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In the Navy, you can sail the seven seas The future USS Portland is already in the water, but it has yet to be commissioned. The ceremony to do so was scheduled to be held in Pascagoula, Mississippi at the end of May, but then the state decided to put its hatred, its bigotry, and its antiquated notions about the 1st Amendment on display. Since we’re a hyper-sensitive society that subsists on faux-outrage, we can’t tolerate any of that “religious freedom” nonsense. Super-important dignitaries refused to attend, so the Navy has determined that the christening simply had to be moved.

Submarine USS Toledo Heads Home From Iraq .c The Associated Press GROTON, Conn. (AP) - The submarine USS Toledo is on its way back home to Connecticut after a two-month tour of duty in the Iraq war. Navy officials said the submarine, with a crew of 134 sailors, is scheduled to arrive at the U.S. Navy submarine base in Groton on Tuesday afternoon. It is the first submarine to return to the base since the beginning of the war with Iraq. The submarine and its crew left the base Feb. 10, and served in the Mediterranean Sea and the Red...

USS Portland, Crew of 320 Returns Home By SONJA BARISIC .c The Associated Press VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Hundreds of families stood in the rain and fog Friday, cheering as the USS Portland became the first East Coast-based Navy ship to return home from the war in Iraq. During its three-month mission, the Portland and its crew of 320 delivered combat Marines and equipment to Kuwait. It came home a bit early because of a needed repair. ``This is an answered prayer,'' said Cheryl Douglas, 47, of Virginia Beach. She was anxiously waiting at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- The USS Portland, the first Navy ship to return from the war in Iraq, steamed into port Friday to patriotic music and throngs of people cheering in the fog and rain. Hundreds of families clutching bouquets, American flags, cameras and umbrellas welcomed back the 320 sailors from a three-month mission to deliver equipment and about 300 Marines to Kuwait. "This is an answered prayer," Cheryl Douglas, 47, of Virginia Beach said as the ship approached in the morning fog. She was selected to give the first...

-- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signs order to send additional 35,000 troops to Persian Gulf. Watch CNN or log on to http://CNN.com /AOL Keyword: CNN for the latest news.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- Two of the seven Virginia-based ships that have received deployment orders in the past week pulled away from a Navy pier Sunday as a military buildup continued ahead of a possible war with Iraq. Three of the ships left port Friday, and the USS Ashland and USS Kearsarge left Sunday. The USS Bataan and USS Portland were expected to follow. Together, they can carry a landing force of more than 8,000 Marines. As the Ashland pulled away from its dock, a couple dozen family members waved from a cold, wind-swept parking lot. Kerri Rodriguez wiped...