Flight plan

The War

The horrific events of September 11 produced the same shock, anger, and bewilderment at ANA Headquarters that it did with all of you. Sue, Zip, Jackie and I were almost in a daze as we watched events unfold on television and began to witness the heroic actions of the countless rescue workers who unselfishly put their lives on the line to save their fellow men and women. It was not long before the phones began ringing from you, the membership, wondering what you could do to help, and how you could volunteer to be part of your country's actions to fight back.

Today, a little over a month since the 911 infamy, we are watching the men and women of our Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard, along with the other armed forces and Reserves, once again taking their places on the front lines of our country. They are repeatedly showing they are ready and willing to do what is necessary to preserve the values that are the foundations of the United States. Our President immediately stepped into his national leadership role and has not wavered in his strong convictions for the War on Terrorism and to do what is necessary. Our congressional leaders have come together to support our President and nation in a way we have not seen since December 7, 1941. Our military and national agencies are now taking the initial actions necessary to remove the leaders and purveyors of terrorism and ensure they will no longer be in a position to commit their inhuman deeds. But the task is not going to be easy. We have begun what I believe may be one of the most long and difficult tasks our nation has ever undertaken.

Since September 11 11 some of you may have found a position in which you can be actively and directly involved in the War on Terrorism. This is certainly true for all our active duty members. I salute all of you who are taking part, and ensure you of the enduring support of the members of ANA. We are proud to show on our cover the picture of the USS Theodore Roosvelt flying the national ensign that was raised by the New York fire department over ground zero at the WTC. Naval aviation is already a major player in combat action!

I know all of us would rather have a direct role in the conflict, but the majority of our membership must be delegated to a support role. Just because we are in support, it is not a time to be inactive. This is my answer to all of you who have called in, and to the rest of our membership: Our job, more than ever, is to carry out our mission "to educate the public and our national leaders on the vital roles of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Aviation as key elements of our national defense posture." This war is going to be long. The peaceniks will come out of the closet (some already have) and begin to make a stir against fighting back. Our President and national leadership are going to need help to sustain the war and do what we must in the long-term to ensure global terrorism is unable to achieve its selfish, inane goals by murderous tactics. Our voice needs to be loud and clear!

Let us know your ideas. Headquarters will do its part. But most importantly, our squadrons and individual members around the world must go to the public and explain why it is necessary to show a terrorist the only thing he understands - the strength and resolve to do him in. Normal people do not like to be put in a position to kill and destroy. But the military understands war is sometimes necessary in order to preserve one's core values. Some can't understand the thought processes of terrorists, so they believe negotiations and concessions can stop these people. We know this is not true. We must be able to communicate effectively why the United States and its allies are not carrying out a vengeance campaign - we are responding to an attack on our way of life in the only effective way to make those attacks stop. We must demand the public gives its wholehearted support, over the long-term, to our armed forces and others who are waging this war. The public and we must make the sacrifices necessary to give our warriors the equipment and platforms necessary to do the job! This is our support role, and we must be relentless in pursuing it. To start, use the information in this issue's feature article on Aircraft Carriers. Zip has done an otstanding job of telling us about the newest carriers And he has also combined and stated succinctly the rationale from the most credible articles on why we need these large deck ships that will remain an important force for the future.

Copyright Association of Naval Aviation Fall 2001
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