24 Apr Pretty in pink: Navy fighter jet painted for Breast Cancer Awareness month
By Doug Criss and Thom Patterson, CNN
(CNN) The fight against breast cancer picked up a powerful new ally — a retired US Navy fighter jet. And of course, it’s pink.
A Grumman F9F-8 Cougar, painted a vivid shade of pink called “Heliconia,” has been unveiled on the flight deck of the World War II aircraft carrier USS Lexington, anchored at Corpus Christi, Texas.
In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Cougar will be on the deck through October 31.
Special paint
It won’t stay pink forever though. A special procedure — applying liquid dishwashing soap to the latex paint — keeps the pretty paint job from becoming permanent.
The Lexington was decommissioned in 1991 and converted to a naval aviation museum a year later. Rusty Reustle, director of operations and exhibits at the USS Lexington museum, said he got the idea after seeing filmmakers employ the technique aboard the ship during production of the 2001 Ben Affleck film, “Pearl Harbor,” CNN affiliate KRIS reports.