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USS CaliforniaCrew spends liberty call helping others

Singapore — Although the primary mission of Sailors aboard USS California (CGN 36) is training for intensedeployment operations as part of USS Carl Vinson's Carrier Task Group, they have not forgotten their responsibility as America's goodwill ambassadors.

A week-long liberty visit to Hong Kong enabled 10 California Sailors to renovate the grounds of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children in Mong Kok, Kowloon. California's crew, led by the ship's Chaplain Lieut. Ron Tomlin, cleaned walls, renovated drain pipes and provided landscaping services for the school which teaches 600 children.

The next day, 24 Sailors helped out the Hong Kong Association for the Mentally Retarded at Pinehill Village, Tiapo, New Territories. The work included painting and landscaping which improved safety for the children and enhanced the appearance of the facility. "They were very pleased to have us," said Tomlin, who organized the events. "It was a lot of work, but together we worked quickly and accomplished in a single day what would normally take weeks to do."

Another 24-member crew helped the Boy's Brigade Camp while in Singapore. In addition to extensive landscaping, cleaning and painting, California's electricians rewired the facility which was in danger of being closed for failure to comply with proper electrical safety standards. Led by Electrician's Mate 1st Class Christopher W. Anderson of Lompoc, Calif., the Sailors ensured the camp would pass all electrical safety requirements.

Tomlin emphasized the importance of community relations projects by U.S. Sailors. "Our actions speak louder than words," Tomlin said. "If we can continue to lend professional expertise to [the people] of the countries we visit and save time and money in the process, we should do just that. We get into it and thrive on it."

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