Sailors Enriched by IA Deployment

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Sailors Enriched by IA Deployment
October 03, 2008
Navy News|by MC3 Kristan Robertson

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Two Sailors from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) returned from a 150-day individual augmentee (IA) assignment on board USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) as part of Pacific Partnership 2008.

Seaman Andrew Kipfer of 2nd Division Deck department and Seaman Michael Pryor of 1st Division Deck department, deployed with Mercy May 1, to support its mission of providing aid and relief to foreign countries.

The goal was to help strengthen relations in Southeast Asia and Oceania by making port visits to Nha Trang, Vietnam; Chuuck, Micronesia; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Cotabato, Philippines; and the Southeast Asian country of East Timor, among others.

"It was a good experience," said Pryor. "There are a lot of people in those regions that need help, because they don't always have the facilities or money to get treated."

Surgeries ranging from separating webbed fingers to tumor removal as well as general medical care were offered to those in need.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-news/sailors-enriched-by-ia-deployment.html?col=1186032311124