Aerospace Legends Land Aboard Eisenhower

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, AT SEA

03.10.2010

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Amy Kirk 

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)   

Astronaut legends Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan, visited USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, March 9 and 10, as part of the "Legends of Aerospace" Tour sponsored by Morale Entertainment.

Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, July 20, Cernan, the last man on the moon, and Lovell, commander of Apollo 13, were joined by Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Steve Ritchie, the last Air Force Pilot Ace, and Bob Gilliland, a test pilot and the first man to ever fly the SR 71 Blackbird, known as the fastest and highest-flying production aircraft in the world.

Also visiting IKE on the tour were media legends David Hartman, the first host of "Good Morning America" and Jeffrey Kluger, a senior writer with Time magazine. Kluger and Lovell co-wrote "Lost Moon," the book on which director Ron Howard based his movie "Apollo 13."

"This is my first time aboard, and the size of the ship is really impressive," said Lovell, who has previously been aboard USS Wasp, USS Iwo Jima and USS Yorktown. "The tour has been a bit nostalgic. We are glad to be able to meet the military overseas and honor all those behind the scenes doing the work."

The distinguished guests witnessed flight operations from Eisenhower's flight deck. They also saw how the carrier's air traffic control center and bridge contribute to aircraft taking off and landing safely.
"'Top Gun' is not the real story of naval aviation," said Cernan. "The real story is the integrated effort of those men and women on the flight deck, working together like a well tuned clock."

Cernan added that it was his boyhood dream to fly aircraft off an aircraft carrier.

"That dream is the reason I can be here now," he said. "Everything I have become, I can trace back to naval aviation."

Crew members met and spoke with the aerospace and media legends as the group toured the ship.

"This is an amazing opportunity. These men are not just legends, but pioneers," said Master Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Darrin Campbell, Air Department's leading chief petty officer. "To still be influencing generations today is outstanding. To meet them, is nothing short of cool. The fact that they also want to meet and talk to us says a lot about their character and patriotism."

A panel discussion, moderated by Hartman, was conducted in the hangar bay, allowing the aerospace legends a chance to talk about some of their experiences.

Vietnam Ace Steve Ritchie, who shot down five North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter jets in the Vietnam War in 1972, told the crowd that the most exciting non-combat flight he ever took was a backseat familiarization flight in an F/A-18F Super Hornet while on a Tiger Cruise aboard USS Ronald Reagan.

"It was a thrill beyond words," said Ritchie as he thanked the men and women aboard who keep the aircraft in perfect working order. "The job you are doing today I believe is more important than it has ever been."

During the discussion, Cernan jokingly talked about the trouble Armstrong had landing Gemini 8 and Apollo 11.

Armstrong gave a laugh and quickly replied, "Well, I have certainly found a place to land today that I am very proud of — the Eisenhower."

The crowd applauded loudly and made one request of the panel. They wanted to hear first hand the words made famous by Lovell and Armstrong.

Lovell laughed and said he was sure those same words have been used by many of the Sailors aboard today. "Houston, we have a problem," he said.

Armstrong then quoted his two most famous lines, "Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed," and "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

IKE's commanding officer, Capt. Dee L. Mewbourne, told the crowd he was very excited for the crew to get the opportunity to talk with people who have made history.

"We are proud to host these legends and find it only fitting that they get a chance to come aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a ship named in honor of the president who created NASA."

According to the NASA website, Congress and President Eisenhower created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Oct. 1, 1958 "to provide for research into the problems of flight within and outside the Earth's atmosphere."

That "research" led to the creation of space legends like Armstrong, Lovell and Cernan.

However, these men, humble in their expressions of gratitude to the men and women serving aboard IKE, do not really see themselves as legends — for them, they were only doing their job.

"I am not a legend," said Cernan. "Part of us being out here is to let people know that just like everyone else, we grew up with a dream. We were just doing what we believed in and have had amazing opportunities to do something unique and different."

Lovell agreed with his fellow astronaut saying he felt a legend was certainly someone who has accomplished something unique, but said it goes further in that legends "serve as a catalyst to inspire others to follow their dreams."

"That's what we want others to do," said Cernan. "Dream the impossible, and make it happen."

Eisenhower is underway in the Persian Gulf on a regularly scheduled deployment to the 5th Fleet. Operations in the 5th Fleet AOR are focused on reassuring regional partners of the coalition's commitment to help set conditions for security and stability. U.S. forces maintain a naval and air presence in the region that deters destabilizing activities while safeguarding the region's vital links to the global economy.

• Date Taken: 03.10.2010
• Date Posted: 03.10.2010 13:21
• Story ID: 46458
• Location: USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, AT SEA