Dear Family & Friends,
My apologies for the delay in getting another blog post to you all. It has been a busy time here aboard Mercy. Our scheduled four day stop in Pearl Harbor was cut to a two day stop in order to get us headed west sooner. I’m sure that many of you are asking the question, “With what has happened in Myanmar, will USNS Mercy be going to help?” As of right now, I have to say, “I just don’t know.” With this early departure from Hawaii, the powers-that-be are certainly positioning us to do that – provided, of course, the government of Myanmar would let us in. Too many unknowns at this time to know what the outcome might be.
There is no question in my mind that Mercy could provide a lot of help to those poor people who suffered (and are still suffering) from that terrible storm. Personally, I would like to go. In the meantime we will continue on with our present mission and wait and see how the situation in Myanmar plays out.
Our brief stop in Pearl Harbor was a busy one. Trying to cram four days of work into two days is always a challenge. There were plenty of VIPs requesting tours. Additional supplies, equipment, and personnel also needed to be loaded aboard. I did get a chance to get away in the evenings to enjoy Honolulu for a few hours. Got to see a few old friends as well.
One interesting note… When you are forced to leave early from a port like Hawaii, it is often expected to see a modicum of disappointment in the crew. Not this bunch! Everyone is pumped up to get this mission started.
I just came down from the bridge a minute ago to finish this posting. The Southern Cross is out (one of my favorite constellations). This means we are getting into southern latitudes. The weather has certainly warmed up. Many of the crew enjoyed a pair of albatrosses circling the ship this afternoon hunting the flying fish as the ship’s wake chased them out of the water. Always a spectacular sight!
More to come!
Bob
My apologies for the delay in getting another blog post to you all. It has been a busy time here aboard Mercy. Our scheduled four day stop in Pearl Harbor was cut to a two day stop in order to get us headed west sooner. I’m sure that many of you are asking the question, “With what has happened in Myanmar, will USNS Mercy be going to help?” As of right now, I have to say, “I just don’t know.” With this early departure from Hawaii, the powers-that-be are certainly positioning us to do that – provided, of course, the government of Myanmar would let us in. Too many unknowns at this time to know what the outcome might be.
There is no question in my mind that Mercy could provide a lot of help to those poor people who suffered (and are still suffering) from that terrible storm. Personally, I would like to go. In the meantime we will continue on with our present mission and wait and see how the situation in Myanmar plays out.
Our brief stop in Pearl Harbor was a busy one. Trying to cram four days of work into two days is always a challenge. There were plenty of VIPs requesting tours. Additional supplies, equipment, and personnel also needed to be loaded aboard. I did get a chance to get away in the evenings to enjoy Honolulu for a few hours. Got to see a few old friends as well.
One interesting note… When you are forced to leave early from a port like Hawaii, it is often expected to see a modicum of disappointment in the crew. Not this bunch! Everyone is pumped up to get this mission started.
I just came down from the bridge a minute ago to finish this posting. The Southern Cross is out (one of my favorite constellations). This means we are getting into southern latitudes. The weather has certainly warmed up. Many of the crew enjoyed a pair of albatrosses circling the ship this afternoon hunting the flying fish as the ship’s wake chased them out of the water. Always a spectacular sight!
More to come!
Bob
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