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Pasadena man enjoys service on Navy aircraft carrier

By Diana North, Chronicle Correspondent
11-March-2010

U.S. Navy Petty Officer Vu Tran left his studies in architecture at the University of Houston to enlist in the Navy in February 2007 so he could gain experience and challenge himself with something very different from what he did in the civilian world.

"It seems like a lifetime ago," said Tran. "I took a break from school. I wanted to see what's out there before I settled down."

On his first ship deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower anchored off the coast of Afghanistan, the 30-year-old Pasadena native is an aviation electronics technician who puts in long hours keeping the electrical systems of the airplanes on board in ship-shape.

Anchored roughly between the north Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman for more than a month, the ship - and Tran - will remain there until midsummer when it's scheduled to return to Norfolk, Va.

Tran's day begins at 5 a.m. After breakfast he repairs jets, work that varies from day to day.

"I troubleshoot the birds up on deck, making sure all the systems work," said Tran. "The jets have to be able to get up and fulfill their mission."

It's work he considers exciting. And his enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed by his superior officers.

"Petty Officer Tran is the example of a model sailor," said Tran's Divisional Lead Chief Petty Officer and Chief Aviation Electronics Technician Jeffrey M. Acevedo.

Tran arrived at the Rampagers of VFA-83 (Strike Fighter Squadron) from the Navy's Ceremonial Guard in August 2009, and passed his aviation electronics technician exam without the standard six months of training, Acevedo said.

Tran excelled in his study of avionics systems and continually seeks new knowledge, he said.

"He is a very professional technician and strives for excellence no matter the task assigned," Acevedo said.

"As his divisional chief, I have considered it a true honor to work with AT3 Tran. He is a 5-star sailor and represents the true meaning of service to country."

Tran said the most difficult part of living aboard a ship is adjusting to the everyday routine.

When he isn't working, he tries to catch up on his reading, his drawing and sleep.

But his time aboard the ship has allowed him to see unforgettable sights - a school of dolphins jumping in the wake of the ship, the moon in the sky until after noon and miles of green algae that, at night, looks "like when a neon stick breaks and you throw it in water."

Tran calls the ship "a floating city" that is home to approximately 4,500 people. It measures about 1,000 feet in length and has a 4½ acre flight deck for approximately 60 aircraft.

"We've got everything here - a store, a cafeteria, a lot of junk food to keep the troops happy," Tran said. "Anything you can find on land, you can find here."

At first his mother, Hue Kim Tran, and his father, Phat Tran, he said, were "kind of against" his decision to enlist, especially during time of war.

"But now, from me telling them what I do and how important it is, they support me," Tran said.

Tran said he hasn't forgotten his dreams for the future or the career in architecture that he still plans to pursue.

He has one more year of naval service before his assignment ends.

When it does, he said, he'll return to Pasadena to settle down and finish his last two years of school.

His dream job would be designing homes or renovating structures into businesses - preferably in an exotic location like Cancun, Mexico.

But he admits there are things about the navy he will miss.

"I've met a lot of really cool people here and I've learned a lot," said Tran. "I've had a chance to see cool stuff that other people would never see in their life."

Article on line at: The Houston Chronicle