United Methodists help commission USS New York
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United Methodist chaplain Laura Bender conducted the first religious service
aboard the USS New York in August. A UMNS file photograph by Mass
Communication Specialist 1st Class Corey Lewis, U.S. Navy.
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By Linda Bloom*
Nov. 9, 2009 | NEW YORK (UMNS)
The new Navy ship designed as a memorial to those who sacrificed their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, is a symbol of the strength and resolve of the nation, says Lt. Cmdr. Laura Bender, the United Methodist pastor who serves as its chaplain.
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The USS New York is commissioned
Nov. 7 in New York. A UMNS photo by
Mass Communication Specialist
1st Class Dan Meaney, U.S. Navy.
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The Nov. 7 commissioning ceremony for the USS New York began with the acknowledgement of a fresh tragedy as Bender asked for a moment of silence on behalf of “those whose lives were lost or forever changed by the tragedy at Fort Hood” in her invocation.
Just two days before the commissioning, 13 people were killed and 29 wounded in a mass shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas.
As a symbol of strength over tragedy, she said, “USS New York is the evidence that those who seek to destroy will never overcome those who work together for good.”
But the event was a joyous occasion as well. “The most exciting part of any ship’s commissioning is the moment when the command is given by the ship’s sponsor to the crew, ‘Man the ship and bring her to life!’” Bender told United Methodist News Service.
“At that moment the crew runs to man the rails, all bells and whistles sound, planes fly overhead and before everyone’s eyes the ship comes alive.”
Three memorial ships
The new Navy vessel is the latest in a long line of warships named for the state and city of New York and is one of three new amphibious assault ships named after places in three states where more than 3,000 people died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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Marines and sailors prepare
the ship. A UMNS photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st
Class Keith L. Darby, U.S. Navy.
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Many of the speakers at the ceremony—including New York Governor David Patterson, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus—referred to the seven and a half tons of steel from Ground Zero that is welded into the bow of the USS New York.
Work on the USS New York began in August 2004 and continued at Northrop Grumman's Avondale, La., shipyard even after Hurricane Katrina struck a year later. The ship was christened there on March 1, 2008, left the New Orleans area on Oct. 13, 2009, and arrived in its home port of Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 22.
Still in construction are the USS Arlington, named for the Virginia county in which the Pentagon is located, and the USS Somerset, named for the Pennsylvania county where American Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field.
The ship’s motto, “Strength Forged through Sacrifice: Never Forget,” reflects its origins. The World Trade Center steel “serves as a reminder for us each and every day about why we do what we do,” USS New York Commander F. Curtis Jones, a United Methodist and native New Yorker, told the crowd gathered for the commissioning.
Commitment and passion
In her benediction, Bender declared that the USS New York was ready to “take her place” in history. “On this day, may our crew be instilled with the commitment of the first responders, the courage of the 9/11 families, the passion of those who worked at Ground Zero, the tenacity of the shipbuilders working post-Katrina and especially with the spirit of the people of New York,” she said.
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The USS New York conducts sea
trials. A UMNS file photograph
courtesy of the U.S. Navy.
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After the ceremony, the chaplain said she hoped the commissioning brought a feeling of new life to New Yorkers—especially first responders and 9/11 families—“and moved them further along the path of healing.”
The ship remains open for tours through Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Once it departs New York on Nov. 12 to return to Norfolk, Bender will be able to perform one of her favorite duties while at sea—evening prayers.
On those nights, she goes up to the bridge—which is sometimes dark and unoccupied at 9:55 p.m.—and uses the public address system so the whole ship can hear her prayer.
And then comes her sign off: “Good night, New York.”
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
Higher Education and Ministry: Chaplains
USS NEW YORK
Commissioning Web site
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