‘Confused, angry, ready’: Crew of USS New York commemorates 9/11 in Norfolk

An American flag stretched across the well deck of the USS New York, beams from the morning sun illuminating the star-spangled banner.

“Today, on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we vow once again to never forget,” Senior Chief Petty Officer Jason Rodriguez said.

The crew of the USS New York gathered Monday aboard the amphibious transport dock as it sat pier-side at Naval Station Norfolk. They joined the nation in commemorating the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and reflected, like the Alan Jackson song, on where they were “when the world stopped turning” 22 years ago.

Rodriguez was a high school junior, attending class about one mile from the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001. He gathered with his peers outside after the first plane struck.

“There it was. The giant building — which I often overlooked and, quite frankly, took for granted as a native New Yorker — now stood before me with a huge hole engulfed in flames and smoke, paper and debris falling from the sky,” Rodriguez said.

While the crowd talked among themselves about what could have happened, Rodriguez said an unsettling silence took hold of the city block as the roar of a jet engine reached their ears.

The time was 9:03 a.m.

“The screams of panic quickly made me realize this was not a movie,” Rodriguez said. “This was happening.”

The students were ushered back into school while chaos unfolded outside. Rodriguez and fellow classmates rushed to the sixth floor of the building where they could see the twin towers. He watched in horror as a victim jumped from the north tower.

“That was the first time in my life I witnessed anybody die in front of me. Even though it was so far away, it felt so close,” Rodriguez said.

Due to the proximity to ground zero, Rodriguez did not attend school for 10 days following the terrorist attacks. In the summer of 2002, his parents moved to the Dominican Republic. They gave Rodriguez the option of going with them or staying in New York with a relative at his request, so he could finish his senior year of high school.

“I chose the latter, which put me on a path to joining the Navy one month later and be here in front of you all today,” Rodriguez.

The USS New York is a tribute to the 2,977 lives lost. Murals painted across the walls remind sailors and Marines of that tragic day. “Never forget,” reads placards, murals and small stickers decorating the walls throughout the ship. The ship was made with 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the ruins of the World Trade Center. The strength of the crew, the motto reads, was forged through sacrifice.

Chaplain Camea Baksh, who serves aboard the USS New York, was a junior sailor in 2001.

“I was first confused. Then, I was angry. And then, I was ready,” Baksh said. “We are here with purpose. We are here to serve. We are here to protect. And we are here to never, ever give up.”

Baksh led the crew in prayer during Monday’s ceremony.

“It is true there exists no greater love than this: the one who lays down his life for his friends, his family, his nation,” Baksh prayed.

Capt. Tony Tricarico, who retired from the fire department of New York’s Squad 252, was invited to speak Monday to the crew of the USS New York. He was a first responder on Sept. 11, 2001.

He said while New York is moving forward, the nation must stand ready.

“Terrorism is there. It will always be there and you never know when it’s going to rear its ugly head again. Stay vigilant, stay strong. We must stand united,” Tricarico said.

The crew of the New York, he said, are among the “sheepdogs” of the world, who take an oath to preserve humanity, no matter the sacrifice.

“Soldiers, sailors, Marines — we are the protectors and the rescuers of the most unfortunate in the worst time of their lives,” Tricarico said. “As sheepdogs, everybody here is willing to lay down their life for complete strangers.”

The USS New York is currently in a maintenance cycle. It is scheduled to deploy from Naval Station Norfolk in 2024.

Capt. Benjamin Oakes, commanding officer of the USS New York, took the helm in 2022. He was serving aboard the USS Ford, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, in 2001. He said his most vivid memories of 9/11 are images of first responders running toward ground zero.

“These first responders, without hesitation, ran into the storm to answer the call and execute their duties — some of them never to be seen alive again, many only to be identified by their DNA,” Oakes said.

That same DNA, he said, is in the crew of the USS New York.

“As we look ahead to our upcoming workups, to getting the ship ready to deploy next year, we need to be ready,” Oakes said. “Just like those first responders on 9/11, we will be trained to run towards the fight to answer the call — whatever that may be.”

“It’s in our DNA, and America and freedom across the globe depends on it,” he said. “Be ready, New York. Never forget.”

Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com