Sailors from the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) conducted a namesake visit to College Station, Texas, and neighboring communities, Sept. 2-4.

The trip gave Bush Sailors a chance to visit several groups of students, volunteer at a local food bank, visit Texas A&M, and tour the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

According to USS George H. W. Bush (GHWB) Command Master Chief David Carter, trips like this serve to continue the relationship with the ship's namesake.

"[The visit] shows the spirit of George H. W. Bush and service to the community," said Carter. "It continues the bond that we have with this organization, the Bush family, and the library. The Bush family gives us so much support. It's not only going to benefit our crew, but also the library and the legacy of the president. George H. W. Bush is known as being such an honorable man who dedicated his life to service, not only for his country, but for the world. The ship has a very similar life. We continue to push forward with that principle, 'a life of service.' We mutually support each other in doing that."

GHWB Sailors spoke to students at St. Joseph Catholic School, The Bush School of Government and Public Service, and the Brazos Valley Home School Association to explain what life is like on a nuclear aircraft carrier.

Tavis McDonald, a graduate student at Texas A&M University in The Bush School of Government and Public Service, attended the presentation because of an interest in joining the Navy.

"I got a pretty good perspective on what it's like to serve on an aircraft carrier. My goal is intelligence or aviation, so that will probably lead to an aircraft carrier at some point in my career," said McDonald.

He added that visits to schools like this are valuable because it gives students a different perspective on their future careers.

"Not many [students] know about the military so, having military members come out and communicate about what it's like to be in their jobs to students who, often times, will go into agencies like Central Intelligence or CIA, to see what it's like for people actually serving on the front lines," said McDonald. "I think it's a good perspective to get because the decisions you're making and the reports you're writing are actually going to have an impact on someone else."

During the trip, GHWB Sailors also volunteered at the Brazos Valley Food Bank, assembling 360 bags of food and sorting 1,200 meals for local families in need.

Theresa Mangapora, executive director of the food bank, said volunteers are vital to their mission.

"All of the food that comes in needs to be sorted," said Mangapora. "Back in the day, we had staff members do that. But now, it's 100% done by volunteers. In a given year, the volunteer hours that we accumulate are the equivalent of seven additional full-time employees that I would need to pay here. For us, it's tremendous."

Mangapora also said she's grateful GHWB Sailors spent time at the food bank and hopes they learned something from the experience.

"I feel very honored," she said. "There are a lot of very worthy causes and charities in town where you all could have decided to donate your time. I'm hoping the folks that are here are going to learn a little bit about the hunger right here in our backyard, and take that learning experience back to [Norfolk] because it's not just an issue here in the Brazos Valley, and it's not just a third world issue. Seeing how many backpacks you all need to make to feed the kids and knowing, honestly, we're only hitting 10% of the need in this community, is a little overwhelming. I like to be able to give people something concrete they can do to be part of the solution, and what you all did today is an absolutely perfect example of that."

Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Tonski, GHWB Petty Officer of the Year, said volunteering at the food bank was the highlight of the trip.

"Everyone was so grateful, and everything was well-organized and thought out on the part of the organization," said Tonski. "They were very appreciative of us helping out and you could tell it wasn't taken for granted."

In addition to visiting the Texas A&M campus, including the Memorial Student Center and the Aggie Bonfire Memorial, Bush Sailors also toured the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

According to Robert Holzweiss, deputy director of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, the library serves to preserve and explain the legacy of President George H. W. Bush. It contains 44 million pages of documents, two million still photos, 10,000 videos, and 122,000 museum objects.

GHWB Sailor of the Year Master-at-Arms 1st Class Richard Marrs was impressed with the facility.

"The library was phenomenal," said Marrs. "I didn't know much about it before. It shows our namesake was an amazing man dedicated to service. To see it all come together in one exhibit, it's definitely an example people should live by."

This was Carter's first trip to the library and museum, and he hopes more GHWB Sailors have the opportunity to visit the ship's namesake in the future.

"We've had a great week, met a lot of phenomenal people, and I'm even more enamored with the Bush family and what they represent," he said. "I'm so glad to be part of this organization. Hopefully, we can do more of this as time goes on because I think it's very important. I'd like to see this continue as a more enduring, scheduled event."

"It's important for Sailors to see a different perspective on the Navy and life in general. My hope is they will take this experience back to the ship and help spread the enthusiasm of what we do and why we do it," said Carter.

Holzweiss said the library and museums doors are always open to GHWB Sailors and their families.

"I'd like to extend an invitation to any them. If they're in the neighborhood, if they're from Texas and home on leave, or if they find themselves in Texas with a new assignment, I would welcome them to the library. The campus here is extraordinarily welcoming, as is the community, to veterans."

Marrs said that interacting with students and potential future Sailors was one of the most impactful elements of the visit.

"[I enjoyed] sharing the positive experiences we've had, so people can better understand it, and make informed decisions if there's something [about the Navy] that interests them," said Marrs. "Being out here reaffirms what you're doing; it's added motivation."

Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Aircraft Handling) 3rd Class Ada Tate, GHWB Air Department Blue Jacket of the Year, said she is grateful for the experience of traveling to Texas and touring the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

"The fact that we were able to travel out here is outstanding," said Tate. "I enjoyed everything about the trip, and I was able to get to know my namesake even more. Any Sailor on a ship should know the ship's history. It's the foundation of who we are. This trip encouraged me to better myself as an individual, a Sailor, and a leader."

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is part of the Blue Star Museums program, which offers free admission to military families at more than 2,000 museums across the country.

USS George H. W. Bush is currently undergoing its planned incremental availability maintenance period at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia.

For more information on USS George H. W. Bush, follow the ship on Facebook at www.facebook.com/USSGeorgeHWBush

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