Navy Pilot Completes 1,000th Trap

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jessica Echerri, USS George H.W. Bush Public Affairs

USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, At Sea (NNS) -- Deputy Commander (DCAG), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, completed his 1,000th career trap July 18, landing an F/A-18 Hornet on the flight deck of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).

"It was my honor to reach 1,000 traps on board this great ship," said Capt. Daniel W. Dwyer. "It takes a lot to get to 1,000 traps. It doesn't go unseen by me what the crew does to make this happen."

Dwyer thanked Aviation Electrician's Mate Airman (AW) Elizabeth Jackson, the plane captain for the launch and trap, and Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class (AW) Chirag Parikh, who has worked with Dwyer for the past six years. Parikh was Dwyer's plane captain at their previous command, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27, assigned to USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).

"We were forward deployed, so I saw him finish countless traps on Kitty Hawk," Parikh said. "I was honored that he asked me to see this. It was amazing to see his 1000th."

Each of the five fighter and attack squadrons of CVW 8, VFA 31, Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141, VFA 213, VFA 15 and VFA 87 played a role in making Dwyer's 1,000th trap possible. He completed traps 996 through 1,000 flying an aircraft that belonged to each one.

"When I knew I was going to be part of the newest and most capable carrier, I had an inclination I'd be able to do 1,000 traps," said Dwyer, who has served as DCAG, CVW 8 since December 2010. "I can't think of another air wing I'd rather do this with."

George H.W. Bush is on its first operational deployment in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Commander, Naval Air Forces Visits George Washington

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Pittman, USS George Washington Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- Commander, Naval Air Forces, visited the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) March 8.

Vice Adm. Allen G. Myers came aboard George Washington to hold an office call with the ship's leadership, observe routine maintenance taking place aboard George Washington and meet with members of the crew.

Capt. David A. Lausman, USS George Washington commanding officer, briefed Myers of the ship's accomplishments during the maintenance cycle, giving much of the credit to his crew and civilian contractors.

"We were significantly behind on our maintenance when we pulled back into port, but we recovered because of teamwork," said Lausman. "This ship has both Americans and Japanese nationals working aboard; people from ship's company, from the base and from private companies. Everybody cooperates to accomplish our goals.

"We are ahead because of everybody's communication, cooperation and focus on getting the job done. This is our standard of excellence that is unique to the forward deployed naval force (FDNF) and the support of our state-of-the-art aircraft carrier, so we can be ready to answer our country's call," said Lausman.

Lausman also discussed a situation where the cooperation between the diverse workers came in handy to get George Washington combat-ready in a short time.

"As the Navy's only FDNF carrier, George Washington has to be ready for sea in 24 hours," said Lausman. "This is not a trivial task for a carrier. But, we had a situation where the ship had to be ready for sea in 24 hours. When the call was given, everybody banded together, communicated with one another and focused on one thing: getting GW underway within the specific time frame.

"We were in a ready status well before the 24-hour deadline, and we held that status until we were ordered to stand down. That is a key example of the teamwork that makes George Washington the most unique aircraft carrier in the Navy," said Lausman.

After the office call with Lausman, Myers was given a tour of the ship. He visited several spaces and talked with Sailors to gauge the level of quality of life on the carrier.

"I took advantage of the FDNF opportunity when I served as commanding officer aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) ten years ago, and I am glad to see that the FDNF magic still exists," said Myers. "I am very impressed but we need to stay focused on all of our maintenance objectives and we need to see this through to completion."

GW is the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier, ensuring security and stability across the western Pacific Ocean.