Sea Stories

• 5 August 1990 Marines begin evacuation operation

 -- Marines from a U.S. Task Force off the coast of Liberia began an evacuation operation which eventually rescued 2,690 people, including 330 U.S. citizens, from the war-torn capital city of Monrovia. Operation SHARP EDGE began with a pre-dawn meeting in the wardroom of USS Saipan (LHA 2) to finalize a plan that had been in the works for nearly two months. During that time, Saipan and her Amphibious Ready Group, consisting of USS Ponce (LPD 15), USS Sumter (LST 1181), Fleet Surgical Team TWO and the destroyer USS Peterson (DD 969), waited off the coast for orders to begin evacuation.

• 21 July 1993  Sailors and Marines Aid Midwest Flood Victims

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- As bone-weary residents struggled to contain the damage to homes and land in the Mississippi River Valley caused
by record rainfalls, sailors and Marines are reaching out to the devastated communities by providing much-needed supplies and
manpower. One thousand life preservers were flown to Springfield, Ill., to be used by state and local officials conducting flood relief
operations in Illinois.  Norfolk-based ships USS Biddle (CG 34), USS Harry E. Yarnell (CG 17) and USS Sumter (LST 1181) provided 800
CO2 life preservers and 200 Kapok life vests to assist in the relief efforts. In addition, in a two-day mission requested by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, two Navy F-14 Tomcat fighters based at Naval Air Station Oceana (from Fighter Squadron 103 and Fighter
Squadron 143) flew reconnaissance missions over the St. Louis, Mo., area.  The fighters, equipped with Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod
System (TARPS) cameras, flew additional missions over cities in Iowa.  The TARPS photography will enable rescue and relief workers
to determine the hardest-hit areas, helping to identify areas requiring assistance. Meanwhile, volunteers from Marine Corps Recruiting Station St. Louis responded to pleas for assistance in the flooded eastern Missouri and western Illinois areas. "Marine Team St. Louis," comprised of Marines from Recruiting Station St. Louis and Recruiting Substation St. Peters, and almost 100 friends and family of the Corps, separated into groups and headed into the communities of Ursa, Ill., St. Charles, Mo., and south St. Louis to lend a helping hand. The volunteers arrived at a pre-designated site where many residents were already digging into enormous sand piles and filling bags.  The crew formed into a human chain to load the 40-plus pound bags onto trucks. The St. Peters Marines then boarded a bus and drove to meet the trucks near North Main Street, which had already been swallowed by water.  Volunteers stood in awe as they eyed the devastation. "It was depressing to see those people sitting on high ground watching the river rise into their homes," said CAPT Mark Helmus, executive officer of Recruiting Station St. Louis.  "Their attitudes were outstanding, considering the devastation around them.  They were glad to see us." Five states -- Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri -- have been declared disaster areas by President Clinton because of damage caused by the flooding Mississippi River and its tributaries during the past three weeks.
Story compiled from AIRLANT and HQMC News Releases   -USN-