Guantanamo Gazette
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Guantanamo Gazette Vol. 45 -- No. 76 --U.S. Navy's only shore-based daily newspaper -- Monday, April 24, 1989 Memorial service held for those who died on board the USS Iowa NAVY NEWS SERVICE tion. ome Johnson, commander U.S. Second inch guns, twelve 5-inch guns, as well as The deceased were heloed off Iowa in Fleet was embarked on the ship for the Tomahawk and Harpoon missile launch- An explosion on board USS Iowa (BB Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and then Naval exercise Fleetex 3-89. ers. 61) killed 47 sailors April 19. flown to Dover Air Force Base in Dela- "The ship's crew performed magnifi- The families of the deceased were all Iowa was conducting gunnery exercises ware. The remains were received in a cently," Johnson said. "They were on the notified within 36 hours after the accident. 330 miles northeast of Puerto Rico when an ceremony at Dover with an honor guard fires quickly and fought heroically to get The family service support center in Nor- explosion ripped through the number two and Navy band. Secretary of the Navy, their fallen shipmates." folk operated around the clock providing 16-inch gun turret causing a fire and struc- William Ball III, related apersonal experi- The Chief of naval Operations, Adm. help to families of crew members while the tural damage. There were 58 sailors inside ence from a previous visit to Iowa. Carlisle Trost extended sympathy for Naval Military Personnel Command, in the multi-level turret. Eleven men in the "Ihadsailedwiththemandhadcrawled fallen comrades and Navy families. Washington, manned a toll-free telephone magazine on the lowest level escaped with around their turret, shaken their greasy "To the families and shipmates of all information service. minor injuries. hands, felt the strong, sure grip that only a our sailors who were killed or injured.we Fire fighting teams flooded surround- gunner's mate can give, seen the ready grin know that their service was not in vain - Today, President Bush, Secretary of ing magazines to prevent further explo- on their faces and watched the steady and that they were serving to protect the free- Defense Dick Cheney, Secretary Ball and sions. The damage was contained within rough way they went about their work. doms our nation so proudly holds," said the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Trost the 17-inch thick steel walls of the turret. They were good sailors.their deaths were Trost. attended a memorial service for the 47 The aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CV a jolting reminder of the dangers faced by Iowa is one of the four World War II Iowa sailors at the Norfolk Naval base. 43), operating nearby, sent a surgical team those who freely make that choice and battleships "mothballed" after the Korean and medical supplies to the scene but the serve at sea," Ball said. War andrefitted with modem weapons and By presidential proclamation all U.S. owa reported there were no injuries to Capt. Fred Moosally commands the recommissioned in the 1980's. The ship Flags on government installations will be personnel requiring outside medical atten- Norfolk-Based battleship. Vice Adm. Jer- carries over 1500 sailors and has nine 16- flown at Half-Mast until April 25, 1989. Two ships collide while refueling during a Fleetex 3-89 exercise NAVY NEWS SERVICE USS Trippe (FF 1075) was alongside Damage to Trippe below the waterline made necessary engineering repairs to en- USS Platte (AO 186) 500 miles east of and a battered bow and port bridge wing. ter port under its own power. An oiler and afrigate collided while re- Jacksonville, Fla., when the collision oc- There was minor flooding but damage fueling April 19, duringFleetex 3-89. Both curred. Platte suffered damage to its main control teams patched the holes. Platte was able to continue underway to ships suffered moderate damage but there deck railings, a four-inch hole above the USNS Powhattan (T-ATF 166) towed meet other refueling commitments of the was only one minor injury. waterline and a ruptured JP-5 fuel tank. Trippe toward Charleston until the Frigate exercise. DoDDS students get firsthand looks with Senate youth program By SGT. MAJ. RUDI WILLIAMS Delegates come to Washington for a who areinfluential in policy making of the affect our lives." AFIS Correspondent week of working with their senators, at- United States. We saw the law of the land, After having met with government of- tending briefing at the White House, Su- the constitution and Declaration of Inde- ficials and political leaders, Griffin said: Two Department of Defense Depend- preme Court, Pentagon, House of Repre- pendence. "This shows that it's very possible for ents Schools students were among 104 sentative, Library of Congress and Na- "I think that everybody here has politi- anybody who has the desire and motivation delegates who spent a week visiting their tional Archives and visiting other local cal aspirations somewhere in the back of to work for such an office. Knowing that senators and getting firsthand looks at the sites. Each college-bound youngster is also their minds," said Zakhem. "Having been they came up from boyhoods or girlhoods inner workings of the U.S. government. given a $2,000 scholarship. able to relate and talk to as many politicians similar to my own lets me know that such They were in Washington, D.C., during "We came here (Hearst, her husband and world leaders as we have in this last a career is possible for myself." late-January, early-February. and brother-in-law, Randolph Hearst) for week has just amplified that. Hearst has added Zakhem and Griffin As delegates to the Senate Youth Pro- the first time to present the idea to the "Being a DoDDS student in the Persian to her long correspondence list. She beams gram, John Zakhem, 17, of Bahrain High senators in 1961," said Hearst. "My hus- Gulf right now is a great experience, espe- whenever the "kids" are mentioned. "I'm a School, and Carter Griffin, 16, of Balboa band was with us for the first nine years." cially since I can see firsthand the exem- very strong believer in our youth, because High School in Panama, represented some After her husband died in 1972, she contin- plary job that our armed forces have per- I deal with them every year," said Hearst. 150,000 DoDDS student sin 273 schools in ued coming every year to meet and greet formed in bringing back pride tothe United "Twenty-seven years is a pretty long time. 19 countries worldwide. Two students her "kids." States military," Zakhem said. And I certainly have had a chance to know from DoDDS, each state and the District of "The original idea was to get the young Only juniors and seniors can vie for the these young people throughout their lives Columbiaparticipateintheprogram,spon- people interested in their government and honor. Griffin, a junior, explained: "It's and what they're doing. I'm the one they sored by the William Randolph Hearst political science," Hearst explained. only for elected student representatives of write and tell these things. They're not a Foundation and the U.S. Senate. "They've gone on to become senators, am- the school, from student council president statistic, as far as my records are concerned. DoDDS students were not included bassadors, lieutenant governors, doctors, all the way down to junior class treasurer. They write to 'their mom' and tell me when the first Senate Youth Program dele- lawyers, ministers, rabbis, any field they So I would suggest the students who want what's going on in their lives. They'll gates met in the nation's capital in 1962. go into, they're successful because they to participate in the program get involved always be my kids." They made their debut 20 years later. "We have the drive. They want to do something. in extracurriclar activities, sports, debat- Asked about her most rewarding mo- decided that kids attending the Department And they do it." ing, anything extra that's above and be- ments with her kids, Hearst said: "The dele- of Defense schools should be honored the Some 60 students vied for the program yond normal school work, as well as get- gates themselves. These kids are our future. same as kids going to schools in the United in DoDDS' five overseas regions, Atlantic, ting involved in student government." I've always said, 'Good kids aren't news.' States,"said Mrs. George Randolph Hearst Germany, Mediterranean, Pacific andPan- Griffin, whose father is general man- If Johnny is a 4.0 student, his mother and Sr. of the HearstFoundatiQn. "The fact that ama. After submitting an application, each agerfor Eastman Kodak in Central Ameri- father and grandparents are happy and the their fathers serve overseas should not student took a written test, which included can and parts of South American, said, "I teacher and principal of his high school are exclude them from having this opportu- an essay and an oral interview. Leadership do have political aspirations as one possi- all proud. But it doesn't mean anything to nity." positions held in high school and participa- bility for a career. This only magnified the outside world. But if John steals a hub DoDDS is operated for dependents of tion in extracurricular activities were con- that. It has enhanced the idea that people we cap off a car, he makes the front page news. military and civilian employees stationed sidered. read about are actually real persons, not just But that's the minority. It's a shame that it overseas.