Damage Controlman Fireman Kaleb Romero, from Lufkin, Texas, left, and Damage Controlman 2nd Class Joseph Zontini, from Massapequa, N.Y., demonstrate proper hose handling to midshipmen embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) during a simulated drill on the ship’s fantail. 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 the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) later this year after serving seven years as the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan.
On our planet, more than 70 percent of which is covered by water, being there means having the ability to act from the sea. The Navy is uniquely positioned to be there; the world’s oceans give the Navy the power to protect America’s interests anywhere, and at any time. Your Navy protects and defends America on the world’s oceans. Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and, most importantly, tens of thousands of America’s finest young men and women are deployed around the world doing just that. They are there now. They will be there when we are sleeping tonight. They will be there every Saturday, Sunday and holiday this year. They are there around the clock, far from our shores, defending America at all times.
Thank you, Kaleb Romero, for serving our country!