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February 2002 - Nr. 2

 

The Editor
Vorsicht Satire!
Antje berichtet
Sascha Lutz reports
Michael Schade
K-W & Beyond
Luetjens Captain Honored
Siegfried & Roy
At the Hubertushaus
Olympic Focus
New Year in Kitchener
Herwig Wandschneider
Berlinale mit Gala
Dick reports...
Sybille reports
Ham Se det jehört?
2002 German Events
Wines of the World
Olympic Focus
German Arrival
Olympic Focus
Back to School
Bock-Bier in Texas
Heisse Fastnacht
Zarenball in Berlin
Berlin & Beyond Festival
Brücke NY-Berlin
Riefenstahl Returns
Kulturreform
Two Sides of Coin
Über Gründgens
Lucky Landing
Luge Legend
To "Sie" or To "Du"
German Ski Jumper
Alternate Energy
Fire and Ice
Speed Skating
Art Reunited
Business Index Up
Coffin to Cairo
Lost Rubens Found

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."

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