LELEUX NAMED "USS RONALD REAGAN STRIKE GROUP SAILOR OF THE DAY"

ADA HOKIE LELEUX, "SAILOR OF THE DAY" ON USS RONALD REAGAN

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By Mike Rizzuto
Sun Times Editor

Excuse the pun, but Aviation Division Airman Hokie LeLeux is truly "making waves" aboard the USS Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan these days.
LeLeux, the son of Keith and Marella LeLeux of Lake Arthur and a 2005 graduate of Lake Arthur High School, was recently honored by being named "Ronald Reagan Strike Group Sailor of the Day" for October 6, 2008. And if you aren't impressed by that designation, you will be once you learn that over 5,500 servicemen serve on the Ronald Reagan each and every day of the year.
LeLeux, a standout football and track star at Lake Arthur High School, has seen his share of the world lately, thanks to the Ronald Reagan's incessant patrolling across some of the most dangerous parts of the globe. The Reagan has visited Singapore, Hawaii, Wake Island, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guam, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, India, the Arab Emirates, and crossed the International Date Line. As his tour continues, there will undoubtedly be plenty of other adventurous sites for LeLeux to see.
The USS Ronald Reagan is a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered super-carrier in the service of the United States Navy. It is the ninth ship of her class and the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. She is named in honor of former United States President Ronald Reagan.
The USS Ronald Reagan displaces approximately 95,000 tons of water fully loaded, has a top speed of over 30  knots (56 km/h), powered by two nuclear reactors driving four screws, and can sail for over 20 years before needing to refuel. She is nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall at 1,092 feet (333 meters) and is 134 feet (41 meters) wide at the beam and has a flight deck 252 feet (77 meters) wide. The flight deck covers over 4.5 acres. She carries more than 5,500 sailors and over 80 aircraft.
The USS Ronald Reagan can carry 90 fixed wing and helicopters. It's motto is "Peace Through Strength." Its nickname is "The Gipper." It was launched on March 4, 2001 and its home port is in San Diego, California.