Biden, Couric, Clinton celebrate a ship and a patriot
Tilman Fertitta went all but overboard to salute the commissioning in Galveston of the USS Gabrielle Giffords LCS 10 Littoral Combat Ship and its spunky namesake.
Fertitta hosted the Commissioning Chairman’s Gala at his San Luis Resort and invited VIPs to a pre-party on his Boardwalk yacht, berthed next to the 422-foot vessel. The warship is named for the former Arizona congresswoman, who was shot in 2011 in Tucson, Ariz., but survived the assassination attempt. Former Vice President
Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, Secretary Hillary Clinton and House Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi were among the politicians who celebrated former Rep. Gabrielle
Giffords and her husband, former astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Mark
Kelly, during the weekend packed to the gunnels with festivities. Katie Couric, Olivia Munn and Marilu Henner were also on deck. Executives from the companies that built the $475 million ship — Austal USA, Raytheon, General Dynamics Mission Systems and GE Aviation — joined Fertitta in presenting awards to Commanding Officer Keith
Woodley and saluting Giffords’ courage and determination. Jon Bon Jovi gave a full-throttle performance of hits, including “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” to close the presentation.
The next day, Giffords gave a short speech at the commissioning. “The USS Gabrielle Giffords is strong and tough, just like her crew,” she said.
The USS Gabrielle Giffords opened to the public for tours in Galveston before it set sail for its home port of San Diego. melissa.aguilar@chron.com