Sailors and Marines about Gunston Hall Find Colombian Roots during Southern Partnership Station

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian S. Finney, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command & U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Sailors and Marines embarked aboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) conducted the first subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) of Amphibious Southern Partnership Station 2011 (A-SPS 11) with South American service members, Jan. 31.

For three Gunston Hall crew members, the opportunity for joint operations between partner nations also served as a homecoming, as the ship arrived off the coast of Covenas, Colombia.

"It feels good to see how far my family has come, and I want to give back," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Mark Cervantes, from Orlando, Fla., who currently has family residing in Colombia. "What we're doing (in Colombia), I want to have a big part in it".

A-SPS 11 is structured to develop and improve capabilities to respond to a variety of maritime missions.

Communications is key during the A-SPS 11 mission, and Cervantes leads an essential team providing communications for approximately 600 Sailors and Marines aboard and ashore while in Colombia.

Cervantes is the network security manager of communications aboard Gunston Hall, and is visiting Colombia for the first time as a uniformed Sailor in an operational status. Both of his parents were born in the Colombian city of Barranquilla, which he has future plans of visiting.

Security is a necessary condition for prosperity and lasting democratic institutions. A-SPS 11 provides opportunities for the participating nations to come together and join efforts to enhance regional maritime security.

"It's a great opportunity to visit where my father is from", said Sgt. Alexandria Orsono, a Due End Status File supply clerk from Acworth, Ga., attached to the Security Cooperation Task Force (SCTF) embarked aboard Gunston Hall. "It's a part of my roots, so I feel it's important to me as a Marine to see how their (Colombia) military does things."

Now a U.S. citizen, Orsono's father was born in Medellin, Colombia. She is serving a vital mission role as a Spanish translator during her first trip to the South American nation. Orsono has demonstrated her devotion to the crew's mission readiness by instructing classroom-training sessions in basic Spanish.

Gunston Hall Sailors and embarked Marines focus on strengthening the Navy's existing regional partnerships and encouraging the establishment of new relationships. A-SPS 11 allows each participating country to improve capabilities in what it considers key maritime security mission areas.

Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Johan Sanchez, a Gunston Hall Sailor from Miami, Fla., resided in Bogota for 15 years prior to moving to the U.S. His entire family, including both his parents and younger sister, currently resides there.

"It was a very tough adjustment for me, because I didn't speak any English," said Sanchez. "Now that I'm bilingual, it's great knowing that I'm not just coming back to visit, but to know that I'm here to help."

Colombia is the first of four countries Gunston Hall is scheduled to visit during this deployment to the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of responsibility. Other stops will include Belize, Guatemala and Jamaica.

"One of my dreams was to be in the Navy and go back to Colombia," Cervantes said. "I'm happy and very fortunate to be a part of this."

For more information, contact COMUSNAVSO/C4F Public Affairs by e-mail at comusnavso-c4f_mypt_pao@navy.mil, visit www.public.navy.mil/comusnavso-c4f, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT, or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT.

For more news from U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South, visit www.marines.mil/unit/marforsouth/Pages/Home.aspx.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusns/.