Bataan Holds Change of Command Off Haiti Coast
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS100222-20
Release Date: 2/22/2010 7:42:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Samantha Robinett, USS Bataan Public Affairs
BAIE DE GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (NNS) -- Multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), on-station off the coast of Haiti to provide disaster relief support, held a traditional change ofcommand ceremony on the "Big 5" flight deck Feb. 19.
Sailors and embarked Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) lined the ship's flight deck where Capt. Sam Howard was relieved by Capt. Steve Koehler, who now takes over command of the flagship for Bataan Amphibious Relief Mission in Haiti.
Howard took command of Bataan Sept. 18, 2009, and led the ship and her crew through a rigorous workup schedule, a seven-month maritime security deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th fleets, and the first four weeks of Bataan's current disaster relief mission in Haiti. Bataan also earned the 2009 Battle "E" Efficiency Award earlier this month.
"It's no surprise that this is [Bataan's] fifth Battle "E," and it's no surprise that it was under the command of Capt. Sam Howard," said Rear Adm. Carol Pottenger, commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, and the ceremony's guest speaker. "You've had a very special commander that you are going to see off today, and I think you all know that. No matter the circumstances, his upbeat attitude shines through, and everyone wants to follow him and set the pace right alongside him.
Howard credited the "Blue/Green Team" aboard Bataan for their list of accomplishments over the past 17 months and for the difference they're making in Haiti.
"The right things are happening aboard this ship. Bataan is doing what the country expects, said Howard. "We've ensured that USS Bataan remains the most worthy piece of America from which any capability can go forward to bring help, or if necessary, to bring hurt. There is no finer assembly of patriots with whom I would rather have gone to sea, than the one represented right here."
Once the two men read their orders and reported to Capt. Tom Negus, the event's presiding officer and commodore of the Bataan Amphibious Relief Mission, Koehler took the stage to address his new crew.
"I am personally humbled to take command of Bataan," said Koehler. "We have remained professional while out here, and you make something that is very difficult look routine and easy, I know that it is not. From a guy who's new to the amphib world, I will tell you it's unbelievable to watch."
Koehler's connection with the ship named for the valiant resistance of American and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula in the dawning days of World War II, and the tens of thousands of American service members who died either in battle or during the unconscionable "Bataan Death March," began long before his arrival to Bataan.
"My father-in-law was born in a prison camp, Santo Tomas, (Philippines), in 1943. My wife's grandmother spent three and a half years in that prison camp. She turned 100 in November, and she still tells [those stories], so it truly is a personal honor for me to take command of this ship.
Prior to becoming Bataan's 10th commanding officer, Koehler served as executive officer aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) from November 2007 to October 2009. Koehler was designated a naval aviator in 1989. He's logged over 500 carrier-arrested landings and accumulated in excess of 3,600 hours in various naval aircraft. He commanded VFA-143 from July 2004 to October 2005, ultimately transitioning the squadron from the Tomcat to the Super Hornet.
Howard will temporarily transfer to Naval Surface Forces Atlantic while awaiting his next permanent duty assignment.
Bataan is supporting Operation Unified Response as part of a larger U.S. response to a request from the government of Haiti for urgent humanitarian aid. U.S. Southern Command is working closely with the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the international community to provide life-sustaining services to the people of Haiti. All military efforts are in support of USAID, which is orchestrating U.S. government contributions to the relief.
Bataan is the fifth ship of the Navy's Wasp-class ships. She was commissioned Sept. 20, 1997, and is the second U.S. Navy warship to bear the name. CVL-29 was an Independence-class small aircraft carrier that was commissioned in November 1943. After serving in both World War II and the Korean conflict, CVL-29 was decommissioned in 1954.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
