Carnival & Coast Guard help out a passenger

[shecat]

Michelle Browder and the girls wanted nothing more than to take a nice vacation on board "The Holiday" for a holiday of their own. They arrived in Mobile ready to go. But just as they were unwinding, Michelle was told the crew couldn't find her dialysis equipment. She was left at the dock as the ship sailed. Just as she was backing out of the parking lot on her way home, the crew found the equipment...too late. But Carnival Cruise Lines came to the rescue. To Michelle's surprise, she got a short trip on another boat, a personal escort back to the big ship courtesy of the Coast Guard. Browder says " they put the thing on me and they said what's going to happen is we're going to get right beside the ship and we did like that together they threw the open the little door and threw over the ladder and I climbed up those little steps and hopped up on the boat." Browder says she was very pleased with how Carnival handled the situation. She says they did everything they could to make sure she got to go on the trip with her family. When asked is she would take another cruise, Browder says "in a heartbeat."

[pelletib]

Sweet !!! Bravo to our Coast Guard. they deserve ALL the good press they get. It's amazing that people just don't consider them as part of our National Defense. We should all tip our hats to them for their selfless service to this country..okay, I'll get off my soapbox now ;)

[ladycaveat]

Yes . . . Bravo to Carnival and the Coast Guard. My son is a helicopter pilot with the Coast Guard based in Miami and I couldn't be prouder!

[racegrrl]

Very :cool: !

 

 

It's sooooo nice to see some good news! Glad to see people pulled together to make someone happy. Now if more people would do that more often, imagine what an awesome place this world would be!

Yeah to Carnival and the Coast Guard! :D

[Guest Crazeecat5]

My son is graduating from the Coast Guard basic training camp this coming Friday. I would love to know that he has helped a fellow cruiser. We certainly know he will be helping our fellow man. We are so proud of him.

Sheryl

[ladycaveat]

Sheryl . . . from one Coast Guard mom to another . . . you have a lot to be proud of. The Coast Guard is a wonderful branch of the service . . . and though they used to be under the Department of Transportation (only under the Department of Defense in times of war) . . . they are now under the Department of Homeland Secruity. Your son is going to love being part of the Coast Guard.

 

My son graduated from college in 2000 with a degree in architecture . . . three days after graduating, he informed me that he had just been accepted into OCS for the the Coast Guard. My reply . . . "Coast Guard? I spent a fortune putting you though college to be an architect and now you want to be a lifeguard!" I'll never forget what he said . . . "yes Mom, I want to be a "lifeguard" . . . I want to help people who can't help themselves, I want to help to keep drugs from coming into the US and I want to serve my country." This was before 9/11.

 

He was an Ensign and then LTJG on the cutter Escanaba out of Boston for eighteen months. Then he applied for and was accepted into flight school. He got his wings a year ago last month (and was promoted to full LT) and has been flying HH-65 Dolphins out of Miami ever since.

 

On my last cruise (September 2003) a man on board had a heart attack and a Coast Guard helicopter transported him off the ship and to the hospital. It wasn't my son in that helicopter . . . but it could have been. Those young men and women in the Coast Guard are indeed "lifesavers" . . . darn, I sound like a recruiting poster! <G>

[hstrybuf]

Now that is a great story!

[finally928]

Ladycaveat ... thank you for sharing your story with us!

 

I am not a Coast Guard mom -- I am a Coast Guard Ex Wife and current girlfriend!!! I have been affiliated with the CG for the last 13 years and have met some of the most wonderful people in the world! I have been in Mass (I know the Escanaba! Great vessel!!), Key West Florida, Portland Maine, and have loved every experience.

 

My BF is a Hazmat Specialist for the CG, affiliated w teams from Homeland Security and other military branches -- and I couldn't be prouder of him ... He and all the "Coasties" put their lives on the line every day and i am so thankful that they are there for us, every day!!

 

Just wanted to share ---

[glrounds]

"Because they stand the wall, while we sleep, and say, no harm will come to you tonight, not on my watch" . . . A Few Good Men

[newtocc]

Hey Lady, if you see this please e-mail me at Newtocc@yahoo.com I need to talk to you!

 

Newt

[JB007]

dark red The coast guard is and always will be a great service to this country. Carnival went the exta mile most cruise lines dont do that way to go carnival.

[Guest Crazeecat5]

What wonderful posts! These have been very hard weeks for my family and I especially the first few when we couldn't talk to our son. Your words have just reinforced how we feel. "Andrew" will be based in Boston after his 10 days leave. Since we live in NYC, we were happy to hear this. We could visit him quite easily.

We took him and our other son on their first cruise in '97. Who would have thought that he would choose life on the seas?

Sheryl

[Bonnie&Rob]

Hey Crazeecat5, we love our Coast Guard here in Boston and will take good care of your son! What better place to start his career on the water but in Boston, where he can see Old Ironsides (the USS Constitution).

 

It's a great reminder to us all that our Service People help others EVERY DAY right here in the good old USA, as well as around the world.

[Terre]

I am very impressed with our Coast Guard. We were on a cruise a few years ago when a passenger had had a heart attack and had to be airlifted off the ship. A terrible storm was brewing and the sky was completely black.

 

The ship had to stay in a certain spot for the helicopter to land the basket. Not only was there wind from the helicopoter, but from the brewing storm. They first airlifted the person going to the hospital with the heart attack victim, then the victim. They did an excellent job and everyone cheered them as they flew off. It was awesome! I wanted to write a letter about how impressed I was with them, but didn't know who or where to write.

 

Coast Guard Moms -- tell your kids how great they are!

[KarenConley]

It is so great to read something positive for a change. Wow, what great stories to read around this time of the year. All of USA should be proud of the Coast Guard and all of the other branches of services that we have. Everyone should say a little prayer for all of our servicemen and servicewomen.

[ladycaveat]

What wonderful posts!

 

"finally", you definately know first hand what a great "family" the Coast Guard is . . . and as the smallest of all our military services, the Coast Guard is indeed a family. Thank you for sharring.

 

glrounds, I remember those words from "A Few Good Men" and it still gives me chills . . .

 

Newt . . . oh my goodness . . . I have missed you my friend. Check your email.

 

Sheryl, "Andrew" is not only going to love serving with the Coast Guard . . . he is going to love being stationed in Boston. "Michael" loved living there (all except the "Big Dig"). You know, it's funny, when my son was a baby (toddler), I used to dress him in nautical attire for all his "formal" pictures. You know, the cute little navy outfit with the big square collar and big red bow. Little did I know that one day he would be wearing nautical attire for real. The first time I saw him in his dress whites (when he was commissioned) . . . he looked like someone right out of "Top Gun" or "Officer and a Gentleman." I didn't know whether to salute him or hug him (I did both). <G>

 

Terre, you didn't happen to be on the Galaxy (September 2003) when the Coast Guard airlifted the man who had a heart attack off the ship, did you? When that happened on my cruise, we were in a storm also (actually, a hurricane). My son was in flight school then and it scared me to death to see the weather they flew in (still does). But, my son loves what he does and I can only imagine what the parents of sons and daughters in Irak must be going through. Yes, as Karen said . . . we should all say a little prayer for all our service men and women . . . both at home and far away.

[Terre]

Lady,

 

Actually we were on the Norway when this happened. They did an impressive job and when they flew off the skies cleared up and the sun came out! Awesome!

 

My in-laws went on a cruise about a month later and the same thing happened on their cruise; they were very impressed with the GC, too!

[htkodiak]

My son,who will be graduating from high school this summer,told me this morning that he is going to talk to a recruiter about joining the USCG.His grandfather,his mother,and his father(me) were all members of the Coast Guard family.I have been hinting around for some time that this may be a good carreer choice for him when he graduates this summer.I had some great experiences in my time in the USCG and I'm sure he will to....To the person whose son will be stationed in Boston;Boston is a great city I spent 3 yrs. stationed there,there is always somethig to see or do,and I now live about 45 minutes from the city and go in when ever we get a chance.GOD BLESS ALL THE SAILORS AND SOLDIERS THAT PUT THEMSELVES IN HARMS WAY FOR OUR GREAT COUNTRY.

[Guest Crazeecat5]

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful words of praise.

Sheryl

[Goofballs]

Maybe I missed the thread -- if there was one -- but I read in the paper last week of a passenger on the Carnival Pride who they fear went overboard on a Mexican Riveria trip. Who was there to spend the next day and a half searching the ocean off Calif/Mexico? Coast Guard, of course!!

 

I was in the Air Force but worked closely with the Coasties Air personal and saw some fearless aviators. These guys and gals fly into things to do things that most would not think of. I went on missions with them and saw first hand the difficulty they face. My hats off to them.

 

I don't believe the passenger from the Pride was ever located. Someone please correct me if she was.