USS LKC to the Rescue :-)

My son Michael is in the front... on the left.... his back facing forward. There is a tiny little refugee from Somalia with them. The Somali refugees' skiff had been adrift in the Gulf of Aden for 7 days. The ship rescued 52 men, women, and children. They were given food, water, and medical treatment. The photo below shows people being cared for on the deck of the ship.
The entire crew did a wonderful job.

The Navy article can be found by clicking here. The CNN article can be found by clicking here. The CNN article has an area to view more photos. There are some really touching pictures of the children.

I must admit that I cried when I read the CNN article. I initially cried for very selfish reasons. As I was reading, I would glance up at the picture and see Michael sitting precariously on the edge of the boat, oceans away, in a war zone. To say that I worry about him and miss him would be a huge understatement! I then cried thinking of the nightmare that SO MANY people in the world face each day. I can't even begin to imagine.

Prior to Michael's deployment, I really had no knowledge of all the goodwill missions the Navy participates in such as COMREL and Project Handclasp which help people from many other countries.

I love the saying,
"We've been blessed to be a blessing."

I'm happy to say that the men and women on the USS Lake Champlain have had many opportunities in the past few months to "be a blessing."