NORFOLK, VA- A 2018 Lakeland High School graduate and LaGrange, Indiana, native returned home August 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 Atlantic Ocean.

Airman Cameron Fitzgerald is an aviation boatswains mate (handler) aboard the carrier. As an aviation boatswains mate (handler), Fitzgerald is responsible for moving aircraft on the flight deck, launch preparedness for aircraft and personnel safety.

“My favorite part of the job aboard Ike is being able to meet new people from different places,” said Fitzgerald. “As well as experiencing new things with great people by my side.”