USS Texas

Its been a while since I did a post on a new naval vessel. First Lady Laura Bush was there to christen the USS Texas. From her speech here:

Wherever she sails, I know Texas will build on the proud legacy of her predecessors. Less than an hour north of here, visitors to the San Jacinta Battleground State Historic Site can explore the second U.S.S. Texas. More than 60 years ago, the young men of her crew -- men like you -- bombarded Omaha Beach and Pointe Du Hoc during the D-Day landings. They were supporting the young men -- men like you -- who scaled sheer cliffs and charged into Nazi gunfire to reclaim a continent for liberty.

Texas later sustained damage during her Atlantic service, but German guns couldn't stop her. She was repaired and made her way to the Pacific where she bombarded enemy defenses in Iwo Jima and Okinawa to make way for American soldiers and Marines -- men like you -- to defeat an enemy that had attack America unprovoked.

The crew of the Battleship Texas were men like you, because in the face of tremendous danger, they put aside their greatest fears to take up the cause of freedom. Like you, they were driven by their determination to protect the United States of America, and by their deep love of liberty.

You serve on Texas at a time when our country once again faces a threat to America's homeland, and a global threat to freedom. Like those who came before you, the crew of this new vessel will make our country proud.