A group of future naval officers joined the crew of aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, June 1.

Sixteen midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy and ROTC programs of various colleges embarked for their 1st Class Summer Training Cruise.

The midshipmen were broken up into two groups. Ten trained with CVW-3 and the remaining six with Ike's Reactor Department. Each midshipman was paired with a junior officer "running mate" from their chosen career field who taught them about their job and the ship. Midshipmen shadowed their running mates to gain a better understanding of the type of work and lifestyle Sailors experience on a daily basis.

"The purpose of this cruise for the midshipmen is to give them an opportunity to experience first-and what they are going to be doing for a living in about a year," said Lt. Benjamin O'Neill, midshipmen coordinator. "It's a great way for them to become accustomed to their future roles and responsibilities."

These midshipmen will become commissioned naval officers in a little more than a year, so seizing an opportunity to eat, live among, and stand watch with officers who were recently in their position will invariably assist with their transition from midshipmen to commissioned officers.

"My entire time in the Navy so far has been in a classroom behind a book," said Midshipman 1st Class Ashley Shepherd. "It's a humbling and awesome experience to be out in the action. Seeing how hard people work on the Ike and the enormous amount of responsibility placed on the crew really gives me perspective on what I'm getting myself into. I couldn't be more excited."

Although midshipmen had different points of focus during their time out to sea, the common theme for all was to gain a better view of the different communities, people and evolutions aboard Ike.

"This is my first time stepping foot on an aircraft carrier," said Midshipman 1st Class Brett Voss. "I want a chance to experience and understand what goes into launching and recovering aircraft. I joined to fly jets and am going to have the chance to do so on this cruise."

Ike prides itself on being a good host to its visitors, and the Sailors of Ike have more than welcomed the midshipman.

"I have not met anyone that has not been willing to stop and immediately explain what they were doing," said Midshipman 1st Class Beth Nelson. "From just being on board a single day, I could tell the Sailors on Ike have an enormous amount of enthusiasm and are really just willing to help. I have so much to learn here and have no doubt that when I walk off the ship I will be one step closer to being a great leader."

The 16 midshipmen will be part of the crew for two weeks. In that short time they will gain a wealth of information and experience they can take with them.

Ike is underway as part of the Carrier Strike Group 10 deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. With Ike as the flagship, strike group assets include embarked squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 3, Destroyer Squadron 26, and ships USS San Jacinto (CG 56), USS Monterey (CG 61), USS Stout (DDG 55), USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Nitze (DDG 94).

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