Posts Tagged ‘Newfoundland’

May 8, 2012: Ottawa

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Like I’m sure many of you did, I took some time to pause and reflect on the tragedy of the Titanic 100 years ago off the coast of Newfoundland. There are so many stories about the Titanic that we are all familiar with. There are those about the ship’s encounter with the iceberg, the more than 1,500 victims of the disaster, and the countless accounts of bravery both during and after the accident. Then there are many more untold accounts none of us will ever know.

Juniper Titanic ceremony

These stories, like the Titanic itself, were lost to the icy waters of the North Atlantic more than a century ago. In the midst of these stories we know all too well and those we will never hear, there are others that have slipped from our collective memories of the Titanic over the years, only to be revived on the occasion of the disaster’s 100th anniversary. The history of the International Ice Patrol is one such story.

In the months following the Titanic’s sinking, the international community came together to create the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea and the International Ice Patrol in an effort to improve maritime safety. The mission of the Ice Patrol was simple – keep shipping lanes open by directing vessels around large icebergs like the one that sank the Titanic. Today, the United States Coast Guard operates the Ice Patrol with the cooperation and funding from 13 nations, including Canada. Thanks to their efforts, not a single ship heeding Ice Patrol warnings has struck an iceberg since it was established in 1914. Our partnership with the Canadian Ice Service and the Canadian Coast Guard is a model of international cooperation and helps ensure that critical maritime safety issues are addressed.

Juniper Titanic ceremony

The United States Coast Guard and the Canadian Ice Patrol paid tribute to the Titanic victims on April 14 during a special ceremony over the site where the Titanic sank 100 years earlier. Together, our servicemen and women scattered more than 1.5 million rose petals over the area marking the victims’ final resting place. The solemn event was another reminder of all we lost that tragic day in 1912. Our unified response then and now was a reminder of all that we have gained.

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Posted in May 2012 |

February 18, 2012: St. Lawrence and Lawn, NL

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

I’m always touched by stories of heroism and humanity that reinforce the unbreakable bond between our two countries. This past weekend, members of my staff from the Embassy and the Consulate in Halifax traveled to St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) to attend ceremonies to commemorate the events of a fateful day 70 years ago.

On February 18, 1942 the USS Truxtun and the USS Pollux were sailing to the U.S. Naval base in Argentia, NL when they were overcome by a “once in a generation” winter storm in the North Atlantic. Both ships were forced aground on the rocky shores of the Burin Peninsula in NL and quickly began to tear apart, leaving the crew with two daunting options — either jump into the freezing, oil filled waters or cling on to the fated ships.

Chamber's Cove, where the USS Truxtun went aground in 1942.

Chamber's Cove, where the USS Truxtun went aground in 1942.

For 203 heroic U.S. sailors, the story did not have a happy ending. Overcome by the unforgiving conditions and frigid waters, these brave sailors perished in the waters near the town of St. Lawrence and Lawn. I will forever be grateful for the ultimate sacrifice they made to their country on that fateful day.

One hundred eighty-six other U.S. sailors were spared the tragic fate of their friends and shipmates thanks to the quick response of the people of St. Lawrence and Lawn. When the townspeople heard of the grounded ships, they ran to the sites and began to rescue the sailors, despite the obvious risks it posed to their own safety. For several hours, teams of volunteers sacrificed their own lives to save the lives of these servicemen.

Lanier Phillips, an African-American sailor from Georgia, was on the ship that day and took a leap of faith into the frigid waters to save his life. What happened next is the stuff of legends. As an African-American man in the 1940s, Mr. Phillips had good reason to worry about the reception he might receive if he survived the swim to the shores. Instead, the people of St. Lawrence and Lawn treated and cared for him no differently than his white shipmates. When a woman tried to clean the black off his skin thinking it was oil, Mr. Phillips told her he was African-American and the color wasn’t coming off. Unfazed, the woman continued to care for him. Mr. Phillips, who grew up in the segregated south, said, “This was the first time a white person had ever done or said anything kind to him.”

Mr. Phillips was forever changed by what happened that day seventy years ago. Now 88-years-old, he returned to St. Lawrence this weekend to express his gratitude and tell his story of how the experience had a profound impact on his beliefs about himself and others. The experience marked a turning point in his life and prompted him to pursue new goals for himself in a way he never thought was possible before. With the help of Congressman Charles Diggs, the first African American Congressman from Michigan, Mr. Phillips attended sonar school and, later, had the great opportunity to meet and march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Remembering the Newfoundlanders' heroism in the face of disaster.

Remembering the Newfoundlanders' heroism in the face of disaster.

The events this weekend commemorated the tragedy of the USS Truxton and the USS Pollux and paid tribute to the many heroes — both American and Canadian — whose paths crossed that historic day in February 1942. I am proud that my staff was able to participate in the ceremonies this weekend to both pay respects to the fallen heroes of this tragedy and pay tribute to the people of St. Lawrence and Lawn who came to the rescue of our American servicemen. To all of these heroes, I salute you.

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Posted in March 2012 |

September 12, 2011: St. John’s, Newfoundland

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

Julie and I just finished a couple of very emotional days.

On Saturday afternoon we arrived in Gander to remember the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Our first stop was a dinner with a group of “plane people” who were returning to Gander for the event as well as some Gander citizens, a New York City firefighter, and a high school teacher from Long Island, NY who brought a group of his students with him to give pieces of steel from the World Trade Center to the people of Gander for their support and kindness 10 years ago.

Ambassador and Mrs. Jacobson with Elaine Caiazzo and Jennie Asmussen, friends from Bethpage, N.Y., who were on their way home from Germany on Sept. 11 when their flight was diverted to Gander. They returned to Gander for the 10th anniversary to say thank you.

Two particularly memorable moments occurred during dinner. At the next table were a couple who came over and introduced themselves. One was from England. The other from Texas. Turns out they had met in Gander on 9/11 and they are now married!! The other was a conversation with Kevin Tuerff who was there for the reunion with his wife. He is a successful businessman in Austin Texas. He was so moved by what happened to him in Gander that each year on 9/11 he gives each of his employees $100 and asks them to go out and use it for random acts of kindness and generosity for strangers. He also started a 10,000 Acts of Kindness campaign for the 10th anniversary. His company planned to donate $1, up to $10,000, to the Pay It Forward Foundation for each new foundation follower on Twitter @PIFFoundation from September 7 through September 11. He also encouraged people to describe their acts of kindness on the campaign’s Facebook page at facebook.com/PayItForward9.11

After the dinner we went to the Beyond Words Benefit Concert in Gander where we met Gander’s mayor Claude Elliott and many other plane people and local citizens.

On Sunday we had three events. The first was in Appleton, a town of about 900 people a few miles from Gander. One of the people who spoke had been diverted to Gander 10 years ago and liked it so much she had returned 21 times and has been given the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador for her efforts to build relationships. After the event I had a chance to visit with a group of young children who had made posters with the names of all of the victims at the World Trade Center.

In Newfoundland for 9/11 Anniversary

After a lunch with the citizens of Appleton we went to Gander for the main event of the day. The civic center was packed with plane people, citizenry, and dignitaries from across Canada. I gave my remarks — which you can read if you want here. All I can say is it was very emotional for both me and Julie. These are good people who did a great thing. They didn’t do it for recognition. But they deserve it nonetheless.

We then flew to St. John’s for an evening event at Memorial University where so many of the diverted plane people were housed. We were greeted by Memorial’s Chancellor, and Canadian hero, Gen. (Ret.) Rick Hillier, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador’s Lieutenant Governor John C. Crosbie. Among the things I saw while there were the twice daily newsletters the school put out to keep their surprise guests informed.

Speaking at reception at Memorial University in St. John's

Before I arrived I had assumed that the remembrance of the horrendous events of 9/11 would be a very sad and somber event. But in fact the emotion was much more complex. Of course we were saddened by the tragedies and the horrific loss of life. But there was something more afoot. We were celebrating the wonder of the human spirit. How people welcomed total strangers in their time of need. And how those strangers have tried to reciprocate.

I can’t tell you enough how glad we were to have shared the experience with them.

DJ

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Posted in September 2011 |

November 22, 2009 – Atlantic Canada

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

The last three days have been very busy traversing the Atlantic Provinces. On Thursday after a meeting at the Newfoundland Department of Natural Resources we spent the morning taking a tour of St. John’s. The highlight was Signal Hill which is the place where Marconi received the first wireless signal from Europe. While that’s pretty special, the thing that I will remember most about the place is how windy it was. I come from the Windy City and I have never seen anything quite like Signal Hill. I took some pictures of the beautiful scenery but I could barely stand up and it was impossible to keep the camera steady.

The Consul General , Anton Smith and I had lunch with Mayor Dennis O’Keefe and a group of civic leaders from St. John’s where we discussed energy, local politics and local history.

Ambassador Jacobson with Mayor Dennis O'Keefe of St. John's, Newfoundland

Ambassador Jacobson with Mayor Dennis O'Keefe of St. John's, Newfoundland


Afterward we flew from St. John’s to Halifax for a major international security conference put on by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. But before we left the airport in Halifax we got a tour of the U.S. border preclearance facilities which make it much easier for travelers from both the United States and Canada to fly across the border.

In preparation for the conference, a large number of political and military leaders were streaming in to Halifax from around the world. One of them was U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. I met him at the foot of his plane. It was a thrill to see a big blue and white plane pull up that says “United States of America” across the fuselage.

On Friday morning I attended a meeting between Secretary Gates and his Canadian counterpart, Defense Minister Peter MacKay at the Citadel in Halifax. It was explained to us that the Citadel, which was built in 1749 ended up costing twice its budget. And by the time it was completed, military technology had advanced to the point where it was indefensible. All of the senior military figures in attendance got a kick out of that one.

After the meeting we all headed for the opening of the International Security Forum and speeches by both Minister MacKay and Secretary Gates. Then we launched in to two days of panel discussions on a range of security topics ranging from pirates to the Arctic to the role of law in international affairs. One particularly interesting panel was about the way forward in Afghanistan with Senator John McCain, (Ret’d) Gen. Rick Hillier, Najam Sethi, the editor of the Pakistani newspaper “The Daily Times”, and Michael Semple of Harvard who has lived and worked in Afghanistan for many years. As I told Minister MacKay, I have been to many conferences over the years on a wide variety of topics. But the discussion of Afghanistan was about the best thing I had ever seen at any of them.

Ambassador Jacobson, Senator John McCain and Senator Mark Udall and staff

Ambassador Jacobson, Senator John McCain and Senator Mark Udall and staff


I ducked out of one session to meet with Darrell Dexter the Premier of Nova Scotia. We had a great conversation about energy (he had just returned from a meeting with the Atlantic Premiers in Churchill Falls where they had talked about the Hydro Quebec/New Brunswick Power deal) and our respective backgrounds. It turns out we are both the first in our families to graduate from college and both of our fathers had similar jobs. The Premier’s father was a sheet metal worker. My father made medicine cabinets out of sheet metal.
Ambassador Jacobson in New Brunswick with the Confederation Bridge to PEI in the background

Ambassador Jacobson in New Brunswick with the Confederation Bridge to PEI in the background


On Sunday morning we got an early start and drove from Halifax to Charlottetown. This gave me a chance to see the Confederation Bridge (Charlottetown is the “Cradle of Canadian Confederation”) which stretches for 8 miles from New Brunswick to PEI. We spent some time driving around the rolling hills of the PEI countryside (reminds me of Iowa) and then had lunch in Charlottetown. We are now in the car driving back across the Confederation Bridge on our way to Fredericton to have dinner with New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham.
DJ

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Posted in November 2009 |

November 18, 2009 – St. John’s Newfoundland

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

I spent Monday evening and Tuesday with the new Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, Arturo Valenzuela. Sec. Valenzuela, a friend from my days in Washington, had been sworn in on Thursday of last week. I was delighted that he chose Canada as the site of his first trip out of the country – following the tradition of President Obama. And as he explained, he came here first for the same reason the President did: because of the strength and importance of the relationship between the United States and Canada. We had a full schedule of meetings with a variety of Canadian officials. Sec. Valenzuela had an opportunity to discuss his priorities for the Western Hemisphere and how the United States and Canada could cooperate in those efforts.

Last night Julie and I had a delightful dinner with former Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his wife Aline. He had wonderful stories of his 10 years as Prime Minister. We also had a chance to talk about Canadian and American politics as well as our mutual love of golf.

This morning it was back on the road. I flew to St. John’s Newfoundland (with a quick stop in Halifax). As soon as I arrived I had a long discussion with Premier Danny Williams about a range of topics. But much of the conversation was about energy and Newfoundland’s plans for additional hydro, as well as their development of wind, oil and gas. Everywhere I go I am reminded of the vast Canadian natural resources and particularly its energy resources.

The Ambassador and Premier Danny Williams of Newfoundland

The Ambassador and Premier Danny Williams of Newfoundland


We then went to Memorial University of Newfoundland where I had a chance to talk with several professors and grad students about their research projects. I was particularly touched with stories about the helping hand extended by the people of St. John’s on September 11 when so many US passengers were stranded here for days. Memorial University played a particular role in that effort. The students put on concerts for the stranded travelers and the faculty gave lectures. Some Americans were so thankful that they have since endowed scholarships at Memorial to show their appreciation.

Next stop was NALCOR, the Crown energy company of Newfoundland. We met with Ed Martin, the CEO, and his team. They amplified the discussion we had with Premier Williams about Newfoundland’s hydro plans as well as their efforts in oil and gas.

Tonight we are off to the Hungry Fisherman Restaurant on the harbor for some local seafood. I must say I’m looking forward to it.
DJ.

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Posted in November 2009 |