John Karcher Reports From USS John C. Stennis
After 9/11, Crew Was On Offensive In Afghanistan
Posted: 6:56 am CDT May 12, 2003Updated: 1:39 pm CDT May 15, 2003
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John C. Stennis is back in its homeport of San Diego this morning.
It was one of the first war ships to answer the call after the terrorist attacks of 9-11.Its fighter jets patrolled the west coast, and a month or so after the attacks its crew went on the offensive in Afghanistan.
News 3's John Karcher just got back from the Stennis.Tuesday: 5/13, News 3 This MorningThe Stennis is one of 12 carriers and the Navy's newest -- named after the late Sen. John C. Stennis. Its crew of more than 5,000 spent months launching jets to attack the Taliban and is awaiting redeployment.Its pilots, officers and sailors can't wait to re-engage the enemy.Its mission now: a floating airport off the coast of California. New Navy pilots from around the country fly 24/7 to qualify for a spot on a carrier.News 3's John Karcher and photojournalist Don Cady geared up for the ride of a lifetime, and joined the Stennis an hour's flight off the coast of San Diego.Landing was smooth as silk, Karcher said.How's The Food?Sailors work hard, play hard and eat unbelievable meals, Karcher said.At 4 a.m. in the enlisted mess -- one of five on board manned by 115 cooks -- they're getting ready to feed 2,000 hungry sailors in an hour.
"How come it smells so good in here? Well, we try to bake as much from scratch as we can," Michael Edwards, a Navy baker from New York, said.There's fresh muffins, hundreds of loaves of bread every day, apple crisp, cinnamon rolls, turnovers, cherry pies, apple pies -- and if its your birthday, or re-enlistment, your own personal cake.The ship also has outstanding coffee, Karcher said."The coffee pot is on 24/7, and we have a disaster on board the Stennis -- it's overflowing," Karcher said. "But this is really good coffee. This is about my fourth cup, and I'm getting wired."
At 5 a.m., the rush begins. Eating this well is definitely a highlight for sailors. The night before, they had steak and lobster for dinner."For lunch today, it'll be pepper steak, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and gravy and baked fish, and for dinner gonna be turkey and ham," said Altoyan Dickerson, a Navy cook from Chicago.In between meals, they work to remain sharp, as the Stennis crew waits to hear where in the world it's needed next.Tuesday: 5/13, News 3 At Six And TenSeveral moments stand out from this trip, Karcher said -- meeting the Wisconsin sailors and learning how they felt when their jets dropped the first bombs on Afghanistan, and learning about the man whose name is on the ship.John C. Stennis is called the "Father of America's Navy," and for 41 years in Congress he fought tooth and nail for Navy programs.
His memory is captured here in the John C. Stennis room, Karcher said. His senate chair, the tiled senate floor and his life history fill the room.The Stennis spent six months in Afghanistan. Now, awaiting its next duty station, it's a floating airport for new Navy pilots, who are hoping to qualify for a spot with a carrier fighter wing.When tower two fell on 9/11, a U.S. flag came tumbling down with it. Now charred and battered, the flag was given to the ship.Officers were told to hoist it before the first jets flew bombing runs in Afghanistan."It's a very emotional thing for me," said Capt. Mark Sickert, executive officer. "I accepted that flag on behalf of the ship at a VFW hall in Chula Vista, Calif., and a very emotional thing for me. It's a great place to display it and a real source of motivation for the crew."Stennis fighter pilots patrolled the entire west coast from San Diego after 9/11.
"It was one of those memories that you'll never forget, and I knew that we would be leaving soon thereafter to go take care of business off Afghanistan," said Cmdr. Larry Fitzpatrick of La Crosse. He's been on the Stennis for 2.5 years.Within two months, the mission turned to erasing the Taliban."Our job is to defend the country, and when we headed over there, dropping bombs on Afghanistan -- it felt good," said Greg Ylvisaker of Watertown.Years of training was put into action. It was as sailors said: "Payback time." The massive warship and its crew of 6,200 went to war for six months.On station, the twin tower flag was raised, and Stennis fighter jets, loaded with bombs inscribed by New York sailors, took off."They wrote their families names or whatever, 'To Osama with love,'" said Mike Woodward of La Crosse who works in flight deck operations. "You know, they'd sign their name. It was just an awesome experience to watch those bombs leave and not come back. They had their justice then they had their peace."
"The professional side of me says, 'I'm doing what we've been told to do, we're trained, we're ready and here we go,'" said Capt. Mark Sickert, executive officer, second in command.Karcher Joins "Tailhook Club"Karcher became the newest member of the Navy's "Tailhook Club," a one-hour flight to meet the ship at sea.
"Seconds before we hit the wire, I braced," he said.The Stennis is 1,092 feet long, and at 86 yards wide, is 1 yard longer than any of Brett Farve's touchdown passes in the past two years.It has:five mess halls 115 cooks who serve 18,600 meals a day miles of stairways hundreds of ladders 28,000 bed sheets 2,000 telephones 30,000 light fixtures and each anchor weighs 33 tons"It gets pretty intense, especially with our full air wing on board," said Lt. Robert Fuentes, a flight ops officer. "Things are constantly moving."With 50 planes on the deck during combat, work is dangerous. There are a dozen ways to die, Karcher said -- re-fueling, props, bombs, jet blast, planes moving in every direction, arresting wires that catch full-power jets on a pitching/rolling ship with no safety net.A Typical Day?A typical day is 20 hours during combat. They live, work and breath to protect and serve -- an incredible spirit amongst the cast of thousands that are proud to lead the charge."I just wish the average American, who's not in the military, would come on board for a day and see how hard these men and women actually work and how proud they are to serve their country," said Cmdcm Wm. Terry Etherton, the highest-ranking enlisted man on Stennis.
Visiting the ship was quite an experience, Karcher said."First being able to share this story with our viewers," he said. "And personally: landing and taking off on a carrier ... it was a thrill."
USS JOHN C. STENNIS John Karcher brings you the story of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier -- and the Wisconsin sailors who keep it running. John spent time aboard the ship off the coast of California and reported on everything from flight operations to the mess hall -- and how proud the sailors are to have served in the aerial assault in Afghanistan.  Send A Message To The Crew! See John's Personal Pictures From The TripREAD:  Part IPart IIPart IIIVIDEO  Shipmates: Ens. Baumann Does Tom Cruise Fly By?Cdr. Larry Fitzpatrick InterviewKarcher Delivers Care Packages To Wisconsin SailersJohn Karcher Gets Special Award From NavyJohn Karcher Brings Special Hat AboardJohn Karcher: Life Aboard The USS John C. Stennis WEB SITES  USS John C. Stennis Web SiteLearn More About Different CarriersHow Do Aircraft Carriers Work?See How Carriers Are DesignedContact John Karcher |
News 3's John Karcher just got back from the Stennis.Tuesday: 5/13, News 3 This MorningThe Stennis is one of 12 carriers and the Navy's newest -- named after the late Sen. John C. Stennis. Its crew of more than 5,000 spent months launching jets to attack the Taliban and is awaiting redeployment.Its pilots, officers and sailors can't wait to re-engage the enemy.Its mission now: a floating airport off the coast of California. New Navy pilots from around the country fly 24/7 to qualify for a spot on a carrier.News 3's John Karcher and photojournalist Don Cady geared up for the ride of a lifetime, and joined the Stennis an hour's flight off the coast of San Diego.Landing was smooth as silk, Karcher said.How's The Food?Sailors work hard, play hard and eat unbelievable meals, Karcher said.At 4 a.m. in the enlisted mess -- one of five on board manned by 115 cooks -- they're getting ready to feed 2,000 hungry sailors in an hour."How come it smells so good in here? Well, we try to bake as much from scratch as we can," Michael Edwards, a Navy baker from New York, said.There's fresh muffins, hundreds of loaves of bread every day, apple crisp, cinnamon rolls, turnovers, cherry pies, apple pies -- and if its your birthday, or re-enlistment, your own personal cake.The ship also has outstanding coffee, Karcher said."The coffee pot is on 24/7, and we have a disaster on board the Stennis -- it's overflowing," Karcher said. "But this is really good coffee. This is about my fourth cup, and I'm getting wired."At 5 a.m., the rush begins. Eating this well is definitely a highlight for sailors. The night before, they had steak and lobster for dinner."For lunch today, it'll be pepper steak, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and gravy and baked fish, and for dinner gonna be turkey and ham," said Altoyan Dickerson, a Navy cook from Chicago.In between meals, they work to remain sharp, as the Stennis crew waits to hear where in the world it's needed next.Tuesday: 5/13, News 3 At Six And TenSeveral moments stand out from this trip, Karcher said -- meeting the Wisconsin sailors and learning how they felt when their jets dropped the first bombs on Afghanistan, and learning about the man whose name is on the ship.John C. Stennis is called the "Father of America's Navy," and for 41 years in Congress he fought tooth and nail for Navy programs.His memory is captured here in the John C. Stennis room, Karcher said. His senate chair, the tiled senate floor and his life history fill the room.The Stennis spent six months in Afghanistan. Now, awaiting its next duty station, it's a floating airport for new Navy pilots, who are hoping to qualify for a spot with a carrier fighter wing.When tower two fell on 9/11, a U.S. flag came tumbling down with it. Now charred and battered, the flag was given to the ship.Officers were told to hoist it before the first jets flew bombing runs in Afghanistan."It's a very emotional thing for me," said Capt. Mark Sickert, executive officer. "I accepted that flag on behalf of the ship at a VFW hall in Chula Vista, Calif., and a very emotional thing for me. It's a great place to display it and a real source of motivation for the crew."Stennis fighter pilots patrolled the entire west coast from San Diego after 9/11."It was one of those memories that you'll never forget, and I knew that we would be leaving soon thereafter to go take care of business off Afghanistan," said Cmdr. Larry Fitzpatrick of La Crosse. He's been on the Stennis for 2.5 years.Within two months, the mission turned to erasing the Taliban."Our job is to defend the country, and when we headed over there, dropping bombs on Afghanistan -- it felt good," said Greg Ylvisaker of Watertown.Years of training was put into action. It was as sailors said: "Payback time." The massive warship and its crew of 6,200 went to war for six months.On station, the twin tower flag was raised, and Stennis fighter jets, loaded with bombs inscribed by New York sailors, took off."They wrote their families names or whatever, 'To Osama with love,'" said Mike Woodward of La Crosse who works in flight deck operations. "You know, they'd sign their name. It was just an awesome experience to watch those bombs leave and not come back. They had their justice then they had their peace.""The professional side of me says, 'I'm doing what we've been told to do, we're trained, we're ready and here we go,'" said Capt. Mark Sickert, executive officer, second in command.Karcher Joins "Tailhook Club"Karcher became the newest member of the Navy's "Tailhook Club," a one-hour flight to meet the ship at sea."Seconds before we hit the wire, I braced," he said.The Stennis is 1,092 feet long, and at 86 yards wide, is 1 yard longer than any of Brett Farve's touchdown passes in the past two years.It has:five mess halls 115 cooks who serve 18,600 meals a day miles of stairways hundreds of ladders 28,000 bed sheets 2,000 telephones 30,000 light fixtures and each anchor weighs 33 tons"It gets pretty intense, especially with our full air wing on board," said Lt. Robert Fuentes, a flight ops officer. "Things are constantly moving."With 50 planes on the deck during combat, work is dangerous. There are a dozen ways to die, Karcher said -- re-fueling, props, bombs, jet blast, planes moving in every direction, arresting wires that catch full-power jets on a pitching/rolling ship with no safety net.A Typical Day?A typical day is 20 hours during combat. They live, work and breath to protect and serve -- an incredible spirit amongst the cast of thousands that are proud to lead the charge."I just wish the average American, who's not in the military, would come on board for a day and see how hard these men and women actually work and how proud they are to serve their country," said Cmdcm Wm. Terry Etherton, the highest-ranking enlisted man on Stennis.Visiting the ship was quite an experience, Karcher said."First being able to share this story with our viewers," he said. "And personally: landing and taking off on a carrier ... it was a thrill."Copyright 2007 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
