VENOM04
Well-Known Member
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When 9/11 happened,
I was on the USS STENNIS (CVN-74), heading back to San Diego from work-ups since the first part of July. We were supposed to be pulling in on the 13th. It was now just over 2 months at sea doing work-ups. For those that aren't military, all units go though a training phase that is normally called work-ups so that the unit may be deployed to the area that they are needed. The STENNIS was doing work-ups for a cruise to the Arabian Gulf.
On Monday, the 10th, a friend , one that I had trained at the Pentagon and had followed me to the STENNIS, had e-mailed me saying that he was back at the pentagon and would start work on Tuesday the 11th. He had gotten out of the Navy and went back to DC, mainly cause his wife and family were from there.
As the horrible events from that day, September 11th unfolded, the STENNIS was ordered to a MODLOC (told to go to a new location) and park to await surge/alert aircraft. We took on about 10 aircraft, F/A-18's armed them with missile and bullets for their guns and sent them back up to start a DEF CAP over Los Angeles and San Diego.
Its one thing to see and know what was going on but to fly armed planes over our own cities was a humbling experience. I know that the Airforce does it all the time but for me this was the first time I have heard that Navy doing it.
The aftermath of that day lead to me and the rest of the STENNIS crew to only seeing our loved ones for 3 weeks before a 8 month deployment (in total it was a one year deployment). On 9/11 my friend was called by the office in the Pentagon that he could take the day off and get settled in before coming on Wednesday. The guy that called him was LCDR Tolbert and he perished in the attack on the Pentagon later that morning. LCDR Tolbert was a great guy to work, there will never be another as cool as him. My friend and his family are safe and sound.
I will never forget that day of having to call Myztry and tell her its going to be fine, even when I had no clue what would happen.
Damn you were on IRR in 2001.....Now I'm feeling old, too.
It probably wouldn't have happened if we had Hit them immediately after USS Cole got hit.. Thanks again Mr. Clinton!
WWII was preceded by Navy casualties too (no not Pearl Harbor). USS Reuben James was torpedoed by U-552 a year before we got hit at Pearl.. The public oppinion (same as in 2000) was " they are in the Navy, They take thier chances" it took a major hit (like 911) to wake up the country to the imminent threat. If we had swung into action following the Cole bombing we would have located the fight "Over There" instead of on our home turf.