Doyle Returns From POA Deployment

Participating in UNITAS Gold, Team Work South and PANAMAX, Doyle Sailors experienced working with countries from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru along with participating nations from Europe and the Caribbean, while enjoying the diverse culture of Latin America.

"I think the most important effect of many of these exercises is diplomatic," stated Doyle Auxiliaries Officer, Lt.j.g. Micheal Q. Matt, Officer of the Deck for many of the major events and exercises. "The nations in the Western Hemisphere have a strong tradition of sticking together and supporting one another, through such venues as UNITAS or PANAMAX. They take that attitude of multinational cooperation and bring it to the military. Exercises of this type engender familiarity and trust in one another, which is always needed in today's world, regardless of the existence of a specific military threat against our combined nations. Any multinational cooperative effort yields a net benefit for the U.S."

Doyle was involved with 13 Community Relation Projects (COMREL), in 10 different countries, and delivered 22 pallets of Project Handclasp supplies. COMREL enables Sailors to interact with other countries on a different level by accomplishing various projects such as painting and rebuilding schools around the country.

"This is what our deployment in South America is all about. The COMREL projects enable us to help our host nations and interact with the people. We helped build them a better learning environment," said Fire Controlman 2nd Class, Daniel Thomas.

In addition to the exercises and COMREL Projects, Doyle hosted numerous receptions in South America. Thanks to the meticulous work of the crew, Doyle was able to host four major receptions and more than eight VIP luncheons in South America.

The projects, receptions and exercises allowed Doyle Sailors to experience the numerous flavors of South America. The port visits in the major cities of Peru and Chile and stops in the Caribbean, allowed the crew to see a large portion of South America and their distinct culture and customs.

"Our real mission was to improve interoperability with our long standing regional partners. We were able to do this at sea through major maritime exercises, such as UNITAS, Team Work South, and PANAMAX," said Doyle's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. John M. Zuzich. "We were also fortunate to perform this work ashore, interacting with our partner militaries to help the local people. It was truly a great and memorable experience that others can build upon in the future."

The experiences of Southern Seas Deployment are now behind them, and Doyle's Sailors return home to Mayport to be with their families and loved ones.