Every time I turn on the news, it seems that most countries hate us. I know we have our faults, but we also instigate many humanitarian efforts to genuinely try to help others. But we rarely see that on the news. Instead, we see terrorists calling for our demise, people burning our flag, and bombing our embassies and military installations.
So I was somewhat happy when I saw the headline on CNN today that said “U.S. Marines save Iraqi captain from pirates.” U.S. Marines from the destroyer USS Roosevelt saved an Iraqi captain and his 17 member crew from Somali pirates last December. The pirates stormed the 3,000 ton cargo ship carrying charcoal, coming and going at will until the U.S. Navy arrived. The captain, Deaa Naseh, said that once the Navy showed up, the pirates threw their weapons into the sea.
U.S. sailors came on board and arrested two of the pirates, leaving them locked on board the ship. This captain went on to say the Americans were the only ones that offered any help. I like the sound of that “The Americans were the only ones that offered any help.”
Now, this story does not really end happily. After the Marines fought off the pirates, the Iraqi captain’s ship had mechanical problems and drifted for 15 days. Once it drifted into the Seychelles waters, the captain requested help from the coastguard and the ship was towed into a Victoria port. Despite the heroism of our Navy, a court ruled August 23, 2006 that the ship had to be sold to pay debts totaling about $300,000, including several months of pay for the crew.
It seems our Navy is quite busy on the open seas. It was reported that in November of 2005, the U.S. Navy captured a ship near the Somalia capital of Mogadishu. This ship had 10 pirates on board and what was thought to contain 16 Indians held as hostages.
So next time you see a news story about someone who thinks we are the bad guys, just remember that our military is out there doing a lot of good and saving lives!