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Levittown native serves aboard nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

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A Levittown native is serving aboard one of the world’s largest warships, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69).
Senior Chief Petty Officer Brian Kearns, a 1998 Pennsbury High School graduate, joined the Navy 23 years ago.
“I wanted to get away and change the course of my life; I needed to get things together,” said Kearns.
According to Kearns, the values required to succeed in the military are similar to those found in Levittown.
“Growing up, I learned to understand the value of hard work at a young age,” said Kearns.

“Mighty IKE” is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier named for Dwight D. Eisenhower (or “IKE”), one of four 5-star generals of the Army and a hero of World War II, and would later serve as the 34th president of the United States of America.
Homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, Eisenhower is longer than three football fields at 1,092 feet. The ship is 252 feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 tons. It has two pressurized water reactors producing more than 260,000 shaft horsepower that drive four massive propellers at a max speed in excess of 35 mph.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Kearns as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance.
“I serve because I know I am serving for something greater than myself,” added Kearns.


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