Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Aircraft (Handling) Airman Nefetari Brooks, from Miami, left, and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Aircraft (Handling) Airman Jose Macal, from Los Angeles, lowers the ensign for colors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.