Credo
"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones
"Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra"
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friedrich Nietzsche
"A kind Providence has placed in our breasts a hatred of the unjust and cruel, in order that we may preserve ourselves from cruelty and injustice. They who bear cruelty, are accomplices in it. The pretended gentleness which excludes that charitable rancour, produces an indifference which is half an approbation. They never will love where they ought to love, who do not hate where they ought to hate."--Edmund Burke
“You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”--General Sir Charles Napier
"Μολὼν λαβέ" -- Leonidas
"Blogito Ergo Sum" -- Neptunus Lex
I’d like to be (temporarily) a fly on the wall of that dhow as she sailed away. We render aid because it’s The Right Thing To Do, of course, but is there any truth to the “winning hearts and minds” aspect? Or were we being measured for another Cole-style attack?
And should I feel badly for being so mistrustful?
Steve said it before I could…..don’t feel badly for being mistrustful. Let’s just hope they sent the ship’s launch while the Anzio stood safely away.
I’m pleased that the 5th Fleet article quoted the JOOD and another ENS. Tired of just hearing the XO/CO do all the talking.
I wonder if the crew of the dhow were complaining at their treatment? It seems likely to me that the food we provided wasn’t halal.
Comments 1,2,3; Unlike the COLE, this encounter took place on the seas, where ANZIO had the freedom to manuever and take appropriate protective measures. I train the boarding team members of this ship(and others of the Atlantic Fleet)and one of the scenarios we put them through is a render assistance exercise. Be assured they do not let their guard down, even when pumping out bilges, patching hulls or repairing equipment.
The obligation to render assistance on the high seas pre-dates our Navy, AL-Qaeda and I hope will continue well into the future.
Mariners do this for each other. These men had families depending on them. They won’t forget this kindness. The COLE bombers weren’t fisherman. And the ANZIO had sea room. Different situation entirely. For every rabid bad guy, there’s dozens more who respond to decent treatment. The sea is the common enemy.
“In the finest traditions of the Naval Service…”