Mom Follows the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Lt. John Oliverta, public affairs officer for the USS Theodore Roosevelt, talks on the phone in his television studio surrounded by boxes containing thank-you gifts sent by Americans to the Navy, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2002, as the ship cruises in the Arabian Sea. The boxes were filled with candy, t-shirts, toiletries, snack foods and American flags. Sailors on the ship were allowed to pick out items that they wanted. Somesaid it was "just like Christmas again." (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--A sailor aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt does push-ups early Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2002 in the hanger bay, as the ship cruises at an undisclosed location at sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedoom. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Part of the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt pose aboard the ship Thursday Jan. 3, 2002 as it sails in the Arabian Sea. Chief Petty Officer Titus Moore, left, who now lives in Virginia Beach, Va., is from the Island nation of Cokinawan. Maria Pastuna who now lives in Painfield, NJ, is from Ecuador. Lt. Terry Marcantel, who lives in Virginia Beach is from London. Seaman Michael Noble, who lives in Norfolk, Va. is from Scotland. Airman Alba Aponte, who lives Jacksonville, Fl., is from Peru. Jennifer Huynh-Ruddia, who lives in Alhambra, Ca, is from China. Lt. Cmdr. Glenn Estranda, who lives in Virginia Beach, Va. is from the Philippines. (AP Photo/J.Pat Carter, Pool)
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 EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Crew members eat next to one of the many signs from the people of America on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Thursday Jan. 3, 2002 as it sails in the Arabian Sea, thanking the military for fighting the Enduring Freedom campaign. (AP Photo/J.Pat Carter, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Anthony Reed, from Tampa Bay, Fla., a sailor on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, sits in a walkway on the ship Friday, Jan. 4, 2002, waiting to make his monthly call home to his girlfriend, who he will marry in June, after the ship finishes cruising the Arabian Sea. Today he had to wait only 15 minutes for a phone, sometimes he has waited an hour. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Artis Gilmore, center, plays basketball with members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt crew in the hangar bay Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2002. he and Anthony "Spud" Webb are on the New Year's Tour as the Roosevelt sails in the Arabian Sea. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--U.S. Navy airmen Turner Garretson, from State College, Penn., left, and Nathaniel Hayden, from Charlotte, N.C., stand next to a bomb they loaded bearing a message for Osama bin Laden, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2002, on a jet fighter sitting on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea. The Roosevelt is operating in support of the military campaign in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter/POOL) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Cmdr. Mark Whitney, the Chief Engineer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, reads a book for his twin three-year-old sons, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2002. The crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt recorded the book reading and the tape will be sent to his family in Virginia. The ship is cruising in the Arabian Sea in support of the Enduring Freedom campaign. He read four books for his boys, two about firefighters and two of his favorite books from his childhood. (AP Photo/J.Pat Carter, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Navy Chief Petty Officer Aaron Stickland, from Atlanta, Ga., displays Monday, Jan. 7, 2002, the American flag that flew over Ground Zero in New York City Sept.11. The flag, made famous in a photo taken of New York City fireman hoisting the flag in the rubble, was sent to the USS Theodore Roosevelt to fly over the ship as it launched combat operations over Afghanistan from its decks as it cruises in the Arabian Sea. Itarrived Oct. 1 and the first missions were flown Oct 17. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Seaman Ben Moran, from Port Charlotte, Fla., gestures as he asks what he is to do with the trash that contained some food stuff Monday, Jan. 7, 2002, at the compacting site for paper on the USS Theodore Roosevelt as it sails in the Arabian Sea. Paper products are tied together, without any foreign substance and dumped overboard. The salt water will dissolve the paper in less than a couple of hours. The problem of dealingwith trash and waste on the ship is a major problem for the Navy. Each type of trash is seperated into different bags. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Chief Petty Officer Tony Salerno, from Cleveland, Ohio, stands in front of some of the drums holding chemical waste from the USS Theodore Roosevelt Monday, Jan. 7, 2002, as the ship sails in the Arabian Sea staging the Enduring Freedom campaign with planes flying over Afghanistan. Once a week the 25 or so drums of waste are off loaded to a supply ship. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, Pool) |
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 CORRECTS COUNTRY TO XSE--EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Navy Boatswain Mates Mark Riblett, from Parkersburg, W.V., left, and Kevin Thompson, from Little Rock, Ark., right wear protective masks during a chemical weapons training drill on the USS Theodore Roosevelt Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2002. The ship is sailing in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Navy Airman Alyssia Schnaufer, from Dumas, Texas, takes a few minutes after a chemical weapons drill to rest before returning to work on planes, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2002, aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea. The planes are used to fly combat missions over Afghanistan. There is no port call planned until the ship begins its journey home.(AP Photo/J.Pat Carter) |
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 U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn) talks with Cpt. Richard O'Hanlon (R) after Lieberman and eight other US Senators toured the USS Theodore Roosevelt, January 9, 2002. The ship is sailing in the Arabian Sea staging the Enduring Freedom campaign as it launches combat missions over Afghanistan. REUTERS/POOL/J. Pat Carter |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE WAS REVIEWED BEFORE IT WAS SENT BEFORE IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Navy firefighters climb over an S/3B Viking plane that crashed onto the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt late Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002 as the ship cruised in the Arabian Sea. The plane had been on a refueling mission. The landing gear collapsed but there were no injuries.(AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--A F/A18 jet roars off the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Thursday, Jan. 10, 2002, for a mission supporting the war effort in Afghanistan as the ship sails in the Arabian Sea. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, Pool) |
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 U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), addresses his constituents aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt, January 9, 2002. Senator McCain visited the aircraft carrier while underway in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. REUTERS/Amy DelaTorres/U.S. NAVY/HO |
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 RETRANSMISSION TO ADD POOL--EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Navy Airman Curt Metzger from St. Petersburg, Fla., is shown aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt early Monday, Jan. 14, 2002, as the ship cruises in the Arabian Sea. The crew had two days of no-fly time for rest and equipment repair. (AP Photo/J.Pat Carter, Pool) |
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Monday January 14 4:55 PM ET - Earnhardt Jr., Wallace Call US Ship
By JENNA FRYER, AP Sports Writer
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kenny Wallace supported servicemen aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Monday through a surprise conference call.
Both drivers fielded questions from men and women aboard the aircraft carrier, which has been in the Arabian Sea since September.
The 30-minute call - a surprise to the drivers - was arranged by representatives of Lowe's Motor Speedway and concluded a question and answer session the two were participating in at the track.
``That was definitely an honor for me,'' Earnhardt said. ``It's neat to hear from people fighting for our country and have the opportunity to tell them how much we appreciate their efforts and how much we support them.
``If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be able to be sitting back here at home racing cars and going about our own lives.''
About 10 servicemen were able to get on the phone and ask various NASCAR questions. They said many, many more were waiting in line hoping for chance to speak to the two.
Some of the conversations turned personal. A serviceman from Earnhardt's hometown of Kannapolis, whom the driver did not know, talked briefly about the high school rivalries in their town and the strength of the football team.
Another serviceman went to college with a friend of Earnhardt's and was surprised to learn Earnhardt had just helped the mutual friend move from Buffalo, N.Y., to start a racing career.
``What a small world,'' Earnhardt said.
Others told the driver how much they admired his father, the seven-time Winston Cup champion who was killed in February in an accident at the Daytona 500.
After one sailor learned Earnhardt would be racing a car with his father's No. 3 in two races this year, Lowe's Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler promised free tickets to all 5,500 servicemen aboard the ship so they could watch Earnhardt race the Chevrolet here in May.
Wallace wasn't left out. One serviceman, unaware that Wallace's previous race team had folded while he had been at sea, asked him if the team was still surviving.
Wallace informed him he was now a fill-in driver for the injured Steve Park at Dale Earnhardt Inc. and promised to fax race results to the ship until it returned home.
The servicemen, in turn, asked for an address to mail the drivers mementos from the USS Roosevelt.
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT BY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--A bomb hanging from a f/A18 attack jet bears the question "Where's the JFK?" Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2002, referring to the USS John F. Kennedy, which will replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt when it leaves the region in February. The Roosevelt is cruising the Arabian Sea in support of military operations in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) |
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