News and Policy
US Navy Returns to Buenaventura on Humanitarian Mission
Following in the wake of USS SANCTUARY’s visit to Buenaventura in 1973, the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) returned to Colombia’s Pacific coast on August 22, eager to serve the Colombian people as it continues its good will tour of Latin America and the Caribbean.
In a ceremony at the Buenaventura Coliseum, Colonel Hector Julio Pachón Cañón, Acting Commander of Colombia’s Naval Forces of the Pacific, warmly welcomed the U.S. Navy hospital ship to Colombia.
“President Bush and the America people are committed to the Western Hemisphere, in particular Colombia. This visit demonstrates that commitment, and we are eager to nurture our long-standing relationship with the Colombian people,” said mission commander Captain Bob Kapcio at the ceremony where the both countries’ national anthems were played. The Comfort’s U.S. Navy crew is complemented by personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Public Health Service, as well as by members of the Canadian Armed Forces. “It is a great honor for me and my crew to be here in Colombia,” Captain Kapcio added. “The U.S. Navy in particular is proud to return to Buenaventura.”
As did the USS SANCTUARY in 1973, USNS COMFORT will provide Colombians with free health care services. Comfort’s 120-day humanitarian assistance deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean provides free medical care to people in a dozen countries. Comfort will stay in Buenaventura for nearly one week and will provide services at the Coliseum, onboard ship, in Bahia de Malaga, and build a medical clinic for the people of La Sierpe.