Operation Just Cause ...for as long as it takes
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By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2000 -- Essential, yet unheralded, Navy divers work deep beneath the seas to save lives, recover remains and salvage equipment. It's a dangerous job, physically demanding, infinitely challenging.
Pentagon leaders honored the Navy's past and present deep sea divers here Oct. 21 and gave "four stars" to a new film about one of the Navy's diving heroes. Due to open nationwide Nov. 10, "Men of Honor" tells the story of retired Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear, the first African-American to become a Navy diver.
Brashear, the son of a Kentucky sharecropper, joined the Navy in 1948, the same year President Harry S. Truman ordered racial integration of the military. He overcame race, origin and, later, the loss of a leg, to become a "master diver."
The movie stars Academy-award winners Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert DeNiro. Gooding plays Brashear and DeNiro appears as Master Chief Billy Sunday, Brashear's hard-edged opponent- turned-mentor. The film portrays their courage, determination and perseverance.
"It's excellent, partly because of its veracity," Navy Secretary Richard Danzig said following the Washington premiere. "It addresses issues that are uncomfortable, like the history of discrimination in the Navy. But it also emphasizes things that are the best about the Navy -- the sense of honor and the ability of people to get ahead within it."
Danzig attended the screening along with Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, his wife Janet Langhart Cohen, members of the Navy's diving community and other guests. Cohen hailed the 20th Century Fox production as one of the most inspirational he's seen.
"Carl Brashear will live in the hearts and minds of people the world over as a result of Cuba capturing that indomitable spirit that he has," Cohen said. That same spirit, he noted, "fires the hearts and minds of all who serve in the Navy and every service."
The Navy will be proud to have a star of Gooding's caliber portray the real-life hero, Cohen continued. "I think the Navy will come away from this saying, 'This is what we do. This is who we are every day.' I think everyone's going to come away from this movie truly reflecting about the commitment of all of those who are serving in uniform."
At a reception following the film, Langhart Cohen thanked Brashear for the inspirational story. "What you did made it possible for people like me to do all the things I'm able to do. You are a part of our greatest generation."
Cohen presented the Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding Public Service to Brashear for his 42 years of service both as a member of the military and the federal civilian work force. The citation called the retired sailor "an inspiration to all Americans to strive for goals that demand the best of their abilities, to make sacrifices, to put the welfare of others above their own, to dream and to turn those dreams into reality."
The ceremony's formality ended abruptly when, just as Brashear stepped up to the podium, the master of ceremonies announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the Secretary of the Navy, Richard Danzig."
With Danzig waiting to the side, Brashear stood at the podium and slowly glanced left and right at the audience. The retired master chief then broke into a wide smile and said, "Now that's a promotion!"
He went on to say that he had received numerous awards during his "fabulous" naval career, but receiving an award from the defense secretary had touched his heart.
"I loved the United States Navy in '48 when I joined, and I love the United States Navy today," he said. "I will say, it wasn't a bed of roses, but it was so rewarding. Thank you."
Navy Cmdr. Mark Helmkamp and Master Chief Petty Officer John Schnoering, both from the Navy Diving and Salvage School at Panama City, Fla., presented Brashear with a framed Navy diving certificate. They also made Gooding an honorary diver. Helmkamp is the school commander; Schnoering, the school's senior enlisted sailor, is a machinist's mate and master diver.
"Tonight, we want to pay tribute to you for a truly amazing performance," Cohen said to the actor. "All the Navy divers I've talked to said 'Cuba Gooding Jr. took to the water like a professional,'" Cohen told the audience. Then turning to Gooding, the secretary joked, "You're still young enough to sign up."
"Men of Honor," Cohen said, reminds people just how great the Navy is. The timing of the film's release is particularly poignant, he noted, as it comes in the wake of the terrorist attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 and injured 45, he said.
"Most people do not realize the role the Navy divers played in helping to extract those who were trapped in the Cole and then working around the clock without electricity, power generation, in the dark. With all the chaos, confusion and mayhem they were able to help save that ship."
The secretary reported that FBI officials are making great progress investigating the attack and getting full support from the Yemeni government. "We're hoping they can conclude the investigation as soon as possible so we can hold those responsible accountable and make sure no one ever attacks American sailors, airmen, soldiers, Marines or Coast Guardsmen without paying a penalty for it," he said.
The secretary stressed that service members throughout the armed forces risk their lives daily in the line of duty. He said that over the past two weeks, he'd received word that one pilot had been lost and another was missing off the coast of California.
"What Janet and I have tried to do for four years now is to reconnect America to its military, to see the heroism and the patriotism that is displayed every day," he said. Unfortunately, he noted, it takes a tragedy to remind people that service members put their lives on the line every day.
"We are sleeping safely under this blanket of freedom because of what they do," he stressed. "We want every American to go up and say thank you when they see a man or woman in uniform. Say, 'Thanks for what you do for us. We're allowed to be all that we can be because of what you do.'
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By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2000, -- Up until now, few outside the Navy have ever heard of retired Master Chief Petty Officer Carl M. Brashear. But no good story goes untold, and that's definitely the case for this unsung Navy hero.
After 20 years of waiting, Brashear's story will be told across the land when 20th Century Fox Film Corp. releases "Men of Honor" Nov. 10. The film stars Academy-Award winners Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert DeNiro.
The story, directed by George Tillman Jr. and produced by Robert Teitel, is based on a true story. The courage and determination portrayed by Gooding and DeNiro is extraordinary. Despite the odds of race and origin, Brashear, a Kentucky sharecropper's son, became the Navy's first African-American deep sea diver.
After losing much of his left leg in the line of duty, he went on to become a master diver. His father had said, "Never give up," and the son who sought a life at sea said he never did.
"If you set your goals and work toward them with all of your might, you'll be successful -- whether people like you or not," the master chief said here at the film's Oct. 21 premiere.
Brashear, now 69, and Gooding, 32, brought a taste of Hollywood to the nation's capital at the screening and reception hosted by 20th Century Fox. Photographers and TV crews lined the entrance as Pentagon officials, active duty Navy divers and other guests came out to greet the Hollywood star and the real-life Navy hero.
"Never in my wildest dreams back in 1948 did I ever think I'd be the subject of a Hollywood motion picture," Brashear told reporters as he walked the red carpet outside the Cineplex Odeon theater in northwest Washington. "It was a pleasure to see this movie being made and the support the United States Navy provided in making the film."
Gooding was the ideal person to play the role of a Navy diver, Brashear said, because he's energetic and has a good attitude. "The reason the movie wasn't made 20 years ago was because Cuba wasn't old enough to play in my movie," the master chief noted. "God made it possible to happen right now and I'm very proud of Cuba Gooding Jr."
Playing the role was "pretty overwhelming," Gooding remarked to the press. "I had an experience that I'll never forget. It was an honor. It's changed my life."
On the set, he added, Brashear was "supportive, never intrusive and he helped me focus on his life and allowed me to show the emotional side of some of the things he went through. He never really stepped in and said, 'No, I wouldn't do that.' He just let the movie happen. I'm proud of this movie -- as proud of any other film I've done. I can't wait for people to see it."
Brashear doesn't see himself as disabled, Gooding pointed out. "He's such a strong, powerful man. He can jog backward and he only has one and a half legs. And he's not handicapped. He tells me all the time it's not a handicap. It's just an obstacle that he went through and he's still just as strong as he ever was."
Turning to the master chief proudly grinning at his side, the Hollywood star asked, "Want to wrestle?"
On a more serious note, Gooding said that while he's proud of his first major role in "Boyz N the Hood," a film about gang violence in inner cities, he's since changed his mind about the something his character said about the military in that film.
"One of the statements my character made in the movie was, 'You stay out of the Army. That's the white man's Army,' he said. "While I'm very proud of that movie, that was a statement that I'd never really thought about. I said it as an actor."
Then about a year and a half ago, Gooding's agent sent him a script about Brashear's life that made him weep. "It wasn't just because of the emotion that I experienced by reading the script, it was partly my embarassment that I never knew that there was a man, let alone an African- American man, who had accomplished so much for our armed forces.
"Then finding that he made naval history by being the first amputee to achieve master diver status -- I said, 'Even if I don't portray this role, this is something I want to see brought to the big screen.'"
Americans should be proud of the men and women who protect the nation, according to Gooding, who hopes people will be inspired by people like Brashear. The Navy chief had the courage to overcome every obstacle, he said.
Service members often "act out of necessity" and become heroes as a result," the actor said. "Yet, they feel "they're just doing their job."
Gooding also hopes the film will boost morale within the Navy, especially after the recent terrorist attack on the destroyer USS Cole that killed 17 sailors and injured 45.
"If just for a moment the film helps somebody, then we did our job," he said. "I know it sounds corny, but I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud to be here. I love you Carl."
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By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2000 -- The stars have come out to entertain America's troops for nearly six decades. Now, the military has created a lasting tribute to the United Services Organization that makes it all possible.
Defense Secretary William S. Cohen opened a corridor exhibit honoring the USO here Nov. 2. He said the nonprofit organization's volunteers serve as "a bridge like no other, connecting the military with America.
The USO reconnects "our men and women in uniform with the home we asked them to leave in order that the rest of us remain secure," said Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The exhibit highlights well-known celebrities like Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Henry Fonda and many others, as well as ordinary Americans. These volunteers, Myers noted, "are simply giving something back" to the troops deployed to world trouble spots.
The USO volunteers bring "a needed human touch to war's essential inhumanity," he said. "They show the impact of the USO's efforts on the spirit of our warriors, helping them give in to laughter rather than give way to loneliness and despair.
The exhibit's opening at the Pentagon sparkled like a Hollywood premier. Red carpet led to an Academy-award style stage. Two high-tech, Plexiglas podiums atop circular pedestals formed a portal to the display hidden behind red velvet curtains. Satin ropes held photographers and film crews in line.
Three beauty pageant winners of USO Troupe 2000 performed show tunes and Lee Greenwood's patriotic country classic, "God Bless the USA." Veteran actors Mickey Rooney, Gerald McRaney, NFL star Terry Bradshaw, Hollywood's honorary mayor Johnny Grant and billionaire H. Ross Perot then stepped from the audience to join the ceremony's hosts.
Cohen, his wife Janet Langhart Cohen, and Retired Army Gen. John H. Tilelli, who now serves as the USO's president, "joined" a red and a blue ribbon. The "ribbon joining symbolized the close partnership between the Defense Department and USO. Cohen and Tilelli also signed a memorandum of understanding formally renewing the relationship.
Cohen and Tilelli both thanked Langhart Cohen for initiating and coordinating the exhibit produced by Office of the Secretary of Defense graphic arts specialists. Tilelli welcomed Langhart Cohen's recent decision to join the USO's board of governors and hailed her as "the First Lady of the USO, now and into the future."
The veteran of nearly 40 years military service then spoke of his respect for the volunteers who entertain and support U.S. troops around the globe. Thanking Rooney, Grant and the other celebrities there, Tilelli noted that they "epitomize the thousands of stars -- volunteers all," who go into harm's way, giving of their time and talent to entertain the troops.
"The USO is not about buildings, it's not about stars, it's not about facilities, events and centers," Tilelli said. "It's about America's sons and daughters who serve with character and courage around the world. They deserve all we can give them and more. We do not give them enough for their service to us who benefit from their sacrifice."
The USO, he pledged, will continue to serve "as long as America needs our service, and as long as American men and women are in harm's way, and that's every day they serve, not just during crisis and during war."
Rooney, barely holding back tears, humbly said, "I'm so proud to be here in the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. I wear the Bronze Star and I wear it proudly," he said. Then pausing to regain his composure, in a trembling voice he went on to say, "something that my nation gave to me."
The USO has done wonderful things for America's youth in uniform, said the 79-year-old actor who served three years as a U.S. Army private. "Yes, they truly are giants, like the men and women in our Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, Coast Guard."
When it was his turn at the podium, Johnny Grant, the honorary mayor of Hollywood and a veteran of 54 overseas USO tours, told the Pentagon audience that actors and performers live on applause. "When you do your first G.I. show," he said, "you're hooked for life."
He told of a letter he got in 1952 from a young soldier in a hospital back home after serving in Korea. Grant said the soldier wrote: "'Dear Johnny, I want to thank you and your USO friends for coming over to Korea. You did as much good over here as us guys with the rifles. Morale is the emotion that tells you how you feel about yourself and you made us feel mighty good.'"
Thanking the Cohens for creating the exhibit, Grant said, "Mr. Secretary, in 50 years, I've heard a lot of promises. You've pulled them through. We're in the morale business. I bring you a message from Hollywood, we're behind you and we're ready to go."
For more information on the United Service Organization, go to the USO Website
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By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2000 -- World War II veterans, many in wheelchairs or with walkers, were out in force Nov. 11 to participate in groundbreaking ceremonies for the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall here.
"We're a lot like the season," said Andy Glover, a vet from Harrisburg, Pa., as he watched the gusting wind knock more leaves out of the trees near the site. "We're like the leaves in that there's more of us falling each day. I'm glad I'm here to see this."
President Clinton, former Sen. Bob Dole and Defense Secretary William S. Cohen joined with World War II veterans to begin the process of building the $140 million structure.
Speakers and veterans stressed that the memorial will honor the more than 400,000 Americans who died in the war. It will also pay tribute to the generation that fought the war. Another purpose is to school future generations about the sacrifices Americans have made for freedom. Plans call to dedicate the completed structure on Memorial Day 2003.
Dole, who served as chairman for the memorial, touched on why build a World War II memorial now, 55 years after the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay ended the war. "There is a simple answer: because in another 55 years there won't be anyone around to bear witness to our part in history's greatest conflict," he said.
"For some, inevitably, this memorial will be a place to mourn," Dole said. "For millions of others, it will be a place to learn, to reflect and to draw inspiration for whatever tests confront generations yet unborn."
President Clinton in his address to the veterans said the memorial will act as a challenge to future generations. "This memorial is built not only for the children whose grandparents served in the war, but for the children who will visit this place a century from now, asking questions about America's great victory for freedom," he said. "With this memorial, we secure the memory of 16 million Americans, men and women who took up arms in the greatest struggle humanity has ever known."
World War II was the central aspect of life during the 20th century and all Americans drew together as one to win the conflict. Clinton said the memorial will remember those who fought and died overseas and those who helped win the war on the home front.
He said the memorial will allow Americans to "remember those who fought faithfully and bravely for freedom, even as their own full humanity was under assault: African Americans who had to fight for the right to fight for our country, Japanese Americans who served bravely under a cloud of unjust suspicion, Native American codetalkers who helped to win the war in the Pacific, women who took on new roles in the military and at home."
Cohen praised the veterans in the audience. "We, the heirs of your sacrifice, are citizens of the world you made and the nation you saved," he said. "We can only stand in awe at your silent courage, at your sense of duty and at the sacred gift that you have offered to all those who came after you. The honor of this day belongs to you.
"The men and women of America's armed forces, those who inherited your spirit, who defend the consecrated ground on which you fought, today carry on your noble work, preserving what you have created, defending the victory you achieved, honoring the great deeds and ideals for which you struggled and sacrificed. All of us, all of us, are truly and deeply in your debt forever."
The memorial will contain soil from all the overseas cemeteries where American dead from the war are buried. "What makes this hallowed ground?" Dole asked. "Not the marble columns and bronze statues that frame the mall. No, what sanctifies this place is the blood of patriots across three centuries and our own uncompromising insistence that America honor her promises of individual opportunity and universal justice.
"This is the golden thread that runs throughout the tapestry of our nationhood -- the dignity of every life, the possibility of every mind, the divinity of every soul," he continued. "This is what my generation fought for on distant fields of battle, in the air above and on remote seas. This is the lesson we have to impart. This is the place to impart it."
