Cover of the Commissioning Ceremony Pamphlet	Scan of a Postcard I got via e-Bay.
	Anzio and sister-ship USS Cape St. George (CG-71)
Port bow underway in Kiel, Germany, during the sailing event Kieler Woche.	USS Anzio underway and HMS Campletown pierside in Kiel, Germany, during the sailing event Kieler Woche.
USS Anzio & USS Cape St. George (CG-71) in Kiel, Germany, during the sailing event Kieler Woche.	Port bow underway in Kiel, Germany, during the sailing event Kieler Woche
Kiel, Germany, during the sailing event Kieler Woche. USS Anzio is in the background, left of the pier. Also pictured: Russian Destroyer Bespokojnyi, right of the pier German Tender A 515 Main inside Minehunter M 1097 Laboe outside	Front and back of Special Cancellation envelopes celebrating the visit of USS Anzio to Anzio, Italy in 1995
Cachet cancelled on CG-68 on 55th anniversary of Battle of Anzio	Cachet cancelled on CG-68 on 55th anniversary of Battle of Anzio

    I'd recently gotten a Commissioning Book for USS Anzio from eBay, but have not as yet scanned it - it's had to go into storage.

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    Columbia Pictures made a movie of the Battle of Anzio starring Peter Falk, Robert Mitchum, Earl Holliman, Mark Damon, and Arthur Kennedy. "A vivid portrait of one of the bloodiest WWII battles ever fought." ISBN 1-55510-369-3

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USS Anzio Crest and Shield Symbolism

    Crest: The anchor, emblematic of ships and the sea, portays hope reflective that the crew can only do its best, while the rest lies in God's hands.  The light blue scroll entwined around the anchor acknowledges the 22 Medal of Honor recipients and the countless unnamed or unrecognized decorations of gallantry and heroism at the Anzio Beachhead.  The words "Honor, Integrity, Heart" found on this blue Medal of Honor ribbon, combine the essence of what is expected and anticipated of every crew member in USS Anzio.  The AEGIS radar's octangular shape characterizes USS Anzio's potent weaponry and her unmatched air, surface and subsurface warfighting technology.  The wings of the eagle in flight recall the first USS Anzio (CVE-57) and also represents the attributes associated with America's emblem; vigilance, preparedness, and courage in the face of the foe.

    Motto:  "Stand and Fight" (the order by Lieutenant General Clark to the Embattled allies at Anzio.)

Transcribed from USS Anzio "Welcome Aboard" pamplet by Patrick Long

    A Public Broadcasting Service film crew representing the NOVA television series came aboard USS Anzio, Captain David Shaw commanding, to evaluate how the U.S. Navy has applied the lessons learned during the Persian Gulf War.  One of the newest AEGIS cruisers, recently returned from operations in the Arabian Gulf and equipped with the revolutionary Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), Anzio was an ideal choice to analyze how the Navy is working with other services to counter future threats.

    In order to gain an understanding of the shipboard environment and the unique challenges it posed to filming, producer Larry Klein and his three man film crew embarked Anzio for a transit down the Elizabeth River as the ship returned from a weekend visit at Norfolk's National Maritime Museum, Nauticus.  While underway, Anzio’s operations officer, LCDR Jeff Tilbury, familiarized the film team with the AEGIS Baseline Four Combat System and scheduled a training scenario to demonstrate the imbedded training capability of the AEGIS system.

    The Arabian Gulf CIC scenario presented to the NOVA crew demonstrated the ability of Aegis cruisers to conduct joint multi-warfare area operations in the dynamic littoral environment.  “Joint warfare,” commented operations Specialist First Class Michael Degarmo, “is where our militaries are going and it is how our technologies will be enhanced and perfected.”  The team was then introduced to the capabilities of the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) and the advantages it brings to joint warfighting.

    The CEC program was of particular interest to the NOVA crew because it is one of the Navy's major new technology initiatives already proven successful in developmental testing by USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Anzio (CG 68), USS Cape St. George (CG 71), USS Kidd (DDG 993) and USS Wasp (LHD-1).  These ships were teamed together with U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps assets to assess the potential to extend battlespace surveillance and engagement capabilities via a common, fire-control quality, tactical picture with force-wide compatible track identification.  Operations Specialist Chief Petty officer Mark Hovis observed that “CEC is a remarkable, first time advancement that is an imperative link with sister services as well as our link to future warfighting technologies.”

    From a battle group and joint task force perspective, CEC optimizes the use of AAW resources, increases track precision, progression, and longevity through synthesized tracking, and reduces vulnerability to environmental and jamming effects.  Further, CEC has been developed for compatibility with Navy and joint Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD) programs.

    A practical demonstration of the advantages CEC brings to joint warfighting in general, and Theater Ballistic Missile Defense in particular, occurred in the All Service Combat Identification and Evaluation Team (ASCIET) exercise conducted in Gulfport, Mississippi in early September 1995.  During this unique test, combat units from every service gathered to evaluate tactics, techniques, and procedures to prevent blue-on-blue (fratricidal) engagements of friendly air forces; one of the greatest concerns emerging from the Gulf War.  It also confirmed the feasibility and desirability of integrating sea, air and land based sensors and weapons into a single net.  Participants included Army Patriot Units, Marine Corps Hawk and Avenger Batteries, and Air Force AWACS and F-15 Eagle squadrons, as well as CVW-3 E-2s and USS Anzio and USS Cape St. George.

    This unprecedented "Convention of Shooters" proved to be the ideal test bed for evaluating multiple data links.  The IKEBATGRU cruisers, recently modified to operate the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS/LINK 16), demonstrated how CEC complements the next generation of tactical data links with fire control quality data tailored to the shooter's needs.  Operations Specialist Chief Petty Officer Matthew Laidley noted that “it is exciting and promising to see Anzio, a first rate naval warship working with other armed forces in the same data link.  It suggests broader and more unlimited future developments.”

    Using the ASCIET observations, RADM Daniel J. Murphy Jr., Commander Eisenhower Battle Group, briefed the NOVA crew on CEC, the advances made during the testing and the promise it holds for addressing the threat posed by tactical ballistic missiles.  The Gulf War clearly demonstrated that regional powers like Iraq have the will and capability to employ ballistic missiles during hostilities, with significant consequences for those nations who are unprepared to cope with this threat.  Naval TBMD, utilizing JTIDS, the existing AEGIS system and the new CEC system can significantly contribute to future joint theatre ballistic defenses.

    Concerning joint warfare, Admiral Murphy commented that the key is interoperability and an integrated architecture that acts as a system enhancer, allowing us to use existing systems to their maximum potential.  He was very specific in pointing out that CEC is replacing nothing but enhancing everything, stating “The netted information from a variety of sensors, ranging from Aegis ships to E-3 AWACS aircraft, (will) provide each platform with the composite picture...  the Marine 2LT sees the same picture at his Tactical Air operations Center (TAOC) (150 miles inland) as the Aegis cruiser or the aircraft at 3O,OOO feet.”

    Continuing tests and improvements to CEC and TBMD fall under the broader, more general heading of Information Management, where Admiral Murphy feels it is most important to place emphasis and finances in coming years.  “Our systems are capable,” he said, “but we can make significant improvements if we tie the systems together.”

    The NOVA segment also provided coverage of other examples of how the services are keeping pace with world wide technological advances.  The program aired 20 February 1998 on PBS.

Armed Forces Service Medal	28-DEC-1994* - 23-JAN-1995 12-FEB-1995  - 13-FEB-1995 24-FEB-1995* - 25-FEB-1995 06-MAR-1995* - 26-MAR-1995 24-JUN-1998* - 30-JUN-1998
Navy "E" Ribbon	01-JAN-1993 - 31-DEC-1993 01-JAN-1993 - 31-DEC-1993 01-JAN-1994 - 31-DEC-1994 01-JAN-1995 - 31-DEC-1995 01-JAN-1996 - 31-DEC-1996 01-JAN-1999 - 31-DEC-1999 01-JAN-1999 - 31-DEC-1999