Patriot, Salvor Port Visit Brings America, Vietnam Closer
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS060710-04
Release Date: 7/10/2006 11:00:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam R. Cole, Task Force 76 Public Affairs
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (NNS) -- The appreciative goodbye waves of Vietnamese orphans, military personnel and local citizens were on the hearts and minds of U.S. Sailors from USS Patriot (MCM 7) and USS Salvor (ARS 52) as the ships departed Ho Chi Minh City, July 6, after a five-day port visit.
The visit was full of giving and sharing between the two countries.
Highlights from the port visit included two days of U.S. Navy community work with the Thien Binh Orphanage; volleyball matches between the two U.S. ships and the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) navy; progressive bilateral discussions between the ships’ commanding officers and selected wardroom members, and Vietnamese military and political leaders, respectively; ship tours for the Vietnamese military personnel, political figures and local citizens; and a special pierside reception for a variety of invited Vietnamese guests.
“There is nothing more important than meeting each other face-to-face and sharing something,” said Lt. Cmdr. Richard D. Brawley, Patriot commanding officer, at the pierside reception. “As I already begin to reflect on this port visit, I think of the many new friends that I have made. It is through this friendship that we can work more closely together and in many ways, make this world a safer a place.”
The U.S. Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City, Seth D. Winnick, who was present at a variety of events throughout the ships’ port visit, shared the same thoughts as Brawley, reiterating how vital a “mutual friendship” was and expressing how that type of friendship was already in place and would continue to grow stronger.
“This port visit has provided a human component for the U.S. Sailors and likewise for the Vietnamese people to understand each other,” said Winnick at the reception. “The visit has given both sides an incredible opportunity to interact and to get to know each other.”
Top Vietnamese military leaders and government officials echoed those thoughts, saying that understanding each other was the key to better relations. The Vietnamese leaders approached the renewed U.S.-Vietnam relationship with great optimism, choosing to “move forward” and focus on the present, a present where the United States and Vietnam could not only be friends, but also partners in creating a more stable world.
“This ship visit is a significant moment for our two nations, militaries and people, for it symbolizes the normalization of relations and also our shared vision to work together for peace and stability in the world at large,” said Truong Van Lam, executive chief, Vietnamese People’s Committee, also in a speech at the reception.
The human component that Winnick referred to was apparent during the multitude of activities conducted during the visit.
Laughter filled the air as the U.S. Sailors played with kids at the orphanage and small children sat in the captain’s chair during the ship tours. “Oohs” and “Ahhs” were prevalent at the volleyball games, where every participant spoke afterward of camaraderie and sports being a ‘bridge’ to greater friendship.
“This is a true honor to be here, and I’m very happy for this opportunity,” said Chief Mineman (SW) Maurice Perine, of Patriot, who was one of the tour guides for Vietnamese guests. “The people are so nice, so kind. I plan to keep in touch with at least a few of them that I have met.” Of the ship tours, he said, “It is important to show our life, what we do on a daily basis, so they can understand us.”
The good impressions on the Vietnamese people and the memories reaped from the experiences will be the backbone for more relationship building to come, said Brawley.
So lasting was the effect that the U.S. Sailors had on the orphan children that many wanted to become Sailors, so they could see the world, too, said Superior Sister Lucie Nguyen Thi Toan, founder and caretaker of the Thien Binh orphanage.
For the project, Sailors painted a multipurpose room, installed shelves in a food storage area and put up mosquito screens around the eating areas. Sailors then handed out candy and played with the children, using sports equipment donated by U.S. businesses through the U.S. Consulate.
“They are very, very happy,” said Nguyen Thi Toan of the children during one of the projects. “This the first time they have seen U.S. Sailors, and they really admire them. This happiness will be remembered and held with us.”
At the end of the project, Nguyen Thi Toan gave a “thank you” to the Sailors in her native tongue, an expression of gratitude that was often repeated during the port visit: cam on.
Patriot is a Mine Countermeasures ship forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan. Patriot and USS Guardian (MCM 5) serve under Task Force 76, which serves as the 7th Fleet’s Mine Countermeasures arm in forward-deployed operations. The ship and embarked Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, Detachment (Det) 51 are currently deployed in Southeast Asia to support the 7th Fleet’s interoperability and training commitments in mine neutralization warfare and maritime operations.
Salvor, homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is one of the U.S. Navy's four deep-ocean salvage and rescue vessels. The ship and its crew are currently taking part in the three-month Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series. CARAT is an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises between the United States and six Southeast Asia nations designed to build relationships and enhance the operational readiness of the participating forces. As part of the most recent CARAT phase in Thailand, the crew of Salvor, along with embarked divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, completed six days of diving operations on wreckage in the Gulf of Thailand believed to be that of the lost World War II submarine USS Lagarto (SS 371).
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