THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 26, 1996 TAG: 9601260511
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM GILLESPIE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The 10,000-man George Washington battle group departs today on a six-month mission to support NATO and U.S. forces in Bosnia.
The carrier George Washington and amphibious assault ship Guam are leading an assemblage of 15 vessels and 16 aircraft squadrons to the Adriatic Sea for their scheduled deployment.
``We are ready to serve as the nation's fast response force wherever and whenever needed,'' said battle group commander Rear Adm. Henry C. Giffin III. ``This is what we're paid to do. We're ready.''
The battle group will relieve the America battle group, which departed Norfolk in August for a similar six-month mission.
Although 15 of the 16 vessels in the George Washington battle group are Norfolk-based, air squadrons from as far west as Washington state and as far south as Jacksonville, Fla., will rendezvous with the battle group at sea once it leaves Norfolk.
As the carrier made final preparations for deployment Thursday, young sailors unloaded flatbed trucks filled with seabags and carried them aboard in lines disappearing into the hatchways. Pallet after pallet of boxes was lifted from the pier to the carrier's 4.5-acre flight deck. A line of petty officers carried orange sacks of mail down the gangway for one of the last U.S. mailings.
Like the carrier, the battle group is self-contained and ideally suited to operate in theaters such as Bosnia, according to Giffin. The battle group is ``flexible, highly mobile and ready on arrival,'' Giffin said.
Self-contained is an apt description for the 1,094-foot carrier, which stands as tall as a 24-story building. Like a small city, the carrier has five restaurants, a bank, a photography studio, a police department, eight gyms and a jail - not to mention, a library, two barber shops, a fire department, a printing plant and a TV and radio station.
As with any extended deployment, hardships arise.
``For me, the hardest part will be leaving the family,'' said Chief Petty Officer Scott Mohr, one of the 3,200 men and women permanently assigned to the carrier. Another 2,500 people joined the crew as part of the temporary air wing during the deployment.
Like Mohr, Airman Eric Minshall said leaving loved ones behind is hard but one of only a few bad things about deploying. ``I just got engaged, and I think it will be harder on my fiancee than on me,'' he said.
But Minshall mirrored Giffin's confidence in their mission: ``This is the real thing. On our last deployment, we were called away to defend against Saddam Hussein when he was going to make a second invasion of Kuwait. When we saw ourselves on CNN making a difference in the world, we knew this is why we were here.'' ILLUSTRATION: ALL DECKED OUT
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
The Virginian-Pilot
Chris Fugitt, center, inspects the Washington's steam catapult prior
to the carrier's departure for the Mediterranean.
The carrier George Washington and the amphibious assault ship Guam
are leading an assemblage of 15 vessels and 16 aircraft squadrons.
Rear Adm. Henry C. Giffin III.
by CNB