OT: The flag that will fly over the aircraft carrier STENNIS (long, of course)
12-09-2001, 06:35 AM
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OT: The flag that will fly over the aircraft carrier STENNIS (long, of course)
"The Flag That Will Fly Over STENNIS"
By Michael S. Giorgino
November 27, 2001
A precious cargo is winging its way across the Pacific: a 12-foot by 18-foot American flag, salvaged from the rubble of the World Trade Center. It will soon be the battle colors of the aircraft carrier JOHN C STENNIS--until last week based in San Diego--as she takes her station in the war against terrorism.
On Sept. 15, 2001, Sgt. Karl Hagstrom of the New York City Police Department was engaged in perimeter security at Ground Zero. During his tour of duty, he discovered a miraculous find from the debris field near the ruins of the North Tower and Building No. 7.
A large American flag that had been flying at the complex on Sept. 11 was recovered from beneath the steel, dust and ash. Thosands of Americans whose bodies will never be recovered were cremated in that holocaust. This flag covered and was part of the remains.
Yes, our flag was still there. Torn, dirty, but intact, those cops tenderly uncovered its folds and raised it up from the rubble. Karl immediately recognized its historical significance, and safeguarded it. He contacted his state senators, the governor's office, New York museums, even the Smithsonian. Perhaps too engaged in the aftermath of Sept. 11, no one responded.
Besides being one of New York's finest, Karl has a long-standing love of the sea and ships. He served as a Naval Reservist under my command at the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center at Fort Schuyler, NY, in the early 1990s. On free weekends, Karl earned a Coast Guard Captain's license and moonlighted as a commercial tow operator on the Hudson River.
When the terror aircraft hit, his wife Patricia was scheduled to be at a meeting in the Twin Towers. Karl's blood turned to ice while he held their infant twins until he learned the meeting had been moved, and his wife was safe. Karl then sailed an 18-foot Boston Whaler 20 miles down the Hudson River from Tarrytown to Chelsea Piers to rescue Patricia and a co-worker from 23rd Street in Manhattan. Like the evacuation of Dunkirk, Karl joined other boats in ferrying terrified commuters across the mile-wide Hudson to safety in New Jersey.
Karl saw news reports that the STENNIS battlegroup was deploying three months early in November 2001 to join in the air strikes against the al-Qaeda terror network. His first thought was: they should take this World Trade Center flag into battle. He immediately e-mailed the ship.
The ship was already four days out at sea when Karl got a cell phone call from STENNIS Navigator Captain (Select) Bill Personius. Personius asked Karl to send the flag immediately. He said the whole ship was excited about it.
As a career Naval Officer, I am not surprised that the STENNIS is thrilled about getting the World Trade Center flag. Love for flag and country is as normal a part of everyday life in the Navy as breathing. We raise the colors at 8 a.m. every day, playing the National Anthem. We face and salute the flag every time we board ship or go ashore. Every night at sunset, we solemnly retire the colors. We are given a flag when we retire from the service. An American flag covers our caskets before we are lowered into our graves.
I have seen many beautiful sights in more than 30 countries, but nothing has thrilled my heart more than seeing the American flag flying over an American warship in a foreign land. John Paul Jones wrote, "The flag and I were twins; born in the same hour from the same womb of destiny. We cannot be parted in life or death. So long as we can float, we shall float together. If we sink, we shall go down as one."
[Giorgino retired as a commander from the U.S. Navy in 1997 and is a veteran of Operation DESERT SHIELD / DESERT STORM. He practices law in San
Diego, and is a Republican candidate for the State Senate 40th District.]
By Michael S. Giorgino
November 27, 2001
A precious cargo is winging its way across the Pacific: a 12-foot by 18-foot American flag, salvaged from the rubble of the World Trade Center. It will soon be the battle colors of the aircraft carrier JOHN C STENNIS--until last week based in San Diego--as she takes her station in the war against terrorism.
On Sept. 15, 2001, Sgt. Karl Hagstrom of the New York City Police Department was engaged in perimeter security at Ground Zero. During his tour of duty, he discovered a miraculous find from the debris field near the ruins of the North Tower and Building No. 7.
A large American flag that had been flying at the complex on Sept. 11 was recovered from beneath the steel, dust and ash. Thosands of Americans whose bodies will never be recovered were cremated in that holocaust. This flag covered and was part of the remains.
Yes, our flag was still there. Torn, dirty, but intact, those cops tenderly uncovered its folds and raised it up from the rubble. Karl immediately recognized its historical significance, and safeguarded it. He contacted his state senators, the governor's office, New York museums, even the Smithsonian. Perhaps too engaged in the aftermath of Sept. 11, no one responded.
Besides being one of New York's finest, Karl has a long-standing love of the sea and ships. He served as a Naval Reservist under my command at the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center at Fort Schuyler, NY, in the early 1990s. On free weekends, Karl earned a Coast Guard Captain's license and moonlighted as a commercial tow operator on the Hudson River.
When the terror aircraft hit, his wife Patricia was scheduled to be at a meeting in the Twin Towers. Karl's blood turned to ice while he held their infant twins until he learned the meeting had been moved, and his wife was safe. Karl then sailed an 18-foot Boston Whaler 20 miles down the Hudson River from Tarrytown to Chelsea Piers to rescue Patricia and a co-worker from 23rd Street in Manhattan. Like the evacuation of Dunkirk, Karl joined other boats in ferrying terrified commuters across the mile-wide Hudson to safety in New Jersey.
Karl saw news reports that the STENNIS battlegroup was deploying three months early in November 2001 to join in the air strikes against the al-Qaeda terror network. His first thought was: they should take this World Trade Center flag into battle. He immediately e-mailed the ship.
The ship was already four days out at sea when Karl got a cell phone call from STENNIS Navigator Captain (Select) Bill Personius. Personius asked Karl to send the flag immediately. He said the whole ship was excited about it.
As a career Naval Officer, I am not surprised that the STENNIS is thrilled about getting the World Trade Center flag. Love for flag and country is as normal a part of everyday life in the Navy as breathing. We raise the colors at 8 a.m. every day, playing the National Anthem. We face and salute the flag every time we board ship or go ashore. Every night at sunset, we solemnly retire the colors. We are given a flag when we retire from the service. An American flag covers our caskets before we are lowered into our graves.
I have seen many beautiful sights in more than 30 countries, but nothing has thrilled my heart more than seeing the American flag flying over an American warship in a foreign land. John Paul Jones wrote, "The flag and I were twins; born in the same hour from the same womb of destiny. We cannot be parted in life or death. So long as we can float, we shall float together. If we sink, we shall go down as one."
[Giorgino retired as a commander from the U.S. Navy in 1997 and is a veteran of Operation DESERT SHIELD / DESERT STORM. He practices law in San
Diego, and is a Republican candidate for the State Senate 40th District.]
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