Two Accounts of Captain Phillips' Rescue
Got this from an old friend who is a retired O-7 and who use to have a lot
to do with the Army Special Forces and related services in other branches of
the military...
Two accounts, the first forwarded by Paul Wilson seems to draw from SEALs in
Virginia Beach, and the on-scene commander's perspective. The second,
forwarded by Jerry Dempsey, is from a young sailor aboard USS Boxer. He did
not have a front row seat to the rescue. Some details he recounts about the
rescue were based on "speculation and rumors," as he acknowledges, and now
seem incorrect. (I also initially heard that Capt Phillips jumped from the
lifeboat a second
time.) But Fireman20McCaskey nevertheless gives an interesting account of
the SEALs arrival aboard Boxer, and the total effort that went into getting
the right assets there for this rescue. XXXX
Subject: The real story of Obama's Decision Making with the hostages.
Interesting...
Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and
asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:
1. BHO (Barack Hussein Obama) wouldn't authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL
teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene
commander) recommendation.
2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE that they
couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger
3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the raggies all
sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction
4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no
fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the raggies were shooting at
the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in.
5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge
CPN and SEAL teams
6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea
and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3
dead raggies
7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive"
behaviour. As usual with him, it's BS.
Read the following accurate account.
Philip's first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn't
worked out well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country's
Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling
Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors, and none
was taken.
The guidance from National Command Authority, the president of the
United States, Barack Obama had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only
acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage's life was in clear,
extreme danger.
The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired
on by the Somali pirates and again no fire was returned and no pirates
killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel
thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a
mandate from the commander in chief's staff not to act until Obama, a man
with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of
decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a peaceful solution would
be acceptable.
After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the
onscene commander decided he'd had enough.
Keeping his authority to act in the20case of a clear and present danger
to the hostage's life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet
another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before,
the Navy officer, unnamed in all media reports to date, decided the AK47 one
captor had leveled at Philips' back was a threat to the hostage's life and
ordered the NSWC team to take their shots.
Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and
Philips was safe.
There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the
last week that culminated in yesterday's dramatic rescue of an American
hostage.
Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama
administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the
Indian Ocean and [1] declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid
to questions of the inexperienced president's toughness and decisiveness.
Despite the Obama administration's (and its sycophants') attempt to spin
yesterday's success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the
inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should
have been a standoff lasting only hours, as long as it took the USS
Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location, became
an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of
criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.
______________________________ ___
This is the first-hand account from a good friend's son onboard the USS
Boxer.
Subject: How did YOU spend Easter!?
I spent mine watching some pirates get spattered off the coast of Somalia!
Jargon key located at the bottom.
I've been taking notes on facts and (well noted) speculation and rumors.
What I know is on the eleventh of April, 2009 at 1600 two C17 cargo planes
flew over Boxer and out of the back four parachutes emerged. Then came the
boats! Four very fast 1300 hp SWCC boats with radar and guns! After those
were safely extracted the personnel and SEALs jumped. About 95 people in all
arrived in the water near Boxer. Swam to the ship and entered the well-deck.
I spoke with some of the SEALs in the hangar bay where the are staging their
gear for the time being. He was rearranging his gear and talking to a
younger looking Ops guy with shoulder-length hair and a feeble semblance of
a beard. I struck up a conversation with them and they're really friendly
the older SEAL finished with his bag and reached for a rifle case casually
unzipped it and pulled out a Mark 416 a highly specialized carbine and as he
explained "it's basically an M-4, but made by H&K so it's better!" "visible
and non-visible lasers, collapsible stock. It's nice." "And is that an
advanced armament suppressor?" I asked. "yeah that just makes it sound
better, and the ladies love it!" I asked20him if it's the coolest job in the
navy. "well I haven't ever flown an F-18 off a carrier, but yeah, pretty
much!""you guys don't wear any insignia." "We don't wear it, but we're still
in the Navy." "I know that but what's with that?" "Well I'm a Chief, and he
is a second-class" "oh, ok" "So, Chief, did you come in as a SEAL?" "yep,
you don't have to be formal, that's why we don't wear it. It gets in the way
and besides, we know who's in charge." "well I have to get back to watch."
"OK, any time you see us over hear and just want to chat and shoot the sh1t,
feel free!" "Cool, thanks" "any time"
I also found out from the CPO that the guys flew in from VB on C17's and
that took 18 hours! They parachuted into the ocean! That's' cool as hell! At
2100 on Saturday we were headed for the area where the USS Bainbridge (DDG
96) was already in position several hundred miles east off of Somalia's
coast. And on Sunday there were so many parts of our engine that were broken
from traveling at flank speed (full Bendix) that we stopped the shaft
engaged the jacking gear, pinned the gear and tagged it out. I spent three
watches fabricating parts, helping replace sight-flow indicators on journal
bearings and running around the ship. On Easter Sunday night, at around 1530
I was making my hourly rounds through the hangar bay and heard four distant
rifle reports and knew exactly what happened.=2 0There was an orange capsule
being towed by Bainbridge. Two SEAL snipers laying prone on the fantail with
Barrett .50 cal rifles pointed at the small craft. CAPT. Richard Phillips of
Vermont was swimming toward the RHIB sitting close to the lifeboat. When the
Navy said that we want to see proof of life the good captain jumped into the
water and started to draw fire from the pirates. The Snipers fired. I had to
return to my watch station and at close of business I assumed my next watch:
CNN's Live broadcast of speculation and grievous Bullsh1t! I have to
decipher all of this crap for you. At 2300 Africa time the Maersk Alabama
safely docked in Mombasa, Kenya and the crew was debriefed by the FBI for
some reason. Captain Phillips was Logged onboard Boxer at 1836 and one
skinny, short, pitiful-looking (and never in a million year is he sixteen)
pirate, who was escorted, handcuffed despite the wounds, wearing blacked out
ski goggles, through the hangar bay by like 20 marines and MA's. He has
asked for amnesty. He'll probably get a UN Trial for international piracy. (
I witness all of this and have to wonder: hasn't copyright protection gone
just a little too far? I mean, why are we killing folks over some illegal
DVDs?)
We always laugh and joke about pirates onboard and don't realize that this
is one of the world's most serious crimes!"
-Me, four hours ago.
Monday, APR 13, 2009.
At 0930 USS Boxer sits of the coast of Somalia20and the Bainbridge is at her
stern on the port side in tow, the life boat containing three lifeless
pirates dispatched into oblivion by the best sharpshooters the world around.
The corpses are transferred under the heaviest morgue security I've seen
since President Ford's funeral to the USS Boxer's chilled holding facility.
At 1000 the lifeboat from Alabama is hoisted onto Boxer's flight deck by the
local crane. I was there when the boat arrived onboard. Standing next to
some chopper refueling buddies and joking about the incident. "Hey, what's
orange, full of blood and hanging from a crane?" "What?" "That boat that
some pirates got smoked in." Probably the most interesting Easter I've ever
spent! Looking closely at the boat, I see four large bullet holes on the STB
side where "justice" entered the pirate's mind's. some brain matter sloshed
around in the boat. I was told before I left San Diego that I would hate the
Boxer, I tell you now, I wouldn't rather be on any other ship. Broken parts
and all I like it.
1025
"Maersk Alabama, Departing." is heard over the 1MC.
The name of the ship is used to describe the Captain as he is at the top of
the command. Personal speculation and trusted brass scuttlebutt says that
our AOR has shifted from the gulf of Aden where there aren't any pirates, to
where we sit now. 16 ships and 200 hostages from various countries still
remain stranded. Not for long, I predict. =0 AAs always, keeping it real on
the high seas with the US Navy, MMFN McCaskey, Will (MP-Aft) USS Boxer,
Somalia
KEY:
SWCC, special warfare combatant crewman, brown water
H&K, Heckler and Koch, famous german weapon's designer's world renound for
their popular .45 cal USP (universal service pistol) and other highly
precise firearms. CPO, Chief Petty Officer, USN, E7 VB, Virginia Beach,
Virginia, East coast headquarters of Special Warfare. DDG, Guided Missile
Destroyer Flank, the fastest speed the ship can travel, equal to about 35
knots RHIB, (rib) Rigid-hulled inflatable boat STB, Starboard (right) 1MC,
numeric designation for the main announcing circuit used on U.S. Navy
vessels. AOR, Area Of Responsibily, the confines within which we roam.