"Carrier" Documentary Spurs Memories for CSC Navy Veterans PBS’s Carrier took an unprecedented look at life onboard the USS Nimitz supercarrier, home to more than 5,000 sailors. With a rich history of supporting the U.S. Navy — and having benefited greatly from its many Navy veterans — CSC is proud to be the corporate underwriter for this 10-part documentary series, now available online. CSC employees who have served in the Navy — some onboard the Nimitz — look back on fond memories that have shaped their lives and careers. Some joined the Navy to answer a calling to serve their country, some because of their families, and some simply to pay for college. They served during wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the Iran hostage crisis and the Achille Lauro hijacking. During these dangerous times, they gained and lost friends and shipmates, and experienced the highs and lows of life on an aircraft carrier.  | | CSC’s JJ Elko onboard the USS Nimitz in 1985 (photo courtesy of Elko). |
Memories of carrier life
"I was on the Nimitz from 1982 to 1986. It was my first ship," recalls CSC’s Charles Maiden, a principal engineer and quality assurance tester. "I remember my first day getting there from Naples, Italy. We flew out to the ship on the old C-1. The pilots were talking low, and said they couldn’t find the ship. Couldn’t find the ship! I was thinking it was really big and gray, and you couldn’t miss it. Finally, they did locate it with binoculars, and we made a landing on the flight deck via the wire trap. Now, there is a first day." Maiden spent 21 years in the Navy, and today still supports the Navy through his work for CSC’s North American Public Sector division. | 
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| Related Information: Visit PBS to view the episodes online. Find out what CSC Navy veterans have to say about life aboard an aircraft carrier in our blog. Learn about CSC’s defense solutions and read case studies about our work.
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JJ Elko, a security specialist and certifier for CSC’s Global Security Solutions, deployed twice on the Nimitz with the Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron II (VQ-2). With 7,000 hours in the air (and two rods and eight screws in his back to show for it), Elko says that taking off and landing on a carrier was unlike any other experience. "It was probably the most exciting thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s better than any roller coaster because you’re going from 0 to 155 mph in two seconds. It’s incredible," he says. Elko spent most of his 21 years in the Navy in the Middle East, and supported naval operations around both the TWA 847 and the Achille Lauro hijackings. His second Nimitz deployment was a sad one, after the deaths of seven crewmembers. "I flew with all of these individuals in the past, and it was very difficult and frightening waiting for my first catapult launch, especially after having viewed the flight deck video of the crash," he says. "I’m not ashamed to admit that I was shaking in my flight boots on that first launch. Thank God VQ-2 brought their best pilot aboard to take us off and return safely to the Nimitz."
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