USS Carl Vinson Begins Air Missions in Middle East

Sailors and aviators aboard the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson began flight operations in support of the military in Afghanistan over the weekend, the Navy has announced.

Carrier Air Wing 17 flew 58 missions on Saturday, according to Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lori Bent of the vessel's public affairs office.

“We are doing our first sets of mission for troops on the ground,” said Air Traffic Controller 2nd Class Kyle Pierce. “We have to be on the top of our game to be there for the people who need us.”

When the Carl Vinson was in the Middle East last year, it launched nearly 1,700 sorties in a period of about three months. The vessel was the one from which the body of Osama bin Laden was buried at sea in May.

The aircraft carrier and its San Diego-based escorts, the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey, arrived in the gulf on Jan. 9, according to the Navy.

– City News Service