AP source: Celebration planned for pirate hostage

Montpelier, Vt. (AP) -- A person familiar with the plans says a homecoming party is planned this weekend in Vermont for the ship captain who was taken hostage by pirates.

The person was not authorized to release the information and spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity.

From an ex-Navy friend - kinda long but worth the read (translation at bottom):

Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:

1. BHO wouldn’t authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC (Development Group/Naval Special Warfare Command) SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.
2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE (rules of engagement)that they couldn’t do anything unless the hostage’s life was in “imminent” danger
3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the raggies all sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction
4. When the navy RIB (rigid inflatable boat) came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the raggies were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in.
5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN (captain)and SEAL teams
6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead raggies
7. BHO immediately claims credit for his “daring and decisive” behaviour. As usual with him, it’s BS.

So per our last email thread, I’m downgrading Oohbaby’s performace to D-. Only reason it’s not an F is that the hostage survived.

Read the following accurate account.

Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors — and none was taken.

The guidance from National Command Authority — the president of the United States,Barack Obama — had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger.

The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates — and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a “peaceful solution” would be acceptable.

After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he’d had enough.

Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to the hostage’s life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer — unnamed in all media reports to date — decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the NSWC team to take their shots.

Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and Philips was safe.

There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the last week that culminated in yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American hostage.

Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and [1] declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid to questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness.

Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin yesterday’s success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should have been a standoff lasting only hours — as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location — became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.

This is the first-hand account from a good friend’s son onboard the USS Boxer.

Jargon key located at the bottom.

I’ve been taking notes on facts and (well noted) speculation and rumors.
What I know is on the eleventh of April, 2009 at 1600 two C17 cargo planes flew over Boxer and out of the back four parachutes emerged.

Then came the boats! Four very fast 1300 hp SWCC boats with radar and guns! After those were safely extracted the personnel and Seals jumped. About 95 people in all arrived in the water near Boxer, swam to the ship and entered the well-deck. I spoke with some of the Seals in the hangar bay where they are staging their gear for the time being. He was rearranging his gear and talking to a younger looking Ops guy with shoulder-length hair and a feeble semblance of a beard. I struck up a conversation with them and they’re really friendly the older SEAL finished with his bag and reached for a rifle case, casually unzipped it and pulled out a Mark 416 a highly specialized
carbine and as he explained “it’s basically an M-4, but made by H&K so it’s
better!” “Visible and non-visible lasers, collapsible stock. It’s nice.” “And is that an advanced armament suppressor?” I asked “Yeah that just makes it sound better, and the ladies love it!” I asked him if it’s the coolest job in the navy.
“Well I haven’t ever flown an F-18 off a carrier, but yeah, pretty much!”
“You guys don’t wear any insignia.” “We don’t wear it, but we’re still in the Navy.” “I know that but what’s with that?”
“Well I’m a Chief, and he is a second-class”
“Oh, ok”
“So, Chief, did you come in as a SEAL?”
“Yep, you don’t have to be formal, that’s why we don’t wear it. It gets in
the way and besides, we know who’s in charge.”
“Well I have to get back to watch.”
“OK, any time you see us over hear and just want to chat and shoot the
shit, feel free!”
“Cool, thanks”
“Any time”

I also found out from the CPO that the guys flew in from VB on C17’s and
that took 18 hours! They parachuted into the ocean! That’s’ cool as hell!
At 2100 on Saturday we were headed for the area where the USS Bainbridge
(DDG 96) was already in position several hundred miles east off of Somalia’s
coast.

And on Sunday there were so many parts of our engine that were broken from
traveling at flank speed (full Bendix) that we stopped the shaft engaged the
jacking gear, pinned the gear and tagged out the m***********! I spent three
watches fabricating parts, helping replace sight-flow indicators on journal
bearings and running around the ship.

On Easter Sunday night, at around 1530 I was making my hourly rounds through the hangar bay and heard four distant rifle reports and knew exactly what happened. There was an orange capsule being towed by Bainbridge. Two SEAL snipers laying prone on the fantail with Barrett .50 cal rifles pointed at the small craft. CAPT. Richard Phillips of Vermont was swimming toward the RHIB sitting close to the lifeboat.

When the Navy said that we want to see proof of life the good captain jumped
into the water and started to draw fire from the pirates. The Snipers fired.
I had to return to my watch station and at close of business I assumed my
next watch: CNN’s Live broadcast of speculation and grievous bullshit! I
have to decipher all of this crap for you.

At 2300 Africa time the Maersk Alabama safely docked in Mombassa, Kenya and the crew was debriefed by the FBI for some reason.

Captain Phillips was logged onboard Boxer at 1836 and one skinny, short,
pitiful-looking (and never in a million years is he sixteen) pirate, who was
escorted, handcuffed despite the wounds, wearing blacked out ski goggles,
through the hangar bay by like 20 marines and MA’s. He has asked for
amnesty. He’ll probably get a UN Trial for international piracy. (I witness
all of this and have to wonder: hasn’t copyright protection gone just a
little too far? I mean, why are we killing folks over some illegal DVDs?)

“We always laugh and joke about pirates onboard and don’t realize that this
is one of the world’s most serious crimes!”
-Me, four hours ago.

Monday, APR 13, 2009.
At 0930 USS Boxer sits off the coast of Somalia and the Bainbridge is at her
stern, on the port side in tow, the life boat containing three lifeless pirates dispatched into oblivion by the best sharpshooters the world around.

The corpses are transferred under the heaviest morgue security I’ve seen
since President Ford’s funeral to the USS Boxer’s chilled holding facility.

At 1000 the lifeboat from Alabama is hoisted onto Boxer’s flight deck by the
local crane. I was there when the boat arrived onboard. Standing next to
some chopper refueling buddies and joking about the incident.

“Hey, what’s orange, full of blood and hanging from a crane?”
“What?”
“That boat that some pirates got smoked in.”

Probably the most interesting Easter I’ve ever spent!

Looking closely at the boat, I see four large bullet holes on the STB side
where “justice” entered the pirate’s minds, some brain matter sloshed
around in the boat.

I was told before I left San Diego that I would hate the Boxer, I tell you
now, I wouldn’t rather be on any other ship. Broken parts and all I like it.

1025 “Maersk Alabama, Departing” is heard over the 1MC. The name of the ship is used to describe the Captain as he is at the top of the command.

Personal speculation and trusted brass scuttlebutt says that our AOR has
shifted from the gulf of Aden where there aren’t any pirates, to where we
sit now.

16 ships and 200 hostages from various countries still remain stranded…
Not for long, I predict.

As always, keeping it real on the high seas with the US Navy,
MMFN (MP-Aft) USS Boxer, Somalia

KEY:
SWCC, special warfare combatant crewman, brown water
H&K, Heckler and Koch, famous German weapon’s designer’s world renowned for their popular .45 cal USP (universal service pistol) and other highly
precise firearms.
CPO, Chief Petty Officer, USN, E7
VB, Virginia Beach, Virginia, East coast headquarters of Special Warfare.
DDG, Guided Missile Destroyer
Flank, the fastest speed the ship can travel, equal to about 35 knots
RHIB, (rib) Rigid-hulled inflatable boat
STB, Starboard (right)
1MC, numeric designation for the main announcing circuit used on U.S. Navy
vessels.
AOR, Area Of Responsibly, the confines within which we roam.

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