Qld man aboard a US ship can’t visit family due to Covid restrictions
A Queensland man serving on board the USS America jokingly asked to “bum a lift” on an Osprey aircraft so he could visit his mother.
QLD News
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In typical Aussie fashion, Rob Wright asked the American pilot of the MV-22 Osprey if he could “bum a lift” when he heard the aircraft would be landing only 25 minutes away from his mother’s house.
“We landed an MV-22 at (RAAF Base) Amberley (near Ipswich) in support of Exercise Talisman Sabre,” he said.
“I joked I wanted to bum a lift on the MV-22 because Mum is literally only 25 minutes away in Boonah.”
But, because of Queensland’s strict coronavirus restrictions, he was unable to make the flight to visit his 73-year-old mother Penny Wright.
The Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Commander is aboard the USS America, which is off the coast of Queensland for Australia’s largest biennial military training drills with the US, Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21).
Although four foreign navies are participating in the maritime component of TS21, their crews are not permitted to come ashore this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic and Australia’s 14-day quarantine restrictions.
Speaking via satellite phone from the amphibious assault ship, LCDR Wright, 36, said he has been on exchange with the US Navy since January 2020 and was based in Sasebo, Japan.
“The exchange program has been running for many years,” he said.
“It swaps one Australian naval officer for one American naval officer. It allows subject matter expertise to build up on both sides.”
The amphibious operations plans officer is assigned to the US 7th Fleet’s Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11 for the two-year exchange.
“I look about eight days ahead of what the ship is doing and try to work out the details of what the USS America, USS New Orleans and USS Germantown are collectively going to do in support of whatever mission is assigned,” he said.
“I probably haven’t been outside for the past four weeks. I work inside an office with no windows and go from meeting to meeting.
“It’s a glamorous job,” he joked.
LCDR Wright grew up in Boonah and graduated from Ipswich Grammar School.
He decided to join the navy straight out of high school, following in the footsteps of his late father, John, and one of his two brothers, Ian, 40.
He said his mother was understanding about him coming all the way to Queensland on the ship but not being able to come ashore thanks to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
“Mum’s very understanding. My dad was in the navy on submarines, Ian was also previously in the navy and my other brother (Andrew, 39), lives in the UK,” he said.
“Mum also grew up in Scotland during what would have been the tuberculosis epidemic … so when (COVID-19) all happened we chatted about it and she was kind of going with ‘it’s completely understandable’ with all the restrictions.”
Besides seeing family and friends, LCDR Wright said he missed the chance to have a meat pie and some other Aussie tucker.
“One of the things I miss most about not pulling into Brisbane is the ability to find a pub nearby and enjoy a solid good pub meal and a drink,” he said.
Since joining the RAN in 2003, LCDR Wright’s seagoing career has mostly focused on Indo-Pacific operations.
He has served on the HMAS Ardent Three, Assail Five, Arunta, Ballarat, Parramatta and the HMAS Canberra in various roles.
The US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey landed at the Royal Australian Air Force Base in Amberley, outside of Ipswich, on July 21 as part of TS21.
The multi-engine, dual-piloted tilt-rotor aircraft can take off and land vertically and is designed for combat and amphibious assault transport of troops, equipment and supplies from ships and land bases.
An Osprey also took part in a night insertion exercise in Townsville on July 23.
LCDR Wright said he has been involved with seven of the nine Talisman Sabres and has watched the large exercise change over time.
“My first Talisman Sabre, it was only America and Australia, whereas, now we have invited Japan and the Koreans,” he said.
“This is the first Talisman Sabre the Koreans have been invited to as a participant.
“This, I think, is the biggest change – it shows how much more focused Talisman Sabre is on integrating lots of different allies and partners, not just the Australia and US relationship.”
He said while TS21’s main purpose was to continue to strengthen the bilateral bonds with the US, it also now aimed to support wider bonds between multiple different partner-nations in the Indo pacific.
Mrs Wright told the Courier Mail she felt bad for those not being allowed to disembark the ships this year.
“It must be very frustrating for them. I haven’t seen Robert since November 2019 if not longer than that,” she said.
“I think it would be hard for them to be stuck on a tin can for months working really, really hard – and they don’t do ordinary office hours.
“They really need the onshore release and they’re not getting that. You could probably relate it to being in lockdown but its lockdown for months not weeks.”
Mrs Wright said she appreciated the bilateral military training opportunities.
“I think co-operation and working together is extremely important for our defence forces,” she said.
“We get ideas, different viewpoints and I really think it’s very, very important.”
TS21 comprises land, air and maritime components and involves 17,000 Australian and foreign servicemen and women, with the aim of the training being to strengthen Australia’s alliance with the US.
The number of participants was reduced from the 34,000 involved in TS19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also now includes personnel from New Zealand, Canada, the UK, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
LCDR Wright said he has introduced many of the US sailors and marines on board to his Australian sense of humour.
“I have a dry sense of humour which has been known to go over other people’s heads,” he said.
“But they’ve come to appreciate a good two thirds of what I say is tongue in cheek.
“We’ve managed to convince one of the officers on board that drop bears are, in fact, real and he’s very concerned about it,” he chuckled.
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