THIS IS THE STORY
"It wasn't until a few days ago
though, that we started doing something
that I feel may be the first
thing I've seen in my short Naval career
that has truly made a difference.
Right now we're supporting the
USS COLE and her crew in Aden.
When the attack occurred we
were a day away.
Just by luck we happened to
be on our way out of the Gulf
and headed towards the Suez
and could get here in a relatively
short amount of time.
I know what you all have seen
on CNN, because we have seen it too.
I just want you all to know
that what you see
doesn't even scratch the surface.
I'm not going to get into it
for obvious reasons.
But I will tell you that right
now there are 250+ sailors
just a few miles away living
in hell on Earth.
I'm sitting in a nice air conditioned
state room,
they're sleeping out on the
decks at night.
You can't even imagine the conditions
they're living in,
and yet they are still fighting
24 hours a day to save their ship
and free the bodies of those
still trapped and send them home.
As bad as it is, they're doing
an incredible job.
The very fact that these people
are still functioning is beyond my comprehension.
Whatever you imagine as the
worst, multiply it by ten and you might get there.
Today I was asked to photo
rig the ship and surrounding area.
It looked so much worse than
I had imagined, unbelievable really,
with debris and disarray everywhere,
the ship listing, the hole in her side.
I wish I had the power to relay
to you all what I have seen,
but words just won't do it.
I do want to tell you the first
thing that jumped out at me -
the Stars and Stripes flying.
I can't tell you how that made
me feel...even in this God forsaken hell hole
our flag was more beautiful
than words can describe.
Then I started to notice the
mass of activity going on below,
scores of people working non-stop
in 90 plus degree weather to save this ship.
They're doing it with almost
no electrical power and they're sleeping
(when they can sleep)
outside on the decks because
they can't stand the smell
or the heat or the darkness
inside.
They only want to eat what we
bring them
because they're all scared
of eating something brought
by the local vendors.
Even with all that, the USS
COLE and her crew is sending a message guys,
and it's that even acts
of cowardice and hate can do nothing
to the spirit and pride of the
United States.
I have never been so proud of
what I do,
or of the men and women that
I serve with as I was today.
There are sixteen confirmed
dead sailors who put it on the line for all of us,
and some of them are still trapped
here.
Please take a minute to pray
for their families
and say a word of thanks for
their sacrifice -
one made so that we can live
the lives that we do.
All of you that serve with me,
thank you.
All of you that have loved ones
that serve, thank you."
Please feel free to pass this on to those you think will appreciate it.
V/R
LT Landry
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