Multinational UNITAS Sailors Lend a Hand in Key West Community

KEY WEST, Fla. (NNS) -- Volunteers from seven partner nations participating in the 53rd annual UNITAS exercise spent, Sept. 17 in Key West, Fla., helping Habitat for Humanity, Sigsbee Charter School and St. Mary Star of the Sea Outreach Mission with construction projects, landscaping and painting.

The community relations project, coordinated by U.S. Fourth Fleet, included sailors from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States, as well as U.S. Coast Guard personnel.

Approximately 75 service members volunteered their time resulting in more than 375 man-hours of labor.

The volunteers, divided between three work sites, took on jobs such as paint scraping, power-washing, dry-walling, rock removal, painting, landscaping and sun-shade construction.

"Financially, we couldn't afford the labor we were graced with today," said Sandy Higgs, Facilities Chair on the Sigsbee Charter Board. "We would not have been able to do all of the improvements that the volunteers did in one day - it would have taken us months."

UNITAS develops and sustains relationships to improve the capacity of our partner' maritime forces. This annual exercise fosters friendly, mutual cooperation and understanding between participating navies.

For additional information about UNITAS 53-12, contact COMUSNAVSO/C4F Public Affairs Office by email: comusnavso-c4f_mypt_pao(at)navy.mil; or by phone: (904) 270-4843 - or (904) 483-6877.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command & U.S. 4th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusns/.