[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21252]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 21252]]

                  THE AMERICAN AND GERMAN NAVIES MEET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) is recognized for 5 minutes.



  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I will attempt to read from an e-mail 
which was sent from a young ensign aboard the U.S.S. Winston Churchill 
to his parents. The Churchill is an Arleigh Burke-class AEGIS guided-
missile destroyer, commissioned March 10, 2001, and is the only active 
U.S. Navy warship named after a foreign national.
  I read: ``Dear Dad: We are still at sea. The remainder of our port 
visits have all been canceled. We have spent every day since the 
attacks going back and forth within imaginary boxes drawn in the ocean, 
standing high-security watches and trying to make the best of it. We 
have seen the articles and the photographs, and they are sickening. 
Being isolated, I do not think we appreciate the full scope of what is 
happening back home, but we are definitely feeling the effects.
  ``About 2 hours ago, we were hailed by a German Navy destroyer, 
Lutjens, requesting permission to pass close by our port side. Strange, 
since we were in the middle of an empty ocean, but the captain 
acquiesced and we prepared to render them honors from our bridge wing. 
As they were making their approach, our conning officer used binoculars 
and announced that the Lutjens was flying not the German but the 
American flag. As she came alongside us, we saw the American flag 
flying at half mast and her entire crew topside standing at silent, 
rigid attention in their dress uniforms.



  ``They had made a sign that was displayed on her side that read ``We 
Stand by You.'' There was not a dry eye on the bridge as we stayed 
alongside for a few minutes and saluted. It was the most powerful thing 
I have seen in my life. The German Navy did an incredible thing for 
this crew, and it has truly been the highest point in the days since 
the attacks. It is amazing to think that only a half-century ago things 
were quite different.
  ``After Lutjens pulled away, the officer of the deck, who had been 
planning to get out later this year, turned to me and said, `I'm 
staying Navy.' ''
  Mr. Speaker, to our German friends we can only say, danke schoen. To 
our countrymen and colleagues I say, be of strong heart, we are not 
alone. We will prevail.
  Mr. Speaker, before I yield back, a number of colleagues have asked 
if they could get copies of this e-mail as well as photos of the Navy 
destroyer Lutjens. They can get that by simply going to my Web address 
at gil.house.gov.

                          ____________________