Newletters from USN Capt of the USS Iwo Jima in NOLA (long)

I don't remember talk about "doing the Lord's work" in Vietnam, and this captain describes meeting CHEENEE and spousal unit as "a God-given opportunity," and he complains about the NOLA zoo, but other than that...

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Subject: From the Commander, USS Iwo Jima

This is a good read and you will NOT see it on the TV, except maybe CAPT Callas chasing his cap down the pier (read later).

Please pass it along. You need to read this from the top. An on the scene report of what's going on from CAPT Rich Callas, Skipper, Iwo Jima, located in downtown NOLA.

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Hello All;

Since I took over IWO JIMA over a year ago, I felt as though I had
control of the destiny of the ship. I thought I lost it today, the
first time ever, and that we were merely reacting to events rather than controlling them.

Within the first 24 hours after arriving pierside in New Orleans, IWO
JIMA has become many things. We are one of the few full service
airports in the area and have been operating aircraft on and off our
deck for almost 15 hours each day. We are also one of the only air
conditioned facilities within a ten mile radius and though we have had
problems making water from the polluted Mississippi, we are also the
only hot shower within miles. All day long we have been accommodating
local policemen, firemen, state troopers, national guard, 82nd Airborne division personnel with hot showers and hot food. I met an ambulance team from Minnesota who just drove straight to New Orleans when they heard of the tragedy and have been supporting hospitals free of charge for the last week. They hadn't had a hot meal in over a week and were grateful to have the opportunity to have lunch onboard. The Deputy Commander of the RI National Guard reported to me that he had guardsmen who were whipped, but after a hot shower and an IWO JIMA breakfast were ready to hit the patrols again. Rarely have I seen so many smiling, happy faces than on these people. After two weeks in the trenches sleeping on concrete floors, no shower, and eating MREs, good ship IWO JIMA has been a Godsend. I had an opportunity to talk to the Director of Homeland Security for a few minutes in my cabin. I asked him if there was anything more I could do for him, he asked if he could get a shower. I was glad to turnover my cabin to him. The local FEMA coordinator and his logistics and security teams were on my quarterdeck this afternoon asking permission to set up their command center on the pier next to the ship. While they had sophisticated command and control equipment, they had no place to berth their 250 FEMA members. We were glad to give them a home. Contrary to the press, all the FEMA people I met had been on station since last Sunday (before the Hurricane hit), never left the area, and have been in the field ever since. The command duty officer was told that one state trooper had driven 80 miles to get to the ship. He said that the word was out: Come to IWO JIMA. We expect that the flood gates will open on us.

Early this morning we received our first medical emergency: an elderly
woman with stroke-like symptoms. Throughout the day we received about a dozen medical emergencies, the most serious was an elderly man who was stabbed in the chest and was bleeding to death. The doctors performed surgery on him and saved his life. I toured the hospital ward; all our charges were elderly and disadvantaged individuals. As with Hotel IWO JIMA, we expect to see many more casualties tomorrow.

Our curse appears to be our flight deck and our extraordinary command
and control capabilities. Our challenge today was the tidal wave of
Flag and General Officers that flooded onboard, 17 total, virtually all without notice. I couldn't believe there were so many involved in this effort and they all wanted to come here. They poured onto the flight deck in one helicopter after another in order to meet with General Honore, the Joint Task Force Commander. The majority showed up around the same time and all wanted to leave at the same time, making it a nightmare for our flight deck team to control and coordinate flights on and off the ship for all these admirals and generals while supporting the humanitarian effort. I spent most of the day running around the ship getting these people off and on helicopters and in and out of the meetings and command spaces. It was like herding cats. But the ship performed superbly and "flexed" to meet the challenge. Regretfully, we expect nearly 20 admirals and generals onboard tomorrow for more meetings. To add to the challenges, virtually all of these commands are sending liaison staffs to help coordinate issues, and already a number
of admirals and generals have "permanently" embarked. The Inn is full. I talked to one of the FEMA team members who had also worked the disaster relief for 9/11. I asked him how much more difficult was the Katrina relief effort compared to 9/11. He said it was without measure: thousand of times worse than 9/11. He couldn't articulate the magnitude of the destruction.

Despite all the challenges, I think we regained control by the end of
the day. We are forearmed for tomorrow's onslaught. At our evening
Dept Head meeting, I asked all my principals to tell me what the
stupidest thing they heard or saw today. The list was enormous. But
the most absurd item was when my Tactical Action Officer, who runs our
24 hour command center (CIC) got a phone call from the Director of the
New Orleans Zoo. Apparently, there was a large fire near the zoo. It
was so intense that the fire department had to abandon the cause, but
military helos were heavily engaged in scooping up giant buckets of
water and dumping in on the blaze in an effort to put it out. The
director complained to us that the noise from the helos was disturbing
the animals, especially the elephants, which he was most concerned
about, and asked us to stop. The TAO thanked him for his interest in
national defense.

It is inspiring to meet and talk to such a huge number of individuals
who are doing the Lord's work to recover this city. They have had
little sleep, little food, no showers, working 16-18 hours a day, and in
some cases no pay, and they are thanking ME for a hot meal! Only in
America. We have turned the corner. It will take an awful long time,
but we have turned the corner.

All the best,

RSC
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Subject: IWO Update - 7 Sep 05

Hello All;

We finally had a chance to have Captain's Call this morning. The ship
has been running at full speed for 8 days straight with a myriad of
changing missions and requirements piled on top of us. I thought it
best to tell the crew where I thought this was going and what impact we have made. I told them that as with any contingency operations there is that initial surge of energy and inspiration that often times gives way to frustration and tedium; I did not want them to underestimate the magnitude of what they were accomplishing each day by their hard work on the flight deck, the galley, the well deck, CIC, Radio Central (JMC), on the pier, and in the engineering spaces to support this great undertaking. Every job on the ship is important and the contribution of IWO JIMA has already been enormous.

Our contributions have been growing. Today, we opened out doors to
900-1,200 Army, National Guard, and local law enforcement personnel to
take showers and get hot meals. We were getting overwhelmed. There was a steady stream of 60 to 100 every hour on the quarterdeck asking to come onboard and get refreshed. The word has obviously gotten out. One Army Captain told the Command Master Chief that his unit of 60 soldiers had come from 60 miles away because his general told him to "go to IWO JIMA and they'll take care of you." We couldn't say no.

Not satisfied with the record-setting flight operations yesterday, the
flight deck team nearly doubled the number of aircraft hits. At one
point the team was bringing in Army Blackhawks two at a time, one group after another in perfect sequence. It was an impressive sight to behold. Medical casualties continued to come onboard the ship, some by stretcher and ambulance, others by air or boat. After yesterday, the Medical folks reworked their procedures, so today everything flowed smoothly. Supply department has served up thousands of meals; the mess line never closes. Deck department got back to their roots and conducted boat operations and a sterngate marriage with TORTUGA's LCM-8 landing craft, moving more supplies to our sister ship. But lest we forget, the bedrock of IWO JIMA's strength lies in three simple things: electricity, air conditioning, hot water - all provided by the uncomplaining engineers.

But of all the manifold capabilities of good ship IWO JIMA, medical,
logistic, and air support, our command and control capabilities have
moved to the forefront. It almost sounds surreal but IWO JIMA has
literally become the headquarters, the "center of the universe" for all Federal recovery efforts - DoD as well as civilian. It is on this ship that the myriad efforts have all come together. Yesterday, for the first time ever, some 17 admirals and generals got together with the Joint Task Force Commander, General Honore, face to face to coordinate the numerous and ever growing military recovery and support efforts. Today, the same cadre of admirals and generals were back onboard but this time accompanied by the civilian side. FEMA has now established their headquarters on the pier along side (and onboard IWO JIMA) to better coordinate their efforts with us. But with this has come an ever growing number of staff members embarking on the ship. Our population has grown from a crew of some 1,200 to nearly 2,500 (including several hundred guardsmen and soldiers living onboard) with all the detachments, augments, and now senior staffs. I think we are now up to one three-star, one two-star, and four one-stars embarked good ship IWO JIMA. We are bursting at the seams. We have spent the vast majority of our days taking care of and chasing down the myriad staff members. It is like herding cats, except these cats fly on and off our flight deck periodically.

I had a chance to meet Governor Blanco of Louisiana and her Lieutenant
Governor today when she came onboard for the giant 1200 briefing with
General Honore and were later joined by Admiral Nathman and Vice Admiral Fitzgerald. The ships Ready Room was bursting at the seams with senior officers and high officials - you had to step outside just to change your mind. I had seen the Governor on TV many times. She looked different in person: tired and worn out. She told me that she was averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night, but smiled, "I guess that's about what you get in the military." You could see the severe strain of the past weeks events. I quoted her the famous line from Churchill the night be became Prime Minister of wartime Britain, "that it was as if I were walking with Destiny, and that all of my past life had been but preparation for this moment and this trial." The recovery from the damage of Hurricane Katrina is an unprecedented trial for the Governor and many, many others. My observation is that America, throughtout her history, has always been slow to respond, but once that powerful engine gets into gear it is massive and unstoppable. I suspect this will also be the case for the Gulf Coast.

It has become our tradition at the evening department head meeting to go around the room and have each person list the stupidest or silliest
thing they heard or saw during the day. As you can imagine, the log book is overflowing with accounts. Yesterday it was the helos and the
elephants at the zoo. Today it was me. I have been inundated with
doing interviews: CNN, Pentagon press, Regina Mobley and Channel 13
news, the Boston Globe, Carla McCabe and the Army Times, and finally
Greta Van Susturen. We did a spot with Greta on the pier this morning
with the massive bow of IWO JIMA in the background and helos flying on and off the ship with great noise - an impressive backdrop for this
puffed up officer. As I was being interviewed by Greta, a pair of
Blackhawks swooped onto the flight deck sending up a great wind which
blew off my ball cap. I instinctively scrambled after it before it blew into the water. When I turned around the FOX News photographer looked at me and smiled, "I got that on film."

Look for me chasing my hat down the pier on the next Fox News spot.

All the best,

RSC
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Hello All;


As the "Center of the Universe" for recovery efforts, IWO JIMA has been attracting her fair share of attention and then some - Vice President and Mrs. Cheney came onboard for a short visit and brief in the wardroom along with Governor Blanco (I think she knows her way around the ship now), Senator Vitter, and Director of Homeland Security Chertoff, as well as other Congressmen and local officials. We had gotten the word the day before from the Secret Service, so we had a chance to prepare - compared to the 20 minutes heads up we got in Portland when former President Bush visited the ship. The primary purpose of the visit was for the Vice President to get a brief from the senior State, Federal, and DoD officials on the status of the relief efforts in Louisiana and surrounding areas. But as always, I think it is an opportunity for the Vice President to meet with the Sailors and thank them for their contributions to the recovery efforts.

Vice Admiral Allen, the Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard, and now the Principal Federal Officer (PFO) - the senior official responsible for all Federal recovery efforts (including FEMA) - gave a half hour
presentation to the Vice President, the Governor, Senator Vitter, and the assembled officials, admirals, generals, and staffers on the Recovery Plan. It was superb. The press seems to always condemn the government and Federal agencies for not having a plan. What VADM Allen outlined was detailed, extensively researched, extraordinarily organized, thorough, and forward-thinking. They had modeled out when all the flood waters had receded, identified the vast majority of infrastructure that had to be rebuilt or replaced, addressed and anticipated environmental concerns and hazards, established a timeline for recovery, and identified and put in place the resources needed to execute the plan as rapidly as possible. I was left with the belief that the government had assembled the right people for this massive undertaking and the great American engine of recovery was starting to turn over and gather steam. I had a chance to talk to the senior FEMA official on the pier this evening and he expressed the same optimism in spite of the fact that it will be a long road to recovery.

The entire visit went extremely well. It is always a pleasure to work
with the United States Secret Service. These folks are always ON TIME
(Note: I've spent a huge chunk of my naval career waiting on the quarterdeck for someone to show up). The XO and the Command Master Chief did a masterful job in coordinating the entire event. They both seemed to be everywhere all at the same time. The Master-At-Arms folks and the security teams did a superb job of establishing security and working closely with the Secret Service. And the Culinary Specialists did a magnificent job of setting up the wardroom in short order. And it is always a pleasure and a great relief when a senior officer gets up to show a brief and all the audio visual equipment works perfectly (especially in front of the Vice President) - my thanks to the Intelligence Specialists. But the unsung heroes of the visit were PH2 Metzger and her back up photographer, PH2 Stratchko. As the Vice President was departing, he stopped to greet and thank about 50 IWO JIMA Sailors lined up in Upper V. The National Press was onboard covering the visit and descended on the Vice President like vultures. But PH2 Metzger pushed in front of them all and held them at bay while she snapped pictures of every single Sailor shaking hands with the Vice President, Mrs. Cheney, Governor Blanco, and Senator Vitter while the press angrily backed out of her way. I had a chance to walk through the ship and the pier this evening with the schedule of events of the day having wound down to dull roar. Most of the city is dark but here and there one sees lights. Most of the big hotels, Sheraton, Hilton, and Embassy Suites have some of their lights on though
it was amusing to note that some of the letters on their big red signs are missing - destroyed by the hurricane winds. From a distance "SHERATON" is "SH T". On the flight deck, the aviation boatswainsmates were hard at work moving aircraft and respotting for the next day's air plan. Despite the incredibly long, hot hours they have put in over the last 4 days, they had smiles on their faces and were pumped for the next challenge. I caught all the purple shirts (aircraft refuelers) late at night cramped in the Fuels Ship conducting PQS training...of all things, taking advantage of a slightly earlier conclusion to flight operations. The boatswainsmates were sitting around in Upper Vehicle Stowage, probably solving world peace as best as I could tell. Throughout the day there has been a steady stream of Army and National Guard personnel coming on and off the ship for hot showers and some hot chow. The pattern repeated itself over and over all day long: they stumble onboard with their heads down and walk off the ship with heads high and smiles on their faces and full of gratitude for a simple courtesy.

And the engineering plant continues to run smoothly with an overflow of air conditioning, hot water, and power despite the high demand.
I won the stupidest thing of the day contest for the second straight
night.

I must be getting tired or I am loosing my mind. After the Vice President arrived at the quarterdeck and we completed all the introductions with the welcoming party, I escorted the Vice President and Mrs. Cheney up the ramp to the Hangar. Taking advantage of this God-given opportunity to talk to the Second Most Powerful Man on the Planet in one-on-one conversation, I asked the Vice President if had been on this type of amphibious ship before.

He stopped for a moment, turned to me, lowered his head so that he could look at me over the top of his glasses and said, "You know, Rich, I WAS Secretary of Defense at one point." As Homer Simpson would say, "Dowh!" Mrs. Cheney had christened our sister ship ESSEX.

The crew remains engaged and inspired and eager to get out and do some
hard work in the city and local neighborhoods. I hope to have some projects ready to go in another day and will our Sailors out and on the job. Despitethe intensity of our support operations, considerable work is getting completed around the ship. Some 200 plus Third Class Petty Officers took the Second Class Navy-wide Advancement Exam today under very challenging conditions and with not a whole lot of study time. We all wish them well.

All the best,

George S. Hastings, Jr., JD
Good News Financial Securities & Investment Advisory Services Offered Through H. Beck, Inc., ., JD is a registered representative of H. Beck, Inc. which is unaffiliated with Good News Financial.



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I had this horrible look on my face like I wish I didn't have to take the picture. I didn't know I looked like that. I guess my feelings about him showed through. It was suppose to be a reward for doing so well in a Wash D.C. fund raiser. It was more like a punishment.

UTUSN, do you remember ever making potable water in rivers? Evaps make fresh water out of salt water but, muddy river water is just gonna fuck up your evaps. Does the Iwo have some kind of special water making capabilities? A water purification system?

I didn't even know what system my two ships had.