Would the NAVY's new bumper sticker read,
\"I'd rather ditch my hornet than land on a FORD!\"
WASHINGTON — The Navy announced Tuesday it will name the first ship in the next class of aircraft carriers after former President Gerald R. Ford, who died three weeks ago.
It is a fitting tribute to Ford, who served in the Navy during World War II, say those who knew him.
\"He would be proud ... of this coming addition to the Navy he joined 65 years ago, led as commander in chief and respected all the days of his life,\" said Vice President Dick Cheney, who served as Ford's chief of staff, during a ceremony at the Pentagon.
The naming of the aircraft carrier sparked controversy among some veterans who tried to persuade the Navy to name it after the USS America, which was sunk in an experiment in 2005. But senators Carl Levin, D-Mich., and John Warner, R-Va., intervened to have the ship named after Ford.
The 1,092-foot long aircraft carrier is expected to be commissioned in 2015. At 100,000 tons, the carrier is designed to rise 20 stories above water level and be able to operate for 20 years without refueling.
At the ceremony, Susan Ford Bales said her father had taken pride in the fact that the Navy was considering the honor before his death.
Bales shared Ford's sentiments about the upcoming honor, expressed in a recent letter to a friend: \"In my life, I have received countless honors, but none was greater than the opportunity to wear the uniform of lieutenant commander of the United States Navy.\"
Ford Bales attended the ceremony with her three brothers. Betty Ford, who did not attend, watched the ceremony on a Pentagon broadcast, said Ford Bales.
