Aboard the USS New York: Proud Symbol and Demonstration of American Resolve

Two days after the November 7, 2009 commissioning of the USS New York, I visited this extraordinary vessel. Although I've never been in the military and was only indirectly affected by September 11, my afternoon aboard the Navy's latest addition was heart-warming and poignant.

There's nothing particularly significant about November 9, but the date is close to those of several seismic shifts in American history. The U.S. Marine Corps was established on November 10, 1775, and Veterans Day, formerly called "Armistice Day" to commemorate the end of World War I, is celebrated on November 11. On November 23, 1963, John F. Kennedy, one of the few beloved presidents in living memory, was gunned down in Dallas.

The current USS New York (LPD-21), a Landing Platform Dock-class warship, is the seventh U.S. naval vessel to bear that name. She is both a symbol and an embodiment of American resolve. The New York's prow contains 7.5 tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center site after the September 11 attacks. The motto emblazoned on her hull reads: "Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget."

According to the USS New York's official Web site, the New York's crest has three battle stars representing those earned by the current New York's immediate predecessor, the battleship USS New York (BB-34), which saw action during World War II at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and North Africa. The battleship was decommissioned in 1946. Her successor is 111 feet longer and significantly faster.

Other incarnations of the USS New York include a gondola commissioned by Gen. Benedict Arnold, which, according to the site, operated during the Revolutionary War.

The current New York will be one of three Landing Platform Dock-class ships built with steel recovered from sites of the September 11 attacks. According to the USS New York's Web site, two others are under construction.
They are the USS Arlington (LPD-24), named after the Virginia county where the pentagon is located; and the USS Somerset (LPD-25), named after the Pennsylvania county where American Airlines Flight 93 crashed. When completed, the Arlington and the Somerset will have prows built with steel recovered from the sites for which they are named.

According to its Web site, the New York can deploy V-22 tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft; 14 expeditionary fighting vehicles and air-cushioned landing craft; and three types of helicopters. While aboard the New York, I had the privilege of boarding one of them, a CH-53E Super Stallion, a type of assault support and rescue helicopter that can carry 55 soldiers.

According to a multi-media presentation on the NY1 Web site, the New York has a crew of 360 and can accommodate 700 Marines in battle. According to NY1, it has an active-duty life expectancy of 40 years.

The New York is designed to wage cutting-edge war on multiple fronts. Naval historian Arthur Herman writes in a November 6, 2009 New York Post article that the "USS New York will form a key part of a new amphibious seagoing force which will dominate the littoral in future conflicts."

"The littoral" is a strategic naval term referring to remote coastlines, river deltas, and narrow shipping lanes. They will become increasingly important in the 21^st century. According to Herman, the littoral is the perfect lair for terrorists and latter-day pirates like those in Somalia. Herman notes that other potential hot spots include the port city of Karachi, Pakistan and the Gulf of Mexico.

According to Herman, ships with high-tech sea, air, and land capabilities such as the New York, will make bloody, World War II-style beach battles unnecessary. LPD vessels can transport troops, with all the equipment they need, directly inland.

Herman says that in addition to their fighting capability, the New York and other LPD ships will provide first-rate relief efforts to tsunami, earthquake, and hurricane victims around the world. The possibility of another New Orleans or Sri Lanka can never be eliminated, but these vessels can lessen the impact of natural disasters and save many lives.

During my visit, friendly crew members exhibited numerous vehicles and hardware on the lower and main decks. On the lower deck, a short, sturdy Marine named Harrera glibly discussed the workings of an M1 A1 Abrams Tank. Visitors were encouraged to climb aboard.

Harrera, an Iraq veteran with 20 years' service, had the tough yet charming demeanor of the drill sergeant that Lon Chaney portrayed in the 1926 film "Go Tell It to the Marines." Harrera explained that although the Abrams is old---it went into service in the 1970s---it is still part of the Navy's arsenal and constantly being updated with the latest technology.

Events like this are great for military-civilian relations. Visitors get to see both the human and professional sides of active-duty soldiers. Before climbing up the Abrams, I thanked a young, African- American Marine for his service. With a smile, he cheerfully replied, "Proud to serve." He deploys to Iraq in early 2010. Nearby, a tall blond soldier demonstrated the workings of a shoulder-fired rocket launcher to school-aged kids.

The low morale of the post-Vietnam era is over. The soldiers I saw are proud to serve, and the New York's visitors are proud of them. Whatever one's position on Iraq and Afghanistan, there's no denying the braveness and skill of these young men and women in uniform.

Although security was tight, it posed only minor inconveniences. Visitors were efficiently processed through metal-detecting stations. The presence of machine gun-toting military personnel and police was a disturbing necessity, but the female soldier who screened me was exceptionally courteous in explaining the no-water-containers policy.

On the main deck, an American flag flew half-staff in memory of the 13 soldiers murdered at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5, 2009. Their killer was U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an inept military psychiatrist and Al Qaeda sympathizer. Soldiers and civilians periodically gathered at the flag to pay their respects, a painful, frightening reminder of the pervasive terrorist threat that exists even within the officer ranks of the American military.

The USS New York is open free to the public through November 11, 2009 between 9 am and 4pm on Pier 88 at 48^th Street and 12^th Avenue in Manhattan. On November 12, she moves on to Virginia.