USS George Washington ‘Home’ For the Holidays After Six Months at Sea Ship Makes Port in Norfolk Geraldine Hawkins Decmber 23, 2002

L-R: Lt. John Hudson, Lt. j.g. William Fox, AD3(AW) Kimberly Kiefer, AE3 Loring Days, and CMDCM(AW/SW) Kevin Callahan

972nd Military Police Company is a World Away USS Constellation

While most Massachusetts citizens enjoy the holiday season in the comfort of their homes, a handful have chosen military life. As they do their part in ensuring freedom and safety for rest of us they sacrifice time and proximity with their loved ones. Five Massachusetts-borne sailors now serving aboard USS George Washington have just concluded a tour in the Atlantic Ocean.

The USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, arrived in its home port in Norfolk, VA on Friday, December 20th. Before they arrived these crew members spoke to MassNews regarding their thoughts and plans about how they will spend this Christmastide.

A CH-46 Sea Knight, assigned to the Helicopter Squadron Eight (HC-8) "Bay Riders," prepares to drop ordnance on the flight deck during an ammo on load.

Although in port, the crew is still on "standby status" at this time. Two Sailors from Worcester Lieutenant junior grade William Fox, a Worcester native, cannot wait to see his family. He is going "to meet them at the pier" in Norfolk, but he loves serving aboard USS George Washington. "It's been a great command [unit]," Fox tells MassNews. Fox joined the U.S. Navy because of "tradition. My father was in the Navy," he tells MassNews. "I always wanted to serve aboard a Naval vessel."

Fox says he especially enjoys standing watch on the bridge and watching the aircraft take off. "Every day is very interesting being aboard the George Washington," he says.

Petty Officer Third Class, Loring Days, an aviation electrician, is also from Worcester, but he won't be spending Christmas there. Instead, he hopes to make "a previous engagement on Whidbey Island" in Washington, where he is stationed.

Days has a message for his family in Worcester, however. "Tell them I love them and I can't wait to see them."

This is Days's third Christmas away from home. He tells MassNews that there was a traditional Thanksgiving dinner "with turkey and cranberry sauce" in the galley aboard USS George Washington.

The USS Monterey (CG 61) pulls alongside the USS George Washington for a refueling at sea.

"My grandfather and my father were both in the Navy," says Days. "I can't imagine doing anything else." "Tell them I miss them and love them." Petty Officer Kimberly Kiefer is a 23-year-old Aviation Machinist's Mate Third Class, and she does not mind being a woman aboard an aircraft carrier. "Being in the Navy is an opportunity to travel and to serve your country," she tells MassNews. "I work with really nice people, both male and female." Her quarters are hardly luxurious. "I sleep on the top rack [bunk], with two people below me," she says. "It's just like bunk beds, except there are three of you."

Kiefer maintains that USS George Washington is more comfortable than "some of the older carriers, which were built for crews that were all men." USS George Washington was built with women's quarters as well, she says.

"I fix engines and fuel systems on F-18s, and I'm also a trouble shooter," Kiefer says.

Kiefer is from Westport and misses her family in Massachusetts. Her grandparents live in Westport and her mother lives in New Bedford. "Tell them I miss them and love them," she tells MassNews.

A Box of Human Bones

Kevin Callahan, who grew up in Pittsfield and Dalton in the Berkshires, is Command Master Chief of Fighter Squadron 103, known as the Jolly Rogers, whose planes take off from the deck of USS George Washington. Callahan was anxious to tell MassNews about the box of human bones the squadron carries with them wherever they go.

The bones are those of Ensign Jack Ernie, who was shot down at the Battle for Okinawa April 1, 1945. Ernie's Corsair aircraft was emblazoned with the Skull and Crossbones, and when he began losing oil pressure after two Japanese zeroes attacked him, he knew that he would not survive the dogfight. Even though his plane was in flames, Ernie managed to down one of the enemy planes. As his own plane was going down, Ernie managed to make two radio transmissions: "Skipper, I am going down and I can't get out," and "Remember me with the Jolly Rogers!"

An F/A-18 Hornet, from Strike Fighter Squadron Eight One (VFA-81Sunliners), prepares to launch off the flight deck of the USS George Washington CVN-73.

Ensign Ernie's remains were not recovered until many years later, and at the suggestion of his family and with their consent, his skull and femurs were encased in glass in the "Jolly Roger" arrangement and presented to the Squadron. "He's our social director," says Callahan. "He's a permanent member of our command."

Nantucket is Home

Lieutenant John Hudson, a supply officer aboard USS George Washington, grew up on Nantucket Island, and even though he now lives with his wife and two children in Virginia, he still thinks of Nantucket as "home."

"It would be nice to be in Nantucket for a visit," Lt. Hudson tells MassNews. "It's always nice
to go home."

Hudson graduated from Nantucket High School in 1990, the year USS George Washington was christened. "I went to Washington and Lee University, served stateside in Washington, D.C., and now I'm aboard USS George Washington, so he seems to follow me wherever I go," Hudson tells MassNews.

"My division entails handling combustibles and parts," Hudson says of his duties as a supply officer. "We coordinate replenishments at sea," as supply ships meet the aircraft carrier with replacement goods.

"We rendezvous with the supply ships. It's an impressive evolution, if you've never seen one," Hudson tells MassNews. "Every department is involved: Operations, deck, supply, air," he says.

USS George Washington has been at sea for six months. Does Hudson think that's a long time to be floating around?

"It goes with the job," he says. "I was lucky. I didn't come aboard until early October."

Hudson loved going to school at Washington and Lee. "George Washington saved it when it was just an academy," he says. "It flowered under his leadership." However, this officer's heart is still in Nantucket.

"Nantucket is its own place," Hudson says. As far as he is concerned, there is nowhere else like it. "It always warms my heart to think about it."

The Spirit of Freedom

When George Washington was a boy, he wanted very much to go to sea, but his family would not allow this, to his great disappointment. Perhaps it would be some consolation to him to have a ship named after him.

The crew of USS George Washington consists of 5,500 sailors, known as the GW/Carrier Air Wing Team. The ship's motto is "The Spirit of Freedom."

Since the ship's commissioning July 4, 1992, USS George Washington has made three Mediterranean/Arabian Gulf deployments. On her maiden voyage, she served as backup for the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

The carrier has supported Operation Southern Watch, the mission that enforces the coalition-imposed "no-fly zone" over Iraq. The intent is to prevent Iraq from conducting offensive actions or threatening neighbors such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.