By Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Maria Blaz, assigned to USS Gerald R. Ford’s air department
Sailors assigned to the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) participated in the Gary Sinise Foundation’s Snowball Express to honor families who lost a loved one while serving the country, Dec. 3, 2022. Many Sailors from across the Hampton Roads area attended the event in honor of the fallen heroes and their Gold Star families.
Among the Sailors from Ford that attended was Logistics Specialist 2nd Class William Swan, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, assigned to Ford’s supply department.
“Virginia Beach and this area are home to me, and so the Navy has always had a soft spot in my...
Sailors assigned to the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) participated in the Gary Sinise Foundation’s Snowball Express to honor families who lost a loved one while serving the country, Dec. 3, 2022. Many Sailors from across the Hampton Roads area attended the event in honor of the fallen heroes and their Gold Star families.
Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPON) of the Royal Navy Morten Christensen, center, speaks with Sailors attached to the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during a tour of the bridge, Jan. 28, 2023. Command Master Chief Bryan Davis hosted MCPONs from Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway for a familiarization tour of the Ford. Ford is in port at Naval Station Norfolk for a continuous planned maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Julie R. Matyascik)
Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was born July 14, 1913, in Omaha, NE. The future President grew up in a close-knit family, excelled scholastically and athletically at South High School in Grand Rapids, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in November 1927.
Ford attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he majored in economics and political science. An extremely gifted athlete, FORD was voted the Wolverine’s most valuable player in 1934, with opportunities to play professional football.
Ford chose the legal profession over a professional football career, graduating with a law degree from Yale in 1941. After the United States entered the war during World War II, Ford received a commission...