Tim Keating News

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hosts the graduation ceremony for the company's Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS). The graduation, held at Liberty Baptist Church Worship Center in Hampton, celebrated the achievements of 206 apprentices representing 21 trades. Retired Navy Adm. Tim Keating served as the commencement speaker and shared some of his personal experiences with NNS-built aircraft carriers and submarines and their impact on national security. "Think of the difference you have made over decades of good, honest hard work," he said to the graduates.

Coast Guard cutters Boutwell, a 378-ft. high endurance cutter homeported in Alameda, Calif., and Walnut, a 225-ft. buoy tender homeported in Honolulu, began heading home today after completing their missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Both cutters conducted a wide range of missions while serving in the Gulf, including maritime force protection, coastal and terminal security, and maritime interception and marine environmental response. "Without question, the skill and dedication of the crews of Walnut and Boutwell were instrumental to the overall success of our naval forces and underscored the importance of the Navy-Coast Guard team," said Vice Adm. Tim Keating, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.