Giffords Has Navy Ship Named in Her Honor

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today heard Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announce that the newest ship in the Navy inventory will be named in her honor.

The Navy’s fifth Independence-variant littoral combat ship, 10th in the LCS series, will be commissioned as the USS Gabrielle Giffords, Mabus said during a ceremony in the Pentagon’s center courtyard.

“You make this occasion special by your presence,” Mabus told Giffords. “What you did in Congress for our military, and for those who serve in it, gave substance to what America feels for those in uniform.”

Littoral combat ships are a major part of the Navy’s future, capable of “an amazing variety of missions,” and one of the sea service’s most versatile, valuable ships, the secretary said.

“The name this ship bears, and the story represented by that name, will inspire all those who come in contact with her,” he said, noting that Giffords serves as a living example of the Navy’s motto of “Semper Fortis” -- “Always Courageous.”

“Unwavering courage has defined the Navy for 236 years, and it is what we expect and what we demand from our sailors every single day,” Mabus said. “So it’s very appropriate that LCS 10 be named for someone who has become synonymous with courage, who has inspired the nation … and showed the possibilities of the human spirit.”

Giffords was shot in the head in an apparent assassination attempt during a public event in Tucson, Ariz., in January 2011. She was one of 13 people wounded, while six others were killed.

She is a Navy spouse whose husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, retired from the Navy in 2011. Giffords stepped down from her seat representing Arizona’s 8th congressional district in January, saying she needed time to recover.

Mabus also announced today the ship’s sponsor will be Roxanna Green. Green, who also attended the ceremony, is the mother of Christina-Taylor Green, a 9-year-old girl who was killed at the event where Giffords was shot.

Mabus explained that a ship’s sponsor christens the vessel with champagne at its launch and gives the order to bring the ship to life when it is commissioned.

Christina-Taylor Green had just been elected to the student council and wanted to become “a more active participant in our democracy,” the secretary said.

“Roxanna Green continues to express her daughter’s hope for the future,” Mabus added, “and as the president said, of ‘a nation as good as she imagined.’”

Giffords and Green “will be a part of the life of this ship, and our Navy’s history,” he said.

Kelly and former Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton, former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, also were present at today’s ceremony. They, along with Giffords and Green, met with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and other DOD leaders before the event.

"The secretary was delighted to meet with Gabby Giffords at the Pentagon earlier today," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said. "The new ship, which will bear her name, will stand as a testament to courage and resilience, inspiring all those who serve our nation. He wished her all the best as she continues to recover from the tragedy that injured her and took the lives of others."

Earlier today, President Barack Obama signed into law Giffords’ last piece of legislation, the Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012.

“This bill gives our nation’s law enforcement expanded authority to combat illicit drug trafficking on our Northern and Southern borders,” Obama said. “Being able to sign it next to my friend Gabby Giffords gives me enormous pride.”

The president added while the legislation may have been her last act as a congresswoman, “it will not be her last act of public service.”

The LCS 10 is part of a dual block buy of LCS-class ships Mabus announced in December 2010. The ship will be 419 feet long, have a waterline beam of 103 feet, displace about 3,000 tons, and will make speed in excess of 40 knots.

Littoral combat ships are designed to operate in near-shore environments against “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft. The ships are also capable of open-ocean operation.

The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom and the Independence, designed and built by teams led, respectively, by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics.

Flags are to be flown at half staff through the evening of January 14, 2011.

President Obama has ordered that the United States flag be displayed at half-staff until sunset, January 14, 2011, as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on Saturday, January 8, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona

Presidential Proclamation--Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Tucson, Arizona

As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on Saturday, January 8, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, January 14, 2011.  I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

Statement by Secretary of Defense Gates on Tucson Shooting

“I am saddened to hear of the attack on Congresswoman Giffords and members of her staff earlier today in Tucson, Arizona.   I have had an opportunity to interact with Congresswoman Giffords in her capacity as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where she served on the Readiness and Air and Land Forces subcommittees.    She is a strong supporter of America’s national defense, cares deeply about our men and women in uniform, and has pursued her oversight responsibilities with dedication.  Our thoughts are also with her husband, Navy Captain Mark Kelly, an aviator and astronaut of great distinction, as well as the families of the other victims of this attack.  Ms. Giffords represents a new generation of principled and thoughtful political leaders that have come to Washington in recent years.  We will miss her strong character and good judgment in the Congress during these important days ahead, and we are praying for her full recovery.”

Gates Praises Wounded Congresswoman

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2011 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) for her support of the military and expressed his wish for her full recovery. Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was reportedly critically wounded by a gunman who shot her in the face during a Tucson, Ariz., shooting rampage today that left six people dead.

"I am saddened to hear of the attack on Congresswoman Giffords and members of her staff earlier today in Tucson, Ariz. I have had an opportunity to interact with Congresswoman Giffords in her capacity as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where she served on the Readiness and Air and Land Forces subcommittees. She is a strong supporter of America's national defense, cares deeply about our men and women in uniform, and has pursued her oversight responsibilities with dedication," Gates said in a released statement.

"Our thoughts are also with her husband, Navy Captain Mark Kelly, an aviator and astronaut of great distinction, as well as the families of the other victims of this attack.  Ms. Giffords represents a new generation of principled and thoughtful political leaders that have come to Washington in recent years.  We will miss her strong character and good judgment in the Congress during these important days ahead, and we are praying for her full recovery," he said.