Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Felix Castillo Reyes | 220410-N-OL632-1087 ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 10, 2022) USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)...... read more read more
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ATLANTIC OCEAN – George & Barbara Bush Foundation leadership visited the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) for a distinguished visitor embark April 9-10, 2022.
The embark built on George H.W. Bush and the George & Barbara Foundation’s close ties and effort to carry on the legacy of service exemplified in word and deed by the life of President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush. Despite visiting shore-based events leading up to and including the ship’s commissioning in 2009, it was the first visit to an aircraft carrier at sea for many of the guests. Their visit included many opportunities to interact with the young men and women that bring 100,000 tons of American steel and fire power to life in support of the nation.
“President and Mrs. Bush would beam today if they saw what the men and women aboard the ship do each and every day," said Alexander ‘Hap’ Ellis, president of the board of directors of the foundation. "Capt. Aguilar’s first message to us in the in port cabin was to focus less on the machine, and more on the Sailors that bring her to life. The Sailors aboard this ship are truly remarkable.”
George H.W. Bush is the only U.S. Navy aircraft carrier named for a naval aviator. Bush flew from the deck of USS San Jacinto (CVL 30) in the Pacific campaign in World War II while assigned as a pilot and photographic officer in Torpedo Squadron (VT) 51.
“The crew works tirelessly to live up to the standard of service before self President Bush exemplified,” said Capt. Robert Aguilar, commanding officer of George H.W. Bush and the first Texan to lead the ship and crew. “It’s a special honor to serve as the commanding officer of the George Herbert Walker Bush alongside all the men and women who embody the example of our namesake and our Navy’s core values.
On Jan. 23, 1988, then-Vice President Bush commissioned the guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56) during a ceremony in Houston – a nod to his World War II service where he flew from the decks of the light carrier San Jacinto. The cruiser’s sponsor was Mrs. Barbara Bush – a role that her daughter Doro Bush Koch fills today for her father’s namesake ship.
Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, who recently became Commander, Carrier Strike Group 10, George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, was one of CG-56’s commanding officers.
“It was incredible to meet with friends and family of President and Mrs. Bush here aboard Freedom at Work,” said Velez. “The examples that they both set for their family and the nation –like my parents set for me - were that hard work, setting goals and treating everyone with dignity and respect are fundamental to success. Even for a surface warfare officer like me, the President’s favorite aviation term CAVU [ceiling and visibility unlimited] truly resonates and applies.”
The George & Barbara Bush Foundation is dedicated to preserving the historic legacies of President and Mrs. Bush by supporting and promoting education and service-oriented programs at the George H.W. Bush President Library and Museum and The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.
George H.W. Bush provides the national command authority flexible, tailorable warfighting capability as the flagship of a carrier strike group that maintains maritime stability and security to ensure access, deter aggression and defend U.S., allied and partner interests.
GHWBCSG is an integrated combat weapons system that delivers superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America’s adversaries in support of national security. It achieves its mission by projecting the combined power of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing 7, Destroyer Squadron 26, its Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2022 16:59 |
| Story ID: | 418281 |
| Location: | VA, US |
| Web Views: | 849 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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