U.S. warship takes on a peaceful Latin American mission

The last time the USS Boxer deployed, it was to take 2,200 Marines to the Persian Gulf to be ready for combat in Iraq in the fall of 2006.

On Monday, the amphibious assault ship set sail again, with a different crew and different purpose: taking Navy doctors, nurses, dentists, medical technicians, veterinarians and Seabee construction sailors to Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru for a mission called Continuing Promise 2008.

Though such missions — to Latin America and elsewhere — are not new to the Navy, the top brass has promised an increased emphasis on humanitarian efforts under an updated global strategy approved last fall.

The Boxer and its crew of 1,500 will be gone for two months. Navy personnel will work with their counterparts in the three countries to deliver medical care, improve the health of farm animals and build schools and roads.

The medical facilities aboard the Boxer are second only to those on the Navy's hospital ships. Several nongovernmental agencies are also part of the project to deliver services and supplies to remote areas.

From the U.S. perspective, the mission is an attempt to improve the country's image and strengthen alliances.

"It's amazing sometimes the misperceptions that people have of America and the American people," said the Boxer's skipper, Capt. Matt McCloskey. "They think of America as 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' or 'Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.'

"This is a chance to show them the real America and the real Americans, trying to be good neighbors."

Once the Boxer returns, it will begin training and maintenance for deployment early next year to the western Pacific, taking Marines for possible deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan or another hot spot.

— Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: U.S. Navy

Comments

[Eugenia Lindsey]

I was an NGO Nurse with Project HOPE on the Kearsarge in Nicaragua and can assure you that we worked very diligently to see over 400-700 people a day for medical, dental and preventitive care....In a twon devastated from two separate and devestating hurricaines there was little relief provided to this small city far away fro Managua.
We rebuild the biomedical equipment, painted the school, rebuild the playground in the park and provided sam day surguries and medical care for thousand of people.

I also was on the medical humanitarian trip the year before on the Comfort...It was the same effort /Sure we could not do all that we would like to have done and there is definately a political PR process here between the USA and Latin America....but we did serve and provide medical care for thousands of people.....I am not a military person ,,,In fact I personally have a long and established antiwar history ...But if anyone in the USA believes that we are alone in the manipulation of Latin America one only has to travel South...There are unfortunately many powers seeking to dominante other countries...I disagree with this also but it is what exists.....It is dangerous and naive to believe that China or Russia will provide any form of improvement to this hemisphere....And it is clear that there are many ways to invest in countries close to us...We can to it by providing armamaents or goodwill...I believe medicine, education and goodwill are the way to go....And for those who wish to debate this....Spend some for your energy for argument on humanitarian work..There is a lot to do...There are for example 7000 diabetic patients on the coast of Managua at the border or Honduras who have no way of testing their insulin level or insulin which is the case for most of Central America....The hospital in Georgetown Guyana needs sheets....for 500 beds.... All hospitals need soap . paper towels and gloves.....So get moving and take

[Stephen Swain]

Not quite true, Bosque. There is a significant difference between gross generalities about how the US is perceived in developing countries, and the perceptions affected locally when US humanitarian missions enter the scene. What we land-locked Americans fail to appreciate is that these sorts of humanitarian missions are backed locally by carefully orchestrated arrangements with local governments, NGOs, and local press coverage to benefit many thousands of poor people who would otherwise not receive the care they need. As a former information officer for the USAID mission in Colombia, I can attest that our tax dollars in South America produce enormous good at relatively low cost, and are greatly appreciated. Any ship that carries life-changing medical capabilities tends to be very welcome, as even simple people can understand the difference in mission between war and peace.

[Bosque]

That's nice, really. But why send a WAR ship? No one in Latin America trusts the US anymore and frankly its humanitarian efforts are never true humanitarian efforts. Its a ruse.

Looks like an effort to continue its silliness vs Cuba. Everyone knows Cuba has been sending physicians to Guatemala, El Sal, and now Mexico for several years under an agreement signed with each country to not just help (for a photo op) but to actually train physicians.

If the US was serious, it would send people to help rebuild what it had a huge hand in helping destroy.