Carrier George H.W. Bush heads out on first deployment

NORFOLK

Even fighter pilots need some help carrying their luggage when they're embarking on a six-month cruise.

Lt. William Fincher, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 15, had his mother help carry his gear to the aircraft carrier Bush on Tuesday afternoon. The Bush and its sister ships in Carrier Strike Group 2 leave today for an expected six-month deployment to the Mediterranean and Arabian seas.

In addition to multiple bags - some containing uniforms he expects will get little use because he'll be wearing flight suits most days - Fincher also toted a window-size portable fan. It gets hot on the ship, he explained, and with a long summer ahead, he wanted to be prepared.

Sherrie Fincher came from California to see her son off on what will be the Bush's first combat deployment. She's used to it - she grew up in a military family and married a Navy man. The worry is always there, she said, when seeing off a loved one, but you do learn how to deal with it.

William Fincher looked forward to his second cruise.

"Work-ups can be more stressful than deployment," he said, referring to the intense period to prepare a squadron for combat. He wasn't worried about potential unrest in the Middle East and tense situations in Yemen, Libya and Syria. The squadron has prepared for any eventuality, he said.

"Wherever they need us, we'll be good to go."

Joining the Bush and Carrier Air Wing 8 on deployment are three Norfolk-based ships - the guided missile cruiser Anzio and destroyers Mitscher and Truxtun - and the cruiser Gettysburg from Mayport, Fla.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Madison shared Fincher's sense of anticipation about the coming months. An aviation maintenance specialist with a different squadron, Madison said he will be glad to contribute to real-world missions, not just training. And although he was sad to say goodbye to his wife and 14-month-old daughter, Gabriella, he looked forward to the camaraderie with the guys in his squadron.

Madison's father came down from Albany, N.Y., to see off his son. "We'll worry till he comes back," Floyd Madison said, "but we're very proud he's doing his part."

Construction on the $6.2 billion warship - named for former President George H.W. Bush - began in 2001, and the ship was commissioned in January 2009. It is the 10th and final carrier in the Nimitz class.

Capt. Brian Luther, the commanding officer, tried to let his staff know that leaving is never easy. He said only a half-dozen officers acknowledged feeling somewhat anxious when he polled them at a meeting Tuesday - until Luther revealed that he's both excited and nervous about getting underway.

"Unless you've got a heart like a grinch, there will be part of it you're leaving behind," he said.

When he asked again a few minutes later how many had some anxiety, all 35 folks present raised their hands.

Nerves aside, Luther said, he's confident his crew is ready, and he is looking forward to conducting three battle assessment drills during the Atlantic transit to work out any bugs.

"You can never reduce all risk," he said. But at the same time, he reminded them, they're not the first carrier to go to sea. "We're not inventing the wheel."

Deploying is old hat for Petty Officer 1st Class Rick Steinemer, who brought his wife and two kids aboard the Bush on Tuesday before saying goodbye on his sixth deployment.

He wanted to show 5-year-old daughter Amelia and 2-year-old son Tristan where he worked, slept and ate. He thought it would make it easier on them if they could visualize where he's going to spend the next six months.

Sharla Steinemer didn't know whether they'd grasped the concept, though.

"I'm not sure that they really get that he's going to be gone for a while."

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com