Celebrating 100th Declaration this year

The ship's newspaper, The Declaration, recently celebrated its 100th newspaper of 1998 - a milestone achieved more than four months earlier than in 1997.

This free shipboard newspaper is created for Independence's crew on a daily basis while underway except for the days the ship pulls in and out of ports.

The first newspaper of the year, produced January 14th, celebrated Indy's 39th birthday. The ship was then soon underway conducting sea trials before making its quick transit to the Arabian Gulf.

In January, the Independence homepage was in the spotlight with its new Notepad written and produced by JO3 Joseph Rehana. Also in the headlines for that month were the Super Bowl XXXII live on SITE-TV and Indy's new temporary additional duty (TAD) personnel.

Montel Williams joined the crew for two days in the month of February. The world watched during this month as tensions between the United Nations and Iraq heated to a near boiling point over U.N. weapons inspections, and The Declaration kept the crew informed and up-to-date on what was being reported by the media.

The month of March focused on the many awards achieved by crewmembers and shipboard programs. Lt. Cmdr. Yarema "Yarko" Sos was chosen as the 1997 Commander, Naval Air Pacific's Aviator of the Year, Indy's homepage was named #1 for large afloat commands, and the ship won the Battle Efficiency Award. The United Nations Security Council - reducing tensions unanimously endorsed a deal struck between Iraq and Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Montel Williams reunited aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Samuel A. Garner with his mother in April after an "Any-Sailor-Letter" program began. Also in April, the VFA-192 World Famous Dragons re-claimed the honor of being the 'Top Hook' squadron for Carrier Air Wing FIVE plus Indy was visited by the Honorable Bill Richardson, United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Our current month of May has brought distinctive headlines like "Commander, Carrier Air Wing FIVE's last flight" and "Clinton nominates Rear Adm. Moore for COMFIFTHFLT."

In May, the ship significantly warmed up since entering the Arabian Gulf in late January. As a preventive measure to heat stress, a front-page article by Staff Writer JO2 Henry W. Rice brought to light the importance of fluid intake.

Whether promoting heat stress prevention, reporting on Montel William's visit, or an in-depth article on the prospective FIFTH Fleet commander - Declaration's staff hopes the crewmembers of Indy feel well-served and supported by the 100 Declarations published to date this year.

PHOTO: The first newspaper of 1998, shown above, celebrated Indy's 39th birthday.