Burke

NewsFollowing in Her Father’s FootstepsLt. Barbara Colberg, of Burke, helps bring Navy’snewest aircraft carrier into service.ABurke native and 2003Thomas Jefferson HighSchool for Science andTechnology graduate, isserving in the U.S. Navy as part ofa hand-picked crew charged withbringing the Navy’s newest aircraftcarrier into service.Lt. Barbara Colberg, who joinedfour years ago, is the deputy commandjudge advocate aboard Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R.Ford (CVN 78), the first ship in itsclass and the successor to theNavy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriersthat have been in operation forthe last half century.Colberg, who followed in herfather’s footsteps by joining theNavy, and the rest of the 1000-Sailor crew are slowly bringing theship to life, a crew that will eventuallygrow to more than 4,500when the ship is at sea. When complete,the aircraft carrier, poweredby two nuclear reactors, will measuremore than three footballfields long at 1,092 feet in lengthand will weigh more than 100,000tons. It will be capable of sailingat nearly 35 mph and will carrymore than 75 Navy aircraft.“Lt. Colberg plays a vital role inpreparing our Nation’s newest andmost technologically advancedwarship for sea,” said Ford’s CommandingOfficer, Capt. John F.Meier. “We have the opportunityto build this command with theideals of our namesake and we arecreating the command climate anda culture of excellence that wehave always wanted. This crew issetting that standard, a standardthat will last for the 50-plus yearlife of the ship.”AS ONE OF THE SAILORS whowill commission the ship, Colberghas the opportunity to see firsthandthe innovations being incorporatedinto the design of the ship;from a redesigned flight deck toallow for more efficient aircraftteaching the Navy how tooperate this new class of aircraftcarriers.”COLBERG said it is an excitingoperations to equipment thatrequires less maintenance.As the crew grows andworks toward the goal ofjoining the fleet in 2016,Colberg and other Gerald R.Ford sailors will be acceptingspaces on the ship, trainingto operate it and buildinga legacy that will lastbeyond their lifetimes.Training for the crew hasto come from some uniquesources. There are no Navyschools for some of the newequipment, so the crew ispartnering with HuntingtonIngalls Newport News Shipbuildingand other vendorsto master the new systems.“This is a unique opportunityto see first-hand howthe systems are installed andPhoto courtesy of U.S. NavyLieutenant Barbara Colbergtime to be in the Navy,helping to build a crew anda ship from scratch, somethingshe never expected tobe doing just a couple yearsago. She also said she isproud of the work she is doingto help commission andman the Navy’s newest aircraftcarrier. As a 28-year-oldwith numerous responsibilities,Colberg said she islearning about herself as aleader, sailor and a person.“I’ve learned how to be moreindependent, self-reliantand to trust my own judgment,”said Colberg.Colberg added she is enjoyingbeing part of theGerald R. Ford crew as everyoneis helpful and willingto work with each other,tested, which is an advantage thatfuture crews won’t have an opportunityto experience,” said Meier.“Lt. Colberg and her shipmates arebecoming the subject matter experts.They are working hand inhand with the shipyard throughoutthe testing phase and in turnwhich makes for a cohesive, productivecommand.The ship is scheduled to commissionin Spring 2016.www.ConnectionNewspapers.comBurke Connection ❖ September 4-10, 2014 ❖ 5