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The Midway is famed for'steaming'This is in regard to the “Haze gray always under way” letter to the Dec. 9 Readers’ Forum. The average sailor in the Navy knows that we have roughly 13 carrier battle groups. Not all of these are available at any one time, especially on short notice. But the USS Midway is a special case!One of the reasons the Midway is forward deployed, is so that she is able to fill the gap which is made sometimes when CONUS-based battle groups attempt to rotate and relieve each other on some type of deployment cycle.Being forward deployed also allows the Midway to react to a crisis more quickly than a CONUS-based carrier. Whenever there’s a crisis, everybody knows sooner or later the Midway will have something to do with it or be a part of a remedy for it.I did two tours on the Midway. My first was from June 1980 to August ’83. My second was from September ’87 to July ’90, and there were maybe one or two times that I can remember when the Midway was called upon to pull a four-to-six-month tour in the Gulf until a stateside carrier arrived to relieve us. The Midway has a reputation far and wide for steaming!! Being under way so much!! When sailors hear the name Midway, or CVW-5 (Carrier Air Wing 5), they know it means time from home and numerous exercises, and for airedales it means a lot of “dets” or detachments.Most people who serve on the Midway have either served on her before, or know her reputation. They know her in-port turnaround times are in weeks, while other stateside carriers enjoy two, three or some even four months of turnaround time. The Navy has a whole network of people willing to provide you with information on your next or new duty station. Probably you didn’t use it, or you would have known that when you got orders to the Midway you would in fact be haze gray and under way .... A few, though, unknowingly accept orders to the Midway or CVW-5 and learn the hard way!I’m tempted to say, Hey, this is the Navy, and the Navy is in the sailing under way business! But I also believe a sailor should have quality time with his family. Again, most sailors know that if you want to do that, serve your sea time on a “stateside boat”! Those who unknowingly accept orders to “USS Haze Gray and Under Way” should just grin and bear it, count your days and know that you have learned a valuable lesson, check on a command before you accept your orders, do a little research, you might benefit from it.The Midway has a proud and long tradition of “steaming” and you’ll surely see some parts of the world!! She’s also known for carrying the load while others rest . . . and I feel very fortunate that I was able to serve in a squadron embarked on the USS Midway!! The Midway and CVW-5 are a team that together keeps up the Midway’s long tradition and good reputation for being there, wherever and whenever it’s needed. “The little carrier that could”!!An “Ex” Dragon!!!
Newspaper Details
Pacific Stars and Stripes
Tokyo, Tôkyô, JP
Sun, Dec 30, 1990
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Antigone B.
NA, 15 Jan 2025
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