Delaware sailors visit vets during Wilmington port visit

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Carson Davis | 220330-N-KO018-1037 WILMINGTON, Delaware (March 30, 2022) -Petty Officer 3rd Class David Everitt, an information systems technician assigned to the fast-attack Virginia-class submarine USS Delaware (SSN 791), shakes hands and shares stories with Marine veteran Ernest Banner, resident of the Community Living Center at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wilmington, Delaware March 30, 2022. Delaware’s 132-man crew transited to Wilmington to participate in week-long commemoration events in honor of the boat’s commissioning ceremony that took place administratively in April 2020 due to COVID restrictions at the time. Delaware, the seventh U.S Navy ship and first submarine named after the first U.S. state of Delaware, is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Carson Davis)  

WILMINGTON, DE, UNITED STATES

03.30.2022

Courtesy Story

Submarine Readiness Squadron (SRS) 32

By Petty Officer 2nd Class Dakota David

WILMINGTON, Delaware (March 29, 2022) – Six Sailors assigned to the fast-attack Virginia-class submarine USS Delaware (SSN 791) visited the residents of the Community Living Center at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Wilmington, Delaware, March 30, 2022.

Delaware’s 132-man crew transited to Wilmington to participate in week-long commemoration events in honor of the boat’s commissioning, which took place administratively in April 2020 due to COVID restrictions at the time.

The Sailors were the first non-family visitors at the hospital in two years since the COVID pandemic restricted outside visitors for the 40 veteran patients, of whom three are veterans of World War II. Susana Cebula, a VA Medical Center spokeswoman, praised the crew of Delaware stating that their presence put smiles on the patients’ faces.

“This visit really brought in a sense of community that we have been missing here for the residents,” Cebula said. “That camaraderie with servicemen, reflecting on their time in the service, and being a veteran themselves, just gave them that sense of self and a positive outlook, especially during this pandemic.”

During the visit, the crew listened to the vets’ stories and talked about submarine capabilities in today’s U.S. Navy

“I've been around the military most of my life,” said Chief Petty Officer Wesley Norton, an auxiliary machinist attached to Delaware. “Being able to do something for the people that have done something for us, for an uncountable number of years, prior to me, is awesome.”

Delaware, currently homeported in Groton, Connecticut, will end their visit with a commemorative ceremony on Saturday, April 2, at the Port of Wilmington. Delaware, the seventh U.S Navy ship and first submarine named after the first U.S. state of Delaware, is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare.

• Date Taken: 03.30.2022
• Date Posted: 03.30.2022 21:16
• Story ID: 417531
• Location: WILMINGTON, DE, US