New U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower Captain Has Mass. Ties

BOSTON (CBS) -- The U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the sixth oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy, is now commanded by a captain with Massachusetts ties.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 morning anchor Joe Mathieu recently spent 24 hours aboard the warship. He spoke to Paul Spedero, the new captain of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and a native of Springfield, about the vessel's upcoming deployment to the Middle East and Mediterranean to relieve the U.S.S. Roosevelt.

"It's the highlight of what we do," said Spedero. "Everything up to that point is preparation for deployment."

The U.S.S. Eisenhower's crew have been undergoing intense ship-wide training while the carrier sits about 100 miles off the coast of Virginia. Spedero said everyone aboard joined the Navy out of a desire to defend their country.

"What we're doing today, while it's exciting, it's really just to get us to that point where we're prepared and ready for whatever mission gets assigned to us," said Spedero.

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When asked how a son of Springfield makes it all the way to the bridge of such a distinguished ship, Spedero thanked his parents for encouraging him to go to college. He attended on an ROTC scholarship.

"I wanted to serve others, and I thought, what better way than to go into the military?" said Spedero. "I decided I wanted to fly, and the rest is history."

Spedero had praise for pilots in all branches of the military, but talked about the specific challenges faced by Naval aviators such as those on board the Eisenhower--challenges like taking off and landing on a pitching deck in the rain.

"We do have to do some things that other pilots in other services don't have to do," said Spedero. "Not everyone makes it. They have to be good at what they do, or they're gonna have to do something else."

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Joe Mathieu reports

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