It has been about six months since our 50th Anniversary Celebration, and maybe some of the memories are fading, but it all came back to Michelle Calloway when she sat down for lunch with the Captain of the USS George H. W. Bush. Michelle was the lucky winner of that prize during the Silent Auction for Charity and Gala Dinner at the 50th. She was finally able to make the schedules connect with the ship for what was a truly special day.
Michelle’s group included her husband Robert, who has been a member of First Settlers Region since 1975, her son Blake, and co-workers Renji Kumar, Yuping Deng, and Hans Seywald. Michelle works for the Office of Program Assessment at NASA and the other folks are really rocket scientists with a keen interest in aviation, space exploration, nuclear engineering and technology. Blake works at the Navy’s Yorktown Weapons facility but may be convinced to join the Navy after this visit! I – FSR member and former Navy carrier aviator - escorted the group and was able to bring along my relatives from Northern Ireland, Anthony, Andrea and Zoe Gilmour. The conversation was very engaging with discussions of Porsche Club history and Driver’s Education; the work done by the ship’s crew (with an average age of about 19 years old); carrier aviation; the future of the space shuttle program; and tidbits about life on the island of Ireland!
The effort put forth by the USS George H. W. Bush was truly first class. The Ship Secretary, Ens Equilla Sims, took care of the required security badges and met us on the pier to escort our group up the brow. Most of the group had never been aboard a 90,000 ton warship, much less the newest nuclear powered aircraft carrier in the Navy. The view from the pier, looking up to the ship, was inspiring. We were greeted by the Officer of the Deck and then welcomed aboard by Captain Dewolfe “Bullet” Miller. The Captain gave us a brief history of the ship, a description of her organization and people, and the special connection with the ship’s namesake, President George H.W. Bush. The ship is unique in that her namesake is still living and the Bush family is very involved with the ship and her crew.
Our lunch with the Captain in his in-port cabin was prepared by his culinary staff of five bright, young American sailors. The meal and preparation were world class and fit for a foreign dignitary and not just a group of Porsche fans and friends. Everyone signed the Captain’s guest book and was treated to a guided tour of the ship’s navigation bridge and flight deck tower. Michelle even had the special honor of sitting in the Captain’s chair! The tour included a stop at “Big Texas,” the ship’s store, where we stocked up on USS George H. W. Bush memorabilia. Our last stop was in the ship’s museum, an impressive tribute to the great American, Naval Aviator, statesman, and former President this remarkable ship is named after.
It was a very special day for our small group. We owe a debt of gratitude to Captain Miller and his crew, especially Ensign Sims, for their support of the 50th Anniversary Charity fundraising effort and for making us feel like Distinguished Visitors for a day. However, all of us owe the crew of the USS George H. W. Bush gratitude for their sacrifice and service to our country. God bless them all!
