Pililaau loads 25th ID, hosts family in Hawaii

By Larry “E” Crutchfield

Large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Pililaau sits moored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, before departing for the Middle East with cargo for the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division. When Pililaau departed on Dec. 18, she embarked on her fifth voyage to the region in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Larry “E” Crutchfield photos

Military Sealift Command large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Pililaau was on a mission when she sailed into Pearl Harbor. Her orders were to pick up war-fighting equipment for the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division and deliver it to the Middle East.

Since her activation from reduced operating status last December, Pililaau, normally layberthed in Louisiana, has made four trips into the Persian Gulf region. She was pierside in Kuwait when the war with Iraq began. Her crewmembers donned chemical/biological protective gear as incoming enemy missiles hit nearby. In her own right, USNS Pililaau is a warrior.

On this voyage though, the ship's crew, led by Capt. Frank Reed, Pililaau's master, had an additional mission to fulfill.

USNS Pililaau was named for Pvt. Herbert K. Pililaau, USA, a soldier who volunteered to cover the withdrawal of his platoon at the infamous battle at Heartbreak Ridge during the Korean War.

Pililaau, a quiet young man who wanted to be a police officer, fought until his ammunition was exhausted, threw all his grenades, pulled his bayonet and continued to fight oncoming enemy soldiers hand-to-hand, killing more than 40 of them before he was finally overwhelmed and killed. Pililaau was a native of Wai'anae, a town on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

Capt. Frank Reed, master of USNS Pililaau, presents members of the Pililaau family with the U.S. flag that flew over the ship as she arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

According to Lt. Cmdr. Carla Vivar, Commander, Military Sealift Command Office Pearl Harbor, "This was USNS Pililaau's first visit to Hawaii since her christening. Many of Pvt. Pililaau's family members were not able to attend the christening ceremony and had not seen the ship. The crew wanted to give them a special private tour."

On Dec 10, more than 30 members of Pvt. Pililaau's family toured the LMSR and were treated to lunch by the ship's crew. Capt. Reed greeted the group of family members and led them as they drove aboard the ship for a tour of the massive cargo storage areas. When they reached the main deck, the group parked their cars and continued on a walking tour of the bridge and engine room before sitting down to lunch in the ship's mess.

"I had no idea the ship was so large . . . we thought maybe a little ship, but this . . . Wow! It's such an honor for our family. Thank you," said Abigail Chase, one of Pvt. Pililaau's nieces.

A row of shrink-wrapped OH-51D Kiowa Warrior helicopters sits on a pier prior to being loaded aboard Pililaau.

During the tour, Capt. Reed also presented the family with the U.S. flag the ship flew as she arrived in Pearl Harbor.

"It was wonderful having the Pililaau family aboard. There is a special bond a mariner has with his ship. It's more than just steel. The ship shelters and protects him from the sea. We take pride in this ship and we wanted Pvt. Pililaau's family to know it. We also wanted them to know the name Pililaau is still proudly answering our nation's call to arms."

On Dec. 18, USNS Pililaau departed the safety of Pearl Harbor loaded with vital 25th Infantry Division combat equipment bound for the Central Command area of responsibility. The ship's departure marked the beginning of a fifth trip to the Middle East for the ship and her crew supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.