The most powerful ship in the Navy…

CAPT Negus, CP09 Mission Commander:

You never know what the day will bring. I just returned from lunch onboard COMFORT—yet another delicious meal prepared by the culinary specialists—where I sat down at a random table to meet, eat with, and learn from some of the people that make this mission so remarkable.

I had the good fortune to sit with PR2(AW) Bassallo, a parachute rigger attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26. He is responsible for ensuring the readiness of all the safety related equipment onboard each of our two helicopters. What is so interesting is that he is a Peruvian native, and has been in the Navy for about three years. He obtained his US citizenship through the Navy, and is only four classes shy of a Bachelor’s degree. His brothers are officers in the Peruvian Air Force (so they heartily endorse his work as a parachute rigger!). He spoke about the work he has done while at HSC 26, and the qualifications he has earned; he is no stranger to hard work and is thinking of applying for an officer program upon completion of his college program. The daily challenges of keeping his equipment ready under difficult conditions do not faze him the least.

I learned from him, as I do countless times a day, the strength of this mission lies in the character and diversity of the people involved.

My old theory was that the strength of any organization is a function of the character of the people involved, but my experience during CONTINUING PROMISE 09 has caused me to expand my thinking. As I look around the messdecks, and as I tour the sites far inland at our present location of El Salvador, I see scores of different groups of people who have all come together for this amazing mission: Army reservists working side by side with Project HOPE volunteers; Air Force technicians sweating side by side with private citizens from Latter-Day Saints; Dutch medical professionals laughing side by side with students from UCSD. In all we have had participants from 11 different countries, 18 different non-governmental organizations, and have a host of interagency support throughout our four month long deployment. In fact, my current Political Advisor, Ms. Melissa Francis, is a Foreign Service Officer with USAID stationed in San Salvador. Each person, and each organization, has something unique to offer to this mission. We simply could not do the things we do without everyone involved.

Earlier in the week I ate lunch with one of my sailors, Petty Officer Ruckus, who relayed how a Project HOPE volunteer told him that USNS COMFORT was “the most powerful ship in the Navy”. I thought that was a perfect description of this most magnificent ship.

I now understand that it is the character and diversity of the people onboard that give this ship—and this mission—its tremendous strength, and is found in the transforming magic that happens at every encounter in every country we visit. That combination of character and diversity of the people involved truly makes USNS COMFORT the most powerful ship in the Navy!