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Release Date: 06/11/03 00:00:00
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 11, 2003
* Remarks as Prepared *
Good morning! Thank you! I'm very pleased to be here with you all.
Today, we welcome back our cutters from their historic mission in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
To the crews of the Coast Guard Cutters DALLAS, GRAND ISLE, BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, PEA ISLAND, and KNIGHT ISLAND -- welcome home!
Let me start by saying that your nation is very proud of you, and very grateful for your tireless efforts on behalf of freedom, both here at home and abroad.
You should know that the fruit of your labor in the Mediterranean will long outlast the time you spent there.
Your diligent maritime training and preparation, coupled with your willingness to serve your country, worked to help disarm a rogue regime and liberate an oppressed people from a merciless tyrant.
As you well know, the Coast Guard has a long history of defending our nation - reaching back to 1797. And yet, here we are - more than 200 years later - and your unique maritime capabilities continue to provide an indispensable service to your country. The American people are especially grateful for the extraordinary protection you provide.
When called upon to serve during Operation Iraqi Freedom - you were ready - just as the United States Coast Guard is always ready.
Without a doubt, you demonstrated the seamless teamwork of the Coast Guard in every way possible - with every means possible - every time you were tasked.
That level of teamwork is vitally important to your country's national security interests. You proved that -- ten-fold, on this last deployment!
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Coast Guard forces protected sea lines of communication and escorted valuable military shipping into vulnerable ports.
Over 15 million square feet of critical military cargo was shipped by sea to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, all under the protection of the Coast Guard.
You and your fellow Coast Guard members guarded critical infrastructures and stood by to counter any attempt on the part of the Iraqi regime to create an ecological disaster that would have brought harm to the Iraqi people and the men and women of the U.S. military.
Additionally, Coast Guard forces also acted as an aide-to-navigation so that humanitarian supplies could be delivered directly to the people who needed them most.
Today, the Coast Guard Cutters DALLAS, BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, GRAND ISLE, KNIGHT ISLAND and PEA ISLAND arrive back in the United States after a challenging tour in the Mediterranean Sea. Each Cutter made an irreplaceable contribution to America's mission abroad.
DALLAS provided escort protection to our Military Sealift Ships transiting the Straits of Gibraltar. As you know, these Straits were a potential target for Al Qaeda - but Coast Guard forces helped keep them safe from attack.
When relieved of those duties by NATO, DALLAS moved eastward to the aircraft carriers TEDDY ROOSEVELT and HARRY S TRUMAN, arriving the very day that war with Iraq began.
In support of war operations, the carriers' Navy escort vessels were dispatched south through the Suez Canal to better position them for launching their Tomahawk missiles. That meant that DALLAS was the only ship providing security to two aircraft carriers for the first three days of the war!
When hostilities came to an end, DALLAS conducted intercept operations off the coast of Syria…to catch any fleeing Iraqi leaders who might try to escape by sea. What's more, DALLAS accomplished all of this while saddled with a major casualty to one of her diesel engines.
Just as important, BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, GRAND ISLE, KNIGHT ISLAND and PEA ISLAND were given the arduous task of protecting Military Sealift ships at Souda Bay, Crete - that is, protecting ships who were coming in and out of the conflict zone.
In pairs, these cutters worked to block the threat of terrorist action that would have disrupted the vital flow of material and supplies to our troops in Iraq.
And once you completed this mission, captains and crews of these vessels sailed their small patrol boats across the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
While you and the other Coast Guard forces coordinated with the Department of Defense overseas to enhance U.S. military power aimed at freeing the people of Iraq - the Coast Guard was also taking care of Americans here at home.
During Operation Liberty Shield, the Coast Guard mobilized approximately 4,000 reservists.
These brave men and women helped us implement operations throughout the United States to protect the maritime transportation system, military equipment and cargo destined to Operation Iraqi Freedom and, most importantly, our citizens here at home.
While it goes without saying, it must be said: The United States Coast Guard remains an invaluable member of the team that works to protect the American people.
With pride and gratitude, we thank you for your commitment to the cause of freedom - and for the tenacity with which you live out that commitment - each and every day.
We also recognize the tremendous sacrifice that your families have made. We thank them for lending their loved ones to the service of our great country.
God bless you and God bless America. Welcome home, Coast Guard Forces!
This page was last reviewed/modified on 06/11/03 00:00:00.