A DAY TO REMEMBER.Byline: BOB QUICK A contingent of officers and men from the nuclear attack submarine USS Santa Fe Two ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Santa Fe, after the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Santa Fe, city (1991 pop. 341,000), capital of Santa Fe prov., NE Argentina, a river port near the Paraná, with which it is connected by canal. . Mayor David Coss David Coss is a U.S. politician who is the current mayor of the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was elected to a four-year term in March 2006 after serving on the Santa Fe City Council from 2002-2006. invited the crew members to attend and introduced them. The event, which drew about 150 people, included veterans and their families as well as local officials, who gathered at Veterans Memorial Park on Galisteo Street. Among the veterans on hand was a frail Evans Garcia, one of the few remaining survivors of the Bataan Death March Bataan Death March (April 1942) Forced march of 70,000 U.S. and Filipino prisoners of war (World War II) captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. From the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, the starving and ill-treated prisoners were force-marched 63 mi (101 km) to a . The ceremony also marked the 90th anniversary of the signing of the armistice Armistice (Nov. 11, 1918) Agreement between Germany and the Allies ending World War I. Allied representatives met with a German delegation in a railway carriage at Rethondes, France, to discuss terms. The agreement was signed on Nov. treaty that marked the end of World War I. The gathering kicked off with the roar of a flyover by four F-16 fighters from the 150th Fighter Wing of the New Mexico Air National Guard The New Mexico Air National Guard is based at Kirtland AFB, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The main unit of the NMANG is the 150th Fighter Wing. The 150th flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter. . Tuesday's keynote speaker, John Garcia, secretary of the state Department of Veterans Services, said the promise to "support our troops "Support our troops" is a slogan commonly used in the United States and in Canada in reference to the United States Military and the Canadian Forces (Army, Air & Navy). The slogan has been used in the recent conflicts, including the Gulf War[1] and Iraq war. " needs to be taken seriously. "It means being here to remember our veterans," he said. "It means mandated (government) funding for the VA medical system." Commander Vern Parks of the USS Santa Fe was joined on the speakers platform by Lt. Doug Hagenbuch; Senior Chief Petty Officer senior chief petty officer n. 1. Abbr. SCPO A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Navy that is above chief petty officer and below master chief petty officer. 2. One who holds this rank. Noun 1. John Davis; Fire Control Technician Fire Control Technician (abbreviated as FT) is a United States Navy occupational rating. Fire Control Technicians perform organizational and intermediate level maintenance on submarine combat control systems, equipment, and associated combat control systems test Richard Heering; Electronics Technician The United States Navy occupational rating of Electronics Technician (abbreviated as ET) is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) to enlisted members who satisfactorily complete initial Electronics Technician "A" school training. 3rd Class Ricardo Mendez; and Machinists Mate 2nd Class Timothy Moore. In his comments at the gathering, Parks said the USS Santa Fe, which is stationed at Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, land-locked harbor, on the southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, W of Honolulu; one of the largest and best natural harbors in the E Pacific Ocean. In the vicinity are many U.S. military installations, including the chief U.S. but has been undergoing a renovation in Maine, will return to active duty in May. At that time, Parks said he and his crew "will perform whatever mission our commanding authority asks us to." The USS USS abbr. 1. United States Senate 2. United States ship USS abbr (= United States Ship) → Namensteil von Schiffen der Kriegsmarine Santa Fe's primary purpose, according to a Navy spokesman, is to seek out and destroy other submarines using depth charges, torpedoes and cruise missiles. The Navy's policy is not to indicate whether the vessel will carry atomic weapons. In an interview before the ceremony, Parks, Davis and Hagenbuch discussed the USS Santa Fe, its crew, life under the sea and other matters. The USS Santa Fe was launched Dec. 12, 1996, and has been based in Pearl Harbor and deployed to the western Pacific Ocean since then. The ship's upgrade has been under way for the past 18 months at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard This article is about Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. For Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth, see HMNB Portsmouth. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Maine. "They upgraded all our systems," Parks said, adding that the submarine's crew has remained on board throughout the modernization. The USS Santa Fe typically spends up to six months on patrol in the Pacific. The submarine travels underwater at more than 29 knots (25 mph) and has the ability to dive more than 1,400 feet below the surface of the sea. The vessel's original cost was almost $1 billion. The USS Santa Fe has participated in exercises with the navies of countries in various parts of the world. In 2005, the USS Santa Fe took part in Exercise Malabar with the Indian navy. It was at that time the boat called on the port of Goa, India, Parks and Davis said. The ship also visited Phuket in Thailand. "The USS Santa Fe has taken part in a number of multilateral exercises," Parks said. "That's one of the strategies we support." Life on a submarine is divided into four six-hour watches consisting of duty, maintenance work, sleep and time off. During the down time, officers and men play cards, watch movies and send e-mail to family and friends. "The younger sailors have laptops and PlayStations," Davis said. The diet on a submarine consists of four meals per day prepared using frozen, canned and fresh food. Steak on Sunday is a tradition, Parks said. Whether it's the food or the patriotism or the camaraderie or the technical skills they acquire, submariners must like something about life below the waves. The re-enlistment rate ranges from 40 percent to as much as 50 percent, Parks said. "They can extend for as little as a year. The Navy tries to make it easy for them." No women serve aboard U.S. submarines, but that's not because they couldn't perform all the jobs men can, he said. "It has to do with privacy issues," Parks said. "It's based on the fact that we can't guarantee their privacy." The original USS Santa Fe was a light cruiser that fought in some of the most important naval battles of World War II. The ship's most famed exploit was helping rescue survivors from the aircraft carrier Franklin, which had been bombed by a Japanese airplane off the coast of Formosa, as Taiwan was then known. Contact Bob Quick at 986-3011 or bobquick@sfnewmexican.com. CAPTION(S): See pdf's for exact rendition, caption, graphics and photographer info. |
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