Greetings from the DR: by the Command Master Chief

Greetings from the Dominican Republic! I am the Command Master Chief for the Medical Treatment Facility onboard USNS COMFORT. This week, in addition to all of our work we are doing on shore, we have many Army and Navy Reservists rotating out after spending almost a month onboard. Our new shipmates are arriving and we are busy making sure they get settled in. All are eager to get to work!
Our days are long, the weather is hot and everybody looks tired by the end of the day. But no matter how tired they all are – they still have smiles on their faces! Everybody really enjoys what they are doing and are extremely happy to be a part of this mission. It is incredible to see the surgeries that are being done every day. I watched one of the cleft lip repairs on a 35 year old gentleman. After he woke up from surgery – he was so excited. The patients that are having surgery come onboard the day before; a lot of them are children. While they are waiting to get checked in, we have toys for them to play with and movies to watch. We find ourselves sitting on the deck playing with them as they race their new toy cars around. One little boy was evaluated when the COMFORT was here two years ago, but they could not do the surgery at that time. His father brought him back this year and we were able to perform his surgery.
One group of junior Hospital Corpsmen are assigned to work in the Galley as Food Service Attendants (FSA) for a good portion of the deployment. They will soon be rotating into the different medical departments, so they too can provide medical care. However, there are a couple of them that have come to me, asking to please let them stay an FSA for the remainder of the deployment! Now, that is some dedication to your job!! All of these Sailors have been working very hard every day, making sure the rest of the crew is fed, dishes are washed, mess decks are cleaned and trash is removed. And I have yet to see any of them without a smile on their face.

By: CASSION CARTER, Volunteer

What a great way to spend Good Friday! That was the day I joined the USNS Comfort team, which left Norfolk, VA on April 1st, a proud day and also my birthday!
As a person who is very interested in volunteering to bring help to people in need, I was asked to be part of the volunteer crew of Food for the Poor on the USNS Comfort ship team in order to bring health assistance to the very needy people of Haiti. I’m even more proud to participate because I’m a Haitian and I have witnessed a great deal of surgeries done by the Continuing Promise team. Food For the Poor has a presence in 17 countries to promote well-being, and a very reputable NGO which is why I’m so flabbergasted to be part of this team.
I have no word to explain how happy I was to be welcomed by such great hospitality and meeting very friendly people on board who have inspired me with such a nice vision for humanitarian activities. I was impressed by the ship and how organized it is. Many beneficiaries have been talking about this mission to be done every time why not being constant in Haiti to keep on doing such a good job. From the officers to the translators, everyone worked very hard to carry out this mission,
I thank God first and Food for the Poor second to give me this opportunity to be involved with the Continuing Promise mission team in order to work with such determination.
On April 13th, I was named as the Person of the Day and called up by the mission leadership Commodore Lineberry, Captain Ware and Captain Finger to receive a certificate and a coin of the USNS Comfort ship. Then, it is an honor for me to be recognized for my small contribution to this great and tremendous Mission. I can’t wait to be aboard after two years to keep on such a nice adventure.
I’m so grateful to Food for the Poor and The Continuing Promise mission for giving me such a big chance to serve my community, for which I feel so valuable.

A Continuing Promise to Bring Comfort, Hope, and Help

What do crew members aboard the USNS Comfort do after they have worked countless hours to touch thousands and thousands of needy people with medical care in Haiti?

They raise their hands and volunteer to help again.

As the Command Chaplain on board the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) I have the distinct honor of organizing volunteers for something commonly referred to as a COMREL. One of the Navy's many acronym's, a COMREL is simply a community relations project. Such projects will be undertaken in all 7 nations visited during Continuing Promise '09.

The COMRELS in Haiti gave us our first glimpse of how these projects will make a difference.
COMREL #1 was conducted on 16 APR in partnership with Angel Missions Haiti and the Emmanuel Christian School/Haitian Christian Outreach. Under the tireless leadership of Vanessa Carpenter (aka "Mama V"), Angel Missions plans to open a new, badly needed, surgical center in a building on the grounds of the school. The project, in Port au Prince, involved painting 5 rooms (OR, recovery, etc.) as well as common area and stairwell walls. In the near future, the surgical center will become a hub of activity in a neighborhood underserved by medical care. In addition, Angel Missions plans to cultivate a list of US doctors who will give time--rotating monthly to perform surgery on needy Haitians. This COMREL provided a significant step towards this goal by helping to prepare the facility and we were able to deliver 10 boxes of medical consumables as well.

Ask any one of the 17 Navy, Army, or Air Force volunteers about the highlight of the day and they will tell you that while the painting was good----greeting and handing out candy to the 500 kids at the school was fantastic! All of us who participated will forever carry the sound of the children's laughter and the sight of their beautiful smiles in our hearts and minds. COMREL #1 confirmed what we all knew--we have fallen in love with the winsome spirit of the people (especially the children) of Haiti. We were also deeply inspired by the vision and compassion of people like Pastor Roro Eustache of the church school and Mama V of Angel Missions Haiti.

We left COMREL #1 knowing that the impact on the neighborhood will be very positive because of the meaningful interaction with we had with the kids, school teachers and administration who thanked us profusely. It was an honor to serve in this setting!

COMREL #2 took 29 Comfort crew members to the General Hospital in Port au Prince on 17 APR. The COMREL involved improving the overall condition of a small park just inside the main gate of the hospital. The first aspect of the project included trash collection/minor landscaping. This not only enhanced the appearance of the park but also increased safety as syringes and broken glass were carefully collected as we worked. This will be particularly important for the many children who use or pass through the park. The second part of the project involved painting the outside wall around the perimeter of the park (green and white) for the purpose of re-beautification.

All told 145 man hours were given in a spirit of joy. And again, the highlight involved getting to know local folks who gathered to watch and join with us in the work! Everyone that I spoke with (through the help of gifted translators) said that they were extremely thankful for out help--- and that the COMFORT had come to Haiti. They expressed a hope that COMFORT will return and stay longer. Through our presence and our words we indicated that ours is a CONTINUING promise-- and that we care.

CDR David G. Oravec, USNS Command Chaplain

Spanish translation:

Una Promesa Continua para traer Comodidad, Esperanza y Ayuda
¿Qué hace la tripulación a bordo del USNS Comfort después de haber trabajado innumerables horas para tocar miles y miles de personas necesitadas de atención médica en Haití?
Levantan las manos para ser voluntarios de ayudar de nuevo.
Siendo el Pastor a bordo del USNS Comfort, yo tengo el honor de organizar los voluntarios para las obras llamadas COMREL. COMREL, una de muchas siglas usada en la Armada, significa un proyecto de Relaciones con la Comunidad [“Community Relations” en Inglés]. Estos proyectos serán llevados a cabo en las 7 naciones anfitrionas que visitaremos durante Promesa Continua ’09.
Los COMRELS en Haití nos dieron nuestra primera visión del impacto que harán estos proyectos.
El COMREL # 1 se llevó a cabo el 16 de abril en colaboración con “Angel Missions” Haití y la Escuela Cristiana Emmanuel / Alcance Cristiano Haitiano. Bajo la dirección de Vanessa Carpenter (alias "Mama V"), “Angel Missions” planea abrir un nuevo centro quirúrgico en un edificio en los terrenos de la escuela, un servicio muy necesitado. El proyecto, ubicado en Port au Prince, consistió en pintar 5 salas (salas de cirugía, recuperación, etc.), así como salas comunales y las paredes de las escaleras. En un futuro no muy lejano, el centro quirúrgico se convertirá en un centro de actividad en un barrio con poca atención médica. Además, “Angel Missions” planea cultivar una lista de médicos Estadounidenses que rotaran mensualmente para proveer cirugías a los Haitianos más necesitados. Este COMREL dio un paso importante hacia este objetivo, ayudando a preparar el edificio y también pudimos donar 10 cajas de medicina consumible.
Pregúntele a cualquiera de los 17 voluntarios de la Armada, el Ejército, o la Fuerza Aérea sobre los acontecimientos del día y le dirán que pintar fue buena obra, pero saludar y repartir caramelos a los 500 niños en la escuela fue fantástico! Todos los que participaron en el proyecto siempre llevaran el sonido de la risa de los niños y el recuerdo de sus hermosas sonrisas en sus corazones y sus mentes. El COMREL # 1 confirmó lo que todos ya sabíamos - que nos hemos encariñado del espíritu de la gente (especialmente los niños) de Haití. También estamos profundamente inspirados por la visión y la compasión de la gente como el Pastor Roro Eustaquio de la escuela de la iglesia, y por Mama V de “Angel Missions” Haití.

Hemos dejado COMREL # 1, sabiendo que el impacto en el barrio va a ser muy positivo debido a la significativa interacción que tuvimos con los niños, los maestros de las escuelas y la administración, los cuales nos agradecieron profusamente. Fue un honor servir en este ambiente!

Navigation Tracking and Boat Ops Info

For anyone interested in plotting our track we departed Miami on schedule at 0700 on Monday the 6th of April, and proceeded in a northeasterly direction to the Northwest Providence Channel. We continued through Northeast Providence Channel then headed offshore and turned to the south southwest , passing southwest of San Salvador Island. From there we took Crooked Island Passage, and finally passed through the Windward Pass into the Caribbean. From there we followed a s southeasterly course through Cannal Du Marc to Baie de Port au Prince, arriving at our anchorage the morning of the 9th. Track information will be posted to the blog after arrival at each of our stops so you can keep track of both where we are and how we got there.

Yesterday I talked to one of our boat officers, Second Officer Day Jean Marien, as I returned to the ship on his boat. This was near the end of a long day of moving ship’s personnel and patients from Comfort to shore and back. His face was red from the sun and his uniform was stained with dried salt spray and sweat, but through a weary smile he told me about how much satisfaction he gets from interacting with the patients every day - bringing them out to the ship in need of care and taking them back to shore healthy. Jean’s comments are typical of what I am hearing from our boat crews. While driving boats in the hot sun day in and day out is exhausting work, our mariners get so much satisfaction out of their jobs that there is nothing they would rather be doing. The extra care they take when loading the patients - many of whom are not feeling well - onto the boat for the short journey to the ship is truly amazing and they take well deserved pride in making the beginning and end of the patient’s Comfort experience as stress free as possible.

Operating Comfort’s two 10 meter Patient Transfer/Logistics Boats is one the MSC crew’s most critical roles. Each boat has a crew of three civilian mariners, carries about 30 personnel and has a top speed of 10 knots. On a typical day the boats make their first run to shore at daybreak and operate continuously until after sunset, moving ship’s personnel, patients and supplies to and from the ship.

Moving over two hundred personnel and significant amounts of material from ship to shore and back on a daily basis requires close coordination between the mission command staff, medical planners and boat operators. The bulk of this work is done by our two cargo experts Captain Joseph Lindsey, USMC and Gunnery Sargeant Kenneth Roberts, USMC. They work on a daily basis with the medical planners, and other groups that will require transportation the next day to develop a detailed manifest and boat plan to ensure that everybody and everything is where it needs to be when it needs to be there. Without their “behind the scenes” efforts team Comfort could not accomplish its mission.

Hello from Food For the Poor!

Based in Coconut Creek, FL., Food for the Poor is the largest international relief and development organization in the country. It has been over 25 years since its foundation in Jamaica and has assisted Haiti since 1985. It is also the largest provider of aid to 17 countries in the Caribbean & Latin America, including three international offices in Jamaica, Haiti, and Guyana.

In Haiti, Food for the Poor does much more than simply feed millions of hungry poor people. It is also involved in water projects, construction of homes for families without adequate shelter, life saving medical care, training & micro-enterprise opportunities, education for children, orphanages, among other efforts. Poverty & need are the primary criteria to receive assistance, and the organization’s motto comes from Matthrew 25:40 <<>>

I had the privilege join the USNS Comfort Navy ship for the Continuing Promise 2009 mission on Saturday April 4th, and I’m still living this wonderful life-saving experience. I’m very impressed with the size of the ship, all of the beautiful people I have met and especially the vision of the mission to bring relief and hope to the needy (just like Food for the Poor).

This international humanitarian mission has emphasized respect, dignity, quality of service, the process of learning from each other, and positive thinking. During the first Sunday service, the USNS Comfort’s Chaplain reminded us that we have to keep on going whatever the circumstances “let’s roll on,” knowing that God will always be there to help those who believe in Him. My experience in this mission has reminded me of the Haitian flag motto “l’Union fait la Force,” meaning together and united we can build the power. All the various entities of the US Military have put in their efforts, together with different NGOs, towards the same goal: relief and hop to the needy. It’s a beautiful experience and I’m proud to have been chosen to represent Food for the Poor for two weeks in such a great international humanitarian mission. No doubt that Food for the Poor will always contribute to events like Continuing Promise that meet its vision to help the those in need.

We hope there will be another Continuing Promise mission just as beautiful as this one for the benefit of all those still in need.

Our best to all the participants and in the name of all the Haitian people we thank all the parties involved, and may God bless and assist them all always.

By: Huguette GUERRE.
Volunteer for Food for the Poor

Hello from Port au Prince, Haiti.

Commodore here again!


I’m very pleased to report our CONTINUING PROMISE mission here is going according to plan and the team has effectively demonstrated the ability to move medical and engineering service ashore and conduct humanitarian efforts. It may sound easy, however this is extremely complex and takes an enormous amount of teamwork to pull together a combined group of professionals from around the world to conduct effective humanitarian efforts. Good news is we’ve been able to do just that, it hasn’t been perfect, no one said it would be.

The numerous medical surgeries that have been done onboard COMFORT have been truly amazing; I only wish I was medically savvy enough to explain the technical details, but what I do know the procedures that we’ve done have been quality of life changing for many. They may have never had the opportunity if COMFORT and CONTINUING PROMISE were not in Haiti.

Our partnering this year has been a huge success, humanitarian organizations such as The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Food for the Poor, Operation Smile, Project HOPE, Rotarian International and USCD Pre-Dental Society have provided many health care and humanitarian professionals to integrate seamlessly into team. Their vast experience and never-ending energy has provided the team a completely new dynamic to the CONTINUING PROMISE mission. They know and understand the environment very well, as well as already have the trust of host nation leadership. We could not do this mission nearly as effective without them, nor would we want to. Four more days in Haiti, I’ll give you an update when we depart on how it went. Thanks for your continued support for this incredible mission.

Greetings from the Navigation Bridge!

I am Captain Thomas Finger, USNS Comfort’s Ship’s Master. As the Master or “Captain” I am responsible for the safe navigation and operation of the vessel and in overall command of the ship. My crew consists of 64, highly qualified; United States Coast Guard licensed and/or documented civil service mariners. We are all employees of the Department of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. We work closely with the Commodore Bob Lineberry and his fine staff and the outstanding team of Medical Professionals led by Capt. J. J. Ware to make USNS Comfort go.

As I write this we are well along our track from Miami to Haiti. The Miami port visit last Saturday and Sunday was great! Though I have spent more than 30 years at sea this was the first time that I had taken a ship into Miami, never mind one the size of Comfort (think three football fields long, over one hundred feet wide and more than six stories high). Approaching from the north just before dawn we could see the city lights in the distance. As the sun came up all aboard were greeted by the sight of beautiful beaches stretching to the north with the city skyline dead ahead. We picked up the Biscayne Bay pilot, an individual with extensive local knowledge and outstanding shiphandling skills who comes aboard to guide visiting ships in and out of port, shortly after 8:00 AM. We then traveled the full length of the main ship channel, passing three passenger ships that were even larger than Comfort. Assisted by four tug boats the ship then turned 180 degrees and headed back up the channel tying up to berth 56W at about 10 O’clock. While this was a “liberty” port the MSC crew had a lot of work to do before they could hit the beach. Engineering watchstanders continued to provide hotel services for the more than 900 people living aboard, while deck and engine department personnel completed minor repairs and conducted required maintenance. We also loaded some last minute cargo, worked with the ship’s agent to ensure that all required services were received and stood safety and security watches.

When dawn broke on Monday morning it was time to leave the great city of Miami. By noon we had reached the Bahamas and were well on our way to Haiti. During the transit we are continuing to conduct training and make final preparations for our arrival in Port au Prince. As the trip continues I will try to give provide an idea of what it takes to keep a ship as large and complex as Comfort operating smoothly so the skilled medical professionals aboard can safely and effectively do their jobs. I will also be happy to answer questions about the ship that anyone might have.