ESPN Salutes America's Heroes from USS George H.W. Bush

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sandi Grimnes, USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) Media Department

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) hosted a live broadcast of ESPN2's First Take on the ship's flight deck, Nov. 8.

ESPN First Take broadcasted from the Navy's newest aircraft carrier as part of their week-long Salute to America's Heroes, said Dana Jacobson, ESPN First Take host.

"The one thing that really steps out, for all of us, is the discipline that all of these men and women have and how focused they are, and every person on this ship has such a specific job," said Jay Crawford, ESPN First Take host.

The two-hour broadcast was the culmination of weeks of work by the entire crew. The ship's Supply Department coordinated the crane onload of ESPN's equipment, with Air and Engineering Departments running the ship's aircraft elevators and Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department running forklifts to move the gear around the ship's hangar bay and flight deck. Combat Systems Department provided communications support for the broadcast, and the Operations Department provided security.

During the event, hundreds of Sailors had the opportunity to participate in the live broadcast. In a live interview with the carrier's island in the background, Commanding Officer Capt. Chip Miller gave all the credit to his crew.

"The most impressive thing about the ship and team is these guys right behind me," said Miller.

Several Sailors had the chance help First Take analysts Derrick Brooks and Jon Richie demonstrate how the Steelers and Bengals might play in their game during a Monday Night Football demo on a mock-gridiron setup on the flight deck.

"I enjoyed being a part of this history of this ship," said Yeoman 3rd Class Thomas Moffit. "It was an amazing time and I am very grateful for being allowed to participate."

In preparation for the broadcast, a production team from ESPN flew out to the ship during a recent underway to get footage of the carrier and crew in action. In addition, ESPN filmed duty section personnel watching Sunday night football on the ship.