CaptionYesterday, Gen. John H. Tilelli, Jr. (right) Commander In Chief, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/Commander U.S. Forces Korea was one of 23 Distinguished Visitors who were flown on board to tour Independence. The group's visit lasted three hours with a strict itinerary which included an air and sea power demonstration. During the visit, Gen. Tilelli and Rear. Adm. Charles W. Moore, Jr. (left) Battle Force SEVENTH Fleet gave a Foal Eagle '97 wrap-up remark s that will be shown on SITE-TV today. Photo by PHAN Chris Howell
In the past two days, there has been more brass aboard Independence, then at a Boston Pops concert. The flight deck was recently cleared for the arrival of Air Force Lt. Gen. Joseph Hurd, Commander 7th Air Force, who flew aboard in the back seat of an F-14 Tomcat. His over night stay included a tour of the ship and meetings with Rear Adm. Charles W. Moore, Jr. Battle Force SEVENTH Fleet.
Yesterday, the Commander In Chief, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/Commander U.S. Forces Korea, Army Gen. John Tilelli Jr, paid a visit to "Freedom's Flagship." Along with him were some high ranking Korean military officers who included Gen. Dong Shin Kim, Deputy Commander In Chief and Gen. Youg Nam Yoon, Republic of Korea, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff.
CaptionAs hundreds of Sailors and Distinguished Visitors watch from the flight deck, USS Kamehameha (SSN 642) a Benjamin Franklin Class submarine demonstrates an emergency surface. Photo by PHAN Chris Howell
Their quick three hour visit had a strict itinerary, including lunch in the Flag Mess, an air power demonstration, a five-inch gun shoot by USS Mobile Bay, along with submarine USS Kamehameha, surfacing at a high rate of speed on Indy's port side.
After the demonstration, Gen. Tilelli and Rear Adm. Moore gave a short video brief to the battle group concluding Exercise FOAL EAGLE.
"Your (Indy's) particpation in this exercise has been an invaluable addition," said Tilelli. "Foal Eagle was a tremendous success, due in part to the close-knit cooperation of both the U.S. and South Korea. From Army and Marine Corps ground troops, to Air Force and Naval Aircraft, to the 15 ships who participated, the lessons learned from this exercise will provide a clear picture, should a real world contingency occur."
Tilelli is no stranger to Independence, as he was the guest speaker during CTF-70's Change of Command in August '96.