Raiders Cheerleaders Visit GW Sailors

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dave Reynolds
navy.mil

A group of Oakland Raiders’ cheerleaders, the “Raiderettes,” paid a visit to the crew of USS George Washington (CVN 73) Feb. 8 in Yokosuka, Japan.

The cheerleaders’ visit was part of a tour of Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) to help Japan-based Sailors celebrate Super Bowl XLIV.

For Sailors in the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces, “Super Sunday” is actually “Super Monday,” as the game kicked off around 8 a.m. local time.

The four visiting Raiderettes spent most of the morning meeting with Sailors at various clubs around the base before boarding George Washington in the afternoon.

After arriving aboard the Nimitz-class carrier, the Raiderettes were treated to a tour led by George Washington Commanding Officer Capt. David A. Lausman as they received a firsthand look at the ship’s hangar bay, flight deck and bridge.

“We’re here to learn about what happens on an aircraft carrier,” said Raiderette Natalie P.; the Raiderettes are not allowed to give their full names due to privacy concerns. “We learned a lot today about the ship’s capabilities and all the work that it takes to operate a ship like this. The best part was visiting the bridge, where we could sit in the captain’s chair and look out over the flight deck and the water. It was neat to get a ‘birds-eye view’ of the ship.”

Her counterpart, Raiderette Natalie M., disagreed.

“My favorite part of the ship was the flight deck, where we could see where the aircraft actually take off and land,” said Natalie M. “It was very cool to see up close where all of that happens.”

Both cheerleaders agreed that the real reason they came was to spend time with Sailors, thank them for a job well done and help them spend the Super Bowl in a memorable way.

“It was really fun to see the Sailors interact with us,” said Natalie M. “Some are super-shy and some are more outgoing, but we definitely got to see the different personalities on the ship. It was really fun to talk to them, take some pictures and just spend time here.”

After spending about two hours on the ship, George Washington Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Martin K. King presented the Raiderettes with photos of the ship signed by the captain.

King said events like these can give an extra boost to Sailors’ morale.

“It was a great opportunity for the crew to realize that everybody back home thinks a lot about them,” said King. “For the Oakland Raiders cheerleaders to come out here and support our Sailors, it’s a great thing and we really appreciate it.”

George Washington is undergoing its second Yokosuka-based selective restricted availability and is scheduled to return to sea later in 2010.