Gunston Hall Sailors, Marines Renovate Colombian Elementary School

From Amphibious Southern Partnership Station 2011 Public Affairs

COVENAS, Colombia (NNS) -- Sailors and Marines from Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock-landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) participated in a community relations event at Bella Vista elementary school, Feb. 1, as part of Amphibious Southern Partnership Station 2011 (A-SPS 11).

Gunston Hall Sailors and Marines from the Security Cooperation Task Force (SCTF) painted four classrooms and the outer walls of the school, cleaned the playground, and repaired plumbing and electrical wiring.

"It really warms my heart to be the commanding officer of this crew that is so generous with their time and energy to come out and do something like this," said Capt. John Meier, Gunston Hall commanding officer. "It goes well beyond just being a Sailor or Marine, we really have a tremendous opportunity to be able to make an impact in the lives of these children."

More than 60 Sailors and Marines worked alongside students and teachers from the school in a joint effort to renovate the building.

"It's a great opportunity, and I wish we had more time to actually do more for the community," said Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Christian Sherman. "It honestly makes me feel like I made a difference that you can't really explain unless you're a part of it."

During the visit, members of the crew gave away "Loving Hugs" stuffed animals, backpacks from "Give a Kid a Backpack" and soccer balls as part of Project Handclasp.

"It's pretty cool to get the chance to come out and see the children," said Lance Cpl. George Ruiz of SCTF. "It's nice to see their faces light up when they see the soccer balls and their school being painted. It is a small thing like this that makes a big impact on the kids as well as the crew."

Project Handclasp is an official U.S. Navy program that receives, transports and delivers humanitarian, educational and goodwill material donated by corporations, charitable organizations and private citizens to help the lives of citizens in the developing world.

In addition to community relations projects, A-SPS 11 will focus on strengthening existing U.S. Navy regional partnerships and encouraging the establishment of new relationships through the exchange of maritime mission-focused knowledge and expertise so each participating country will improve capabilities in what it considers key maritime security mission areas.

Colombia is Gunston Hall's first visit during the A-SPS 11 mission. During the mission, visits to Belize, Guatemala and Jamaica are also scheduled.

A-SPS 11 is a United States Southern Command-directed operation implemented by Commander, United States Naval Forces Southern Command, supported by United States Marine Corps Forces, South and carried out by Commander, Destroyer Squadron Four Zero (CDS40), Gunston Hall and a Marine Corps Security Cooperation Task Force.

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