No Relief in Sight for the Lincoln

[brianc]

Guest Column: No Relief in Sight for the Lincoln
By Ed Stanton



It has been three weeks since my ship, the USS Abraham Lincoln, arrived off the Sumatran coast to aid the hundreds of thousands of victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami that ravaged their coastline. I’d like to say that this has been a rewarding experience for us, but it has not: Instead, it has been a frustrating and needlessly dangerous exercise made even more difficult by the Indonesian government and a traveling circus of so-called aid workers who have invaded our spaces.

What really irritated me was a scene I witnessed in the Lincoln ’s wardroom a few days ago. I went in for breakfast as I usually do, expecting to see the usual crowd of ship’s company officers in khakis and air wing aviators in flight suits, drinking coffee and exchanging rumors about when our ongoing humanitarian mission in Sumatra is going to end.

What I saw instead was a mob of civilians sitting around like they owned the place. They wore various colored vests with logos on the back including Save The Children, World Health Organization and the dreaded baby blue vest of the United Nations. Mixed in with this crowd were a bunch of reporters, cameramen and Indonesian military officers in uniform. They all carried cameras, sunglasses and fanny packs like tourists on their way to Disneyland .

My warship had been transformed into a floating hotel for a bunch of trifling do-gooders overnight.

As I went through the breakfast line, I overheard one of the U.N. strap-hangers, a longhaired guy with a beard, make a sarcastic comment to one of our food servers. He said something along the lines of “Nice china, really makes me feel special,” in reference to the fact that we were eating off of paper plates that day. It was all I could do to keep from jerking him off his feet and choking him, because I knew that the reason we were eating off paper plates was to save dishwashing water so that we would have more water to send ashore and save lives. That plus the fact that he had no business being there in the first place.

My attitude towards these unwanted no-loads grew steadily worse that day as I learned more from one of our junior officers who was assigned to escort a group of them. It turns out that they had come to Indonesia to “assess the damage” from the Dec. 26 tsunami.

Well, they could have turned on any TV in the world and seen that the damage was total devastation. When they got to Sumatra with no plan, no logistics support and no five-star hotels to stay in, they threw themselves on the mercy of the U.S. Navy, which, unfortunately, took them in. I guess our senior brass was hoping for some good PR since this was about the time that the U.N. was calling the United States “stingy” with our relief donations.

As a result of having to host these people, our severely over-tasked SH-60 Seahawk helos, which were carrying tons of food and water every day to the most inaccessible places in and around Banda Aceh, are now used in great part to ferry these “relief workers” from place to place every day and bring them back to their guest bedrooms on the Lincoln at night. Despite their avowed dedication to helping the victims, these relief workers will not spend the night in-country, and have made us their guardians by default.

When our wardroom treasurer approached the leader of the relief group and asked him who was paying the mess bill for all the meals they ate, the fellow replied, “We aren’t paying, you can try to bill the U.N. if you want to.”

In addition to the relief workers, we routinely get tasked with hauling around reporters and various low-level “VIPs,” which further wastes valuable helo lift that could be used to carry supplies. We had to dedicate two helos and a C-2 cargo plane for America-hater Dan Rather and his entourage of door holders and briefcase carriers from CBS News. Another camera crew was from MTV. I doubt if we’ll get any good PR from them, since the cable channel is banned in Muslim countries. We also had to dedicate a helo and crew to fly around the vice mayor of Phoenix , Ariz. , one day. Everyone wants in on the action.

As for the Indonesian officers, while their job is apparently to encourage our leaving as soon as possible, all they seem to do in the meantime is smoke cigarettes. They want our money and our help but they don’t want their population to see that Americans are doing far more for them in two weeks than their own government has ever done or will ever do for them.

To add a kick in the face to the USA and the Lincoln , the Indonesian government announced it would not allow us to use their airspace for routine training and flight proficiency operations while we are saving the lives of their people, some of whom are wearing Osama bin Ladin T-shirts as they grab at our food and water. The ship has to steam out into international waters to launch and recover jets, which makes our helos have to fly longer distances and burn more fuel.

What is even worse than trying to help people who totally reject everything we stand for is that our combat readiness has suffered for it.

An aircraft carrier is an instrument of national policy and the big stick she carries is her air wing. An air wing has a set of very demanding skills and they are highly perishable. We train hard every day at sea to conduct actual air strikes, air defense, maritime surveillance, close air support and many other missions – not to mention taking off and landing on a ship at sea.

Our safety regulations state that if a pilot does not get a night carrier landing every seven days, he has to be re-qualified to land on the ship. Today we have pilots who have now been over 25 days without a trap due to being unable to use Indonesian airspace to train. Normally it is when we are at sea that our readiness is at its very peak. Thanks to the Indonesian government, we have to waive our own safety rules just to get our pilots off the deck.

In other words, the longer we stay here helping these people, the more dangerous it gets for us to operate. We have already lost one helicopter, which crashed in Banda Aceh while taking sailors ashore to unload supplies from the C-130s. There were no relief workers on that one.

I’m all for helping the less fortunate, but it is time to give this mission to somebody other than the U.S. Navy. Our ship was supposed to be home on Feb. 3 and now we have no idea how long we will be here. American taxpayers are spending millions per day to keep this ship at sea and getting no training value out of it. As a result, we will come home in a lower state of readiness than when we left due to the lack of flying while supporting the tsunami relief effort.

I hope we get some good PR in the Muslim world out of it. After all, this is Americans saving the lives of Muslims. I have my doubts.



Ed Stanton is the pen name of a career U.S. Navy officer currently serving with the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group. Send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

[IRTradRU?]

Guest Column: No Relief in Sight for the Lincoln
By Ed Stanton
When our wardroom treasurer approached the leader of the relief group and asked him who was paying the mess bill for all the meals they ate, the fellow replied, “We aren’t paying, you can try to bill the U.N. if you want to.”

In addition to the relief workers, we routinely get tasked with hauling around reporters and various low-level “VIPs,” which further wastes valuable helo lift that could be used to carry supplies. We had to dedicate two helos and a C-2 cargo plane for America-hater Dan Rather and his entourage of door holders and briefcase carriers from CBS News. Another camera crew was from MTV. I doubt if we’ll get any good PR from them, since the cable channel is banned in Muslim countries. We also had to dedicate a helo and crew to fly around the vice mayor of Phoenix , Ariz. , one day. Everyone wants in on the action.

Why am I not surprised?

[spittin_in_the_wind]

I received the full text of this also, in a forwarded email from my uncle. He tends to forward me every conservative/Christian email known to man!

Anyways, I was wondering which publication "Ed Stanton" is a "guest columnist" for...it would be illuminating to know. His description of humanitarian aid workers sounds a little odd; and certainly he understands why the aid workers can't spend the night in-country in Indonesia. My understanding is that the military were also prohibited from spending the night on land, for safety reasons. His reaction is a little odd...I thought soldiers considered it their duty to serve wherever they are sent.

By the way, this same uncle also forwarded me an email stating that the reason there have been no attacks by Al Qaida since Sept. 11 is that Bush has secretely threatened Osama with bombing Mecca if he tries it again. That one I found offensive enough to reply to and express my disgust, even though I usually take a very lenient eye toward my uncle's political views, as he is really a sweet old man.

Robin

[OnTheMoor]

And here I thought the idea was to save people after the most horrible disaster in recent memory (even brats wearing Osama t-shirts) but it's refreshing to know it is just a PR job.

And what exactly does Mr. Stanton expect photo-journalists to have? Machine guns? Should aid workers be in camo gear?

[OnTheMoor]

This article goes along nicely with the story of the Marine Corps Officer who said it was a "Helluva Hoot" to shoot people in Iraq.

[Lambchop]

Well, I've read this twice now. It bothered me last night, and it bothers me again tonight. There is just something wrong with it.

The problem, I've decided, is that it is out of character for the military that I know. I'm a retired Army officer who now works for the VA. I knew few, if any, active-duty military (or retired/reserves from the VA)who would grouse about aid operations. Most would fling themselves into the opportunity. The military, after all, is eminently suited for aid operations--they are the only ones with the equipment and logistical support available on short notice. Such aid operations are excellent training activities, as well. Everyone accepts the reality that it is dangerous, that other agencies might interfere, and that there are politicos going to be involved no matter how hard you try to avoid them.

But, there is a malcontent in every bunch--maybe even two--and that article appears to have been written by one. The fact that the author is pseudonymous speaks for the value of his opinion.

[Wormdiet]

America-hater Dan Rather

:roll:

'nuff said.

[IRTradRU?]

I knew few, if any, active-duty military (or retired/reserves from the VA)who would grouse about aid operations. Most would fling themselves into the opportunity. The military, after all, is eminently suited for aid operations--they are the only ones with the equipment and logistical support available on short notice.
But, there is a malcontent in every bunch--maybe even two--and that article appears to have been written by one. The fact that the author is pseudonymous speaks for the value of his opinion.

We must be reading different articles. What I read indicated that the do-nothings were IN THE WAY of the Navy getting the rescue ops accomplished.

[Bloomfield]

I knew few, if any, active-duty military (or retired/reserves from the VA)who would grouse about aid operations. Most would fling themselves into the opportunity. The military, after all, is eminently suited for aid operations--they are the only ones with the equipment and logistical support available on short notice.
But, there is a malcontent in every bunch--maybe even two--and that article appears to have been written by one. The fact that the author is pseudonymous speaks for the value of his opinion.

We must be reading different articles. What I read indicated that the do-nothings were IN THE WAY of the Navy getting the rescue ops accomplished.

And not only that. One of them had long hair and a beard. :roll:

[Denny]

Well! That is just SO upsetting... Someone forward that article to George W. and let him know that his ship has been hijacked...

The nerve!

[Will O'B]

. . . When our wardroom treasurer approached the leader of the relief group and asked him who was paying the mess bill for all the meals they ate, the fellow replied, “We aren’t paying, you can try to bill the U.N. if you want to.”. . .

. . . Our ship was supposed to be home on Feb. 3 and now we have no idea how long we will be here. American taxpayers are spending millions per day to keep this ship at sea and getting no training value out of it. . . .

I must say that this person is a rare gem, indeed. Waste is a way of life in the military. More food is cooked on a military installation than can be eaten by its personnel -- the perfectly edible leftovers are then dumped into huge garbage bins or over the side of the ship. I routinely watched children digging around in the garbage for their meals. When I approached the chaplain about saving the leftovers for those who truly needed it, I was reprimanded and given extra duties to keep my mind off such "trivial" matters.

Unless things have changed significantly in the past 30+ years, the waste is enormous and I'm suprised that this gentleman is just now waking up to that fact. My guess is that much of the food the workers ate from the ship's rations would have been dumped after each meal anyway, so I'm not sure why he is so upset.

Will O'Ban

[Will O'B]

We had to dedicate two helos and a C-2 cargo plane for America-hater Dan Rather and his entourage of door holders and briefcase carriers from CBS News.

Good lord, how much stuff does Dan Rather carry with him anyway?

And all of that being done to help out an "America hater," too.

I wonder how big the fish are that get away when this guy goes fishing? Does anyone else get the feeling that maybe he's telling a few "stretchers?"

Will O'Ban

Edited to correct a typo.

[Teri-K]

Anyways, I was wondering which publication "Ed Stanton" is a "guest columnist" for...it would be illuminating to know. His description of humanitarian aid workers sounds a little odd; and certainly he understands why the aid workers can't spend the night in-country in Indonesia.
Robin

The magazine is "Defense Watch" located at: www.sftt.org (soldiers for the truth)

Before everyone gets their pants/panties in a twist, the jury is still out on whether or not this is a hoax. Personally, I'm very skeptical.

The Lincoln is on the way home here in Seattle, so possibly more info will come to light when they reach port.

[Flyingcursor]

My guess is that much of the food the workers ate from the ship's rations would have been dumped after each meal anyway, so I'm not sure why he is so upset.

Will O'Ban

And considering the quality of some Navy food I've had.....

Actually I've heard carriers aren't too bad. Never been on one.

[Denny]

Stick to the officer's mess, do not eat with the crew.

...and what did they do with the paper plates? Store them on the hanger deck?

Denny