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GUNG HO

MOTTO: “GUNG HO” was the Battle Cry of the Second Raider Battalion and the Motto of USS MAKIN ISLAND (CVE 93). “Gung Ho” translated means “Work Together”.

COLORS: Dark blue alludes to the sea, the theater of Naval operations and gold is for excellence. Scarlet refers to the U.S. Marine Corps.

SHIELD: The shield border shape and thickness symbolize Makin Island, the atoll in the Gilbert Islands and honors the 30 Marine Raiders who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country there. The five stars commemorate the five battle stars awarded to CVE-93 during World War II. The USMC Raider Crest, a blue shield with skull and five stars in the shape of the Southern Cross commemorates Marine Raider Companies A and B, Second Raider Battalion. The trident, symbol of sea prowess, with its three tines represents the future contributions of USS MAKIN ISLAND (LHD 8), its associated Expeditionary Strike Group, and USMC main battery in the air, across the surface, and under the sea. The trident also symbolizes the contributions that were made in these areas of Sea Power by the Second Raider Battalion and USS MAKIN ISLAND (CVE 93).

CREST: The inverted blue star honors SSGT Thomason, who distinguished himself during the Makin Island Raid and was the first enlisted U.S. Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II. The embedded stylized cross alludes to the Navy Cross and commemorates the 23 awarded to Carlson’s Raiders after Makin Island. The Phoenix is the symbol of transformation and new beginnings. It has two heads, one looking to the past and the other to the future representing MAKIN ISLAND’s role as the transformational bridge between the LHD class and the next generation of amphibious capital ships. The flames and lightning bolts below the Phoenix symbolize the rebirth of amphibious capital ships with Gas Turbines, Electric Drive and all-electric auxiliaries. In the wreath below the flames, Blue represents the US Navy and the United States. White represents integrity and loyalty. The two colors interwoven in the wreath represent how these two responsibilities are forever intertwined.

SUPPORTERS: A USN Officer’s Sword, 1917 Naval NCO Cutlass, USMC Officer’s Mameluke and a 1840 USMC NCO Sword were chosen to represent the teamwork required of Officer and Enlisted, Navy and Marine Corps for USS MAKIN ISLAND (LHD 8) to accomplish her mission.

The commissioning ceremony marks the acceptance of a ship as a unit of the operating forces of the United States Navy. At the moment of breaking the commissioning pennant, the ship will “come alive” and the crew will ceremonially run aboard ship. Thereafter the ship is officially referred to as a United States Ship (USS).

USS MAKIN ISLAND (LHD 8) was commissioned on October 24, 2009, in Coronado, Calif. The commissioning ceremony was coordinated by the San Diego Council of the United States Navy League.

NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, Calif. (Oct. 24, 2009) More than 5,000 family, friends, distinguished guests and crewmembers were on hand for the official commissioning ceremony of USS Makin Island (LHD 8). Makin Island is the eighth and final Wasp Class Landing, Helicopter, Dock (LHD) amphibious assault
ship.

For Silke Hagee, it’s bravery she sees each time she looks at a tearful young wife whose Marine husband deploys.

She’s proud, yet her heart breaks.

She has consoled that anguished 19-year-old woman married a mere three weeks, all the while marveling at the young wife’s fortitude, Hagee recounted during a recent interview.

And she remembers.

Each time, Silke Hagee, wife of new commandant Gen. Michael Hagee, catches a glimpse of herself in the tears of that frightened newlywed. The couple has endured at least two long-term separations in their 33-year marriage — and both because of war.

She coped the one way she knew how.

“I just cried,” she said. “I tried very hard on the way to the airport to still be composed, but basically I just cried.”

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