Mom Follows the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
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 In this handout picture from the U.S. Navy made available Friday, Nov. 23, 2001, U.S. Navy crewmembers enjoy a performance by the National Football League Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders, during Thanksgiving Day celebrations in one of two hanger bays aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt at an undisclosed location at sea Thursday, Nov. 22, 2001. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Jeremy Hall) |
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 -EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--U.S. Navy crew-members fill their plates during a Thanksgiving prayer breakfast aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea Thursday, Nov. 22, 2001. The USS Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group is part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) |
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 -EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--USS Theodore Roosevelt commanding officer Captain Richard J. O'Hanlon serves turkey to the crewmembers for Thanksgiving dinner aboard the aircraft carrier at sea in the main mess hall Friday, Nov. 23, 2001. The warship is operating on a night schedule where dinner is served from 3:30 AM to 5:30 AM. It was a fly day for the Marines and Navy pilots on the carrier which is on station in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . (AP Photo/Dave Martin) |
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 -EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--A U.S. Navy crewmember takes a nap on the wing of a F14-A Tomcat attack fighter on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea Friday, Nov. 23, 2001. The crewmembers of the ship work 12 hour shifts with no days off while on station in the Arabian Sea during Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) |
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 -EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--A Navy father and son walk to a waiting chopper on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea Thursday, Nov. 22, 2001. Naval CMDR Tom Trotto, left, of San Diego, is head of the USS Theodore Roosevelt's combat systems. His son, Petty Officer 3rd Class T.J. Trotto, flies on a CH-60 Seahawk helicopter off the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. Both carriers are operating in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The father and son were able to get together for the Thanksgiving holiday on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) |
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 -EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Navy Lt. Sam Zagar, left, of Seattle, WA., walks with his older brother Marine Capt. Josh Zagar of Beaufort, SC., through the decks of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea Friday, Nov. 23, 2001. The two brothers managed to spend the Thanksgiving holiday together. The younger Zagar is a Navy images specialist on the USS Carl Vinson. Capt. Josh Zagar is a pilot with the VMFA 251 Thunderbolt Squadron from Beaufort,SC., flying missions in Afghanistan. It was a fly day for the Marines and Navy pilots on the carrier which is on station in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . (AP Photo/Dave Martin) |
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 -EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Marine pilot Lt. Col. Tom Clark of the VMFA-251 Thunderbolt Squadron of Beaufort, SC., prays during a Thanksgiving prayer breakfast aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea Thursday, Nov. 22, 2001. Clark spoke to crewmembers, giving thanks for the many blessings in the time of war against terrorism. The USS Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group is part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/DaveMartin) |
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 EDS NOTE: PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--A U.S. Navy crewmember talks with other personnel on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt at sea, Friday, Nov. 23, 2001. The crew of the ship works 12 hour shifts with no days off while on station in the Arabian Sea during Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, Pool) |
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Saturday November 24 8:31 AM ET Sailors Videotape Stories for Kids By HRVOJE HRANJSKI, Associated Press Writer
ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (AP) - Justin Frederick flipped back and forth through a box of children's books until he found the one he liked: ``Christmas Cats.''
Then the 19-year-old sailor sat in front of a camera in the TV studio aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, put on a serious look, and began reading a Christmas story to his 1-month-old son, Zachary, whom he hasn't met.
``The separation is the hardest thing. I know he's way too young to appreciate this, but maybe he will,'' said Frederick, of Fort Worth, Texas.
Father after father, a dozen parents lined up in the vessel's tiny press office and picked books to read aloud. The videotapes will be shipped to their families free of charge.
``That way, he at least gets to see me and hear me,'' Frederick said.
Although only fathers showed up early Saturday for the once-a-week recording session, mothers have participated, too. Of the 5,500 crew members aboard the carrier, there are about 740 women.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Christine DeZwaan, 37, from South Haven, Mich., is one of the regulars.
``I miss them too much,'' she said of her three daughters, aged 9 to 13.
Most crew members are keeping in touch with loved ones through e-mail or the telephone, using $20 phone cards to make the long-distance calls. But the Internet connection is sporadic, and the line to use the phone is often long.
``We write all the time. That's the main thing,'' said Jeremy Dawley, 20, from Cheney, Wash. ``If e-mail goes down, we get depressed. It's something to look forward to. It motivates me to get out of bed.''
Regular mail also reaches the carrier. The USS Detroit resupplied the Roosevelt on Saturday with bombs, jet fuel and 15 tons of mail that had been piling up in Bahrain. The mail and supplies were delivered by SH-60 Sea Hawk transport helicopters that shuttled between the ships.
In the video session, Wendell Stephen, 38, of Philadelphia, read ``The Lion King'' to his sons, 7-month-old Deion and 4-year-old Wendell II.
``They don't want me to be out here. But my wife understands,'' Stephen said.
During his last time at sea, six years ago, there was no e-mail aboard the Navy ships, Stephen said. Sending a letter to his wife, Jeanette, could take three weeks.
``By the time she got it, it wouldn't make sense because it was already done in the past,'' he said.
For Frederick, making a video to send home provides an important connection to his young family. He was in the Roosevelt's home port in Norfolk, Va., when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks hit the United States, and he could not fly out to say goodbye to his pregnant wife, Rachel, 22.
The ship left on Sept. 19, and Rachel had the baby on Oct. 15. The only pictures he has of his son are the ones Rachel has e-mailed.
``It's hard for me to imagine how big he is,'' Frederick said. ``At first, Rachel cried and was very upset. She's still holding back a lot, just so not to upset me too much. But she knows I'm defending my country.''
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 EDS NOTE: CONTENTS MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--U.S. Navy aircraft mechanic AM2 Tony Gomez of Houston relaxes in the shade of a CH-60 Seahawk helicopter during the replenishment of fuel and bombs on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2001. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: CONTENTS MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--U.S. Navy ordnance handlers AOAN Tim Secrest, left, of Murphreesboro, Tenn., left, AO2 Jeff Draughn of Leesville, La., and AOAN Anthony Whitney of Indianapolis, right, lift a Sidewinder missile on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2001. The USS Theodore Roosevelt was taking on fuel and munitions from the USS Sacramento at rear to help continue strike missions in Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: PHOTO MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--U.S. Navy ordnance handlers remove an AMRAAM missile from an F/A-18C Hornet on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on station in the Arabian Sea Monday, Nov. 26, 2001. The ordnance handlers replaced the missile with 500 pound laser guided bombs. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, Pool) |
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 A U.S. Navy sailor signs a message on a 500-pound laser-guided bomb on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea, November 26, 2001. The United States used heavily armed AC-130 gunships and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters on Nov. 25 to help Northern Alliance commanders crush a revolt by foreign Taliban prisoners at a mud-walled fort in northern Afghanistan, U.S. defense officials said. (Dave Martin/Pool via Reuters) |
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 -EDS NOTE: CONTENTS MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--U.S. Navy sailors scrub the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt at the end of the day on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2001. Many of the Marine and Navy aircraft mechanics spend the afternoons maintaining the aircraft and deck of the aircraft carrier used for strike missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom . (AP Photo/Dave Martin, Pool) |
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Monday Nov. 26 8:12 AM ET US Ship's Siblings Eye Enemy Planes By HRVOJE HRANJSKI, Associated Press Writer
ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (AP) - Sitting by her radar screen, Charlene Zirkelbach has her finger ready to fire off one of three Sea Sparrow missiles at any hostile aircraft threatening the carrier. Luckily, she can always turn to her brother for help.
Charlene, 24, and Victor, 21, from Oroville, Ca., found themselves sharing the same ship, same job and same shift in the U.S. war campaign against Taliban and al-Qaida targets in Afghanistan (news - web sites).
``I was 7 months ahead, as far as joining the Navy. We just happened to pick the same school and receive the same orders. Nothing was planned,'' Charlene said.
Their parents, Eden and Carl, are not as relaxed to have their only children go to war.
``Mom's worried. We write here and tell her that we're OK. We're the only two,'' Charlene said.
So far, their first cruise as fire controlmen 3rd class has been painless, they said.
The Zirkelbachs work in 12-hour shifts, in charge of powerful RIM-7P NATO (news - web sites) Sea Sparrow missiles. Before the missiles can be fired, the target must be identified and approved by a higher command on the carrier.
The young siblings don't feel the pressure of the job. ``One of us pushes the button,'' Charlene said.
She said she joined the Navy to pay for her college.
``I told him about it, and he thought it was cool,'' she said.
Victor is less talkative, but equally enthusiastic about the U.S. war campaign.
``It's the right thing to do it,'' he said. ``I wanted to be here. I wanted to do something about it,'' he said of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington.
Both enlisted in 1999 for six years. Charlene is attending college classes on the ship in diplomatic history. Victor is waiting to get out of the Navy to go to college.
``I'll be done before I get out. That's the only difference between us,'' Charlene said.
But being brother and sister among a crew of 5,500 has disadvantages.
``Every time they needed to find him they would call me, and I was, like, just because he's my brother I don't know where he is,'' she said. ``He's just another person.''
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