My Childhood Hero (Real Life Related)

HarveyCanal

http://vh18108.moc.gbahn.net/apps/pbcsi....AR&Profile=1006I couldn't get the photo to post, but that's my uncle Tom receiving a medal for his efforts during and after Hurricane Katrina.Here's the story:Published - May, 23, 2006 Local man accepts award for ship's Katrina effortsLarry WheelerNews Journal Washington bureauWASHINGTON -- East Hill resident Tom Gabriel said he was just doing his job last year when he and fellow crew members turned their vessel, Cape Knox, into a floating home away from home for workers and government officials cleaning up oil spills after Hurricane Katrina.But that's not the way Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta saw it.On Monday, Mineta awarded Gabriel and others the Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement for the crucial recovery support they and their ships provided following the costliest hurricane in U.S. history."It's a little humbling," said Gabriel, 47, who serves as first engineer aboard the 695-foot-long vessel designed to transport heavy military equipment to and from war zones. "To me, it's what I do. It's my job."Gabriel kept the Cape Knox generators and power plant running throughout Hurricane Katrina as deckhands and three river tugs struggled to keep the ship moored to a dock on the Mississippi River near downtown New Orleans.The Katrina recovery marked the first time the U.S. Ready Reserve Force has been activated for a domestic emergency. The Cape Knox is maintained by a small, full-time crew but must be ready to respond to new orders within five days with a full crew.The Cape Knox's first assignment was downriver in Chalmette, La., where she served as bunkhouse, chow hall and logistics headquarters for environmental officials and workers responding to a spill of about 25,000 barrels of crude oil from a Murphy Oil Co. tank.The vessel remained on site for a couple of weeks before it was reassigned even farther downriver to Port Sulphur, La., where a Shell pipeline had spilled an estimated 3,245 barrels of crude.With 30 years of seagoing under his belt, Gabriel said the hurricane duty was more difficult than the multiple trips he has made hauling Army tanks and vehicles to and from Iraq.Gabriel was the officer designated to accept the outstanding achievement award on behalf of the Cape Knox. Awards also were given to representatives of other Ready Reserve Force ships and training ships.Here's the story as it was told last year:Ready Reserve Cape Knox & Cape Kennedy Weathered The StormMEBA Telex Times. September 2, 2005The Keystone-managed Ready Reserve Force vessels Cape Knox and Cape Kennedy weathered the storm from their berths at the Poland Street Wharf in New Orleans, but not without a heroic tale to tell.Three tugs helped the vessels secure themselves at the pier and stayed on scene as the hurricane approached and conditions steadily worsened. In the early morning hours, the Chios Beauty, a bulker tied up nearby, broke her moorings and was blown across the river before running aground. As the 145 mile per hour winds began to snap the mooring lines on the Knox and Kennedy and the ships began sliding down the pier, it appeared that the RRF vessels might be doomed to the same fate. One of the bollards the Knox had tied up to was actually torn out of the dock by the raging weather. A small force of officers deployed on deck in driving rain and hurricane force winds to prevent the ship from breaking loose. They labored for almost an hour through intolerable conditions but managed to refasten the lines and stop the vessels from hurtling off toward their demise. Hours later, when the winds began to slacken off, they re-secured the ships for the night. The next day they were able to return to their original positions. Since then, the ships have begun to run low on food and supplies as well as water. They continue to make do with great ingenuity not uncommon to MEBA engineers and deck officers. MEBA commends the incredible bravery and cool under fire exhibited by our members aboard these vessels. They include:Aboard the Cape Knox:Captain Don Gavin, Chief Engineer Jack Cole, 1st Engineer Tom Gabriel, 2nd Engineer George Robinson, 3rd Engineer Cyril "Stosh" Bassich, and volunteer mates John Verrilli and Frano Delonga.Aboard the Cape Kennedy:Captain John McNeilly, Chief Engineer Jim Palmer, 1st Engineer Mark DeGruy, 2nd Engineer Jim Burke, and 3rd Engineer Dan Webster.The vessels have been turned into shelters for Coast Guard personnel and emergency workers who are continuing relief operations in the area.Meanwhile, Keystone is on the lookout for night engineers to help service the vessels. However, logistical difficulties because of the rampant devastation are proving to be an impediment. http://www.usmm.net/katrina.htmlSo, it's great to see the guy whom I most looked up to as a kid coming through in the clutch like that. My uncle grew up in the Panama Canal Zone as the fourth son of a ship's captain. He went into the merchant marine game from the ground up. Often when he wasn't out to sea, I would share my room with him in New Orleans. He was always pulling these fine women left and right. He played soccer and when he moved into a house in Uptown New Orleans, I'd get to hear all sorts of cool music from the likes of Hendrix and Santana on his stereo. He drove an old 60's Porsche convertible and had all sorts of nice motorcycles. When I was 10 years old he gave me an uber-rare mid-60's model Montesa 125cc dirtbike. Eventually he would settle down with a wife and kids in Pensacola. Having changed up his steez a bit from that point on, one time when he was visiting while I was in high school he betrayed my trust by telling my dad what I had told him about smoking pot. That really screwed up my image of him that I had built up and probably over-glorified in my head. I haven't seen him all that much the past 15 years, but his family made sure to make my wedding recption a few years back so bygones are definitely bygones. Anyway, I'm really proud of him right about now.

hogginthefogg

Big ups to your uncle. That's really awesome.