Sailors Return From Successful Africa Sports Diplomacy Tour

09.18.2008

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc Rockwell-Pate 

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet

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By Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc Rockwell-Pate
U.S. Naval Forces Europe

NAPLES, Italy - The European region U.S. Navy soccer team and the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe Band returned to Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Sept. 18, 2008, concluding an 11 day visit to Cape Verde, Cameroon and Gabon as part of the Africa Sports Diplomacy Tour 2008 and Africa Partnership Station initiative.

"This sports diplomacy tour has been very successful," said Lt. Argus Cunningham, the coach of the soccer team. "We have performed every mission that we set out to do in the three countries of Cape Verde, Cameroon and Gabon. We have been able to hold great discussion on Global Maritime Partnerships which will greatly enhance our future Africa Partnership Station endeavors."

The soccer team and band participated in three very successful sports and music events that were great for both the U.S. Navy and the African military, added Cunningham, who helped schedule the diplomacy tour. They also deliver a total of 6,690 pounds of donated medicine, hygiene products, school supplies and toys in coordination with the Project Handclaps Foundation during ASDT 2008.

The two groups also performed humanitarian work in each country at six different community relations projects including; the Calhao school, the music school Escola de Iniciacao Musical do Mindelo and the foster care facility Centro Juvenil in Mindelo, Cape Verde; the Prytanee school and Martin Luther King school in Libreville, Gabon; and the Bonadiwoto primary school in Douala, Cameroon, where the Sailors made a lasting impact.

"I am so overwhelmed that I lack the words to express my gratitude towards the military members who came here today," said the Bonadiwoto primary school Headmaster Thomas Njonang after the tour held a community relations project at his school. "Since I have been headmaster, this is the first time that anyone has thought of assisting us, and it was the American military."

While at the Bonadiwoto primary school, the soccer team moved more than 50 tons of dirt that ASDT purchased using shovels and rakes to create a useable road in the school's flooded courtyard. A brass quintet from the CNE band also came and played a concert for the school's faculty and students.

A dentist from U.S. Navy Hospital Naples, Italy, also gave a presentation on the importance of dental hygiene and handed out multiple toothbrushes to each student.

Cmdr. Steve Hargatai, a member of the soccer team and the dentist who gave the hygiene presentation, said visiting the school in Cameroon was a very meaningful experience. "It was nice to do something like that, especially for the children," added Hargatai. "It makes me feel good about myself and what I am doing."

When the band and soccer team weren't performing humanitarian work, they had a chance to experience each culture, and interact and build relationships with different African militaries through a soccer match on the last day in each nation.

Before the soccer matches in Cameroon and Gabon, the CNE band had the opportunity to play alongside and build friendships with their military musical counterparts through a music event.

"Music is the universal language that I think everyone can communicate through and we were able to do that on this trip at the schools, the soccer games and with the other military bands," said Petty Officer 2nd Class John Gulyas, a CNE band audio engineer.

Once each match began, the soccer team was able to interact with each nation's military through a different form of communication.

"The soccer matches not only helped foster relationships between militaries but also individuals who were participating," said Lt. Craig Ruhs, the soccer team's captain. "A lot of times things are lost in translation when you're talking. But when you're playing out on the pitch and both teams are working hard, I think that builds relationships through a different and sometimes better form of communication."

The soccer team earned a 2-2 draw in their first match on the tour against a "very strong" team at the Municipal Stadium in Mindelo, Cape Verde. The team fell 2-1 in their second match to a military team in Douala, Cameroon. In their third and final match, the U.S. Ambassador to Gabon Eunice Reddick attended to support of the Navy team and participated in the opening ceremonies. The team encountered their highest level of competition on the tour, playing against a professional Division 1 team in a 40,000 person stadium in Libreville, Gabon.

"I haven't experience that level of play since I was at the academy," added Ruhs, who played soccer at the U.S. Naval Academy. "We lost 3-1, but our team gained a lot of experience against a fast and very skilled opponent. I think this whole experience helped our team come together and we will be better in the future because of it. Overall this diplomacy tour was a great success and I look forward to doing it again in the future."

The 37-person diplomacy team that took part in the ASDT 2008 departed Naples on, Sept. 8, 2008. The tour was part of the ongoing APS initiative. The goals of ASDT 2008 were to build understanding and develop goodwill between the U.S. and its emerging partners through sports, music and community relations projects.

The APS initiative began in 2007 with USS Fort McHenry and HSV2 Swift. It is a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led endeavor focused on enhancing cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services in order to achieve common international goals such as stability and security.