PACIFIC OCEAN (March 19, 2017) Lance Cpl. Patrick Baginski, left, a native of St. Louis, and Sgt. Caitlin Mercure, a native of Trenton, Mich., final check an F/A-18C Hornet, from the "Death Rattlers" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, before being launched from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is currently underway conducting Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in preparation for an upcoming deployment. COMPTUEX tests a carrier strike group's mission-readiness and ability to perform as an integrated unit

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PACIFIC OCEAN (March 19, 2017) Lance Cpl. Patrick Baginski, left, a native of St. Louis, and Sgt. Caitlin Mercure, a native of Trenton, Mich., final check an F/A-18C Hornet, from the "Death Rattlers" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, before being launched from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is currently underway conducting Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in preparation for an upcoming deployment. COMPTUEX tests a carrier strike group's mission-readiness and ability to perform as an integrated unit through simulated real-world scenarios.

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Photo credit: © Chuck Little / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: air, aircraft, america, archive, armed, army, carrier, defence, force, forces, military, navy, nimitz, nmcs, reportage, sailor, service, serviceman, servicemen, soldier, states, united, usa, uss