The carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower maintained its five-star status in April, with more than 500 combat sorties and 4,147 flight hours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The crew marked 92 days on station in the Persian Gulf with a visit to Dubai at month’s end.
Then on May 1, Capt. Samuel “Pappy” Paparo, deputy commander of Carrier Air Wing 7, became the 100,000th safe trap on the #3 arresting gear engine.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower group, having deployed for five months in 2009, deployed again to the Middle East in January.
