By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Three crew members of the World War II-era USS Mason meet the captain of the new destroyer bearing that name, which is being commissioned today. (Associated Press photo) | ZOOM |

MASON - Third-graders at Western Row Elementary are hoping their collection of letters, songs and poems - being delivered to this city's sister ship today - will assure the sailors that this Warren County community is thinking of them.

"I hope this will make them more confident," 9-year-old Juliette Rose said. "It's a lot of responsibility to fight for our country."

A CD of images and writings, as well as a naval ship-shaped banner signed by the entire school, will be presented at the commissioning of the USS Mason today in Port Canaveral, Fla.

This Warren County city is sponsoring the guided missile destroyer, which will be homeported in Norfolk, Va. The ship's logistics chief contacted the city after finding it during an Internet search of "Mason."

"Anything we can do to encourage and support those men and women that we're going to meet, we're going to do," said Councilwoman Charlene Pelfrey, who's attending the commissioning.

Mayor John McCurley and school Superintendent Kevin Bright, also will be at this morning's ceremony.

Sailors from the ship have been invited to November's dedication of the Mason Veterans Memorial.

This is the third ship to bear the name USS Mason, and the Navy says it is named in honor of the first two.

The first, which started service in 1920, was named for a 19th Century secretary of Navy, John Young Mason. It was eventually traded to the British, renamed, and sunk by a U-boat torpedo in World War II.

The second, launched in 1943, was the only Navy ship to carry a predominantly African-American enlisted crew, according to the current USS Mason's Web site, http://www.mason.navy.mil. It was named after Ensign Newton Henry Mason, honored posthumously for his bravery in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

This USS Mason, which was built in Maine, was launched in June 2001. A pencil drawing of the three ships now hangs in the Mason Municipal Center, 6000 Mason-Montgomery Road.

In preparation for today's commissioning, gifted students at Western Row elementary researched the ships; took photos of the school dressed in red, white and blue; and helped organize the banner signing.

"I hope that when they get this, they think that when we do this, we're going to save the lives of a lot of people," said 9-year-old Matt McCann, who sent the message: "You help freedom."

"They're really brave and they're out there trying to help us," he added.

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com