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A full moon rises up in the clear night sky, its light beaming out to the quiet neighborhood below. In a bedroom of one of the homes, a child rests on their bed with a smile as she is lulled to sleep by the sound of her father’s voice.
Thousands of miles away on the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), a Sailor reads a story in a gentle voice. When he finishes, he wishes his child a good night and tells her how much he loves her before the camera stops recording. He goes on with his day, knowing that he’ll read to his child again next week.
This exchange is made possible through the United Through Reading (UTR) program. UTR lets Sailors aboard GHWB stay connected with their families while on deployment by sending home video messages of themselves reading to their kids.
“The United Through Reading program gives Sailors the opportunity to stay connected with their families no matter where we are on deployment,” said Senior Chief Religious Program Specialist Terrance J. Newton. “It’s definitely a way to boost morale for not just the Sailors, but for their families back home.”
Sailors like Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Airman Maria Eason has nothing but praise for the UTR program.
“This is my first deployment, and I’m away from my kids, so this is how I connect with them because they always love it when I read them bedtime stories back home,” said Eason. “I happy and grateful for this program because it more personal than an email.”
Sailors who sign up for the program have a large selection of children’s books to choose from in the GHWB library; a selection made even larger thanks to the generous donation of Mrs. Carol Grim. Grim, a recently-retired kindergarten teacher of 25 years, donated the books to the ship’s library for the UTR program after she visited the during a Friends and Family Day cruise where she witnessed first-hand the devotion to duty that Sailors give.
“I was so fortunate and overwhelmed to see the responsibility, dedication and sacrifice the Navy exhibits every day,” said Grim. “When I was shown the ship’s library and told about the UTR program, the idea to have books donated to the ship popped into my head.”
Grim believes that the donation is a her way of giving back to those who serve by helping them keep up with their families.
“To think of the families connected through reading makes my day,” said Grim. “Imagining little ones at home, anticipating hearing their daddy’s or mommy’s voice read to them, even as they are separated by oceans, is a comforting thought.”
Being away from loved ones isn’t easy, especially for the children at home. Even though separation is a routine part of life in the military, it’s quite an adjustment for families. The experience of reading to loved ones eases the stress of separation and bridges the distance for families until Sailors come home.
GHWB is currently deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.
For more news from USS George H.W. Bush visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn77 or www.facebook.com/ussgeorgehwbush/.
Story was originally published on Page 2 of the February 2, 2017, issue of "The Avenger" magazine.
| Date Taken: | 01.27.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2017 18:58 |
| Story ID: | 258330 |
| Location: | USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN 77), US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Connecting GHWB Families Through Storytime, by PO2 Mario Coto, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
