Congressional Delegation Visits Carl Vinson

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS150331-05
Release Date: 3/31/2015 9:05:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman D'Andre L. Roden, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs

USS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- The crew of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) welcomed a six-member Congressional delegation aboard the ship to observe underway operations and meet with Sailors, March 30.

The group of Congressional delegates included four members of the House of Representatives from Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Texas, as well as two Senators from Oklahoma and South Dakota.

While on board, the group took the time to have lunch with Sailors and discuss the mission-at-hand.

'It gives us a firsthand look at things, which is a lot different from getting a briefing in Washington,' said Rep. Joe Barton, a senior congressman from Texas.

Quartermaster 2nd Class Christine Roe attended the luncheon and was grateful for the opportunity to meet with the representatives in a relaxed, one-on-one setting.

'We know from watching the news, as limited as it is on the ship, why we do what we're doing,' Roe said. 'The fact that they took the time to come out here to sit down and talk with us means a lot. Hopefully they express to everybody back home that while the days are long and the miles are many, we're still doing what we love on a daily basis because we know why we are doing it.'

The congressional delegates also had the chance to tour the ship and observe day-to-day operations.

'I'm impressed with the professionalism, the devotion to duty, the spirit of the crew and I'm very supportive of the mission,' Barton said. 'It's always better to see it in person rather than being told about it.'

Carl Vinson is currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations along with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, strike operations in Iraq and Syria as directed, maritime security operations, and theater security cooperation efforts in the region.