Naval Station Norfolk

Let me set the scene properly.

Two days before the attacks on September 10th, 2001, George Washington got underway out of Naval Station Norfolk.

She was fresh off a planned incremental availability, a maintenance period, a Newport News shipbuilding, and she was heading into the Virginia Capes operating area to begin working up towards two of the bigger evolutions in a carrier's pre-deployment cycle.

a composite training unit exercise, and a joint task force exercise.

You know, that type of sliding scale.

I'm so match-up heavy that I would start Geno over Jordan Love, personally Okay, next question is from Ted from somewhere southwest of the Norf- I know it's not supposed to say said Norfolk, but I'm gonna say Norfolk Naval Base.

Why sh-

It's in Virginia.

So these days, Richmond is pretty hip and happening.

Although Virginia is maybe more famous for also being home to Naval Station Norfolk, which is the world's largest naval base.

Named, of course, after the English county of Norfolk in East Anglia.

Richmond in England and Norfolk in England are not near each other.

That was weird.

Naval Station Norfolk hosted the moment that probably mattered most.

Roughly 1,400 sailors packed into a base theater to hear Admiral Richardson explain the change directly.

By every account, the room was standing room only.

You know, you don't see naval ports.

For example, the Naval Operational Base, NOB Norfolk, is the largest naval base in the world.

That's just the naval base.

There is a civilian port.

He landed in the ocean and was stung by jellyfish and swallowed seawater, rescued by the USS Finback, and sort of went down in history.

Two months later, he was here at Naval Station Norfolk training pilots.

Wow.

Yeah, they sent him here, and he was here.

Oh,

and this station is right on the piers of Naval Station Norfolk.

So they have visitors from all around the country, all around the world come to our base to visit and stop.

So we have firefighters all the time coming in.

This is not a luxury cruise.

And when my senator, who represents Norfolk Naval Base, one of the largest Navy bases in the world, said this about our sailors, I was just appalled because he is demeaning the leaders on that ship who just sacrificed so much to do what's best for not only our nation, but those sailors that are serving under them, those sailors and Marines.

And so clearly, Mark Warner, it's an election year.

He's running for reelection.