University Educators Tour USS Abraham Lincoln

By Lt. Greg D. Raelson, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs

May 7, 2010 - USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) hosted 12 professors and senior administrators from various colleges May 6 to share a day-in-the-life at sea and highlight the Navy's commitment to education.

The visitors, who hailed from University of Southern California, Washington State University, University of Northern Iowa, Michigan Technological University, Iowa State University, and University of Montana, arrived on a C-2 Greyhound. They were greeted by the ship's commanding officer, air wing commander and command master chief before being whisked away to a full day of tours, discussion forums, a briefing with Carrier Strike Group 9 Commander Rear Adm. Mark Guadagnini, and interaction with the ship's crew.

During their stay, the ship not only demonstrated her capabilities as one of the mightiest warships on the seas, but also showed how far the Navy has come with its educational and career programs.

One stop on their tour was a visit with one of the ship's command career counselors, Navy Counselor 1st Class Adam Cregar, of Kokomo, Ind., who explained many of the opportunities available to Sailors at sea.

"We work with each Sailor individually to fully prepare them for their journey into education," said Cregar. "Our intention is to maximize the availability of programs to give all our Sailors the opportunity to benefit from our education services."

Additional highlights of the tour included a visit to the ship's library and computer center, as well as plenty of conversation with ship's company.

"Many Sailors are involved in higher education in one form or another," said Cregar. "We have Sailors working on their associate's, bachelor's and even master's degrees."

During the ship's last deployment, 749 Sailors completed college classes in 20 different subjects.

The visitors will return to their colleges and universities to share their recent experiences aboard the ship.

USS Abraham Lincoln is currently underway off the coast of southern California conducting Tailored Ship Training Assessment in preparation for an upcoming deployment in support of the national maritime strategy this summer.