Mom Follows the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
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 EDS. NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Officers of the USS Theodore Roosevelt watch as the crew members swim Saturday, Dec. 1, 2001, in the Arabian Sea. No flight operations were scheduled Saturday to give the crew a day-off. (AP Photo/Ed Wray, Pool) |
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 EDS. NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--A sailor jumps from the elevator deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Saturday, Dec. 1, 2001 in the Arabian Sea. No flight operations were scheduled Saturday to give the crew a day-off. (AP Photo/Ed Wray) |
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Saturday December 1 7:47 AM ET Roosevelt Carrier Enjoys Rest Day By HRVOJE HRANJSKI, Associated Press Writer
ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (AP) - Worn-out sailors were treated to karaoke, ice cream and dips in the Arabian Sea on Saturday as the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt took a break from launching planes over Afghanistan.
All the ship's 70 planes were grounded for 36 hours. The 4.5-acre flight deck became a playground for shooting basketballs or just strolling around in the sun in shorts, T-shirts and tennis shoes.
On the deck below, sailors waited patiently in a long line on an aircraft elevator for a chance to jump into the sea for a short swim. A Marine with a rifle kept watch in case of a shark attack.
``It's good to have a day of rest like this to recharge our batteries,'' said Petty Officer 3rd Class Sean Reece, 29, from Charlotte, N.C.
Among the swimmers was Rear Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, the Roosevelt battle group commander. Other crew members sang karaoke or held mock sumo wrestling matches in protective suits.
But not everyone was resting. The carrier's nuclear-powered engines were having a regular checkup. Navy and Marine mechanics were repairing aircraft, and loudspeakers called on sweepers to man their brooms.
In the last couple of weeks, the air campaign has focused on clearing the way for the U.S. Marines to deploy in Afghanistan. Navy F-14 Tomcats and Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornets continue to roam the country for al-Qaida and Taliban targets.
The planes were flying ``holding positions,'' contacting U.S. forces on the ground - known as ground controllers - and dropping bombs where necessary, the carrier's commander, Capt. Richard O'Hanlon, said Wednesday.
``We're a 911 call for ground forward air controllers,'' he said.
O'Hanlon, a New York native, said there were still targets to be hit, such as vehicles, troops and tanks.
On Saturday, the crew was treated to a premiere of the newly released movie ``Behind Enemy Lines,'' which was partly shot on another carrier currently in the Arabian Sea, the USS Carl Vinson. One of the actors, David Keith, recently toured the Roosevelt and the Vinson.
The movie's script could easily be related to the current war: a Navy pilot from the Vinson is shot down behind enemy lines during the Bosnian war.
On Friday, the Roosevelt celebrated Native American History Month with a mock powwow and cake-cutting ceremony. Several sailors from Creek, Navajo, Lumbee, Cherokee and Lakota tribes addressed the crew about their heritage.
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Steve Clayton of Tampa, Fla., keeps an eye out for sharks as the sailors dive from the elevator deck aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt Saturday, Dec. 1, 2001 in the Arabian Sea. Flight operations were suspended Saturday to give the crew a day-off. (AP Photo/Ed Wray, Pool) |
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The USS Theodore Roosevelt provides air support to troops on the ground throughout Afganistan.
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 A cardboard sign reminds U.S. Marines that Taliban forces could be anywhere as they fill sand bags around a light mortar position on the front lines of the Marine base in southern Afghanistan Saturday, Dec. 1, 2001. U.S. Marines have routinely spotted armed men during patrols from their new base in the Afghan desert, but have had no serious encounters, a task force spokesman said Saturday. (AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool) |
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 US Marine RP3 Dierflinger from Lancaster, Calif., arranges items, including a wooden cross, on a makeshift altar on the Marines operating base in southern Afghanistan on Sunday Dec. 2, 2001 morning. The marine's M-16 leans against the altar. The service dealt with being prepared and being alert and to do each person's job right. The Marines of the 15th MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) arrived in southern Afghanistan Nov. 25 night and took command of a secret airstrip. (AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool) |
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 Marines of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit man their defensive perimeter after an alert Friday, Dec. 7, 2001 in southern Afghanistan. Enemy forces probed the Marine defense Thursday night and other enemy forces were spotted Friday. (AP Photo/San Diego Union-Tribune, Earnie Grafton, Pool) NO SALES/COPYRIGHT RETAINED BY THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE) |
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 U.S. Marines stand at the ready Friday behind their weapons in fighting holes at Camp Rhino in southern Afghanistan during a period of heightened alert.Saturday, December 08, 2001 - Dave Martin / AP
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 U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit attend religious services at Camp Rhino in southern Afghanistan December 8, 2001. The Marines are part of Task Force 58 on station in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. REUTERS/POOL/Dave Martin |
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 The foreign minister of the Northern Alliance said December 1, 2001 he believed Osama bin Laden(R) was on the run in southern Afghanistan, not in caves near the eastern city of Jalalabad where U.S. forces have been focusing their search. 'I believe some of his lieutenants are in Tora Bora, but not bin Laden himself,' Abdullah told a news conference. Bin Laden and his advisor Aiman al-Zawahiri are seen in reward leaflets that the U.S. military is dropping over Afghanistan. (Dept Of Defense/Reuters) |
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 A Marine holds his M-16 rifle during religious services performed by U.S. Navy Chaplain James West (C) at Camp Rhino in southern Afghanistan, December 9, 2001. U.S. planes joined Afghan fighters in hunting for Osama bin Laden in mountain woods, but the superpower said it would scour the world for him if needed. (Dave Martin/Pool via Reuters) |
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 EDS. NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--A sailor aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt walks through a passageway illuminated with red light to reduce the light from the ship and to help preserve night vision during night flying operations Sunday Dec. 2, 2001. (AP Photo/Ed Wray, Pool) |
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 The front, left, and inside inscription of President and Mrs. Bush's 2001 Christmas card which was released Monday, Dec. 3, 2001. The front features an Adrian Martinez painting of gifts wrapped, ribboned and waiting on a chair in the White House second-floor hallway. Mrs. Bush chose the Bible verse inside the Christmas card that she and President Bush are sending to thousands of aides, supporters and dignitaries. ``Thy face, Lord, do I seek. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living,'' reads the inscription from Psalm 27.(AP Photo/White House, HO) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT THROUGH NAVY COMUNICATIONS--AE3 Kane Sylvester from Hagerstown, Maryland inspects parts inside the engine of a U.S. Naval warplane on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Tuesday Dec. 4, 2001 in the Arabian Sea. War planes from the ship continue to drop bombs over targets in Afghanistan as the U.S. Marines prepare for a possible attack on Taliban remaining in and around Kandahar. (AP Photo/Ed Wray, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT THROUGH NAVY COMMUNICATIONS--Pvt. Anthony Wilson, of Little Rock, Ark., right, lifts a laser guided bomb onto a U.S. Navy warplane aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Tuesday Dec. 4, 2001 in the Arabian Sea. War planes from the ship continue to drop bombs over targets in Afghanistan as the U.S. Marines prepare for a possible attack on Taliban remaining in and around Kandahar. (AP Photo/Ed Wray, Pool) |
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 EDS NOTE: THIS PICTURE MAY HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AS IT WAS SENT THROUGH NAVY COMUNICATIONS--Sailors on the flight deck take positions to guide a helicopter off the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Tuesday Dec. 4, 2001, in the Arabian Sea. War planes from the ship continue to drop bombs over targets in Afghanistan as the U.S. Marines prepare for a possible attack on Taliban remaining in and around Kandahar. (AP Photo/Ed Wray, Pool) |
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 In this handout picture from the U.S. Navy made available Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001 crewmembers aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt man positions in the aircraft carrier's Combat Direction Center at an undisclosed location at sea Monday, Dec. 3, 2001. The Roosevelt is underway in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Amy DelaTorres) |
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