Marines, sailors depart "in pursuit of freedom, justice"

GIDGET FUENTES
Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO ---- With crowds of teary-eyed families watching the white-clad sailors and khaki-covered Marines who lined the outer decks, three Navy ships left their piers Saturday carrying nearly 4,300 local troops overseas to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea regions.

The force of more than 2,200 Marines and 2,000 sailors is the third San Diego County-based amphibious group to head into harm's way since Sept. 11 as part of the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

Before the last ship departed with the Camp Pendleton-based 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Marine Gen. James L. Jones, the commandant of the Marine Corps, reminded his troops of their duty.

"You know that you are sailing into a world that is troubled," Jones told a large assembly of Marines and ship's crew on the USS Belleau Wood's flight deck. "As you sail into the horizon ... (you) sail in pursuit of freedom, justice and the pursuit of all those who have opposed those values.

"You should have no doubt as to whether you are making a difference."

Marine and Navy forces "are the ultimate expression of national response, for good and for evil," he added. "We do good things for people all around the world."

Sgt. Maj. Alford McMichael, the top enlisted Marine, reminded the troops that the entire nation is behind them.

"We want to make sure that the pursuit of happiness is not taken from us," he said.

The Belleau Wood is the largest of the three ships that will serve as the Marines' home for the six-month deployment. Jones also visited the USS Mount Vernon and USS Denver, both carrying about 1,000 Marines, including the general's son.

The mood on the Belleau Wood's pier was one of anxiety and sadness.

Most of the Marines and sailors spent the night on the ship. Some Marines made last-minute phone calls to family and friends. Some families spent quiet minutes together before their loved ones stepped up the ship's gangplank.

Marine Pvt. Don Andrews, a 21-year-old rifleman with a Camp Pendleton infantry company, spoke with his parents by phone Friday night. "Just be careful," he said they told him. He's looking forward to their letters and care packages his mother sends. "She already sent a package out," he said with a smile.

Unlike a homecoming, which is marked by colorful balloons, banners and music, only a few hand-made signs were in the somber crowd.

Sally Baumer and daughter-in-law Bryn hand-crafted a sign for her son, Marine Sgt. Brett Baumer, a 25-year-old reservist from San Francisco who was activated in January for the 11th MEU. "I told him to stay safe. I said I would take care of her, too," Sally Baumer said.

Bryn and Brett Baumer married in April. Before he left, Bryn Baumer gave Brett a bunch of cards for him to open while he's gone. "It does help," she said, before she glanced up to see him on the ship's deck.

Some goodbyes are unsaid.

Marine Lance Cpl. Clifton Woody stared at his month-old daughter, Kayli, and kissed her forehead as his wife, Chalia, 19, and his mother, Mechael Cain, looked on.

Woody, 24, couldn't take his eyes off Kayli, dressed in a cute red-white-and-blue singlet and hat.

"It's hard," he said of the separation. "It's part of the military."

"It's a sacrifice," said Cain, who came from Oklahoma for her son's departure. "I don't know how they both do it. There's an inner strength there."

She said the couple grew closer through the shorter separations from the 11th MEU's training exercises. "Their marriage is stronger, and as a mother, of course that makes me happy," she added.

Amid the goodbyes, some families quietly prayed for the safe return of the Marines and sailors.

This time, unlike the previous two deployments of ships and Marine units, some people said they felt a little more comfortable knowing a little more about what the Marines may do, where the ships may go and extra security measures in place to protect their loved ones.

"The ship is guarded by a lot of sailors," said Lauren Storla, a naval dad and reservist who came with his wife, Belinda, and family from Las Vegas to see son Lauren III, a sailor with the Belleau Wood's crash-and-rescue unit. "Before, we didn't know what was going to happen. Now, (other) ships have been there, so they know more what their missions are.

"The side note is: We don't know what they are going to do," Storla said.

What commanders do know is that as the ships cross the Pacific, combat training will be the focus.

"It's a significant distance to get over there," said Navy Capt. Alan Haefner, the amphibious force commander. "For the next 30 days, we're going to get to train."

Haefner said the training includes protecting the force through the entire deployment. "We're aware of everything that's coming," he said.

Before he went to "man the rails" for the Belleau Wood's departure, Marine 2nd Lt. Jason Hudson thought about his newlywed wife and his parents in Texas.

"They're more nervous, but they give me 100 percent support, all the time," said Hudson, 26, an infantry platoon commander on his first overseas deployment.

"They understand it's a dangerous situation," he said. "I'm actually pretty proud that I am part of it."