NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles “CQ” Brown, boarded the USS Ramage Friday afternoon to share a personal message of thanks to sailors of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group following an extended tour.
“Part of my trip here is to tell them thank you and to tell them how proud I am in the work they were able to do and the impact they had,” Brown said.
The group of sailors, part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, had an extended deployment because of the tensions in the Middle East.
The Ford and Ramage played an important role in the U.S. response to the conflict.
“I came in as Chairman of Joint Chiefs on the first of October,” Brown said. “On Oct. 7, Hamas went into Israel. The two ships I went to visit today were deployed during that timeframe.”
The strike group was tasked with protecting national interests and deterring any future aggression.
“We got to stay focused, and we have to be thoughtful of the approaches we take,” Brown said. “We do not want to have a miscalculation and have something spread much broader than it already is.”
Sailors aboard the USS Ramage told 10 On Your Side they are proud of the work they did, but one sailor said it wasn’t always easy.
“While we were out there, it was pretty challenging the things we had to go through,” said Fire Controlman 2nd Class Charkevious Doston.
Brown, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, used his visit to extend his gratitude.
“He told us he loved the work we are doing,” said Fire Controlman Aegis 2nd Class Nicolas Sanchez. “The enthusiasm we had. What we put forward every day.”
Brown toured the guided missile destroyer and watched sailors do a scenario.
“When the chairman came into the combat information center, we were running a scenario showing how we operate in combat and things we do in a combat situation,” he said.
He also spent time on the Ford.
Brown left behind a token of his appreciation.
“It is pretty cool,” Sanchez said. “I always wanted to collect them.”
Brown took time to speak with a group of journalists, providing insight into national defense matters.
He talked about the eight servicemembers killed in two separate incidents. Last month, three reservists based in Georgia were killed in a drone attack. This week, five Marines were found dead after their helicopter went missing.
“I want to pass my condolences to all those families,” he said.
Brown added: “Our responsibility as senior leaders, as leaders at all levels, is to ensure that our service members are operating as safely as possible, but I also tell you, the operations we do are not risk-free.
He addressed the work to make sure sailors have a place to sleep.
“One of our goals is to make sure we provide adequate housing for all the servicemembers,” Brown said. “We are trying to work through to not have our sailors have to stay on the ship when they get home. … We will work with our various communities and provide not only housing in the installation, but affordable housing in the community.”
He touched on the importance of mental health in the fleet.
“Mental health is health,” Brown said. “It is also how we, as leaders, have the skillsets to actually sit down and talk with our young service members. We have to make sure we are doing things to make sure the younger members have someone to talk to and have someone that can help them through that tough problem. At the same time, provide a range of services to support them and be there in a time of need.”
