NORFOLK, Va. (WFLA) – It’s something only a few courageous Americans are selected to do; serve our country. Their service often leads to long deployments, and time away from home.
To honor some of Tampa Bay’s hometown heroes for Veterans Day, we were invited to take our cameras far from home, to Norfolk, Virginia, the largest Naval base in the world. We were also invited to spend the night on an aircraft carrier and experience life through the eyes of enlisted sailors from the bay area.
The Navy has 11 carriers strategically all over the world, including the USS George H.W. Bush.
The ship is 2.1 million pounds of steel, a Nimitz class carrier, or nuclear warship that is ready to deploy at any moment to anything from humanitarian missions to war.
According to the Navy, in over 80 percent of the times when the World was faced with international violence, the United States has responded with one or more carrier task forces.
Training
Before we could fly to the ship, we had to pass water aviation survival training.
The training includes being able to swim the length of the pool in full gear, tread water or float for 2 minutes, and be able to deploy and inflate our emergency life vest.
Once that training was complete, we were put through intense helicopter crash simulations.
The simulation was challenging. It involves being able to rescue yourself from a sinking helicopter.
The training is done underwater, blindfolded. We had to find a reference point, unlock a harness, and swim to the surface.
The training helps sailors prepare for life-or-death situations.
Once we passed our training, we were cleared to fly to the ship.
Watch on Veteran’s Day, Monday at 11 p.m., as we take you aboard The U.S.S. George H.W. Bush and honor the service and sacrifice our bay area veterans make everyday.
