NGO husband, wife team make second journey aboard USNS Comfort for Continuing Promise

AT SEA

04.13.2015

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Deven Leigh Ellis
CP-15 Public Affairs

ABOARD USNS COMFORT, At Sea (NNS) -- For their 45th wedding anniversary, Paul Thomas Crawford told his wife, Karin, that he would take her on a special trip.

"I kept saying, 'Karin, this is your tropical cruise - I'll take you through the Panama Canal."

True to his word, Paul, an orthodontist, and Karin, a dental hygienist, set sail April 1 on their second adventure aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) for the Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15) mission.

Continuing Promise is a collaborative effort between the United States, partner nations and non-governmental and support organizations to conduct civil-military operations including humanitarian and civic assistance, as well as veterinary, medical, dental and civil engineering support to send a strong message of compassion, support and commitment to Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Comfort's sole husband-and-wife team, Paul, 71, and Karin, 68, are volunteers with the Latter-day Saints Charities (LDSC), one of several non-governmental organizations (NGO) supporting the CP-15 mission. The couple will serve as the LDSC team leads in the ship's dental department.

The CP-15 dental team will offer cleanings, fillings and extractions in Belize, Guatemala, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Honduras and Haiti throughout the six-month deployment.

In 2011, Paul and Karin, natives of Orem, Utah, were in search of a way to make their upcoming retirements more meaningful. They found out about Comfort's Continuing Promise 2011 deployment through LDSC, a component of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Within six months, the couple completed an application, sold their house and moved all their furniture into storage ready to set sail on their maiden voyage aboard the Comfort.

"Our kids were like, 'You go! You go girl; you go Dad," Karin said. "And this time, they said the same thing: 'Be strong, you go.' They're proud of us, I think."

Paul and Karin are two of 30 total volunteers on Comfort from LDSC, which has been a component of the church since 1985 with donations to various humanitarian missions totaling over $1.3 billion to date. LDSC partners with organizations of all types and sizes, both governmental and non-governmental. For the CP-15 mission, LDSC is providing 60 pallets filled with emergency medical equipment and supplies to distribute among 11 countries.

"We're grateful that LDSC is able to partner with the Navy. We're always impressed at how well this organization is run," Karin said. "We're grateful to be here. We love this ship, actually."

The ship - and its patrons - seem to love Karin and Paul, too. In 2011, the couple received thanks from those they treated in the form of gifts of Colombian coffee to hugs from the examination chair. Patients at Comfort's in-country medical sites have consistently found ways to express how much the dental care means to them.

"In Colombia, we saw people who smoked cigars with the cigar reversed, so the lit end was inside their mouths, and their mouths were full of black tar, " Karin said. "I saw a young man who had teeth that were loosening up already, and I could see the writing on the wall, that he wasn't going to have them much longer if we didn't do something," she continued. "I told him, 'I'm going get this off and tell you what to do.' When he stood up, he hugged me and said, 'You have changed my life.'"

Similarly, a woman who had waited for hours in the dental clinic line broke down in tears when Paul asked how he could help her.

"Some (patients) travel a great deal and they've spent hours waiting in line - they can be out there for six, eight, nine hours and not get to come in because we've reached our quota and can't handle any more for that day," Paul said.

Capt. Michael Hill, officer-in-charge of the dental clinic aboard Comfort, met the couple during planning conferences for the Continuing Promise 2013.

"They go in country and are steady [workers] all day long," he said of the Crawfords.

Paul and Karin make an effort to maintain a positive outlook during the mission, but admit that life on a ship takes some getting used to.

"I have never understood how fluid in pipes can make so many noises," Paul said.

Yet they consider themselves blessed to have each other's company.

"So many people in the Navy, and others here, are sacrificing more; at least we're together," Paul said. "We're lucky."

While retirement is usually considered to be a time to embrace relaxation, Paul and Karin see it differently.

"Dentistry's been very good to us, and we've had a good life. This is a way we can give back," Paul said. "We're not saving lives; we're not restoring eyesight, but, in our way, the service we can render is important to people."

For more news from Continuing Promise, visit www.navy.mil/local/cp/.

• Date Taken: 04.13.2015
• Date Posted: 04.15.2015 11:51
• Story ID: 160038
• Location: AT SEA