I was on the Nimitz from 1982 to 1986. It was my first ship. I was in supply, and when at sea I worked on the flight deck loading and unloading aircraft. I even pogo-sticked a few H-53s – now that was exciting! Lots of good memories there.

I remember my first day getting there from Naples, Italy. Flew out to the ship on the old c-1 (COD), my back against the pilots. Flying to the ship the pilots were talking lowly and said they couldn’t find the ship. Couldn’t find the ship! I was thinking, It’s really big and gray, you can’t miss it. Finally they did locate it with the use of binoculars, and we made a landing on the flight deck via the wire trap. Now there is a first day!

Charles Maiden
CSC Senior Principal Engineer
Navy ERP Quality Assurance/Tester Scenario Lead

I am a retired Navy Master Chief. During my 30 plus years of service I served in: USS Wasp (CVS18), USS John F. Kennedy (CV67) and USS America (CV66).

The big thing that our American public should appreciate is just how dedicated and hard working the crews of our carriers and other Navy ships are. 12-18 hours days, 7 days a week at sea are the norm for most sailors. Yet, no matter how tired they get, the jobs have to be done to perfection; planes repaired, moved about, launched and recovered; the ship’s propulsion plant operated and maintained; and all the thousands of other supporting jobs that range from medical care to weapons handling are accomplished at all hours of the day and night. And this is done by what seem to be kids, mostly 18-22 years olds. The sort of kid that if you pulled into valet parking might think twice before you turn over your keys to the family Honda. Yet these sailors do their job, day after tiring day maintaining and operating gear that runs into the millions and has lives depending on them doing it right, every time.

These sailors give of themselves. Many if not most of their jobs at sea are dangerous even life threatening. There is little to no privacy. The conditions the average enlisted sailor lives in would be considered unfit for a criminal in jail. Yet they do it, and even re-enlist to come back and do it again.

America can be proud of our sons and daughters that serve in our Navy.

Kennerly (Ken) Brown
CSC Training Center of Excellence
Hampton, Virginia

I served 21 years with the Navy and have many years of underway time onboard carriers. I retired from active service in 2004 as a Senior Chief Aviation Electronics Technician and worked below decks and on the flight deck launching aircraft onboard two Nimitz class ships, the USS George Washington CVN-73 and USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71. I also served onboard the conventional ship USS America CV-66.

Onboard the America and Theodore Roosevelt, I was in VAW-123 as an AEW Weapons Systems Analyst for the E-2C Hawkeye Early Warning aircraft and worked the flight deck daily on 12-hour shifts. We were the first airwing that embarked on the TR during her sea trials following commissioning. We went through the shock tests, speed trials and initial flight deck certifications in the Caribbean, and then 10 days later we were above the Arctic Circle conducting flight ops in the North Atlantic – quite a change.

On the George Washington, I was the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department AIMD IM-3, Avionics Armament division leading chief. Our mission was to support the combined airwing of more than 80 aircraft. For two weeks I was assigned as a media escort for the “Wings” television crew while they filmed onboard for one of their episodes featuring Navy and Marine Corps pilots in training making their first carrier landings. During a dry dock period I was a coordinator for the first “Women at Sea” berthing modifications and we were one of the first carriers to have women crewmembers permanently stationed onboard. Shortly after leaving dry dock we made a combat deployment to Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. The USS Cole was with our battle group when it was attacked in Yemen. Like all retired sailors, I have a ton of sea stories.

I now work on Norfolk Naval Station supporting the Naval Education Training Personnel Development Training Command (NETPDTC) contract.

Wally Williams
CSC Task Leader, CAPM
Hampton Roads, Va.

I am a retired Navy veteran of 21 years working in CSC’s Global Security Solutions. I deployed on two separate occasions to USS Nimitz from Naval Security Group Activity, Athens, Greece to fly with Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron II (VQ-2) aboard the Navy’s biggest, heaviest and fastest aircraft without afterburners in the inventory. That aircraft was the EA-3B Skywarrior, known as the “Whale,“ and it had a complement of seven crew members. It was the oldest plane in the Navy inventory and saw service from 1954 through 1991.

It was a no-frills plane without ejection seats, which meant the crew had to bail out the belly in an emergency. On that deployment I met some great Navy fliers, especially one named Rick Herzing. He taught me everything about the aircraft, which enabled me to become the in-flight Plane Captain and allowed me to sit up in the cockpit back-to-back with the Pilot.

Because of all the Cats and Traps along with vibration and excessive flight hours I have had four lower back discs removed and now have two twelve inch rods and eight screws holding me together and some days are good and some are bad. I’ve ridden Submarines and Surface Combatants, but if asked if I would do it over again being a flier, you bet I would!!!! It was by far the greatest thrill of my life next to finding and marrying my beautiful, supporting wife.

John J. Elko
CSC Security Specialist/Certifier
Global Security Solutions
Global Network Security
Annapolis Junction, Maryland

I was Program Manager for the CVN 21, Future Aircraft Carrier Program, from August 2003 through November 2007. In this capacity, I was responsible for technology development, design and the procurement of the Gerald R. Ford Class aircraft carriers to replace USS Enterprise and the Nimitz Class carriers.

I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. I received my Commission in the United States Navy through the NROTC Scholarship Program, and earned a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California in 1989.

I served as Boilers Officer and Damage Control Assistant in the USS William V. Pratt (DDG 44), followed by an assignment in 1984 as an engineering instructor at Surface Warfare Officer School Command in Newport, Rhode Island, and was assigned as Chief Engineer in USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) from 1989 through 1990, in Mayport, Florida.

In 1991, I was designated an Engineering Duty Officer, and was assigned to the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Jacksonville, Florida, as Ship Repair Officer and Aircraft Carrier Project Officer, supervising maintenance availabilities on USS Forrestal and USS Saratoga. In 1993, I was assigned to Commander Naval Air Force Pacific Fleet in San Diego, California as Aircraft Carrier Maintenance Officer, responsible for maintenance and modernization on USS Independence, USS Kitty Hawk and USS Constellation. I later served as Main Propulsion Assistant, then Chief Engineer in USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) from 1996 to 1999, moving the ship from San Diego, California to permanent forward deployed status based in Yokosuka, Japan.

I then reported to Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California as Shore Systems Installation Manager in 1999. In August 2000, I reported to Program Executive Office Aircraft Carriers, as Assistant Program Manager for Aircraft Carrier Refueling Complex Overhauls, supervising delivery of USS Nimitz, overhaul of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and planning for USS Carl Vinson, and in August 2003 I assumed responsibility as Program Manager, CVN 21 Future Aircraft Carriers Program.

I joined CSC Dec. 1, 2007.

Michael Schwartz
Chief Engineer
Advanced Marine Center
Washington, D.C.