Nacogdoches Native Returns from 11-Month Deployment Aboard Nimitz Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob Ware, a 2015 high school graduate and Nacogdoches native recently returned to Bremerton, Washington, marking the end of an 11-month deployment aboard aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operation. Ware is an aviation ordnanceman aboard the carrier. As an aviation ordnanceman, Ware is responsible for assembly and disassembly, stowage and handling of ordnance. “My favorite part of the job is when the jet comes back empty of ordnance," said Ware.
Contributed Photo/Navy Outreach Nimitz was the first aircraft carrier to successfully deploy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with no reported cases aboard. Mitigations were implemented strike group-wide to prevent the spread of COVID-19 aboard the ships, and included wearing face masks, social distancing, increased shipwide cleaning and a focus on handwashing. A COVID-19 Medical Response Team was embarked for the duration of deployment. Visits to Oman, Bahrain and Guam were confined to the piers to ensure the health and safety of the crew. New personnel that joined the ship underway also completed a sequester and tested negative for COVID-19 prior to embarking.