Making History, the "Big Stick" heads HOME!

Story by JO1 Andrew Thomas
September 15, 1999
Release No. 141-99

Six months seems like a long time. A person can pack a great deal into six months. They can change their lives, or the lives of millions. They can change the course of a nation, indeed – the world. Just ask the men and women of USS Theodore Roosevelt (T.R.) and Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8).

The squadrons of CVW-8, with 71 aircraft embark aboard T.R., include: VF-14; VF-41; VFA-15; VFA-87; VAQ-141; VAW-124; HS-3; VS-24; and VRC-40.

When T.R. and CVW-8 departed Norfolk, Va. For a routine six-month deployment on March 26, they were slated to relieve USS Enterprise Battle Group in the Arabian gulf. However, after a high-speed Atlantic transit, the T.R. was diverted to the Ionian Sea on April 6 to support Operation Allied Force, the NATO-lead air campaign in Kosovo. It would be the first time in NATO’s history that the organization collectively authorized military action.

Arriving on station April 6, T.R. and CVW-8 launched aircraft over Yugoslavia the following day. Ironically, the T.R. and CVW-8 launched their last combat strikes against military targets in Bosnia-Herzegovina, just west of Kosovo, during their deployment in 1993 while in support of Operation Deny Flight.

"This carrier ... there’s nothing like it in the world. When this beast sails over the horizon the impact is enormous. I can’t tell you how much your presence here means. It’s going to shorten the conflict," stated Vice Admiral D. J. Murphy, Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, during a visit aboard T.R.

During the 10-week campaign, the T.R./CVW-8 team launched over 3,400 combat sorties and logged more than 12,000 flight hours without a single loss of aircraft or personnel. CVW-8 expended over 800 tons of ordnance during the conflict. Operation Allied Force marked the first time a U.S. carrier battle group was transferred to NATO operational control.

While transiting the Mediterranean Sea on May 12, T.R. hosted the NBC Today Show, with co-host Matt Lauer. The two-hour special was the first live broadcast ever from an aircraft carrier at sea. This broadcast was but one example of the worldwide media attention on the T.R./CVW-8 team.

"We hosted television teams from every major network in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany, as well as dozens of local affiliates, and various newspaper and magazine writers from around the world," said Capt. Bryant, T.R.'s commanding officer. He added that the media’s observations and interviews greatly reflected that life aboard T.R. appeared normal. "There were very good reasons for this. Our Sailors diligently performed what they were trained to do. True professionals make even the hardest jobs appear easy," he said.

On June 20, while T.R. was conducting a port visit in Palma, Mallorca (Spain), the Honorable William Cohen, Secretary of Defense, visited the ship and addressed the crew.

"I’ve come to express my deep appreciation. What an incredible job you all have done. We would not be able to claim a successful mission without the help of all of you. You all are due a heroes’ welcome. The people of Kosovo are not the only ones who owe you their gratitude. America owes you a great deal of gratitude," Cohen said.

On July 14, T.R. and CVW-8 arrived in the Arabian Gulf. They relieved USS Kitty Hawk of Operation Southern Watch duties of enforcing the U.N. mandated No-Fly Zone in Southern Iraq. Four days later, on July 18, CVW-8 F/A-18's and F-14's conducted their first strike in theater with precision guided munitions against an Iraqi surface-to-air missile site approximately 200 miles south of Baghdad, and an Iraqi military communications site 150 miles southeast of Baghdad.

"The Iraqi’s fired some AAA (anti-aircraft artillery) on us while we were flying in support of Southern Watch. We destroyed an SA-3 site of theirs. Everybody came back safe," said Rear Adm. W. Winston Copeland, Jr., Commander of the T.R. Battle Group. The strikes marked the first time in recent history that strikes from the same aircraft carrier have taken place in two different theaters of operations during the same deployment.

By the time USS Constellation relieved the T.R. and CVW-8 of Southern Watch duties on Aug. 27, T.R. and CVW-8 completed more than 2,400 sorties were flown and more than 4 million gallons of JP-5 fuel was burned. These sorties included eight separate combat strikes on Iraqi air defense sites, and more than 30 tons of ordnance expended.

Breakfast anyone? Aboard T.R. alone, 39,235 dozen eggs and 11,004 pounds of bacon were consumed by crewmembers since leaving Norfolk last march. The forward galley served up a speedline feast every day of deployment with 53,579 pounds of hamburger and 22,780 pounds of hot dogs. Don’t forget the fries which coming in at 26,589 pounds. The crew topped it all off with 10,772 gallons of cold milk.

On Sept. 11, as T.R. wrapped up the final days of flight operations, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jay L. Johnson, came aboard to address the crew.

"From the day you sailed, people had their eye on the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group. Think of what you’ve done" he told the crew. "You came to the med. You roared into the Adriatic. You did the Kosovo operation. You made the difference," said Johnson. Admiral Johnson also assisted T.R. in reaching another milestone when he reenlisted four sailors, as T.R. surpassed the $3 million mark in selected reenlistment bonuses for the deployment.

As the T.R./CVW-8 team concluded operations in the Mediterranean and began the trip across the Atlantic, final flight figures were tallied. More than 9,300 sorties were flown from T.R.’s decks, with more than half of these over hostile territory on combat missions. The total amount of ordnance dropped totaled 1.7 million pounds. These figures would hardly be believable under normal six-month deployment conditions. Yet, it was hardly a standard-issue deployment, if such a thing exists.

"This deployment demonstrated the tremendous sustainability of our vessel, our aircraft, and primarily, its people. It shows our ability to operate very effectively in two strikingly different areas of the world. Our capacity to adapt and overcome was tested almost daily and we met all challenges head-on," said Capt. Bryant.

"I cannot think of a deployment, certainly not in recent history, where a group of Sailors and airmen were asked to do more in such starkly different areas of operations. We know our business very well and were certainly able to demonstrate that. My hat is off to each and every sailor in this battle group. Each has contributed to history," said Rear Adm. Copeland.

The nine CVW-8 squadrons returned to their respective homeports on September 22. T.R.returned to Norfolk, Va. on September 23.

You can download large format copies of the pictures above:
TR-"Big Stick" (975kB) and CNO addresses the TR crew (547kB)