Military

Kearsarge Visits Marmaris

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070828-09
Release Date: 8/28/2007 1:19:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Robert Keilman, USS Kearsarge Public Affairs

MARMARIS, Turkey (NNS) -- Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) stopped for a port visit in Marmaris from Aug. 22-25.

To open the visit, Kearsarge Strike Group leaders paid courtesy calls to Turkish Rear Adm. Celal Parlakoglu, Commander, Aksaz Naval Base; Cemalettin Ozdemir, District Governor; and Marmaris Mayor, Ali Acar. The courtesy calls were completed with appropriate gift exchanges as a token of friendship and good will.

“We appreciated the genuine hospitality and friendly nature of the people of Marmaris,” said Capt. James Gregorski, commanding officer of Kearsarge.

The ship’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Department offered a variety of venues for service members to enjoy, including white water rafting, sport fishing and various sightseeing tours of Turkey’s rich history.

“I wanted the crew to have every opportunity to experience the culture and hospitality of the Turkish people during our short stay in Marmaris so I tried to schedule as many tours as I possible could,” said Tina Massa, the ship’s MWR officer.

While some Sailors and Marines participated in MWR events, others enjoyed what the city had to offer in the way of entertainment and shopping.

In addition to taking in the local culture, eight Sailors and six Marines took time to give back to the historic region with a tree planning community relations project. The trees were being planted in an effort to rejuvenate an area recently devastated by fires.

“Marmaris, like all of Turkey, is important to global and economic security. And this community relations project symbolized the common ground strategic partners share in building better lives for their people,” said Gregorski.

Kearsarge, commanded by Gregorski, is the flagship for the Kearsarge Strike Group. The strike group is comprised of Amphibious Squadron 8, commanded by Capt. Robert Bougher, and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, commanded by Marine Col. Douglas Stilwell. Kearsarge is currently deployed in support of maritime security operations.