The Tidewater Sailor

A VISIT TO THE USS GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH
this report sent in by Lt. Patrick DelGrande, USS Tidewater 1957-59

n May 26, 2009, namesake former President George H. W. Bush was airlifted aboard the USS Bush for a two-day visit. It had been his greatest wish to watch flight operations from the flight deck of the Navy's newest nuclear powered aircraft carrier and to meet the Sailors. As a decorated former naval aviator in World War II, this has a special significance for him. He was accompanied by his daughter (and the ship's sponsor) "Doro" Bush Koch.

They observed flight ops from the flight deck and the bridge, dined with officers in the Flag Mess and watched night flight ops from the Flag Bridge. The next morning he dined in the Chief's Mess and was escorted around, meeting and greeting Sailors. Finally, we had the crew assembled in hangar bay 2. The CO pointed out that June 12th is his birthday (he'll be 85 years old) and nearly 2,500 Sailors sang happy birthday to him. He then swore in re-enlistees and read the promotion orders to all recently advanced Sailors (and there were a bunch of them).

Last, he spoke to the crew. It was quite a moment -- at the end of his short remarks, he looked up, paused for a second, and said "This ship means the world to me...." and then broke down for a few seconds. There wasn't a dry eye in the hangar bay. He then continued on and thanked every one of the crew for their service to the country and for making him proud as one of 'his' Sailors'.

This may have been the first time in US Navy history that a ship's namesake (certainly an aircraft carrier) not only was alive at the time of commissioning, but was healthy enough to go aboard when the ship was at sea.