By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam Henderson,
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command & U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs
SALAVERRY, Peru (NNS) -- A combined total of 63 Sailors and
U.S. Coast Guard members along side 15 members from partner nations came
together to participate in a community relations event (COMREL) at Virgen De La
Puerta, Sept. 20.
The countries involved in the COMREL were Chile, Colombia,
Mexico, Peru and the U.S. The team worked together to paint, organize, clean
and provide some light construction work around the compound.
"These sort of events where Sailors get the opportunity
to get out and make a difference in the communities always reward both sides.
Sailors always come back with great stories on what they did and how much fun
it was helping out. Almost always, it's the smiles on the children's faces that
have the biggest impact," said Cmdr. Dan Straub, commanding officer of USS
Ingraham (FFG 61).
This event is part of the UNITAS exercise, which is intended
to train participating forces in a variety of maritime scenarios to test
command and control of forces at sea, while operating as a multinational force
to provide the maximum opportunity to improve interoperability.
"It was a great experience working side by side with
the various navies as we came together for a good cause. I believe we all made
a positive impact for the students and the community," said Master-at-Arms
1st Class Mario Gonzalez a native from Los Angles.
During the COMREL, several Peruvian children came to the
grounds to meet the service members and to help them while they worked to fix
their school.
"It was a great experience working alongside our
partner nations. It shows that, even though we are from various parts of the
world, we can come together with one common goal, and that is to help out the
children," said U.S. Coast Guard Yeoman 2nd Class Michael Snyder.
UNITAS began in 1960. It is the U.S. Navy's longest running
annual multinational maritime exercise. UNITAS, which means "unity"
in Latin, is a demonstration of the U.S. commitment to the region and to the
value of the strong relationships forged between our partner militaries.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet
support U.S. Southern Command's joint and combined military operations by
employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations in order
to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships
in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and
prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment