LV sailor part of Navy war effort

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2003 | 9:21 a.m.

Andrea of Las Vegas recently returned from a successful six-month deployment on board the dock landing ship USS Comstock. The Comstock and the USS Anchorage were the first San Diego-based amphibious ships to return from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jackson is the daughter of Robert and Chris Jackson of Las Vegas. She is an electronic warfare technician aboard the Comstock, which departed San Diego Jan. 17 with six other ships as part of Amphibious Task Force West. The task force carried Marines from the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and First Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment.

Once Comstock delivered the Marines and their equipment to Kuwait in February, its mission was to team up with the Coast Guard to protect waters in the northern Persian Gulf from potential environmental terrorism.

The ship loaded oil skimmers and boom handling boats to act as a "mother ship" for potential oil cleanup activities in the area.

Jackson and her shipmates remained on station in the early stages of the war until coalition forces secured the oil platforms around Mina Al Bakr and Khawr Abd Allah offshore terminals.

"Our ship was the ready platform. We also assisted in Harrier operations," said Jackson, referring to the vertical takeoff and landing jets flown by both U.S. Marine and British forces.

Jackson, whose job is to help protect the ship from missile attacks, says she felt proud to be part of the deployment.

"I feel as though I have done my part. I feel every American should serve their country at some point in time," said the six-year Navy veteran.

In brief

Calaunan, the daughter of Claro and Purita Calaunan of Las Vegas, is a mobility readiness supervisor assigned to the 7th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. A 15-year Air Force veteran, she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland through the military extension program.

Hernandez is an infantryman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Wash.