Congressmen Visit USS George H.W. Bush At Sea

By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW) Misty Trent, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Six Congressmen on the House Armed Services Committee visited USS George H.W. Bush(CVN 77) Feb. 6-7, as part of the Navy's Distinguished Visitor (DV) Embark program.

Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA), Rep. David Wu (D-OR), Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH), Rep. John Runyan (R-NJ), and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) toured the ship, watched the Super Bowl with the crew, and had breakfast with Sailors from their home states.

The Navy's DV Embark program is designed to increase the public's understanding and appreciation for the Navy by providing a rare opportunity to see Sailors in action.

During the tour of the ship, DVs interact with Sailors from all departments to get a snapshot of what a day at sea is like aboard the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. Visitors, led by officer escorts from various departments, receive briefs from Flight Deck Control and have the opportunity to watch flight operations on the flight deck and night flight operations from Vulture's Row. Additionally, they tour the Pilot House, Doro Bush Koch Library, Combat Direction Center, an arresting gear machinery room, Medical, and the foc'sle, among other places.

Guests typically have no prior exposure to the Navy and often include educators, small and large business owners, community leaders, and elected officials. They are often active in their communities, and influential in businesses and government.

"Probably the greatest benefit of the DV Embark program is it affords our guests an opportunity to share their experiences with their friends, family, and co-workers ashore," said Lt. Ken Radford of Medical Department, an escort officer for the ship's DV Embark program. "The public has a vested interest in seeing their tax dollars at work and the GHWB DV embark program provides them that opportunity."

"I really hadn't thought about this prior to being on the ship, but the logistics of how water and food are provided, how solid waste and wastewater are disposed of, how the crew is cared for in their medical and dental needs, and how the ship has its own police force and jail, judge and legal staff were all very interesting," said Sanford Minkoff, Lake County Attorney and a member of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners in Tavares, Fla., who visited the ship Feb. 5-6.

Radford recently escorted a group of educators on an overnight visit to the ship, and shared one teacher's feedback.

"She made a point that teachers should never give up on a student that may appear as if he or she is not headed directly to college after high school. Many of these high school graduates may enlist in the military and perform jobs that require very high levels of responsibility. In particular, she was amazed at the aircraft maintenance that was being performed on the jets and how some of these Sailors were probably in high school just last year," said Radford.

While the visitors are often most impressed by the activity they watch on the flight deck, the interaction with the crew is what leaves the most lasting impression.

"A business leader made a comment towards the end of his DV embark at how impressed he was with the pride and professionalism of the crew," said Radford. "After he finished his tour, he specifically said he would look at naval service on a resume as a huge benefit when hiring potential employees."

"The two most interesting things to me were learning about the crew and the actual operation of the 'city at sea,'" said Minkoff. "I was impressed by the crew composition, both in the number of women in the crew including leadership positions, as well as the young age of the crewmembers. At each stop on the tour, one could not help being impressed by the dedication of these young crewmembers, particularly their ownership in their work and equipment."

Guests typically arrive via a carrier onboard delivery aircraft, or COD, and have the opportunity to experience both an arrested landing and a catapult-assisted take-off with the "Rawhides" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40. The average embark is approximately 24 hours, and the DVs pay for all associated costs of the visit, to include food, lodging and travel.

For more news from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn77/.>