Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- After a shortened, jam-packed 4 1/2-month predeployment cycle, the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) set sail from the San Diego Naval Station Saturday in support of the war on terrorism.

The approximately 2,200 Marines and sailors onboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, Ogden and Pearl Harbor got a star-studded send-off Friday from the Commandant and the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps and a handful of celebrities.

"Every once in a while in our lives, you get a chance to make a difference," Gen. James L. Jones told Marines on the Bonhomme Richard. "Sometimes you get an opportunity to do something on a major scale."

Gerald McRaney, who starred in the ABC sitcom "Major Dad," said, "The world has been infected with a virus called terrorism, and the cure for that virus is the United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy."

Other celebrities visiting 13th MEU Marines and sailors -- though most stars were from their parents' era -- included Connie Stevens, Barbi Benton, James Hyde, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. McCoo and Davis sang "You Don't Have to be a Star" to the departing service members.

Before arriving in the Arabian Sea, where the 13th MEU will be poised to join or relieve the 15th MEU on the ground in southern Afghanistan, the Marines and sailors will stop in Hawaii, where the crew and Marines of the USS Pearl Harbor are scheduled to take place in the 60th anniversary ceremony of the attack on Pearl Harbor Friday on the island of Oahu. Meanwhile, those aboard the Ogden and Bonhomme Richard will face the chilly temperatures and high elevation of the "big island" for four days of sustainment training.

The unit previously was scheduled to leave on a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf regions in mid-January, but was called on to deploy a month and a half early in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and subsequent military operations in Afghanistan, "The Fighting 13th" has bumped up and beefed up its special operations training.

Although the schedule was moved up, the I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton ensured the 13th MEU met all qualifications of a special-operations-capable MEU. The MEU completed more than a dozen maritime special purpose ship-to-shore missions during its SOCEX, and an additional long-range helicopter raid and a Vessel Board, Search and Seizure exercise in November.

The MEU earned the SOC title Nov. 20 and began packing and planning to embark aboard the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group. Aboard ships, leathernecks work alongside sailors of the Amphibious Squadron Three.

The busy schedule before departure left little time for Marines and sailors to spend with family members. Leaving family to serve the country in a time of need made for a difficult yet meaningful deployment.

Maj. Alex G. Hetherington, the Aviation Combat Element's safety officer and an AH-1W Super Cobra pilot, said goodbye to his wife of five years, Karen; a 20-month old daughter, Sarah; and four-month-old triplets, Matt, Will and Tom.

"It makes (leaving) easier in the sense that there is a purpose," said Hetherington, who is on his fourth six-month deployment. "You're helping the country achieve something it has to do. It's worth the discomfort of being separated from family."

But the sense of purpose doesn't erase families' anxiety about their loved ones going off to war, acknowledged Col. Christopher J. Gunther, commander of the 13th MEU.

"I don't think it was easier to depart in these circumstances," he said. "Anytime you go into an uncertain circumstance, it's not easy. But there is a sense of purpose now.

"I think the important thing for everyone to think about is the job at hand and not the return date," Gunther added. "You have to take it one day at a time."