Tortuga enhances community relations in Brisbane
BRISBANE, Australia – Sailors aboard USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and embarked Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) took a different kind of off-ship liberty June 7, during their four-day port visit to Brisbane, Australia.
http://www.c7f.navy.mil/news/2007/June/14.htm
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon A. Myrick
USS Tortuga Public Affairs
Posted: 06/12/2007
Approximately 45 Sailors and Marines volunteered on their day off to spend some valuable time with the residents of Wesley Mission elderly home, which brought much friendly conversation and even more happy smiles.
“This community service effort went phenomenally well,” said Tortuga’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Todd A. Lewis. “Events like this are great because there is positive interaction between Team Tortuga and the local community.”
Sailors and Marines aboard Tortuga get many opportunities to enjoy community service projects, to offer their time and services and to lend a helping hand in each of the host nations they visit during their extended underway periods as a forward-deployed ship. Projects such as these serve the 7th Fleet mission of creating partnerships at all levels in order to maintain peace and stability in the region.
This was on the minds of Tortuga Sailors during the day.
“Community projects like this are important because we in the Navy have an opportunity to help those who are less fortunate by working hard together and making a difference in their community,” Damage Controlman 1st Class Manuel C. Gabon.
After a tour of the facility, Sailors and Marines held a meet-and-greet with the residents over tea, juice and snacks. The brief bite was followed by a dance session, where the residents showed the U.S. military visitors some Australian-style dance steps.
“I had a great time talking and sharing tea time with the residents here,” said Operation Specialist 3rd Class Tabitha Miller. “I really enjoy taking part in community service projects because it affords me the chance to meet and interact with peoples of different cultures.”
According to Chief Boatswain’s Mate (SW/AW) Earnest C. Pippen, the personal interaction is a major draw for all participants of events like these.
“Participating in community service projects allows Sailors and Marines the chance to see the host country’s culture first hand,” said Pippen, Tortuga’s Community Relation Director.
Margaret Niethe, client service coordinator for Wesley Mission, was impressed with the number of volunteers from Tortuga, as well as their eagerness to lend a helping hand. According to Niethe, this was the best community service project to come to Wesley Mission in a long time.
“This day has been so much fun and we are very grateful. The [Tortuga] captain, the chaplain, everyone is out here enjoying their time with the residents,” she said. “They can all be out sightseeing or participating in other events, but they chose to come out here and it speaks volumes about Tortuga’s character to our community.”
Tortuga was in Brisbane prior to what will be the start of the at-sea component of Talisman Saber 2007 (TS07), a joint and combined training exercise between the United States and Australia that will involve more than 32,000 military members from both nations, improve interoperability and enhance the military alliance between the two countries.
USS Tortuga (LSD 46) is forward-deployed out of Sasebo, Japan and serves Task Force 76, the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious force. Task Force 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.