A sailor from Wichita, was baptized at sea aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman this past Easter.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Angelita Deleon, assigned to the Ford-class aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), on temporary assigned duty to Truman security department, is one of 15 sailors who were baptized on Easter Sunday, following Easter services provided by Truman's Command Religious Ministries Department (CRMD). Deleon serves as a master-at-arms and frequently attends gospel services while the Truman's nearly 5,000 crewmembers were deployed in the Mediterranean earlier this year.
"The way that they speak the word during church services makes me feel so much closer to God," said Deleon. "I sat down one day and had a conversation with God and cried to him. It was in that moment that I decided to give my life to Him. Without God I wouldn't be where I am today. He has been a merciful and graceful God to me, and I truly thank him for every opportunity I've been given in life."
Chief Petty Officer Mario Johnson from Flint, Michigan, Truman's air department night aircraft handling officer and Gospel lay-ministry leader, performed some of the baptisms and described the event as an amazing opportunity that requires resourceful coordination.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be a part of this service," said Johnson. "To make an event such as this possible, we have to coordinate with a few other departments. CRMD coordinated with air department so we could use the hangar bay, and aircraft intermediate maintenance department (AIMD) allowed us to use an engine can. We cleaned that out, filled it with water and used that as a baptistery."
Truman's Gospel lay ministry is one of several regularly practicing faith groups aboard the ship led by volunteer lay leaders. Lay services are overseen by the ship's CMRD, whose Navy chaplains also perform religious services according to their faiths.
"From my faith tradition, a baptism signifies our death with Christ on the cross and then we raise them back up, signifying our resurrection into new life," said Lt. Cmdr. Steve Hervey, one of Truman's chaplains. "It's an important step in faith. We baptize everyone in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as a symbol to show that we follow God's path."
Truman, who deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, Dec. 1, 2021, is on a regularly scheduled deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, where it has been operating with NATO militaries conducting dual and tri-carrier operations, enhanced air patrols and enhanced vigilance activities, in addition to several bilateral military exercises.
"Since arriving in the Sixth Fleet area of operations, a key aspect of our mission has been to build integration and interoperability with our NATO allies and partners," said Rear Adm. Curt Renshaw, commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight.
These efforts have focused on the Western Mediterranean, Ionian and Adriatic Sea. In early March, the carrier sailed into the North Aegean Sea, an area where a U.S. carrier had never operated before.
