Change of Assignment

The day before we set sail for Africa, we were called upon to head south to provide relief in Haiti. As we prepared to get underway, several news crews and admirals came onboard to give us a big send off. They discussed how well we had done in all our training and maintenance and how ready we were to conduct such an important mission. As we pulled away from the pier I felt proud of our sailors and our Navy. I felt ready to take on the world and use the skills I have spent 3.5 years honing to contribute my best to navigating the ship and fixing auxiliaries systems. It is both an awesome and humbling feeling to know you are representing the most powerful Navy in the world. Every watch I stand, not only foreign officers, but also fellow marine officers come up to the bridge to see how we do business. It feels good to know the captain trusts me to represent him and to represent our Navy.