had a good night's sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film."

---

You might be a caffeine addict if...
you've ever knelt and prayed before a Starbuck's logo.

---

Murphys Law of the day...(Raskin's Zero Law)
The more zeros found in the price tag for a government program, the less Congressional scrutiny it will receive.

---

Cliff Clavin says, it's a little known fact that...
The world’s most widely spoken language is the Mandarin dialect of Chinese, with 500 million speakers.

[w_over_w]

Morning Glory Snip and Sam~

Fantastic post today. Thanks for sharing this experience. The Navy was certainly gracious to you. God bless them all.

Ugh . . Miss Snippy! Please don't touch any of those switches!

[colorado tanker]

Awesome picture of the task force in the Gulf!

Thanks for letting the sailors know we're behind them and praying for them.

Congrats, Sam and Snippy, on a great trip!

[Samwise]

Whoa Hoe!

What a great surprise. I am so happy that you two were able to tour the ship. That is soooooooo cool. (I'm a wee bit jealous, though.) Thank you for sharing the adventure with us. "Our guys" are absolutely the best, aren't they?

Tell us about the flag. Lemme guess. They gave it to you, right?

Have you heard about our Freeper Hobbit Hole adopting the 82nd Airborne in Kandahar? We freeped 'em good with care packages and letters. They were busting their butts for us, and we were trying to show them how much we appreciated what they were doing--and what did they do? After already sacrificing so much, they sent us each a flag that had flown over their base. I'n tearing up just thinking about it. I will treasure mine forever. Samwise Jr. will pass it to her kids. I'm gonna lose it, so I better stop.

Great trip! Treasure the memories.