OCHO RIOS, Jamaica (Submitted on Nov. 27, 2009) -- Sailors and Marines from Task Group 40.7 traveled to Parry Town Basic School in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to help paint classrooms, Nov. 20.
Task Group 40.7 sent numerous personnel and supplies to the island nation over the course of Nov. 19 – 20 as the USS Wasp (LHD 1) steamed just off the coast in support of Southern Partnership Station-Amphib 2009 (SPS).
"I think it is awesome, it is going to be a tremendous help, and we have wanted to paint the inside of our classrooms for a long time now," said Parry Town Basic School Principal Claudette Forsythe. "It will do so much for the children because they learn better in a clean environment. It is really very awesome and we appreciate it a whole lot."
The 33 volunteers used paint and supplies provided by the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica. With help from some of the children who attend the school, they were able to paint 12 of the classrooms, which hold grades one through six for local children.
For volunteer Aviation Support Equipment Technician 1st Class Petagaye Blair, a native of Manchester, Jamaica, it was a chance to come home and give back to her country. When talking with the children Blair passed along words of encouragement and stressed the importance of staying in school and striving to do your best.
"Words can't explain it," said Blair, who had not been back to Jamaica in two years. "To come back and give something back, it means a lot and even though I'm not seeing my family, I’m able to help out somebody else, because we are just one big family. I love it."
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Jason Service, a native of St. Catherine, Jamaica, said showing pride in the Jamaican culture was a driving force in his desire to “give back.”
"There's nothing better than being able to come back to your country and do something positive," said Service, who has been away from Jamaica for six years. "It's not just coming to visit, but coming to give something back, even if it's in small ways … to further show [pride in] where we come from. That's the biggest thing."
When the children of Parry Town Basic School return to class, they will come back to clean and freshly painted rooms of yellow and blue, and the knowledge that the U.S. Navy cared enough to do this just for them.
"It's great. It is giving back," said Forsythe. "I think that is really awesome that they have decided to come and help. It's not their part of the country but that doesn't matter – it's Jamaica."
Wasp is currently deployed on SPS-Amphib 2009 with Destroyer Squadron 40 and embarked Security Cooperation Marine Air-Ground Task Force. SPS is part of the Partnership of the Americas Maritime Strategy that focuses on building interoperability and cooperation in the region to meet common challenges.