Latest news with #MontelWilliams
New York Post
26-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Montel Williams recalls when the famous USS Intrepid lost steering, went ‘careening through a battle group' and had to be sailed home
From the tragedy earlier this month when a Mexican Navy ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge to the German battleship Bismarck having its rudder damaged and eventually sinking after being attacked by the British in 1941, one of the most treacherous issues a military vessel can face is losing its maneuverability. 'This is something that sends fear in the hearts and minds of any sailor,' Montel Williams told The Post. A 22-year veteran of the US Navy and Marines, the Emmy-winning television personality is no stranger to maritime disaster. Advertisement 9 A new book by Montel Williams and David Fisher looks at a little known chapter in the history of the USS Intrepid. In 1981, he was deployed as a special duty intelligence officer on the USS Kitty Hawk in the Indian Ocean when two fighter jets collided on the flight deck. A sailor was killed and an F-14 went overboard in one of the worst peacetime accidents for the time. 'It was devastating,' Williams said. Advertisement The experience helped inform his captivating new book, 'The Sailing of the Intrepid: The Incredible Wartime Voyage of the Navy's Iconic Aircraft Carrier,' co-written with David Fisher. It details a little known chapter in the long, storied history of the USS Intrepid, which launched planes during World War II, recovered NASA space capsules in the 1960s and now hosts over a million visitors each year at NYC's Pier 86. In 1944, on its maiden combat voyage, the ship was badly damaged in a Japanese torpedo strike. Eleven men died and the ship's rudder was jammed, sending it careening through what was, at that point, the largest battle group ever staged. 'It was like a ball inside of a pinball machine,' Williams said. 'It almost hit the USS Essex.' The quick-thinking captain and crew came together to hastily assemble a 3,000-square-foot sail to help maneuver the Intrepid 3,300 miles home to Pearl Harbor for repair. Advertisement 9 Williams spent more than two decades in the Navy and Marines. Courtesy of Montel Williams 'This most modern ship [for the time] had to resort to the fundamentals of seafaring,' Williams said. 'There was this incredible spirit of ingenuity … Instead of saying, 'there's nothing we can do, let's abandon ship,' they said 'We're gonna save this ship.'' Here, he shares an excerpt. 9 The Intrepid was commissioned in August 1943. Collection of the Intrepid Museum. Advertisement Initially, much of the crew thought it was a bad joke. They were all concerned about the jammed rudder, but they were confident their officers would figure out some solution. Something technological, the kind of stuff the brass had been taught at Annapolis that was above their pay grade. As much as possible, they just went about doing their jobs. So when they heard a rumor that the captain wanted them to make a sail, they didn't believe it. 'What does he think we're going to do, sail this ship back to Pearl [Harbor]?' Another rumor claimed that the radar shack had been warned to keep a lookout for pirate ships appearing on the horizon. Slowly, the word spread that this sailmaking wasn't a joke. The captain actually intended to raise a sail and steer the ship home with it. Most of the crew didn't understand the concept; they visualized Errol Flynn's popular 'Captain Blood,' in which the ship was propelled by numerous white sails billowing in the wind. It was impossible to imagine Intrepid flying those big sails. 9 In 1944, on its maiden combat voyage, the ship was badly damaged in a Japanese torpedo strike. National Archives It created serious anxiety. It didn't make a lot of sense. When they had moved the planes forward and flooded the stern, they sort of understood the reason: redistributing the weight changed the profile of the ship in the water. It made it lower, diminishing the impact of the wind. The captain knew what he was doing. But a sail? Until that moment, few of them had realized the situation was desperate enough to require a crazy solution. The fact they had to resort to something as wild as this … this … they didn't know how to describe it, but it meant that they had run out of proven solutions. The news shook up a lot of people. Everybody on board knew the story of Bismarck, how its jammed rudder had led directly to the British sinking her. Somewhere, deep in their minds, they identified with Bismarck's crew. They would do whatever it took to avoid that fate. Advertisement 9 Eleven men were killed, and the ship's rudder was jammed, sending it careening through the battle group. National Archives, courtesy ResearcherAtLarge *** The crew created an assembly line. Pickers handed sheets of canvas to the cutters, who gave them to the feeders — two men facing each other across the worktable — who fed them to Petty Officer Gordon Keith. Dozens of individual sheets of canvas had to be sewed together to form strips several feet wide and almost 30 feet long. Then those strips would be sewed together lengthwise, sort of like sewing the stripes in an American flag. The shop had not been designed to make anything near this size, so they had to figure it out and make the necessary adjustments as the work progressed. For example, two men sat cross-legged under the table to hold up the folded cloth and keep it moving so Keith could continue sewing. Two other sailors, the pullers, stood on the other side of the machine, pulling the now bound pieces until they were free of the table and letting the cloth fold naturally into a pile. The rhythmic pounding of the machine briefly lulled Keith into the warmth of nostalgia. While his industrial machine made a deeper, more defined thumping sound than the faster, lighter pat-pat-patter of his mother's home model, for a few brief seconds, it brought him back to those late afternoons when he sat under the vibrating wooden sewing table while his mother made necessary repairs and alterations. Advertisement They worked through the night. The shop grew hot and uncomfortable. The fans helped a bit, but more people were crammed into the compartment than had ever been intended. Several men had taken off their shirts, and beads of sweat rolled down their backs. The sewing wasn't difficult. Singer made a quality machine. 9 Captain Sprague was determined to find a way to save the ship. Collection of the Intrepid Museum. 1943-1945 USS Intrepid Cruise Book. There was little conversation in the workshop beyond 'Do you really think this thing is going to work?' That was the question for which there was no answer. Keith was noncommittal. 'Well, the Captain thinks so and he knows a lot more about this stuff than I do. Let's just get it done, then we'll see.' 'Tell you one thing,' one of the cutters said. 'This is gonna make a helluva story one day.' He added with typical doomsday humor, 'Assuming we make it, that is.' Advertisement **** The sail slowly took shape, although no one in Keith's crew could accurately describe its shape: sort of like a rectangle but not exactly. Or, think of a big square, then forget that because it definitely was not square. They finished just as the sun was rising. No one knew precisely how big it was, but in his official reports, First Captain Thomas Sprague reported it was 3,000 square feet. That was a guess. It was far too large to spread out in the compartment to measure. They couldn't even estimate how much it weighed. Maybe 400 pounds? 500? It easily could have been more. But it was big, bulky, and heavy. 9 A hastily rigged sail helped maneuver the boat to Pearl Harbor for repair. Collection of the Intrepid Museum. Advertisement There was a brief discussion about naming it; there was a Navy tradition of assigning nicknames to equipment. The inflatable life vest, for example, was widely known as a Mae West in tribute to that movie star's legendary figure. A couple of Keith's crew suggested the sail be referred to as the Rita to honor pinup star Rita Hayworth's impressive measurements. But beyond a few salacious snickers, it just didn't catch on. It was 'the sail,' 'the thing,' or on occasion, 'Sprague's sail.' Getting it to the fo'c'sle through the narrow passageways, numerous hatches, and up ladders proved to be considerably more of a challenge than anyone had anticipated. As tired as they were, each of them hoisted a section and began carrying it through the ship. They had to carry it, push it, drag it, pull it. All along the route, men popped out of compartments to get a look at it or give some assistance. Frank Johnson later compared it to the Chinese New Year parade he had seen in San Francisco, in which dozens of men inside a dragon costume weaved through the narrow streets of Chinatown. 9 'This most modern ship [for the time] had to resort to the fundamentals of seafaring,' Williams said. 'There was this incredible spirit of ingenuity … Instead of saying, 'there's nothing we can do, let's abandon ship,' they said 'We're gonna save this ship.'' U.S. Navy/ Public Domain A swarm of carpenters was already at work when they finally got there. Montfort had solved the issue of the open space on the starboard side in typical ConEd fashion: if you can't fix it, board it up. He wouldn't even estimate how many doors and windows in aging buildings he had ordered sealed until potentially dangerous violations could be corrected. The same solution would work in this relatively small space. Board it up. Put up a wind barrier. Carpenters were busy erecting a wooden wall; three lengths of timber stretched horizontally across the opening were holding plywood sheets in place. Sprague and Commander Richard K. Gaines were waiting in the forecastle with more men to hang it, most of them wearing foul weather gear. None of them had had any idea what the finished sail would look like, but they were disappointed. 'That's it?' one of them said. 'Wow.' 9 Today, more than a million people visit the Intrepid at NYC's Pier 86 each year. Chad Rachman/New York Post They looked to Sprague for guidance. He was doing his best to convey confidence, but the reality of the pile of canvas in front of him made that difficult. 'Great job, men,' he told Keith's crew with as much enthusiasm as he could generate, then went down the line, shaking each man's hand. Finally, he turned to his crew and said the historic words he had never heard said in his career: 'Okay, men. Let's hoist the sail.' Adapted from The Sailing of the Intrepid by Montel Williams and David Fisher. Copyright © 2025 by Montel Williams and David Fisher. Published by arrangement with Hanover Square Press, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Surprising fix brought crippled aircraft carrier home during WW2
(NewsNation) — Memorial Day is a time to pause and remember the U.S. service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. A new book about World War II, 'The Sailing of the Intrepid: The Incredible Wartime Voyage of the Navy's Iconic Aircraft Carrier,' also recognizes enlisted personnel who defied the odds through determination and resourcefulness. The USS Intrepid is today a museum ship docked on the Hudson River in New York. But before it became a tourist attraction, the aircraft carrier known as 'The Fighting I' was a hard-working member of the Pacific Fleet. 100-year-old Navy vet keeps World War II spirit alive In February 1944, a deadly torpedo strike jammed the ship's rudder so that the vessel could only move in circles, more than 3,000 miles from its Pearl Harbor base. 'The Sailing of the Intrepid' tells the story of problem-solving under desperate conditions. 'We're living in a nation that's so divided,' co-author Montel Williams told 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' on Friday, the start of Memorial Day weekend. 'Think about 3,000 young men from all over the country who came together to realize, 'We are not going to let this thing fall into the hands of an enemy.'' Surviving crew members scrambled to find canvas aboard the ship and created a massive sail that was affixed to the ship's front. 'Not to actually be the propulsion,' Williams explained, 'but to actually counterbalance the effects of the wind and the currents, to allow it to sail straight 3,300 miles back to Hawaii.' He said the Intrepid was repaired and redeployed and suffered additional attacks from the Japanese in the Pacific Theater. The aircraft carrier was decommissioned in 1974 and set to be scrapped. Instead, it was privately purchased and turned into a museum. Williams, a former television host who served in the Navy and Marines, collaborated with author David Fisher to write the ship's story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paramount VetNet Coffee With Vets: Maurice P. Kerry of CBS' Beyond The Gates
NORTHAMPTON, MA / / May 16, 2025 / Join the Paramount Veterans Network for an inspiring, monthly podcast-style panel discussion and interview that brings together military veterans, families, and advocates for powerful conversations and stories. Each episode dives into the rich backgrounds and experiences of our guests-whether they're veterans, veteran service organizations, or military-themed creators. From behind-the-scenes insights into your favorite military-themed shows, to personal stories of resilience and camaraderie, this is your front-row seat to engaging with the military community in an impactful way. Grab your coffee (or tea) and connect with those who've served and those who support them. The Paramount Veterans Network hosted another engaging session featuring guest host, Montel Williams, Marine Corps/Navy Veteran, tv host, producer, author speaking to special guest, CBS' Beyond The Gates' Maurice P. Kerry, Marine Corps Veteran and actor. In this episode, Maurice opened up about overcoming PTSD, homelessness, and personal loss as well as transforming pain into purpose. His journey from combat boots to call sheets is a testament to grit, growth, and never giving up. Maurice also chatted recently with Paramount VetNet's Betty Diaz during a powerful fireside chat hosted by OppZo, a mission-driven FinTech company who provides fair and affordable working capital to SMB Government Contractors. The event entitled "From the Battlefield to the Big Screen.", featured a night of purpose-driven storytelling, resilience, and reinvention by Maurice's journey. View the full story here! View other Paramount VetNet Coffee Chats here! View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Paramount on Contact Info:Spokesperson: ParamountWebsite: info@ SOURCE: Paramount View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Montel Williams gets candid about MS, chronic pain and opioid abuse after blunt warning from doctor
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Television host Montel Williams is speaking out about the life-altering moment he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and the painful journey that followed. In a candid conversation with Sean Hannity on Fox Nation, Williams recalled the blunt warning he received from his doctor in 1999. "He looked me in the face in his office and said, 'You know the type of MS you're in, when it hits people of your race, it normally is really very debilitating,'" said Williams, who hosted "The Montel Williams Show" from 1991 to 2008. "He said you're probably going to be in a wheelchair in five years, so you need to, like, get your sh** together.'" Williams was stunned. At the time, many experts believed MS primarily affected White individuals of European descent. "I didn't think I could get MS," he admitted. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society now acknowledges that MS does impact members of the Black community, and that they may face more aggressive progression of the disease. Read On The Fox News App Montel Williams Says He's 'Lucky To Be Alive' After Suffering From A Sudden Stroke BURBANK, CALIFORNIA: In this image released on November 8, Montel Williams poses for a portrait during the 27th Annual FAMILY FILM AND TV AWARDS airing November 9th, exclusively on the CBS Television Network and available for live and on-demand streaming via Paramount+ in Burbank, California. After stepping off a plane and experiencing intense pain in his feet and legs, a specialist confirmed the diagnosis. "It was like you took a fire poker, shoved it right up to my heel, into my shins, and it was there 24 hours a day," he recalled. In hindsight, he now believes there were earlier symptoms he missed, dating back to his time around when he graduated from the Naval Academy over a decade before. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, impacting the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. There is currently no cure for MS, although there are treatments to help sufferers mitigate their pain. Shortly after his diagnosis, doctors advised Williams to slow down and step away from his demanding television career. "When I got off the plane, my friend, who was a doctor, sent me to another doctor. And that doctor told my ex-wife, 'your husband's got MS.'" "He said, 'yeah, I think you need to stop doing this heavy [activity],'" he said. "'All these things are too stressful for you. And stop the weight-lifting, but you need to stop your show because there's too much anxiety and that, it's probably stressing you out too much.'" Common Vitamin Shown To Reduce Autoimmune Disease Instead of pulling back, Williams continued pushing forward. But as his pain worsened, he began relying heavily on prescription opioids. He admitted that he used his celebrity status to score the various pills he was taking. "I was on Vicodin, I took… Percocets, Vicocets. Any one of the sets I took." Williams said his pill use spiraled out of control for nearly two years. For about six months during that time, he considered himself addicted. "It was about a six-month period of time where I know I was addicted because I wouldn't walk out the door without throwing four of them in my mouth at the beginning of the day, another four about two hours later, another four about two hours later," he told Hannity. At one point, he said he was even using a morphine drip. It wasn't until a doctor intervened that he began to break the cycle. "The more I took, the less they worked and that's something that we know for a fact. Science knows that these opioids were never created for long-term use." Selma Blair Says She's 'Truly Relapse-free' After 7-Year Battle With Ms After finally stepping away from opioids, Williams sought healthier ways to manage his condition. He credits a vegan diet with helping to reduce inflammation and says CBD has also played a role in relieving pain. But perhaps the most important change came from within. Click Here To Join Fox Nation "I went on a vegan, vegetarian diet for about five years. I didn't do anything but liquid food. The biggest nemesis of MS is inflammation, so I wanted to reduce the inflammation. Once I learned how to reduce inflammation, that started mitigating a little bit of pain," he explained. "Then I started learning some things of how to literally psychologically grab it, put it in a box, stick it away. As long as I keep it in that box," he claims, he's better able to cope. Getting emotional, he added: "While we have to talk about it, it comes back." The full interview between Sean Hannity and Montel Williams is now available to stream on Fox Nation. Original article source: Montel Williams gets candid about MS, chronic pain and opioid abuse after blunt warning from doctor
Fox News
06-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Montel Williams gets candid about MS, chronic pain and opioid abuse after blunt warning from doctor
Television host Montel Williams is speaking out about the life-altering moment he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and the painful journey that followed. In a candid conversation with Sean Hannity on Fox Nation, Williams recalled the blunt warning he received from his doctor in 1999. "He looked me in the face in his office and said, 'You know the type of MS you're in, when it hits people of your race, it normally is really very debilitating,'" said Williams, who hosted "The Montel Williams Show" from 1991 to 2008. "He said you're probably going to be in a wheelchair in five years, so you need to, like, get your sh** together.'" Williams was stunned. At the time, many experts believed MS primarily affected White individuals of European descent. "I didn't think I could get MS," he admitted. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society now acknowledges that MS does impact members of the Black community, and that they may face more aggressive progression of the disease. MONTEL WILLIAMS SAYS HE'S 'LUCKY TO BE ALIVE' AFTER SUFFERING FROM A SUDDEN STROKE After stepping off a plane and experiencing intense pain in his feet and legs, a specialist confirmed the diagnosis. "It was like you took a fire poker, shoved it right up to my heel, into my shins, and it was there 24 hours a day," he recalled. In hindsight, he now believes there were earlier symptoms he missed, dating back to his time around when he graduated from the Naval Academy over a decade before. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, impacting the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. There is currently no cure for MS, although there are treatments to help sufferers mitigate their pain. Shortly after his diagnosis, doctors advised Williams to slow down and step away from his demanding television career. "When I got off the plane, my friend, who was a doctor, sent me to another doctor. And that doctor told my ex-wife, 'your husband's got MS.'" "He said, 'yeah, I think you need to stop doing this heavy [activity],'" he said. "'All these things are too stressful for you. And stop the weight-lifting, but you need to stop your show because there's too much anxiety and that, it's probably stressing you out too much.'" COMMON VITAMIN SHOWN TO REDUCE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE Instead of pulling back, Williams continued pushing forward. But as his pain worsened, he began relying heavily on prescription opioids. He admitted that he used his celebrity status to score the various pills he was taking. "I was on Vicodin, I took… Percocets, Vicocets. Any one of the sets I took." Williams said his pill use spiraled out of control for nearly two years. For about six months during that time, he considered himself addicted. "It was about a six-month period of time where I know I was addicted because I wouldn't walk out the door without throwing four of them in my mouth at the beginning of the day, another four about two hours later, another four about two hours later," he told Hannity. At one point, he said he was even using a morphine drip. It wasn't until a doctor intervened that he began to break the cycle. "The more I took, the less they worked and that's something that we know for a fact. Science knows that these opioids were never created for long-term use." SELMA BLAIR SAYS SHE'S 'TRULY RELAPSE-FREE' AFTER 7-YEAR BATTLE WITH MS After finally stepping away from opioids, Williams sought healthier ways to manage his condition. He credits a vegan diet with helping to reduce inflammation and says CBD has also played a role in relieving pain. But perhaps the most important change came from within. CLICK HERE TO JOIN FOX NATION "I went on a vegan, vegetarian diet for about five years. I didn't do anything but liquid food. The biggest nemesis of MS is inflammation, so I wanted to reduce the inflammation. Once I learned how to reduce inflammation, that started mitigating a little bit of pain," he explained. "Then I started learning some things of how to literally psychologically grab it, put it in a box, stick it away. As long as I keep it in that box," he claims, he's better able to cope. Getting emotional, he added: "While we have to talk about it, it comes back." The full interview between Sean Hannity and Montel Williams is now available to stream on Fox Nation.
