USS Mason

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Comment by Lori on February 17, 2009 at 7:09pm

Regins look about mid april sometime.

Comment by Regina S on February 12, 2009 at 3:41pm

World News : World
World News Headline Feed
Ukrainian arms ship docks in Kenya after release by Somali pirates
Fri, 13 Feb 2009 8:31a.m.

A Ukrainian ship laden with tanks and other heavy weapons docked in Kenya on Thursday, more than four months after it was hijacked by Somali pirates.

Its 20 tired and sunburned sailors smiled and shook hands with Ukrainian officials waiting at the port of Mombasa, and prepared for the journey home.

The Russian and Ukrainian sailors only spoke briefly to journalists assembled on the docks in Kenya's port city of Mombasa before being driven away for medical checks.

"There was a lot of difficulties, negotiations about our liberation, about the liberation of the vessel," said the acting captain, Viktor Nikolsky.

The MV (Merchant Vessel) Faina was released a week ago after pirates received an airdropped ransom of 3.2 million US dollars.

The ship's owner, Vadim Alperin, was seen standing on the dock with the chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Mykola Malomuzh.

The Faina began moving late on Friday, the day after its release, and then set sail for Kenya on Saturday with a US military escort, leaving the Somali coast where pirates had held it for more than four months.

It was escorted by the guided missile destroyer USS Mason, and US Navy commandos were on board the Faina to provide security.

The US navy had watched over the MV Faina following its September 25 capture by Somali pirates to ensure its cargo of 33 tanks and weapons did not fall into the hands of Somali insurgents believed to be linked to al-Qaida.

Vadim Alperin, the ship's owner, had posted a statement on a Russian maritime Web site saying that the MV Faina was heading for the port of Mombasa under its own power.

The ship had set sail after it received fuel from the USS Catawba and the crew got a diesel generator going, switched on navigation and other equipment and put the main engine in working order, the statement said.

It said the Faina's crew had been given a five-day supply of food and water, as well as fresh sheets.

The Faina's seizure was a wake-up call about the danger that piracy posed to one of the world's most important shipping routes.

Warships from the United States, India, Britain, France, Germany, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and South Korea have since joined an anti-piracy campaign, though attacks continue.

Somalia does not have a coast guard or navy because it has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

They then turned on each other, reducing the Horn of Africa nation to anarchy and chaos.

The capture of the Ukrainian ship immediately sparked a diplomatic spat, after a Kenyan maritime official and various foreign diplomats in Nairobi said the weapons were destined for neighbouring southern Sudan, not Kenya.

The allegations embarrassed Kenya, which had helped broker a peace deal between the northern government and oil-rich south Sudan in 2005, ending a 21 year civil war.

APTN

Comment by Regina S on February 12, 2009 at 12:15pm

Sesame Street Military Family Special to be aired
Sesame Workshop will air a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) special on April 1, 2009 that is aimed at
helping military families cope with changes. Actor/singer Queen Latifah and
singer John Mayer will join Elmo to present, "Coming Home: Military Families Cope with Change." The special carries a message for children whose parents suffered a physical or psychological wound in
combat.
The half-hour special, which will air at the beginning of the "Month of the
Military Child," is a part of Sesame Workshop's "Talk, Listen, Connect"
initiative, which began two years ago. The special is scheduled to air
Apr.1 at 8 p.m. EST. Please check your local listings for the exact air time
in your area.

http://www.military.com/military-spouse-network

http://archive.sesameworkshop.org/tlc/

We all know that Sesame Workshop has reached children (at their level of
understanding) for years in a creative & effective manner, and this may
be very helpful to our military families with young children!

Comment by Regina S on February 1, 2009 at 8:27am

it' can't be posted here but you can feel free to email me at SupportTheTroopsNJ@comcast.net

Comment by Lori on January 31, 2009 at 10:04pm

Regina,
Do you have any idea when the Marson will be heading home.

Comment by Regina S on January 30, 2009 at 10:32am

Status of the U.S. Navy Status of the Navy
29, 2009) - USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 are deployed to in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. Essex ARG departs Okinawa to the spring patrol following piked up 31th MEU: U.S. Navy: Image: ... Harpers Ferry operates as part of the only forward-deployed U.S. expeditionary strike group and is part of Task Force 76. USS Laboon leaves Norfolk for a scheduled deployment: U.S. Navy: Image: 090229-N-7544A-092.jpg. Norfolk (Jan. ...
Status of the US Navy - http://usn.blog62.fc2.com/

Comment by Regina S on January 28, 2009 at 7:22pm

Pirate Monitor
January 25, 2009) Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Adam Gayner, assigned to the guided missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), mans a 25MM chain gun while monitoring a small boat transiting from the merchant vessel MV ...
OUT On The Porch - http://outontheporch.org/2009/01/28/pirate-monitor/

Comment by Lori on January 28, 2009 at 3:33pm

I hope I will be able to do it also, It would be nice to meet up with everyone on the Marson.

Comment by Alyce on January 27, 2009 at 9:27pm

Thanks Lori, that sounds like a lot of fun. I hope we can do that!

Comment by Lori on January 27, 2009 at 7:41pm

Alyce,
tiger cruise is when the ship is coming back home and family members can cacth a ride from Jacksonville Fla to Va with them. Yes the USS Marson will be doing it at some point at the end of thier tour.

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