Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln when the aircraft carrier was in the Persian Gulf for the Iraq war say they’re humbled that the country continues to honor its men and women in uniform.
Earlier this month, Time magazine chose the American GI as the publication’s Person of the Year. The honor paid printed tribute not only to soldiers, but also to sailors, Marines and the entire group of 1.4 million men and women who are serving on active duty.
"It gives me goose bumps thinking about it," said Navy Cmdr. John Geisen. He is the "gun boss," the weapons officer in charge of bombs, bullets and missiles on the carrier.
"The support that we get from the country has just been unbelievable. It makes me very proud to serve," he said.
Geisen, 40, has been in the Navy for 18 years and has spent the last 22 months on the Lincoln. Before that, he served at the Pentagon and was there during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
He remembered standing in the Pentagon after the attack amid the billowing smoke and the spray of water from firefighters.
"I lost a co-worker and a good shipmate in the attack," he said of Lt. Cmdr. Eric Cranford. The pair served together in the "Vipers" of HSL-48, an anti-submarine helicopter squadron.
"To be able to go out to sea and fight in the war against terrorism, that was a great feeling. To come back and contribute."
Others in his family also have gotten the call. Two brothers, a sister and two brothers-in-law have been activated for service. The widespread support for the military has been encouraging, Geisen said.
"I am so damn proud to be an American. Everybody is so supportive of the soldiers, sailors and airmen," he said. "That’s a testimony to this nation’s will to win this war. I think that’s great."
Lt. Mark Banks said he was overwhelmed by the honor, but the ones still serving overseas are the most worthy of recognition.
"My thoughts are with the people who are in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.
It’s hard for those serving overseas, because they know their sacrifices are shared with their families back home, Banks added.
"The whole time you’re gone, you think about your family a lot," he said. "You have to kind of put them off in a cubbyhole in your heart and get done what you’ve got to get done."
Banks, 43, is a 23-year Navy veteran. He was a chief hospital corpsman on the Nimitz-class carrier during its deployment. Banks missed the first part of the Lincoln’s 290-day deployment, but went aboard before the war in Iraq started.
Before he left the states, Banks recalled, people often offered thanks when finding out he was joining the Lincoln.
"You couldn’t stop anywhere in uniform and not have somebody stop you and say, ‘Thank you for doing what you do,’" he said. "Tell those guys they’re doing a great job. Hundreds of people probably told me that."
Time has been picking a Person of the Year — the honor was originally titled Man of the Year — since 1927, when aviator Charles Lindbergh was picked for finishing the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic.
Sailors said the award was an unexpected honor, the latest in a string that has stretched over the past year.
"It’s astounding, it’s humbling," Cmdr. Ron Hughes said.
Hughes, 38, is the strike operations officer on the Lincoln, the senior scheduler who makes sure "the airplanes have the right weapons to hit the right target at the right time."
Hughes remembered the conversation with his wife after news of the announcement hit home.
"It’s not every day you’re married to a Time man of the year," his wife quipped.
Hughes said his role in the war was small, but the honor was appreciated.
"You feel proud and humble to be part of it," he said.
Hughes recalled the big greeting the ship got when it came back to the United States, first in Pearl Harbor, then San Diego, and finally the huge homecoming in Everett that was followed by a parade through downtown.
"It’s just hard to describe. I’ve never seen anything like this my entire time in the military," he said. "I wish there was some way to recognize the families as well."
The father of three teenage boys, Hughes recalled the moves the family has had to make every two or three years because of his 18-year career, most recently in February.
"It’s a team effort, definitely," he said.
Chief Petty Officer Christopher Miller, a boatswain’s mate who runs the hangar decks on the Lincoln, agreed that military families should share in the honor. He praised his wife, Masumi, who moved the family by herself to Washington after he reported to the Lincoln.
"I left my wife at home for 10 months with a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, and she did a tremendous job," he said. "She was an absolute trooper. She’s the rock of the family."
Miller, 28, has been in charge of indoctrinating the warship’s newest sailors since the carrier has been in dry dock in Bremerton since its return from the war.
He first heard about Time magazine’s announcement on the radio while he was on his way to work.
"When the accolades come, hey, that’s great. But we’re not out looking for them.
"When it all comes down to it, we’re doing a job. We get paid for what we do. We all volunteered for this," he said.
According to Time, the magazine’s Person of the Year is "the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse."
The U.S. military also received the annual award during the Korean War in 1950. This year’s announcement came during a year when U.S. forces continue to fight in Afghanistan, and the war against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein continues despite his recent capture. As of Dec. 26, 99 U.S. troops had died in Afghanistan and 471 in Iraq.
During a Pentagon briefing Dec. 23, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the award was well-deserved.
"They’ve rescued two nations; liberated some 50 million people; helped to capture or kill nearly two-thirds of the known senior al Qaida operatives; broken up terrorist cells; and prevented terrorist attacks on several continents," Rumsfeld said.
"We are grateful for their courage, proud of their service, and appreciate the time they sacrifice away from their loved ones so that all Americans can live in freedom. Those who wear the country’s uniform are indeed the Person of the Year every year, and God bless them all."
While the Lincoln did its part, some sailors said the ground troops deserve most of the credit.
"I think the true heroes were the ones on the ground, the ground pounders," said Chief Petty Officer Jay Waite, a 43-year-old hospital corpsman on the Lincoln.
"The military has done a fantastic job out there in catching Saddam and freeing the Iraqi people, but also making it safer in the states," he said.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
