George Washington Receives Visitors and Gifts from Mount Vernon

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Ferrero | 190604-N-BD319-1184 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (June 4, 2019) – Members of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association present the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) command triad with a replica of the Key of Bastille and the Commander in Chief Standard during the Key of Bastille ceremony on the flight deck. The actual Bastille Prison Key was once given to George Washington by his close friend, the Marquis de Lafayette, in 1790. George Washington is undergoing refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipyard. RCOH is a nearly four-year project performed only once during a carrier’s 50-year service life that includes refueling of the ship’s two nuclear reactors, as well as significant repair, upgrades and modernization. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam Ferrero/Released)  

NEWPORT NEWS, VA, UNITED STATES

06.05.2019

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Adam Ferrero 

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73)

Since its arrival in the shipyards, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) has received a number of distinguished visitors. While each visit has been significant in its own way, the ship’s most recent guests share a particularly strong tie to the ship’s namesake.
The ship hosted distinguished visitors from the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and the Life Guard Society at a Key to Bastille ceremony held on the flight deck Tuesday, June 4.
“For our Sailors who might not be familiar, Mount Vernon was the home of our ship’s namesake,” said Capt. Glenn Jamison, George Washington’s commanding officer. “Since we had the opportunity to bring George Washington off the pointy end of the spear from way in the Pacific to back here, we’ve had the opportunity to rekindle our relationships with Mount Vernon and the Life Guard Society. I look forward to continuing that relationship. We’ve worked hard on it, we’ve had a lot of our Sailors go up to Mount Vernon, and now we have a lot of those folks down here today. I truly appreciate that.”
Dr. Douglas Bradburn, the president and chief executive officer of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, presented a replica of the Key to Bastille to George Washington and her crew as part of the ceremony.
“The original key hangs now at Mount Vernon in the central passageway, and it’s been there for over 220 years,” said Bradburn. “The replica key presented today is fashioned from steel from this great ship, the USS George Washington, and it represents the role that this ship and crew has played in the defense of liberty around the world for the past 27 years.”
The Ladies’ Association also presented the ship’s crew with a replica of the Commander in Chief standard at the ceremony.
“The flag has 13 six-pointed stars on it on a blue field, and was designed by George Washington himself,” said Bradburn. “The flag flew after independence in 1776, at a time when Americans were first building their union; their nation. In many ways, the only thing that was national at all about that early cause was the continental army that served under George Washington, so that flag was a representation of the nation itself. This particular one flew at the tomb of George Washington.”
Bradburn closed his speech with an invitation to the Sailors of George Washington.
“May you always share the just pride of connection to the father of our country,” said Bradburn. “You are always welcome at Mount Vernon. I encourage you to come up as often as you can while you are still able and around. God bless you all, God bless USS George Washington, and God bless the United States of America.”
Near the end of the ceremony, Command Master Chief Maurice Coffey unveiled a new design for a command patch authorized for wear on the left shoulder of the Navy Working Uniform Type III. The design was based on the Commander in Chief standard, with the added words “First in war, First in peace”, taken from George Washington’s eulogy written by Henry Lee.
“I hope you all will join me in wearing the patch proudly as a symbol of the George Washington’s leadership and legacy, and share the story behind the Commander in Chief standard with everyone who asks,” said Coffey.
Following the ceremony, the visitors were invited on a tour of several spaces aboard the ship. Many of these spaces will be modeled after rooms at the Mount Vernon estate, further connecting the ship to its namesake.
While George Washington undergoes refueling complex overhaul (RCOH), her Sailors have a unique opportunity to share in the relationship forged between the ship and the dedicated people of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Her close proximity to the home of her namesake provides George Washington Sailors with a unique opportunity to experience this historical connection for themselves.

• Date Taken: 06.05.2019
• Date Posted: 07.11.2019 12:24
• Story ID: 330264
• Location: NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US