WATERS NEAR GUAM – Separation from family during deployments can be difficult for any Sailor, but for two Sailors aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), family is just a few decks away.
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Naiatea Iuli and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Apprentice Kapeli Iuli, from American Samoa, are siblings serving together aboard the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier.
“Comforting is the word I would use to describe being on the same ship as my brother,” said Naiatea. “It’s comforting to have a bit of home when you’re so far from it.”
According to Naiatea, having a person who has the same familiarity of home aboard the ship can make days at sea more bearable.
“Having him here has made the deployment easier,” said Naiatea.
“Both of us are really excited to have left home in the first place, so to be able to be together and experience a deployment together is something we both cherish.”
The Iuli siblings added that their demanding jobs make it difficult to see each other, but they make it work.
“We spend time together when we can,” said Kapeli. “Our schedules are so different. I work on the flight deck, and she’s in medical all day.”
“It’s always nice when he stops by medical to say hi or when I see him on the mess decks,” said Naiatea. “It can be difficult with how our jobs are, but we make time for each other.”
Naiatea was the first to enlist. It was her experiences in and perspective of the Navy that persuaded Kapeli to join.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I asked my sister how she liked the Navy,” said Kapeli. “She really liked it so I enlisted.”
“We were both in the same boat,” said Naiatea. “We both didn’t know we what wanted to do, and we both weren’t ready for college. So, we both joined straight out of high school. All we knew was that we both
wanted to leave home.”
The siblings will have to part ways after the upcoming hull swap.
“With the hull-swap coming up, I will come back [to Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, Japan] on [USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)], and she will stay with George Washington,” said Kapeli.
“We’re just going to cherish these last few months we have together, and then say our goodbyes again in San Diego after the hull-swap,” said Naiatea.
George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. George Washington will conduct a hull-swap with Ronald Reagan later this year after serving seven years as the U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan.