USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, At Sea — Petty Officer 2nd Class Lafatimah Okere, an aviation maintenance administration member with the aircraft intermediate maintenance department, experienced a once in a lifetime re-enlistment aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on April 21.
Hip hop artist Yung Joc visited the ship as part of his "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood Tour" sponsored by Navy Entertainment. He performed in the ship's hangar bay to a crowd of more than 1,500 Sailors.
During the concert, Yung Joc delivered the oath of enlistment to Okere, re-enlisting her in the U. S. Navy for another four years.
Okere joined the Navy on August 9, 2005, and is a part of AIMD's production control team as a system automated maintenance environment administrator.
"I'm in charge of tracking real time data of all the conditions of the engines for all the aircraft in our air wing to help support the troops on the ground," said Okere.
She was unsure of whether or not to re-enlist until she spoke to Ike's commanding officer, Capt. Dee L. Mewbourne, about the pros and cons of staying in the Navy. When Mewbourne asked her what would keep her in the Navy, she told him jokingly that being on stage with Yung Joc would probably convince her to stay.
What eventually came from the conversation with Okere, the Commanding Officer and Okere's mentor, Petty Officer 1st Class Michelle San Nicolas, an aviation maintenance administration member, was Okere would not only be on the stage with Yung Joc, but he would also read her the oath of enlistment.
"I was very excited when I heard that Yung Joc would administer the oath of enlistment to Petty Officer Okere," said Master Chief Petty Officer Leonard Gage, an aviation maintenance administration member and the AIMD leading chief petty officer. "She is a model Sailor for AIMD and I know she will cherish this memory with friends and family for year to come," Gage said.
"It was an amazing thing to do," stated Yung Joc. "The way everyone responded when I said attention to oath and the reaction from the fans, it was truly a blessing and an honor for me to do," he added.
The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is underway for a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime operations and operate in international waters across the globe.
Date Taken: | 04.24.2009 |
Date Posted: | 04.24.2009 22:17 |
Story ID: | 32848 |
Location: | ABOARD USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, AT SEA |
Web Views: | 444 |
Downloads: | 401 |
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