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Veterans Day Aboard The USS Alaska |
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Written On: November 8, 2002 |
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As you read this column, the USS Alaska is on patrol somewhere in the world, deep beneath the surface of the ocean. On board are 160 sailors who will spend the next three months totally cut off from their families and loved ones.
An Ohio-class nuclear sub, the USS Alaska is armed with 24 Trident II missiles and is considered by some to be the most potent weapon on earth. However, this awesome machine and its crew have a strange sort of mission. The Navy wants everyone to know the sub’s capabilities, but they go to great lengths to avoid detection. In fact, staying hidden is critical to the success of their mission, enabling them to respond to any attack on our nation.
Submariners live a life of confinement; far away from the daily pleasures we take for granted. On the USS Alaska there are no Big Macs, no high school band concerts, no little league baseball games, and no sunshine. There are no phone calls home, no Cougar or Husky football games, and no e-mails. If there is a family emergency, often the crew won’t hear about it until they return to base. If a family crisis occurs, they depend on other submariners to help their families until they return.
I was privileged to spend six hours on the USS Alaska late last month at its home at Naval Submarine Base, Bangor on the Hood Canal. I was among a few guests invited to come aboard with family members as the crew prepared to leave for their latest mission.
As we disembarked the USS Alaska onto a Navy tug that took us back to shore, the submarine headed out to sea. Even as they set out, their destination remained a secret, even to most of the crew.
This Veterans Day, please remember those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect us. And in the coming weeks, as you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner and open your presents on Christmas morning, think of the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who are far away from their loved ones. Thank them for sacrificing time with their families to keep us safe.
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