Alaskan sailor returns from Persian Gulf

WASHINGTON -- Casey Wheeler, former Colony High School JROTC Cadet, walked with his shipmates and their families through the streets of Everett, Wash., last Saturday. The town was a sea of yellow ribbons and red, white and blue bunting, and the crowd had waited for as long as four hours for the opportunity to cheer the sailors. He shook hands with hundreds of well-wishers who lined the streets to welcome home the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln. As the sky rained red, white and blue streamers and the cheers of the crowd drowned out the marching band, he worked his way along the street, shaking outstretched hands, smiling and exchanging greetings and thank yous. He soon fell behind the rest of the crew, but didn't care. The evening news showed this Alaskan giving back to the crowd, saying, "Thank you for coming." It was one more in a series of surreal experiences for the 20-year-old Alaskan returning from war.

Wheeler asked to be assigned to the Abraham Lincoln last year because he likes to go rock climbing. That is not as illogical as it sounds. The Abraham Lincoln homeports in Everett, Wash. The surrounding area is a rock climber's paradise. Former Colony High teacher Scott Jouppi and his wife, Pat, live in the area. And Wheeler's best friend and lifetime partner in adventure, Daniel Gilmore, was assigned to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station just off the coast near Everett. It was the perfect plan. Whitmore would join the ship's crew in Everett in January, when the ship returned from the Gulf, then Whitmore, Gilmore and Jouppi would spend the next six months climbing every free weekend, or as much as often as possible. None of that happened, of course.

The USS Abraham Lincoln was ordered back to the Gulf Jan. 7 of this year. Whitmore flew to Australia where the ship was undergoing minor repairs and re-supply. The Lincoln rejoined coalition forces in the Gulf in early February. From then on, Lincoln aircraft flew sorties around the clock. Whitmore was one of 40 corpsmen (medics) assigned to the ship. He spent much of his on-duty time at the medical station on the flight deck.

In April, Whitmore received the Abraham Lincoln's quarterly Blue Jacket award. The recipient is chosen by a majority of the 5,000-plus officers and crew of the ship for outstanding service. Whitmore's award reflected his service during January, February and March when the ship prepared for and took part in the war.

On April 13, the Lincoln was ordered to return home after the longest Navy deployment since Vietnam. For Whitmore, it was a journey filled with emotional ups and downs. Media attention grew. Cheering crowds waving flags greeted the ship in Hawaii. Sailing out of Pearl Harbor, the crew manned the rails in respectful silence as they passed the USS Arizona Memorial. Just days later President Bush announced addressed the nation from the flight deck and spent the night aboard ship. Bush ate dinner with 100 selected crew members, including Wheeler, the Blue Jacket Award honoree. Whitmore said he was impressed with how casual the President was during his visit. He kidded around with the crew, and even put one of Whitmore's friends in a headlock over some kidding remarks. Bush sat on a bench and ate off a tin plate like everyone else. (He put catsup on his steak …) After dinner, Bush sat on the floor and visited with anyone who wanted to talk. Visiting with the president of the United States was, in Whitmore's words, "Pretty awesome." He said, "I've met admirals and had them shake my hand, but they don't really look at you when they do it. President Bush really saw me when he shook my hand. He kept telling all of us 'Thank you for serving your country.' And we could see that he really meant it." After the president's visit, and a short stop in San Diego, the Lincoln finally made it back to Everett on May 6.

Scott and Pat Jouppi and former Alaskans Aina Werner and JJ Garrett (Gilmore) met Whitmore at the Pier, along with about 10,000 other people. Whitmore's first wish was to have steak and eggs at Denny's. At Denny's, strangers handed him notes thanking him for serving his country. He spent the rest of the week trying to readjust to being on land, and off the ship, and thinking about the war. And then Saturday, people from across the United States lined the streets of Everett to say "Welcome home! And Thanks for serving your country."

All the media attention has been a mixed blessing. Whitmore summed up feelings shared with others aboard the Lincoln. "We are pretty overwhelmed with all the attention, but the people taking most of the risks are still over there. Louis Gitlan, Daniel Gilmore and some other guys from the Valley are still out in the desert, not getting any attention," Whitmore said. "It makes you feel guilty. I want them to be safe and I hope everyone remembers they are still out there putting their lives on the line. This celebration needs to be for them, when they come home safe."

Whitmore graduated from Colony High School in 2000. He enlisted in the Navy in 2001 and completed Basic Training and Corpsman training at Great Lakes Training Center in Illinois. He also went through combat training with the Marines at Camp Pendelton, Calif., and spent several months assigned to a Marine Corps Unit in Okinawa, Japan. He hopes to do some rock climbing in Washington with Scott Jouppi during the next few months.