Rio de Janiero

We usually do not Man the Rails in foreign ports but we did it coming in to Rio. Too bad there are no shots from helicopters.

I finally got off of the ship today and I will send some personal pictures but I wanted to get a little something posted sooner.

I'm radioactive

Remember on Monsters, Inc. when the monsters were contaminated by the kids and the squad dropped in to decontaminate them. Here is one of the drills we practice in case a contaminated person is also wounded. The stains on my hood are from the fake blood to simulate the casualty. Everyone calls me Big Bird in this get-up.

Here's a sunset from from the ship. For some reason I'm looking to the side. It reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite.

Showboats

So I don't know how to spell Sacajuwea, but hooked on phonic worked for me. I have to admit up front these are not my pictures. There is a media department onboard and one of the Navy photographers shot these. We had our own air show out at sea yesterday, as the flight deck prepared to awe the Brazilian visitors. It was exhilarating to stand outside in the sunshine and watch the performance. The planes flew over in formation with an E2 in the lead.

Then a SH-60 helicopter lowered a SAR (search and rescue) swimmer out over the water.

It was awesome having the FA-18 Hornet fly from out of no low over the ship. Look at the fire in the jet exhaust. And I'm down below treating eczema and back pain. All in a day's work.

Underway replenishment

It's highway to the danger zone here on the flight deck.

I want to show you happenings from the ship. There is a cable connected between our ship and the USNS Sakajuwea and the cargo is sent over. The helicopters also pick up supplies and bring them over to us. It's an amazing process to witness.

Operational

Hello from onboard the USS Carl Vinson, the strength of the sea. We recently set off on our first deployment in 4 years. We were off to train and be tested in operational skills. We were called to Haiti to aide in a relief effort. In a ravished nation, we witnessed heartwrenching injuries and stories of lost love ones and lonely survivors.