March 31, 2003
Sailor tells of surreal experience By NORA K. WALLACE Seaman Apprentice Jonathan Morgantini knows it's time for him to do the job he was trained to do. Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, the 20-year-old sailor has sent a few e-mails home to his parents, Kerry and Rich Morgantini of Santa Ynez, talking about very normal things -- food, sleep, work -- despite being in a war zone. But he is also an operations specialist with a high security clearance, and is working in the combat directions center of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. He has been at sea with more than 5,000 other sailors since July of last year. His ship is now alongside other carriers, the Kitty Hawk and the Constellation, in the Persian Gulf. His association with the warship started in Santa Barbara, after the Lincoln anchored in the city's harbor in 1999 and 2000. Thousands of people lined up for tours of the massive carrier, but the Morgantini family couldn't get aboard. "We tried desperately to get on," said Rich Morgantini, who previously worked for the Farm Bureau, and is now the county's economic development program assistant. His son, he said, vowed someday to get aboard. Now, Seaman Apprentice Morgantini e-mails his parents periodically about military life, and the war. "It's really sunk in now," said the sailor, who has three siblings. "It's time for me to do the job I was trained to do. It's very surreal, but I am OK." In another message, he assured his parents, "I'm in no danger, fear not. Life is exciting and not boring. The war will be over soon, pretty fast I hope, so I should be home." His parents are frank about their hopes for their oldest son -- they would have preferred he'd done something other than joining the military, such as going to college. But now that he's been in the Navy for two years, they back him wholeheartedly. "We support our troops," said Mr. Morgantini, who served in the Coast Guard Reserves for 23 years. "Somebody has to do it. There's a lot of support around. I know several other parents of military kids. We keep the family members updated." One recent day, Mr. Morgantini heard that one of Jonathan's friends had dedicated a song to him on KRAZ-FM, a Santa Ynez radio station. Now the station has Jon's picture on its Web site, and is encouraging other families to post photos as well. People have also added the young man's name to prayer circles. "With that much power and support, there's that extra level
of protection for him," Mr. Morgantini said. "We feel
he's pretty safe. It's probably one of the safest places he could
be. We worry. You worry anytime any of your kids are away from home
in a strange place." |
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