29.48° N 79.33° W, U.S.S. George Washington, Atlantic Ocean

On this day, six years ago, I joined a party of civilians who flew out of Norfolk and experienced a tail-hook landing on the deck of the U.S.S. George Washington, an aircraft carrier on its way to a new home port in Japan. These sailors reflect the average age of the crew: 20. The man in the middle is the helmsman; he's driving the ship. [2007]