By Stephanie Fox, Navy Office of Community Outreach
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – On Sept. 11, 2001 Capt. J.W. David “Dave” Kurtz was just six years into his naval career. Twenty years later, Kurtz now serves as the captain of USS Somerset, named for Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The ship honors the United Airline Flight 93 passengers and crew who prevented the plane from reaching its presumed destination of the White House. The hijacked jet crashed near Shanksville in Somerset County instead.
Last week, 43 crewmembers of USS Somerset traveled to Somerset County, to attend the 20th Anniversary of Sept. 11 at the Flight 93 Memorial Park. As USS Somerset’s captain, Kurtz spoke at the observance and was selected to give a keynote speech at Somerset Country Club Sept. 10, 2021 in honor of the 40 passengers and crew who died.
“I am overwhelmed and humbled by the honor,” said Kurtz. “To come to this point in my career, being asked by the Navy to command a ship at sea, is something I wouldn’t have imagined when I started. Now, to be in command of a ship that means so much to so many elevates that honor. I’m just a sailor who likes to lead sailors. I am incredibly lucky to be representing the crew.”
Kurtz’s speech highlighted the bravery of the Flight 93 passengers.
“Courage through adversity,” Kurtz began, quoting the English translation of USS Somerset’s motto: virtus per adversa. “A motto rooted in heroic action twenty years ago in the skies above us, means a lot to our crew. The story of Flight 93 is one of 40 people brought together by circumstance, most of whom knew no one onboard, banding together in a time of crisis. I can think of no greater act of service, no higher calling, than prioritizing the lives of others when one’s very existence is at stake. Defying comprehension, these unsuspecting people, suddenly thrust into an extraordinary situation, acted with complete selflessness.”
Flight 93’s passengers embodied the strength and determination of the people of the United States: to recover, rally, and take the fight to the enemy. USS Somerset upholds those same virtues of service, sacrifice and selflessness, which have always been the source of America’s strength, and were personified by the passengers aboard Flight 93.
While the Nation comes together each year to commemorate these passengers, the 435 sailors and Marines serving aboard USS Somerset are reminded of their heroism every single day.
Over the weeks following the Flight 93 crash, recovery personnel retrieved more than 95 percent of the airplane's wreckage. Every deck of the ship contains mementos of Flight 93, including a dedicated passageway leading to the memorial room, which bears the names of the passengers.
According to Navy officials, it is important that we never forget the unprovoked attacks that took the lives of Flight 93 mothers, fathers, daughters and sons. As a new generation of sailors join the Navy, it’s more important than ever to remember the heroes and their families whose lives were changed that day.
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| Photo courtesy of National Park Service, Brenda Torrey |
“In recent years many sailors reporting aboard [USS Somerset] were not yet in kindergarten, or even born, on that day the world stood still in Sept. 2001,” Kurtz said.
This fact alone drives the Department of Defense’s theme for this year’s anniversary: Educate and Remember.
“We must recount to a fresh group of faces the story of our ship’s namesake,” continued Kurtz. “We need to honor the memories of those we lost that day, celebrate the heroism of that day, and remind sailors why we play the away game on deployment; we work to keep these threats away from our country and families.”
That’s what USS Somerset is all about. A San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, USS Somerset is the fifth ship of the United States Navy of that name. These ships combine 21st century amphibious shipbuilding and warfighting technologies to support current and future Marine Corps aircraft and landing craft, and are capable of taking nearly 1,200 sailors and Marines into harm’s way.
Kurtz is a native of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Coatesville Area Senior High in 1992. After watching the movie Top Gun while in junior high, Kurtz knew he wanted to pursue a Navy career. That dream came to fruition after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in mathematics in 1996. After 26 years of service, Kurtz is most proud mentoring junior sailors and helping them become the best they can be.
As Kurtz and other sailors continue to train and perform the missions they are tasked with, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy has given me the opportunity to live my dream of flying jets off of aircraft carriers,” added Kurtz. “It has also given me a new dream: to live by leading great sailors.”
This fact alone drives the Department of Defense’s theme for this year’s anniversary: Educate and Remember.
“We must recount to a fresh group of faces the story of our ship’s namesake,” continued Kurtz. “We need to honor the memories of those we lost that day, celebrate the heroism of that day, and remind sailors why we play the away game on deployment; we work to keep these threats away from our country and families.”
That’s what USS Somerset is all about. A San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, USS Somerset is the fifth ship of the United States Navy of that name. These ships combine 21st century amphibious shipbuilding and warfighting technologies to support current and future Marine Corps aircraft and landing craft, and are capable of taking nearly 1,200 sailors and Marines into harm’s way.
Kurtz is a native of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Coatesville Area Senior High in 1992. After watching the movie Top Gun while in junior high, Kurtz knew he wanted to pursue a Navy career. That dream came to fruition after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in mathematics in 1996. After 26 years of service, Kurtz is most proud mentoring junior sailors and helping them become the best they can be.
As Kurtz and other sailors continue to train and perform the missions they are tasked with, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy has given me the opportunity to live my dream of flying jets off of aircraft carriers,” added Kurtz. “It has also given me a new dream: to live by leading great sailors.”