Scoop Deck blogger Lance M. Bacon just completed a 24-hour embark aboard the carrier Harry S Truman. This is the play-by-play.
Truman’s XO knows it’s the sailors who make the difference, and he has some strong initiatives to take care of them, their families and their Navy. (Photo by Lance M. Bacon)
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Fresh out of the metal shop, we sat down for a one-on-one with the XO, Capt. John “Oscar” Meier. Most of our discussion will be used in a forthcoming story, so keep an eye on Navy Times. But Scoop Deck can tell you this: Meier is someone who will go the distance to protect his sailors and protect his Navy.
We’re exactly like every other Nimitz-class carrier. We’re 95,000 tons of steel, technology, two nuclear reactors – the only thing that makes this carrier a Battle E-winning carrier is the crew and the leadership on this ship.”
He along with the skipper have some pretty strong initiatives in place, from family readiness to curbing alcohol abuse to overcoming the transfer of one-third of the qualified crew when Big E pushed the fall deployment back by six months.
Don’t be surprised if you see Meier get command of his own flat top in the near future.
