Sailors send home videotaped bedtime stories

ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT -- Justin Frederick flipped back and forth through a box of children's books until he found the one he liked: "Christmas Cats."

Then the 19-year-old sailor sat in front of a camera in the TV studio aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, put on a serious look, and began reading a Christmas story to his 1-month-old son, Zachary, whom he hasn't met.

"The separation is the hardest thing. I know he's way too young to appreciate this, but maybe he will," said Frederick, of Fort Worth, Texas.

Father after father, a dozen parents lined up in the vessel's tiny press office and picked books to read aloud. The videotapes will be shipped to their families free of charge.

"That way, he at least gets to see me and hear me," Frederick said.

Although only fathers showed up early Saturday for the once-a-week recording session, mothers have participated, too. Of the 5,500 crew members aboard the carrier, there are about 740 women.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Christine DeZwaan, 37, from South Haven, Mich., is one of the regulars.

"I miss them too much," she said of her three daughters, age 9 to 13.

Most crew members are keeping in touch with loved ones through e-mail or the telephone, using $20 phone cards to make the long-distance calls. But the Internet connection is sporadic, and the line to use the phone is often long.

Regular mail also reaches the carrier. The USS Detroit resupplied the Roosevelt on Saturday with bombs, jet fuel and 15 tons of mail that had been piling up in Bahrain. The mail and supplies were delivered by SH-60 Sea Hawk transport helicopters that shuttled between the ships.

In the video session, Wendell Stephen, 38, of Philadelphia, read "The Lion King" to his sons, 7-month-old Deion and 4-year-old Wendell II.

"They don't want me to be out here. But my wife understands," Stephen said.

During his last time at sea, six years ago, there was no e-mail aboard the Navy ships, Stephen said. Sending a letter to his wife, Jeanette, could take three weeks.

For Frederick, making a video to send home provides an important connection to his young family. He was in the Roosevelt's home port in Norfolk, Va., when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks hit the United States, and he could not fly out to say goodbye to his pregnant wife, Rachel, 22.

The ship left Sept. 19, and Rachel had the baby Oct. 15. The only pictures he has of his son are the ones Rachel e-mailed.

"It's hard for me to imagine how big he is," Frederick said.