A Sailor's First Experience at Sea

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Seelbach | Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Aimee Ford, from Akron, Ohio, temporarily assigned to USS Gerald R. Ford's (CVN 78) media department, poses for a photograph on Ford’s flight deck Aug. 1, 2020. Ford is conducting carrier qualifications in the Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan Seelbach)  

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

08.13.2020

Courtesy Story

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)           

My name is Aimee Ford and I have a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and criminal justice. I have been in the Navy since April 2019, and I joined because I wanted to gain experience that I couldn’t get in my hometown of Akron, Ohio. When I graduated college and was looking for a job, I realized I didn’t want some boring nine to five job; I wanted more than that. I wanted an adventure, and I wanted to experience life outside of Akron. So, I joined the Navy as a mass communication specialist (MC).
An MC specialist will spend close to six months at Fort George G. Meade, MD in “A” school before they get to the fleet. I spent over 11 months there because I had a follow on “C” school after the initial course. There was a lot of excitement as my classmates were getting their orders and finding out where they were going, but I was disappointed. I wanted to hit the fleet, I wanted the adventure, I didn’t want to spend even more time in school. After completing “C” school, I finally got to go to Norfolk, VA and I was so excited. However, the excitement didn’t last long because my ship was deployed and I couldn’t fly out to the ship because of Coronavirus mitigation measures to protect both my health and the health of the crew.
When I arrived in Norfolk, I was assigned to USS Dwight D. Eisenhower’s (CVN 69) beach detachment, and again, I was disappointed. I didn’t join the Navy to sit around in barracks for months, I wanted to be on a ship, I wanted to feel like a real Sailor. That’s when I got an email from my Lead Petty Officer (LPO) on the Eisenhower. He had arranged for me to go underway with USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). I was overjoyed, I was making lists of what I would need and started packing my bags, I finally felt like a Sailor. I was excited that the first ship I would ever be on in the Navy was the Ford, a first-in-class ship that bears is my last name.
When I got to the ship I was so nervous. Aircraft carriers are so much bigger than I imagined they would be and I didn’t think I would ever learn my way around the ship. I couldn’t even find my way from the media shop to my berthing. I didn’t know what would be expected of me and I felt like I wasn’t prepared. A fast-cruise was conducted as a part of Ford’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts and that gave me more time on the ship and, because of that, I was more prepared for the underway.
Everything was new and exciting because it was the first time I had gone underway. I’d never experienced sea and anchor, flight operations or general quarters-drills so everything we did was a learning experience for me. I was excited about these things and wanted to learn as much as I could while there. I felt like I got a better experience than most Sailors because I am an MC, I got to be right there with my camera watching these things first-hand for official documentation.
My favorite part of the underway was flight operations. There is so much going on, but it is so organized. There are different kinds of aircraft landing and launching at the same time, day and night, and we get to be right there in the action. The more time I spent on the flight deck, the more I started to understand the role that each team plays and how it all comes together. I went up to the flight deck almost every day during the underway and it was always exciting. I never would have thought I would be walking around on a flight deck in the Atlantic Ocean as F/A-18s taxi around, but I was and it was a great experience!
This experience has taught me a lot about being an MC and a Sailor and makes me feel more prepared to go to the Eisenhower where I will learn even more. I think it’s safe to say my Navy adventure has begun, and I can’t wait to see where else it takes me.

• Date Taken: 08.13.2020
• Date Posted: 08.13.2020 07:58
• Story ID: 375873
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US
• Hometown: AKRON, OH, US