Chant keynote speaker at Veterans Day ceremony

Jeffrey Chant enlisted in the Navy in August 1989 and after graduating boot camp, he received training for Aviation Ordnance for A-6 Intruders in Tennessee and Virginia Beach. He was assigned to Attack Squadron VA-75. On Aug. 10, 1990, his unit received orders to report to the USS John F. Kennedy CV67, in four days Chant's squadron was part of Operation Desert Shield and sailed to the Middle East. While enroute the battle group spent 24 hours a day training and preparing for potential war, as well as imposing the United Nations Embargo against Iraq. They joined the Red Sea Battle Group as constant battle training went on. Special attention was paid to proper procedure in case of a biological or chemical attack by Iraq.

On Jan. 16, 1991, the Commander of the Red Sea Battle Force RADM. Riley Mixson announced his congratulations for being able to carry out President Bush's orders and that we will begin with the first strike on Iraq. Everyone responded by high fives, however, after a few minutes the mood became somber.

His group had to move massive amounts of ordnance to assemble and secure to the Intruders for the First Strike. Several parts of the ship became "bomb farms". The first strike was for the Iraqi airports, tarmacs, interstates, bridges, military facilities and military factories. Attack Squadron VA-75 flew over 500 combat sorties in the first 40 days of the war, dropping more than 800 tons of ordnance day and night on the carious targets, which included Iraqi troop emplacements. When the ground war started the air strikes continued, until the cease fire was called by Iraq on Feb. 28, 1991. Chant's Squadron VA-75 returned back to Norfolk Naval Station on March 28, 1991 where there were over 50,000 people singing patriotic songs and cheering. At the time it was the largest homecoming crowd in Norfolk Naval Station history to greet us.

He received several combat citations and medals.

In 1992, he participated in air support of the No FLY ZONE over Iraq, and participated in air support in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of what was then "former Yugoslavia." He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1993 and is now a police sergeant with the East Windsor Police Department. He resides in Berlin with my wife Jennifer and three sons Brian, Kyle and Evan.