Courtesy Photo | Petty Officer 1st Class Honer Villanueva, steelworker, uses an angle grinder to remove...... read more read more
USS CLEVELAND, AT SEA – Petty Officer1st Class Honer Villanueva, steelworker, originally from the Philippines is currently participating in support of Pacific Partnership 2011 aboard amphibious transport dock ship USS Cleveland.
Cleveland is the lead vessel for Pacific Partnership 2011, an annual humanitarian assistance initiative sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Fleet. This year, Pacific Partnership has completed its mission in Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste and is currently in the Federated States of Micronesia, the final mission port.
“This type of mission reminds me of when I was a child in grade school back in Olangapo City, Philippines,” said Villanueva. “The U.S. Navy came and painted our school building and I remember how happy we all were. Now that I am in the U.S. Navy I get to go to schools around the world and give that to the kids as well.”
Cleveland will visit the Kingdom of Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the Federated States of Micronesia, and the military group will be accompanied by non-government organizations like Project HOPE, Vets Without Borders, and the University of California, San Diego Pre-Dental Society.
“I would certainly volunteer for this type of deployment again because it’s very rewarding,” said Villanueva. “Every time I see the kids when we are building them a new school or painting an existing school I see myself when I look at them.”
Pacific Partnership developed as a mission following the tsunami in 2004, which devastated Indonesia and much of the South Pacific. Since then, Pacific Partnership has treated 150,000 patients in 15 countries.
| Date Taken: | 07.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.13.2011 10:25 |
| Story ID: | 73648 |
| Location: | USS CLEVELAND, USAFRICOM, AT SEA |
| Web Views: | 324 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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