George Washington (CVN 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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We came, we saw, we toured, and now we’re exhausted About the only way to stay awake after an exhaustive tour schedule in Haifa was to take a swim in the salty waters of the Dead Sea. Elsewhere, at the USO, shipmates took advantage of their last hours ashore by touching base with loved ones in the states by phone. The trip back to GW capped a once-in-a-lifetime journey to the Holy Land.

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Day 90 The halfway point of the cruise not only meant GW was on the downslope of the deployment, but also that the crew earned the Sea Service Ribbon for being at sea 90 days away from home port. 158 Haifa. Israel

Page 173 text:

Getting the records straight Whether inport in Haifa or underway, there was a tremendous amount of paperwork generated by almost 6.000 Sailors and Marines. While the rest of the crew was working or relaxing in the library, service records were constantly being updated. m cm 160 Underway