Installment Four - warning...the day my world stood still

[Guest guest]

I am the school military liason for all branches of the military at my

school...Our students write letters, draw pictures and send items to

local servicemen that are serving our country. I began this when my son

in law was deployed in kosovo...the kids started writing letters and

sending small things to him...he in return, wrote back. I continued

this when my daughter was deployed to the Persian Gulf on the USS Cole.

She would send the children bags of sand from the different areas she

was visiting and she also sent post cards and called on the telephone

from all the different areas of the world. We would then chart these on

the map...When they were in town, these two School Sailors would visit

the kids ...they were and are positive role models for the kids.

In August of 2000, my daughter began her first deployment to the Persian

Gulf on board the USS Cole. We continued to write and send presents to

her. My class, in particular, were very involved with the letter

writing campaign...they were just in kindergarten but they knew she was

there to make sure that we had freedom and she was protecting us.

On October 12, 2000, I arrived to campus at seven am. like any other

day...but it was not any other day...it was a day when hate and terror

was brought to the world...it was a day when hate and terror was brought

to an innocent ship and its sailors as they refueled...I did not know

hate and terror that strong existed until that day.

I was called to the office at seven fifty five for a phone call...I

thought it was a parent of one of my students...I took the call in the

outside office where there were a number of punished kids...I said hello

and it was my son in law...who was also deployed in the carribean for a

few days...He sounded strange...he said.. " Mom, I do not know how to tell

you this, but there was an explosion on Bs ship....there have been

fatalities and some of the fatalities were women...: " He said that they

were refueling in Yemen and a dingy filled with explosives rammed the

Cole....he did not know anymore...He said he did not know if B. was

alive or dead...At this point, I totally lost it...I was mad...mad at

the idea that anyone in their right mind would dare mess with a United

States Navy destroyer...mad that they had done this...hell I did not

even know what a Yemen was...well I got very loud and said a few words I

should not have....teachers came running and one teacher just took the

punish kids and sent them back to their teachers. One little boy I

heard said he did not want to leave...it was getting good cause I had

said the " sh_t " word.

My son in law had to go then....cause they were flying him back to the

mainland...

He hung up...I just stared looking at the phone...and then I started to

cry...of course, my colleagues rallied around me...of course, no one

knew what to say....what can you say...other than they were gonna pray

for her...which I truly appreciated...Now came the hard part...I had to

go to my kindergarten kids and tell them that their hero, Sailor B. had

an accident on board her ship...I knew the kids were gonna see it on the

TV when they got home...and they knew the ship's name. I wanted to

explain it to them in a way that five year olds can understand.

I got all the children around me and sat down on the rug....I did not

realize it at the time, but there were about seven teachers in there

with me...I told them that there had been an accident...that someone did

something bad to Sailor Bs. ship. That they made a big hole in it and I

did not know if Sailor B was okay or not. i told them that it was

people who did not want us to have freedom that did this...(We happened

to be teaching a unit on patriotism and they knew the concept of

freedom). I tried not to cry...but tears did roll down my face. I did

not want to tell them everything...but I wanted them to be made aware of

why I was so upset...and what they would be seeing if they watched the

news....I did not know if my point got across until one little girl put

her arm around me and said... " It is okay Ms. Chip....We can take care of

ourselves...you go home and see if Sailor B. is okay. We are gonna be

okay. Well at that time, I was crying, most of the kids were crying and

all of the teachers were....

I left campus....I did not know or care who had my kids for the rest of

the day. I almost ran over the principal in the parking lot...he was

behind my truck and I did not see him. I drove 80 mph. to get to the

Navy Recruiting Station. I got there at 8:30 and wanted to know if they

had any word about the fatalities and survivors of the Cole blast...my

answer was...:What blast " ? They did not know....It was a breaking

story...I went to the other recruiting offices to see if they had a TV

so they could turn it on CNN...no one had one...well they did some

calling and he used his computer but they could not give me any

info....By that time, my sister had arrived there and she stayed there

and I went home in case my daughter would call.

I was met at my home by my other daughter, my sister in law, and my

other sister....there we waited for the news. My husband, Sailor B's

father, stayed at work....this I did not understand. His boss told him

to go, to be with his family, but he stayed at work...to this day I

still hold this against him.

We sat and sat...we watched CNN and saw that gaping hole in the Cole's

side...we heard the journalists and saw the fire...I had phone calls

from all over the United States that day from chat friends who knew my

kid was on board...

I got one call from a chat buddy ...I broke down and told her the God

must have been punishing me for something I had done in my life...her

answer was that God does not punish like that...and that Sailor B was

gonna be okay...

I dreaded to hear the front gate open,,,,I prayed there were not naval

personnel coming to my door....that would have been horrendous news that

they were going to deliver...I did not know what to do...I folded

clothes...I watched tv...I sat and did nothing...I looked at the

clouds...I did not talk...

Eleven and one half hours had passed...and still no word...people tried

to make me believe that the longer there was without word, the more the

likelihood that she was alive. There was a number that the parents of

the sailors aboard could call to get information. My youngest daughter

had called that number nine times and she was always given the run

around...they said they had no info and that they were gonna call as

soon as they could...I now realize they were informing the famlies of

the ones that had died...The last time she called it was eleven and one

half hours after the blast....she totally lost it....she told the naval

personnel that answered the phone that she knew they had a list in front

of them with that information...she also told them a few other choice

words...you would have sworn she was the sailor...well about ten minutes

after, the phone rang...it was navy personnel calling to say that Sailor

B. was okay....I wanted to hear this for myself...so I asked for them to

tell me...she was okay...we thanked them...and cried tears of joy...and

tears of saddness too as there were 17 other families that were not as

lucky as we were....

This was the longest day in my life....now we just had to get Sailor B.

home...how were they gonna do that...how was that ship gonna make it

home....was it gonna be attacked by the " creatures " again, as I call

them...I did not know the magnitude of hate until this day....I did not

know the true meaning of terror until this day...

Installment five to come later...what she went thru...what they all went

thru...how they saved their crew and their ship....chippy