USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79) 2002-03 MAIDEN DEPLOYMENT Unisex Sweatshirt

USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer commissioned on August 19, 2000, and named in honor of Corporal Oscar P. Austin, USMC, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for throwing himself on an enemy grenade to protect a wounded fellow Marine in Vietnam on February 23, 1969. During her 2002-03 maiden deployment, Oscar Austin operated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the global war on terrorism following the September 11 attacks. She deployed to the Fifth Fleet area of operations, conducting maritime security operations, escort missions, and anti-submarine warfare patrols across the Middle East and Mediterranean. Homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, Oscar Austin's crew carried the name of their Medal of Honor namesake with pride on every watch. This sweatshirt honors all who served aboard Oscar Austin during her historic maiden deployment.