PACIFIC OCEAN – Engineman 3rd Class Howard Willis, a Washington D.C. native, assigned to reactor department’s auxiliaries division, was recognized as Warfighter of the Day aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) while underway in the Pacific Ocean, Oct. 30.
Warfighter of the Day is a command program in which the ship’s captain personally recognizes an exemplary Sailor for their accomplishments. Willis was selected by his leadership for this honor. As a member of reactor department’s auxiliaries team, his unwavering work ethic resulted in the calibration of 32 emergency diesel generator gages and switches. This work is especially notable because it directly contributed to the successful completion of this year’s operational reactor safeguards exam to ensure the ship’s optimum level of mission readiness.
Willis’ dedication to his work is always inspiring to her peers and represents the “Spirit of Freedom,” the ship’s nickname.
Willis has been in the Navy for two years and four months and has served aboard George Washington for two years. George Washington is the U.S. Navy’s only Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Japan (FDNF-J) aircraft carrier.
“I’m grateful for being recognized,” said Willis. “and I’m proud of the hard work that I’ve put in for my division.”
Willis is a 2019 graduate of North Point High School.
Aircraft carriers, such as George Washington, project power and presence worldwide by serving as the cornerstone of a Carrier Strike Group and launching and landing various types of aircraft. George Washington is currently making the transit to Yokosuka, Japan, where she will be forward-deployed to.
The ship’s motto is “First in War, First in Peace”.
George Washington is 7th Fleet’s premier forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, while operating alongside Allies and partners across the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet.
Date Taken: | 10.30.2024 |
Date Posted: | 11.17.2024 00:28 |
Story ID: | 484633 |
Location: | PACIFIC OCEAN |
Hometown: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
Web Views: | 32 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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