Capt. Will Pennington, commanding officer of aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), presented a $150,000 check to the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) division aboard the ship July 5 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The check comes from supply department's S-3 division, which is responsible for manning the ship's store, stocking the vending machines, and running the Lonestar Cafe aboard the ship.

"Three times a year the ship's store transfers money to MWR for the command, and that's based on a budget the captain approves at the beginning of the fiscal year," said Lt. Lucas Horan, the ship's sales officer. "This transfer that we're doing is the last transfer of the year and we will fulfill our budget requirement for the fiscal year."

These funds allow MWR to organize all of the ship's annual events, like the command holiday party and summer picnic. The program also offers reduced ticket prices and different trips throughout the month. All of the funds for those things come directly from the money raised by S-3.

Sailors aboard GHWB are awarded the opportunity to maximize their liberty with minimal impact on their wallet.

"The money that Sailors spend at the ship store doesn't go to waste," said Ship's Serviceman 3rd Class Craig Turner. "It actually goes right back to them in one way, shape or form."

Horan says the transfer of these funds is a symbol of what the ship's serviceman rating means to the crew and to the Navy. The transfer of money from S-3 to MWR is a tangible way in which you can see how a ship's serviceman serves the crew on a daily basis.

"Sometimes their work is kind of thankless work, but we take a lot of pride in it," said Horan. "We get the opportunity to give back to the crew from the work that we do everyday. At the end of the day it is a very personally rewarding thing for us and it's exciting that it benefits the crew in the way that it does."

George H.W. Bush is currently undergoing a planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

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