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USS SPEARHEAD PROVIDES TRANSPORTATION Troops, equipment moved from Sint Maarten to Martinique.
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More than 20 years of
serving the Hampton Roads Navy family
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USNS Comfort responds to second hospital generator failure in Puerto Rico U.S. Navy graphic The ship’s crest of the Virginiaclass fast-attack submarine USS Washington (SSN 787).
USS WASHINGTON BROUGHT TO LIFE AT NAVAL STATION NORFOLK From Submarine Forces Public Affairs NORFOLK
MC1 Ernest R. Scott Sailors embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), along with Puerto Rican medical professionals, transfer a patient from Menonita Hospital in Caguas, Puerto Rico via an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, from the “Sea Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22.
Hospital ship accepts critical patients after Oct. 3 arrival for humanitarian relief efforts MORE NEWS FROM USNS COMFORT IN PUERTO RICO
By Lt. j.g. Samuel Boyle CARIBBEAN SEA
The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), underway near the coast of the Arecibo-Manati region of Puerto Rico, received four critical patients from Hospital Menonita in Caguas, Puerto Rico, after its generator failed, Oct. 6. “We are a mobile platform that can respond to the greatest area of need or act as a strut to help the Puerto Rican health system,” Commanding Officer of the medical
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treatment facility onboard Comfort Capt. Kevin Buckley said. “We are engaged and determined to relieve human suffering.” The hospital ship was able to respond by coordinating with U.S. Health and Human Services and the Puerto Rico Department of Health, who engaged in a Medical Summit onboard Comfort immediately upon » See COMFORT | A7
The Navy with assistance from the submarine’s sponsor Elisabeth Mabus, daughter of the 75th Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, commissioned and brought to life the newest Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Washington (SSN 787), during a ceremony on board Naval Station Norfolk, Oct. 7. Washington, named in honor of the 42nd state, is the 14th Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine to join the Navy’s operational fleet. Elisabeth Mabus expressed how proud she was » See SUB | A7
MC2 Stephane Belcher Sailors treat a patient from Menonita Hospital in Caguas, Puerto Rico after arriving on board the Military Sea Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20). Comfort arrived in the Arecibo-Manati region to provide medical services with additional visits being planned around the island.
President Trump visits USS Kearsarge
Military Sealift Command: Delivering in a contested environment By Bill Mesta Military Sealift Command Public Affairs
By MC3 Jacob Goff USS Kearsarge Public Affairs ATLANTIC OCEAN
MC3 Dana Legg President Donald Trump shakes hands with Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Rebecca Vian on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) during a visit in which Trump discussed ongoing operations in Puerto Rico with senior military leaders.
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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Two pairs of fathers and sons serve on the USS Kearsarge.
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President Donald Trump visited the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), Oct. 3 to discuss relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with Navy and Marine Corps leadership. “This is some ship,” President Donald Trump said. “It has done a tremendous service for Puerto Rico and for the U.S. Virgin Islands.” Kearsarge and the 26th MEU are assisting with relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The Department of Defense is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency, in helping those affected by Hurricane Maria to minimize suffering and is one component of the overall whole-of-government response effort.
NORFOLK
For more than 50 years the mariners of Military Sealift Command have sailed virtually uncontested around the globe to deliver the logistics and service support our fleet commanders and deployed warfighters require to complete their missions. But today we can no longer assume unfettered access across the maritime domain. Our competitors and adversaries can compete with us on a global scale across all domains, therefore we must prepare our mariners to operate in an environment where the rapid pace of technology means change is exponential and training and preparation are essential to » See DOMAINS | A2
CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS MONTH Find out what you can do, at home and at work, to protect yourself and the Navy from cyber threats.
SPOOKY AND NOTSO-SPOOKY FUN Find out where and when to celebrate Halloween and Day of the Dead in the Hampton Roads area.
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» See C1, C4
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