Posted on 02/24/2006 8:25:22 PM PST by Former Military Chick
Jets from the USS Ronald Reagan officially joined the fight in Iraq on Wednesday as two F/A-18E Hornets launched from the flight deck and dropped ordnance on enemy targets, Navy officials said.
“We launched our first combat sorties two days ago and have had great results supporting the Operation Iraqi Freedom and our maritime support obligations,” the carrier’s commanding officer, Capt. Terry Kraft, said in an e-mail Friday.
The Reagan, the Navy’s newest and most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is on its maiden operational deployment. It recently arrived in the Navy’s 5th Fleet area of operations to support the U.S. military’s ongoing missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Our air wing is comprised of the most advanced aircraft in the world and is a key player in deterring aggression from the insurgency within Iraq,” Rear Adm. Michael Miller, commander of Carrier Strike Group 7, said in a statement.
In addition to having the best aircraft, the carrier has all the state-of-the art bells and whistles that make it a superior fighting machine, sailors said.
It’s those quality-of-life perks that make living on board all that much better, sailors say. Perks like the 800-ton air-conditioning plant that keeps sailors comfortable, Petty Officer 1st Class Chip Land, a hull technician, said in a phone interview Friday.
“We’re the only ship with one, and it’s great,” said the 10-year veteran. “Everyone is really pleased with it. The temperature is right, and it’s easy to control. It really improves the quality of life.”
And if it weren’t for the other ships in the Reagan’s carrier strike group that need the service of the hull technicians, Land and his crew might not have too much to do during their shifts, he joked.
“This a great ship with the newest technology, and we don’t have to do many repairs on a brand-new ship. I once worked on a 30-year-old ship … and it needed a lot of maintenance, a lot of repairs. This is nice.”
The Reagan has state-of-art communication and computer systems sailors use for e-mails and browsing the Web, Petty Officer 1st Class Mario Fernandez said.
“Back on my first ship, we were lucky to have a 28,800 modem. People would put e-mails on a floppy (disc) and they’d be loaded onto one computer and we’d hit send. It took hours to send e-mails,” said the 12-year veteran, who first sailed aboard the guided missile frigate USS Jarrett.
“Now, we have technology to support having many people simultaneously using e-mail, searching the Web, and to top all that, conduct our mission. We’ve come a long way.”
Airman Rashawn Wright, 22, an aviation mechanic, said he sees just one thing he’d change about his maiden deployment. “I’d bring my family.”
Amen, and good post.
Rel: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2006/20060224_4301.html
Bump!
Mr. President, You are the Steel deck beneath my feet!
Give em hell Ronnie!
I will always remember Ronald Reagan's speach on behalf of Barry Goldwater. I became a conservative then and there (in a democratic depression era family) and over the years I converted my brother, parents and before they died, my grandparents and possibly many others.
"Long may his story be told..."
Cool. I hope she lives up to her namesake. Not that she might not, but the namesake is just, well, Reagan.
Thanks for the post. I watched the official USS Reagan homeporting here in San Diego and can walk up the street
some blocks and look out at it when she is at home.
Also for those on FR who like to bash California. Remember, Reagan was our Calif. Gov. and the USS Reagan
and its planes are based here in San Diego.
Very well said, thank you for adding the comment to the thread. :)
“This a great ship with the newest technology, and we don’t have to do many repairs on a brand-new ship. I once worked on a 30-year-old ship … and it needed a lot of maintenance, a lot of repairs. This is nice.”
rofl! He must not of been aboard when the ship was delivered. What a mess it was to get her into shape. The Union strike at Newport really effected the craftmanship of the ship. But after a year and half of redoing everything she is in prime fighting condition.
030712-N-4616B-008 Norfolk, Va. (July 12, 2003) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) ship’s sponsor and Former First Lady, Nancy Reagan, is greeted by an appreciative audience as she orders the men and women of the USS Ronald Reagan to “bring the ship to life” at the commissioning ceremony of the Navy’s newest Nimitz-class aircraft carrier named in honor of her husband, Ronald Reagan. The ship was commissioned into naval service during a traditional Navy ceremony aboard Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Ronald Reagan is named after the 40th President of the United States, and is the ninth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The ship’s motto is “Peace Through Strength” a phrase coined by President Reagan who is widely credited for bring an end to the Cold War, and rebuilding the U.S. military. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Rusty Black. (RELEASED
That's a nice bit of tech! I sure wish that kind of system had been around during my days aboard the USS Independence (82-84). Typical turn-around time between sending a letter home and receiving a reply was about two weeks.We sure did love to hear mail call announced over the 1MC!
Nice. The calm before the storm.
Pretty impressive!
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