By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jesse Hawthorne, Navy Office of Community Outreach
NORFOLK, Va. — A 2018 Pinson Valley High School graduate and Pinson, Alabama, native returned home Aug. 9th, marking the end of a seven-month deployment aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Since departing its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia in January 2020 for the ship’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), the aircraft carrier remained underway and deployed to the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
“Being a part of the ship’s intelligence department, I’m allowed access to a level of situational awareness most sailors don’t have,” said Boswell. “It is easy to get wrapped up in ship life and feel enclosed, but when you have the opportunity to survey your surroundings and communicate to other ships to better coordinate planning for the future, you deal with the bigger picture and answers to the ‘whys’ so many sailors have.”
USS Eisenhower, along with the USS San Jacinto (CG 56), one of the other ships within Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10, remained continuously at sea with no port visits, setting a new record for the U.S. Navy, breaking the previous record of 160 days set in 2002 by USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).
“I’m so proud of the young men and women I see on the deck plates each and every day,” said Capt. Kyle Higgins, Ike’s commanding officer. “Their dedication to the mission is what makes our Navy the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen.”
Sailors assigned to USS Eisenhower and San Jacinto transited to the equator and participated in a unique crossing the line ceremony, becoming the Navy’s first ‘Iron Shellbacks,’ with more than 100 days at sea May 14. Ike petitioned Naval History and Heritage Command to commemorate this feat in conjunction with crossing the equator as a new title: ‘Iron Shellback.’
“I am proud to say I was trained and now facilitate mindful meditation to the ship’s crew,” said Boswell. “This is the most rewarding part of my deployment due to the fact it’s the gift of giving without cost and leaving behind a long-lasting impact for my fellow sailors.
USS Eisenhower participated in multiple exercises with allies and partners and dual-carrier operations. The ships within CSG-10 also completed multiple strait and choke point transits, to include the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal and the Bab-el Mandeb Strait, while operating under two Combatant Commanders – U.S. European Command (EUCOM), and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
“With any ship/squadron mission, there is a need to understand how you would respond in any worst-case scenario, any best-case scenario and understanding all the moving parts we can overlook if not in my position,” said Boswell. “Constant collection, briefing and preparation leaves room for no surprises and total safety.”
“My father was a master-at-arms onboard USS Esienhower from 2009-2012 and both of my grandfathers served in the military,” said Boswell.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Boswell, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.
“I knew the Navy would teach me life lessons I wouldn’t get jumping straight into college,” added Boswell. “This path would make me immediately independent and present opportunities for the rest of my life.”