May 26, 2009

USS LKC to the Rescue :-)

My son Michael is in the front... on the left.... his back facing forward. There is a tiny little refugee from Somalia with them. The Somali refugees' skiff had been adrift in the Gulf of Aden for 7 days. The ship rescued 52 men, women, and children. They were given food, water, and medical treatment. The photo below shows people being cared for on the deck of the ship.
The entire crew did a wonderful job.


The Navy article can be found by clicking here. The CNN article can be found by clicking here. The CNN article has an area to view more photos. There are some really touching pictures of the children.

I must admit that I cried when I read the CNN article. I initially cried for very selfish reasons. As I was reading, I would glance up at the picture and see Michael sitting precariously on the edge of the boat, oceans away, in a war zone. To say that I worry about him and miss him would be a huge understatement! I then cried thinking of the nightmare that SO MANY people in the world face each day. I can't even begin to imagine.
Prior to Michael's deployment, I really had no knowledge of all the goodwill missions the Navy participates in such as COMREL and Project Handclasp which help people from many other countries.


I love the saying,
"We've been blessed to be a blessing."

I'm happy to say that the men and women on the USS Lake Champlain have had many opportunities in the past few months to "be a blessing."

3 comments:

Lynn Cohen said...

Terry this is a very touching story. Thank you for sharing it.
You must be very proud of your son.
I am proud of him and all the other members of our military who do things like this. They put their lives on the line for us.
Hugs to you dear Mom of a guy in the service!!!! This has to be really hard for you...More hugs!!!! Please tell your son how proud I am of him and all his comprades in arms.

Diane Folks said...

You must be terrified and proud at the same time! What a moving photo.

Libby Buttons said...

Terry My heart goes out to you and my sincere prayer for both you and your son. What a heavy weight to hang from a mothers heart strings but what an outstanding young man you have parented. Thank you both for your selflessness.

smiles
Darlie
aka "LiBBy BuTTons"