I was there that day. Perhaps lost in most of this debate is the simple but important fact that the Commander-In-Chief took the time to personally recognize and thank the men and women of ABRAHAM LINCOLN who had just spent nearly 10 months answering the call of duty. Deployments are usually 6 months, and LINCOLN had been on her way home when she was turned around and extended for OIF. "Mission Accomplished" exactly describes the work of ABRAHAM LINCOLN and her entire Strike Group that year. Having the Commander-in-Chief say thanks in person was a huge morale booster for some tired Sailors on that ship, as well as a morale booster for the military as a whole. It is not my place to debate "Mission Accomplished" as it pertains to the greater Iraq War...but I for one felt very proud and very humbled (and still do) that my President took the time to recognize a job well done. Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciated it.
Posted by: SaltyDog | July 19, 2008 03:15 AM
And here is the other one.
-- snip -- As for W.'s speech, I was on that deployment with SaltyDog. My squadron flew our Super Tomcats off the day before to make room on the flight deck. I watched from a TV set like most everyone else, but several of my very best friends were there, including the pilot who flew Navy One aboard. What you might not know is that the President wanted to come aboard in one of our Tomcats, the definitive fighter, because he was a fighter-guy and wanted to check it out. VF-31 certainly wanted to fly him. I can't begin to tell you how important the first arrested landing for a President was to us. And I can't tell you how disappointed we all were when the Secret Service insisted that the President fly with an agent. The only jet with more than 2 seats was the Viking, so it was chosen.
It turned out to be a great choice, because if he had flown in the Tomcat, he would have ridden in the back. In the right front seat of the Viking, he was able to take the controls, execute a rendezvous with his lead, and fly formation all the way out to the ship. Your petty observation that he was not a carrier-based pilot is absurd. Every Naval Aviator has a very real connection with W. He IS a pilot. A rusty one to be sure, but he is one of us. He took the controls and flew himself out there as one of our wingmen. It was a great look at who he was at heart, and a very cool thing to do as our President.
The article that Paul wrote struck a very deep chord with me. Nothing has made me sadder and less proud of the liberals in this country than when they started tearing down that event. The simple fact is that the mission remains accomplished. Iraq is no longer a threat to any of her neighbors, and Hussein will never turn his army on his own people again. President Bush was very careful to note in his speech that there was still much work to be done, so trying to make fun of the banner behind him while ignoring his message... well, its just childish. And let me just say, running this country is for grown-ups.
One last W. anecdote: My squadron was asked to do the opening fly-by for the Saturday race before the Daytona 500 that next year. Sunday, the aircrews were in their flight suits, sitting on the pit wall, watching the opening ceremonies. President Bush was there to start the 500 and while on stage, he caught a glimpse of the very distinctive Felix the Cat patch on one of their flight suits. He excused himself and walked down to the guys. After meeting them all, he sat down on the pit wall and explained to them that he loved that trip to ABE, but he was disappointed that he had missed meeting the Tomcat guys. He asked how the deployment was for them. He told them he loved flying out there, and expressed his respect for what they did with those aircraft on that ship. They shot the breeze until the various handlers reminded them that millions of people were waiting and watching. It was a very genuine moment with a very genuine guy.
I will always be proud to have been part of that deployment, and I will always be thankful that the President took the time to come out and pay his respects in person. Liberals make themselves look small and un-American when they criticize that particular evolution. It was a great moment for the Navy. It was a great moment for the country.
Robert
Posted by: Robert Jones | July 19, 2008 10:23 AM
Thanks for posting those.
Further illustrates how the treasonous left hijacked this honorable event.
Evidence that it was honorable and patriotic is the fact that Olberman to this day closes his soap opera program with reference to it..