Cherokee High School NJROTC cadets David Byrd, Devin Parker, Austin Bryan, Noah Goley, Jesse Harrell, William Lovin, Gabriela Gonzalez, Maddie McDougal, Ashley Pope, and Lauren Kiser completed a three day Tiger Cruise onboard the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN-77). The Bush is under the command of Captain Brian E. Luther, who led the maiden voyage and seven month combat deployment in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. The super carrier is 1,092 feet long and displaces over 100,000 tons, making her one of the world’s largest and most powerful warships.  The cadets got a chance to meet the Strike Group Two Commander, Rear Admiral Nora W. Tyson, from Memphis Tennessee. RDML Tyson is the first woman to command a carrier Strike Group. Cherokee’s Tiger Cruise was sponsored by Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-31 (Tomcatters). One of the team members of VFA-31, AMAN Mary Lowe, is a graduate of Cherokee High School and a prior NJROTC cadet. MA3 Harley Lowe, her sister and also a prior cadet, was aboard for the Tiger Cruise as well. Cherokee NJROTC cadets earned their Tiger Cruise Warfare Pin and were indoctrinated of the many facets of carrier operations.  They also slept in the enlisted berthing compartment and eat their meals on the enlisted mess decks. The Cherokee NJROTC Chaperones were: CWO2 (Ret.) Clyde Shumate, Donnie Anderson, and Karen Shumate