Mount Whitney Sailors Leave a Lasting Impression

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Sylvia Nealy, USS Mount Whitney Public Affairs

LISBON, Portugal (NNS) -- Sailors from USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) volunteered and participated in a community relations (COMREL) project at an orphanage in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 6.

The Center for Temporary Accommodation Tercena Orphanage, ran by the Santa Casa Misericordia Cascasis (SCMC), has the capacity to accommodate 48 youth at risk.

The orphanage provides the basic needs, to include clothing, food, shelter, water and medical treatment, for the orphans, from age four to 18. The orphans came from broken homes and have been physically and/or sexually abused as a child.

"The COMREL was definitely a morale booster. I enjoy giving Sailors the opportunity to lend a helping hand by making a difference while giving back to the community," said Electronics Technician 1st Class (SW/AW) Robert Navarra, Mount Whitney's COMREL coordinator.

During the five-hour event, Sailors worked on landscaping to include raking and removing leaves, pulling weeds from the roots and using a leaf blower and weed trimmer to clean the outside back yard.

"It's wasn't just an opportunity to help a less fortunate group of people; it's also making a difference in their local community by taking care of each other," said Yeoman 1st Class (SW/AW) Eric Wasescha, a Mount Whitney Sailor.

"I enjoyed making the orphanage a better place for the children. I thought it was really cool when one child came up to me and offered to help cut off different branches from trees for several minutes," said Wasescha.

Lunch was provided by the orphanage for the appreciation of the Sailors who volunteered.

"My first thought of the military was they are supposed to fight wars. When the Sailors came to volunteer, I thought it was a beautiful thing because there are still good people in the world willing to help others in need," said Dr. Joao Pedro Monjardino, the psychologist at the orphanage who has worked there for 11 years. "The children were very appreciative and grateful for their help. Just the small things make a huge difference in the world."

Monjardino gave the Sailors a guided-tour of the orphanage. Following the tour, Navarra presented Monjardino with a command coin and a photo of the ship in appreciation of having the Sailors at the orphanage.

Mount Whitney is U.S. 6th Fleet's flagship homeported in Gaeta, Italy, and operates with a hybrid crew of U.S. Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners.