George Washington (CVN 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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'terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of A. meric a! - President eorge C ush t '?J7 == he news hit hard and touched o' our inner souls. America the beautiful, the leader of freedom and liberty, had been hit by terrorists. In New York, the World Trade Center towers were toppled by two hijacked commercial airliners. Minutes later in the nation’s capital, a section of the Pentagon, the symbol of Americas military might, collapsed under another airliner attack. The Navy was quickly mobilized. USS George Washington was at sea in the Virginia Capes area when the terrorist strikes occurred. Soon after she was diverted north. George Washington steamed off the coastline of New York providing air defense to the city while awaiting any additional tasking from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). A New York skyline engulfed by smoke was forever ingrained in GW Sailors' memories. It may have been impossible for them to express all they were feeling as they dealt with the unique nightmare. Our men and women come from all parts of the country and even different places in the w orld. Each was affected in their own way. The George Washington family has mothers in Pittsburgh, cousins in Kuwait and friends in New York. So even though some Sailors knew their lives would continue in the wake of the catastrophe, for some of our shipmates. September 11 was especially long. For AKAN Shaun Chuman. temporarily