February 2002 - Nr. 2
Luetjens Captain Honoured by U.S. Congress
TWIG - Among the guests at President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address before a joint session of the U.S. Congress Tuesday (January 29) was the captain of the German destroyer frigate Luetjens. Captain Michael Meding sat in the gallery as a guest of Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minnesota), who wanted to honour Meding and his crew for their touching gesture of solidarity with the United States in the days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
When the crew of the Luetjens heard about the terrorist attacks that killed thousands in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, they were profoundly saddened. In preparing to join in the worldwide observance of three minutes of silence on September 14, 2001, the captain and crew of the Luetjens decided they wanted to show their solidarity with their American colleagues at sea. Just days before the attacks, the crew of the Luetjens had been guests at a barbecue on board the USS Winston Churchill. So, as they sailed to meet the Churchill and another U.S. vessel on the high seas to stand together for three minutes of silence, the crew of the Luetjens went into action.
Using black paint and a bed sheet, they quickly crafted a sign reading "We Stand by You," and instead of flying the German flag, the Luetjens hoisted the American flag to half-mast. The Luetjens crew, dressed in full uniform, stood at attention on deck during the observance. The mood on board was one of grief, Captain Meding said in an interview with Germany Info. "As we stood next to the USS Winston Churchill and observed the three minutes of silence, I think many of us, including myself, shed tears. It was moving."
The gesture touched the Churchill crew, as an ensign recounted in an email to her father, which was passed on around the world. "The German Navy did an incredible thing for this crew, and it has truly been the highest point in the days since the attacks," she wrote. Congressman Gutknecht read the email on the floor of the House last year.
Captain Meding was in Washington with four Luetjens crew members. In honour of their gesture on the high seas, Congressman Gutknecht presented the group with a U.S. flag that has been flown over the Capitol. In return, they presented the sign shown at sea. Meding said, "That we can be here with a small delegation for this historic event is an honour. I wish I could have brought all 300 crew members."
