NORFOLK NAVAL BASE, Va. — Not even bitter cold could stop families from turning out Sunday morning to bid farewell to roughly 5,000 Marines and sailors aboard four more ships departing Hampton Roads for the escalating war on terrorism and a increasingly likely war with Iraq.
Like the three ships that left on Friday, the amphibious ships USS Ashland and USS Portland, based at Little Creek Naval, and the USS Kearsarge and USS Bataan, based at Norfolk, are used to launch invading Marine units.
Navy officials wouldn’t comment on where the ships are going, what they’ll be doing or how long they’ll be doing it.
Among the families here, there’s a sense that war is on the march and that the last hug should be cherished because the next could be months away.
“We are preparing for a big deployment,” said John Masters, who along with son Joshua, 7, daughter Paryn, 3, and mother-in-law Donna Maes, who were waiting to see off wife, mother, daughter and USS Kearsarge legal officer Petty Officer 1st Class Leonette Masters.
Masters’ ship carries 1,100 sailors and a landing force of 1,900 Marines.
“This isn’t a scheduled thing, so they’ll be gone for as long as it takes,” said John, also a petty officer who is currently on shore duty. “I just hope that we get over there and raise hell and get back.”
— R.W. Rogers, Daily Press (KRT)