This special Veterans Day post is from Abby, but on behalf of the whole staff of the Museum, we thank all those who are serving our country.
On Saturday, a perfectly crisp autumn day made for ceremonial splendor, my husband and I attended the commissioning of the USS New York.
As you may have read, the USS New York contains 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in its hull. Its motto is “Strength Forged Through Sacrifice. Never Forget.” Many speakers, and there were many, spoke reverently of the souls lost on Sept. 11 and how their spirits are embedded in this ship. What you may not remember is that the steel was melted in a foundry in Amite, LA and the ship was built at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans, part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilders. The head of NGS said, “This ship was born of two separate tragedies that bonded us: Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina.” Working on this ship aided in the personal recoveries of the men and women in Louisiana, many of them displaced by Katrina. Building this ship gave them a purpose.
“Man our ship and bring her to life.” It is tradition to proclaim these words at a commissioning, and Dorothy England, the Sponsor of the USS New York, performed her duty admirably (that one’s for you, Betsy): A proud “Aye, aye ma’am!” was the response from the Executive Officer and before we knew it, 363 men and women “manned” their stations and the US Naval Band North East played “Anchors Aweigh.” It was a very emotional moment. I sat next to the mother of one of the crew and she shared with me that a year ago at this time her son was a golf pro. He joined the Navy, and after he finished basic training, Commander Curt Jones called him and talked for an hour. That was the job interview and clearly it worked out just fine for her son, Ben. The commander’s uncle was sitting a few seats over from me.
Commander Jones, a native of Binghamton, graduated from MIT in 1989 with a BA in philosophy and received his commission through the Navy ROTC. He received a master’s degree in National Security Affairs at Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA. He spoke lovingly about his crew, but what I found so moving was his understanding of how his ship is a symbol for the people of New York and New Orleans, and what Sept. 11 means, especially to New Yorkers. As we say at my house—he gets it. When he got his commission, he received a copy of a letter written by Fire Captain Gormley on Sept. 15, 2001, and in it he named the 12 men from Engine 40/Ladder 35 who were listed as missing, and therefore not yet relieved of duty. Commander Jones read the letter aloud on Saturday, and as he read the names of those firefighters you could hear a pin drop.
Following the speeches, we toured the ship and talked with the very young crew. Thinking of this ship and its crew gives me a new perspective on Veterans Day, a day when we think of grizzled men telling stories of camaraderie and courage while fighting on foreign shores. It is hard to imagine this young crew of the USS New York assembling in 40 or 50 years to reminisce about the commissioning of their ship and all they have seen. But it is my fervent wish that they return to this city again and again —all 363 of them— safe and sound and out of harm’s way. Of course, unlike veterans of previous generations, their experiences will be archived on their blog, Twitter, and Facebook.
*Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley read this Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem on Saturday. Come to think of it, he might have it memorized. He is the Assistant Secretary of the Navy after all.
On Saturday, a perfectly crisp autumn day made for ceremonial splendor, my husband and I attended the commissioning of the USS New York.
As you may have read, the USS New York contains 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in its hull. Its motto is “Strength Forged Through Sacrifice. Never Forget.” Many speakers, and there were many, spoke reverently of the souls lost on Sept. 11 and how their spirits are embedded in this ship. What you may not remember is that the steel was melted in a foundry in Amite, LA and the ship was built at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans, part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilders. The head of NGS said, “This ship was born of two separate tragedies that bonded us: Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina.” Working on this ship aided in the personal recoveries of the men and women in Louisiana, many of them displaced by Katrina. Building this ship gave them a purpose.
“Man our ship and bring her to life.” It is tradition to proclaim these words at a commissioning, and Dorothy England, the Sponsor of the USS New York, performed her duty admirably (that one’s for you, Betsy): A proud “Aye, aye ma’am!” was the response from the Executive Officer and before we knew it, 363 men and women “manned” their stations and the US Naval Band North East played “Anchors Aweigh.” It was a very emotional moment. I sat next to the mother of one of the crew and she shared with me that a year ago at this time her son was a golf pro. He joined the Navy, and after he finished basic training, Commander Curt Jones called him and talked for an hour. That was the job interview and clearly it worked out just fine for her son, Ben. The commander’s uncle was sitting a few seats over from me.
Commander Jones, a native of Binghamton, graduated from MIT in 1989 with a BA in philosophy and received his commission through the Navy ROTC. He received a master’s degree in National Security Affairs at Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA. He spoke lovingly about his crew, but what I found so moving was his understanding of how his ship is a symbol for the people of New York and New Orleans, and what Sept. 11 means, especially to New Yorkers. As we say at my house—he gets it. When he got his commission, he received a copy of a letter written by Fire Captain Gormley on Sept. 15, 2001, and in it he named the 12 men from Engine 40/Ladder 35 who were listed as missing, and therefore not yet relieved of duty. Commander Jones read the letter aloud on Saturday, and as he read the names of those firefighters you could hear a pin drop.
Following the speeches, we toured the ship and talked with the very young crew. Thinking of this ship and its crew gives me a new perspective on Veterans Day, a day when we think of grizzled men telling stories of camaraderie and courage while fighting on foreign shores. It is hard to imagine this young crew of the USS New York assembling in 40 or 50 years to reminisce about the commissioning of their ship and all they have seen. But it is my fervent wish that they return to this city again and again —all 363 of them— safe and sound and out of harm’s way. Of course, unlike veterans of previous generations, their experiences will be archived on their blog, Twitter, and Facebook.
*Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley read this Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem on Saturday. Come to think of it, he might have it memorized. He is the Assistant Secretary of the Navy after all.
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