Meet the Captain of the USS Gerald R. Ford: John F. Meier A native Pennsylvanian, Meier graduated from the Naval Academy in 1986, and earned his wings two years later at Chase Field in Beeville, Texas. He was assigned to VAQ (Electronic Attack Squadron) 141, the Shadowhawks, on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. During Operation Desert Storm, Meier flew an EA-6B “Prowler” on 42 combat missions. This subsonic jet gathers signal intelligence, jams radar, serves as command-and-control aircraft, and takes on enemy missile launchers and radar sites. Meier’s career took him to squadrons aboard the USS Constellation and the USS Kitty Hawk, and to missions in to Yugoslavia and the Arabian Gulf. He served as the Executive Officer of the USS Truman and in 2010 was given command of the USS Gunston Hall. Now Meier will command of the USS Gerald R. Ford. He recognizes his unique position as the ship’s first captain and is instilling a culture of excellence and “a command climate that will set the tone for the next fifty years” within his officer corps. Captain Meier will soon stand on Ford’s command bridge and will take to sea the Navy’s first “virtually all-electric ship,” manned by a crew of about 2,700 sailors and more powerful than any aircraft carrier ever commissioned. Meier is “thrilled” by this opportunity. “I couldn’t ask for a better assignment or a greater honor,” he says. Captain Meier’s uniform and other artifacts are part of the Ford Museum’s “The Rise of the American Aircraft Carrier” exhibit, which runs through Spring 2015. Visit the exhibit in person, or online at fordlibrarymuseum.gov/museum/exhibits/TakingTheSeas/index.html
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:00:01 +0000
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