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'Quiet Vigil' Protects Tarawa Shipmates in Arabian Gulf

Navy NewStand

Story Number: NNS030407-08
Release Date: 4/7/2003 12:52:00 PM

By Chief Journalist William Polson, USS Tarawa Public Affairs

ABOARD USS TARAWA, At Sea (NNS) -- Their days are hard and long, the tedium can be mind numbing at times, but their work could mean the difference between life and death in the Arabian Gulf for the Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tarawa (LHA 1).

At night, while many of their shipmates sleep in berthing spaces not far away, Sailors who stand watch at the various gun mounts around the ship constantly scan the horizon and wait for possible threats.

"While we're out here, these Sailors have one of the most difficult and most important jobs on the ship," said Tarawa Commanding Officer Capt. Jay Bowling. "They'll be the ones who'll defend us against a suicide attacker coming out of the darkness of night or maybe identify a stray mine."

Bowling added that another major threat for which these Sailors watch are the low, slow-flying drones. These aircraft, which look like model airplanes, can disperse deadly chemical and biological gasses.

"It's stressful, it's hard and it tends to wear you out after a while, but it's our way of contributing to the operations out there in Iraq," said Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Juan Blanco.

Blanco is one of the approximately 50 Tarawa crew members who man gun watches aboard the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship in the Arabian Gulf. As a Tarawa crew member, he's also part of the coalition amphibious force currently under Commander Task Force 51 (CTF-51) that arrived here with approximately 33,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen.

As coalition forces in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom have pressed towards Baghdad, Tarawa, along with the many other coalition amphibious ships under CTF-51, has remained on station.

Each night, AV-8B Harrier jets roar off the flight deck toward the skies over Iraq. Meanwhile, below them, the Sailors at the gun mounts keep a quiet vigil, waiting for something they hope will never come.

"We hope we never come across anything, but we have to be vigilant and stay alert, because you never know what's out there," said Draftsman 2nd Class Bryan Wolfe, who volunteered to be a gun watch. "You never know what's going to happen."

"It's a tough job to keep them motivated day after day and night after night," said Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Michael Haga. "As supervisors, we walk the mounts and make sure that their water jugs are filled and that they're fed."

Occasionally, the weather conditions of the Arabian Gulf have added unique difficulties faced by the watch standers.

Several times, desert storms (called schmaals) have swept across the Gulf, dumping a fine coat of powdered sand over the ship, including the gun watch stations. While heat has not been a problem so far through the mild months of February and March, it's showing signs of quickly becoming one.

According to the ship's aerographer's mates, the predicted daily average temperatures for April will hover in the mid-80s, while May and June will see the mercury soar into the 90 to 100 degree range.

Regardless of whatever mother nature or a hostile force can whip up, these Sailors still stand ready to protect their shipmates, according to Bowling.

"These young men and women, led by the Gun Boss, Lt. Cmdr. Angelito Galicinao, are standing six-hour watches out there 24 hours a day, come rain or come shine. They're a first line of protection for this ship," he said. "But they're capable, ready and well-equipped. I'm confident they can handle whatever comes our way."