General Chilton Visit

23 September, 2009 - STOUT recently had the opportunity to provide a shipboard tour to General Chilton, Commander United States Strategic Command. It is not often that we get the opportunity to meet with a 4-Star Combattant Commander, let alone spend 90 minutes giving a tour so everyone onboard was excited at the opportunity to show off STOUT. Even though we were in stand-down with half of the crew on leave, the crew came together and presented the ship very well.

General Chilton is a former astronaut and was very interested in our capabilities and our recent deployment. He enjoyed his time onboard and I believe he appreciated the opportunity to see some of the things the Navy does everyday up close. If you would like to read more about General Chilton his biogrgraphy cam be found at:
www.stratcom.mil/biographies/1/

Homecoming

5 September, 2009 - Norfolk! I've been a bit remiss in posting to this blog the past few weeks, but I wanted to let everyone know that we are still here and are enjoying Norfolk. We had a very successful reunion on 5 September with a great turnout on the pier to greet us.

The crew and I have sepnt the last few weeks catching up with family and friends. Most of the crew have taken leave as we adjust to Norfolk life again.

I included just a couple of images from our arrival for those of you who were unable to make it to Norfolk. As you can see wh had beautiful weather.

01 September, 2009 - Over the past few days our schedule was filled with training events, maintenance, preservation and studying for upcoming advancement exams.
Last Saturday we put our guns and gunners to the test with a live firing exercise. We utilized a deployable target, known in the Navy as a "Killer Tomato" because of its red color, to provide target practice. We fired all of our guns from the large 5" mount to our .50 caliber machine guns. I have to say that the guns and gunners both performed well. As I always like to say, our gunners are the highest caliber.
This morning we assembled the crew for an awards ceremony. I presented nearly 80 awards to well deserving Sailors for their performance over the past months. There are many things to be proud of today as we look back on past accomplishments. The high training level of the crew and outstanding material condition of the ship are also a testament to the hard work put in by everyone aboard.
At the end of the ceremony I took a few minutes to thank the entire crew for their outstanding efforts, reflect on our accomplishments and also look towards the future.
We will be back home in Norfolk on Saturday and of course everyone is excited. In addition to STOUT homecoming this weekend is also Labor Day weekend, the traditional end to summer. Staying safe as we head back to join our families and friends is important to me and I expressed the need to be smart about weekend activities with the crew. Please enjoy a safe and fun weekend with your Sailors. We'll see you in a few days.