NORTHPORT
Northport graduate Brian Cepelak returns from tour of duty
By Christopher Koutsis
While the entire country sat back and watched the War On Terror from their living room couches, Northport’s Brian Cepelak, 24, had a chance to see it up close and personal. The 1997 Northport High School graduate recently returned from a tour of duty that sent him to Kuwait during the war against Iraq.
After graduating Northport in 1997, Cepelak went to the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point graduating four years later. From there he was required to serve out an eight-year commitment to the Naval reserves by training two weeks a year and preparing for the worst — war. Soon those practices would become a reality.
After graduation Cepelak landed himself a job as a ship charterer for Morgan Stanley in the commodities floor. As the months passed after 9/11, Cepelak was well aware that his call for duty was going to come at any time. It was on January 24 around 5 p.m. that Cepelak received a call from the US Navy ordering him to report to San Francisco at 1300 hours the following day. So, with less than 12 hours to prepare, Cepelak put his civilian life on hold.
Although the call wasn't a total shock — it was a bit sudden.
"They gave us the heads up informing us that we might be called two weeks prior," said Cepelak. His initial reaction to the call was, "Okay, let’s go!" he said. He wouldn't see his family or friends again until four months after he received the call.
So, on January 25, Cepelak reported to San Francisco and boarded the Admiral Callaghan, a Reserves Operational Status Ship (ROS). They sailed through the Panama Canal to Corpus Christi, Texas where 500 Bradley fighting vehicles, Humvees, and tank removers were brought aboard the 4th Infantry Division Ship. On February 9 they headed for the Mediterranean, a journey that would take a month-and-a-half.
"It's just ocean out there… all ocean," he said, but added that he and his shipmates had plenty to keep themselves busy. As an Ensign in the US Navy, Cepelak's responsibilities on a typical day would entail sending secure communications from the ship as well as receiving Navy classified or unclassified messages. He was also a medical officer in charge of chemical, biological and radiological counter-measures. He was also responsible for preparing the 12-soldier detachment that was on board from the 4th Infantry Division, showing them around and getting them accustomed to the ship. He also instructed them on how to fire arms and target oncoming craft from the ship, which is more difficult than it sounds since both the ship and the target are constantly moving. After his 12-hour shifts, which were often longer, Cepelak used his spare time to work out. "It was the only thing to do," he said.
On April 1, diplomatic relations between the United States and Iraq broke down. Cepelak's ship was sent through the Suez Canal and unloaded in the port city of Ash Shuaybah, 30 miles south of Kuwait City. After Kuwait, Cepelak said the ship spent the next two weeks in the Persian Gulf in case they were needed. It was there that Cepelak got to see the war take on its true form. "You could see cruise missiles going overhead, aircraft carriers doing flight ops… We were in the thick of it," said Cepelak.
During the time he spent in Kuwait, Cepelak said he was thinking about home. He got a lot of letters from family and friends, as well as care packages with candy bars, gum, and sunscreen — although cookies were the highlight.
“On ship we didn't have much to eat," he explained. The crew ate three times a day, but Cepelak described it as food you could "live off of," though it got repetitive after a while. "It was definitely nice to get something different.”
A portion of Cepelak's care packages came from his mother Linda's kindergarten class at Oakwood Primary Center, where she is a teacher. "My class had written to soldiers over the months and we talked a lot about Brian," she said, adding that all the kids were so curious about what was going on.
While en route home from Kuwait, Cepelak's ship stopped in Guam to refuel. It was there they got a word that they may have to go on maneuvers — military exercises at sea — for three days off the coast of California. After that he got his ticket home — completely unannounced.
"I didn't tell anyone that I was coming home… I wanted it to be a surprise," said Cepelak.
The first stop after he arrived home was Churchill's on Fort Salonga Road where he and his brothers — Gaven, 22, and Kevin, 20 — and some friends, went for a burger.
Then, he surprised his mom, Linda.
It was Friday night around 5 p.m. and Linda was expecting to see her husband, who comes home around that time every day. She was completely shocked to see her son walk through the door.
"I looked at him and sarcastically said 'you're not my husband.' It was a great surprise," she said. Because Cepelak was trying to surprise everyone on the same day, Linda was only able to see her son for about half an hour. "After that he was out the door," she said.
Cepelak said that one of the greatest things he saw on his trip was at port, when he saw all the other ships discharging like his was. "Ships that reached six-stories high, 1000 feet in length with thousands of people,” said Cepelak. “It was great.”
Although Linda was ecstatic to see her son safely return home, her happy tears were preceded months earlier by tears of sadness. "There were mixed emotions when he got that call," she said. Although she was proud, she was still weary of the fact that he was heading into harm’s way. "I think it's the unknown… Not hearing from him was the worst. She said that it was difficult hearing on television about where the country stood on the war, while still unable to contact or see her son. "It was very stressful hearing continual news on TV about soldiers being killed, combined with not knowing where he was," said Linda. She fell victim to countless sleepless nights, saying that it never got any easier until his return home.
What Linda did have was the support of Pat Grecco, founder of the organization Long Island Parents of Deployed (www.longislandparentsofdeployed.com), and 20 other families that were going through the same thing. "It was nice to talk to other parents and hear what they were going through… That helped a lot," said Linda.
After Cepelak was settled in at home, he knew that he had a life to return to. "Getting my taxes done was number one," he said. With 10 days off after his return, Cepelak is already looking forward to a planned vacation at the end of the summer. He plans to travel cross-country to San Diego to meet up with friends who have also recently been discharged and, "tear up the coast."
And just how is he expecting to take more time off from work? That shouldn't be a problem considering he hasn't taken a single vacation day since the day he graduated. "I have plenty of time," said Cepelak.
