As we all relived the tragedy of September 11 this week, I received a 9/11 message from a soldier named Jonathan, whose story readers first began following here in the column on July 27. He is a 48-year-old local husband and father of three daughters (ages 10, 16, and 19) who has been called to active duty in Iraq.
As we all relived the tragedy of September 11 this week, I received a 9/11 message from a soldier named Jonathan, whose story readers first began following here in the column on July 27. He is a 48-year-old local husband and father of three daughters (ages 10, 16, and 19) who has been called to active duty in Iraq.
Jonathan is what is known in the military as a Navy “Seabee,” which is a word created phonetically from the first two letters of the phrase “Construction Brigade,” (C.B.).
Jonathan explained the kind of work the Seabees expect to be doing in Iraq: “Seabees are construction workers who build and maintain advance bases and airfields. We also do infrastructure work like roads and power distribution. Another thing we are big on is humanitarian work like schools, clinics, water wells and disaster recovery operations. We are real proud of our mission. We produce real tangible products that people can use. We don’t have to go around looking to shoot bad guys.”
Because of the emphasis on experience and skill, the average age of Seabees has always been older. More than 325,000 men served with the Seabees in WWII, fighting and building on six continents and more than 300 islands.
Jonathan was first sent to Mississippi to begin the mobilization process, where he said it is “hot, hot, hot and very humid.” We may think we’ve been hot around here this summer, but we’re cool compared to Gulfport. Imagine training to run two miles while carrying a large pack and wearing a gas mask in such heat!
Jonathan said, “Last week I got back from Camp Shelby Army Base for our officer and chiefs’ field exercise. I am now one lean, mean, fighting sweat gland.”
On August 27, after a month in Gulfport, Jonathan reported, “The natives are getting restless. Most of the troops just want to get over there and go to work. One thing that’s good is that the training is pretty up to date. Most of the instructors are recent OIF vets so we have first person info. There is an arms race so to speak going on. As the bad guys have changed tactics to our defenses, we have adapted to their adaptations, and so the cycle goes.”
He explained that getting ready to fly to Kuwait (the staging area for Iraq) requires more than just making a reservation.
“On top of classes, I and our embarkation team are preparing for the flights over to Kuwait. We have to plan cargo weights and dimensions, manifests and coordinate with all the different departments on what they can and can’t take, etc. There are a lot of moving parts to keep track of here.”
On 9/11, Jonathan and his fellow troops called their families to say a final farewell before they took off for Kuwait. “I’ll be mailing my cell phone home to you now,” he told his wife Christine in what he thought would be his last phone call for a long while.
A few hours later, the plane the soldiers were on landed to refuel in Bangor, Maine. While they couldn’t deplane into a regular airport due to security concerns, they were allowed to get off the plane to stretch their legs. As they disembarked, a surprise awaited them. “We were greeted by a long line of veterans and their wives who shook every one of our hands,” Jonathan said.
In an e-mail he called, “How I spent 9/11,” Jonathan described: “It was an unexpected and very moving experience. These veterans, who started doing this from the Desert Shield/Storm days, are very dedicated and may greet up to 10 flights of soldiers a day.”
The troops were thrilled when the veterans handed them cell phones to use for a last call home to their loved ones. I will share future updates on Jonathan’s adventure as we follow him on his journey to Iraq.
Next stop: Budapest, Hungary.
