COVERING WHIDBEY ISLAND’S NAVAL AIR STATION COMMUNITY
Whidbey
VOLUME 1, NO. 32 | 04 NOVEMBER 2011
www.whidbeycrosswind.com
Oak Harbor to honor Whidbey vets
Water, water everywhere
A Veterans Day ceremony to honor those who have served and those who are currently serving in the armed forces of the United States will be held Friday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. at the Oak Harbor High School Performing Arts Center (Student Union). Veterans Day is celebrated on the same date as the former Armistice Day, inaugurated to commemorate the end of World War I, Nov. 11, 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year. This marks the seventh year of this community-wide event, which is sponsored by the Oak Harbor Area Council of the Navy League
SEE VETERANS | PAGE 3
THIS EDITION The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Walnut and a New Zealand seven-man assessment team start their transit from American Samoa to the small island-nation of Tokelau in the South Pacific suffering from severe drought conditions Oct. 5. Aboard the cutter are also containers filled with approximately 36,000 gallons of water for the small-island nation’s residents. U.S. COAST GUARD PHOTO BY LT. STEVEN CASKEY
But not a drop to drink Oak Harbor man helps bring relief to droughtstricken island nation By PETTY OFFICER THIRD CLASS ANGELA HENDERSON U.S. Coast Guard
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n Oak Harbor native was among the U.S. Coast Guard crew members of the USCG Cutter Walnut who helped deliver muchneeded water to the island nation of Tokelau last month. Lt. j.g. Michael Amersbach, a 2003 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, is part of the crew of the Walnut, a 225-foot
buoy tender home-ported in Honolulu. (Whidbey Crosswind was unable to reach Amersbach for comment.) Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand in the South Pacific, consists of three coral atolls. A months-long drought in the area left Tokelau’s 1,500 residents with only enough drinking water to last a week in early October. A joint humanitarian effort between the U.S. Coast Guard and the New Zealand ministry of foreign affairs was launched to supply Tokelau’s residents with fresh water. “This is a very real humanitarian need here,” U.S. Ambassador David Huebner said at the time. “We are talking about approximately 1,500 people who could be out of fresh water within a week so we really needed to act very quickly.” “A Hercules C-130 aircraft from
Ohakea, New Zealand will transport several water containers and a seven-person needs assessment team to American Samoa and rendezvous with the Walnut,” said Capt. Eric Brown, a response chief for the 14th Coast Guard District. “The Coast Guard is in a unique position to assist New Zealand with this humanitarian mission because we have a capable asset that is available to respond.” Tokelau has no usable airfield, making an air mission impossible. The Walnut was loaded with about 36,000 gallons of drinking water and rendezvoused with New Zealand’s seven-member assessment team in American Samoa. After a 358mile, 30-hour transit the Walnut arrived in Tokelau on Oct. 7, six days after being
SEE WATER | PAGE 12
Navy League learns about piracy ....................pg. 2 PBY Foundation gets lesson on law .....................pg. 3 For Pets’ Sake: Gimme Shelter ...................pg. 4 This Veterans Day, say it with flowers ...................pg. 7
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