Phuket Community Foundation

The main building at the Baan Para School, in the northeast of the island, which is targeted to receive a PCF-organised toy library in June, received a big face-lift today (April 1), thanks to 15 members of the crew of the USS Hopper, currently visiting Phuket.

Not all US Navy crew members head for the bowels of Patong when they visit Phuket – many regularly get involved in what are known as “Comrels” – C0mmunity Relations activities – when they are in Phuket and other foreign ports. (Last year crew from the USS Boxer painted the PCF Toy Library at Hongyok Bamrung School.)

In this case, the Hopper crew members helped out by painting one full side of the school building. There’s an old navy saying, the second half of which is, “If it’s nailed down, paint it.” We asked if there is still a lot of painting to be done in the US Navy. “Oh yes, Sir!” was the reply. All that practice is effective. These efficient sailors had the whole side of the building looking shipshape in about three hours.

Community service projects are a long-standing tradition in the U.S. Navy and are performed to help others in need and build relations in ports of call. “Interacting with other cultures and giving back is my favorite part of this job. Today was a great opportunity to do both.” said Hopper’s Electrical Officer, Ensign Tyler Lloyd.

Thanks to Brad Kenny, Larry Amsden and the Patong Rotary, who coordinate all US Navy Comrels in Phuket and to Glenn Defense Marine who sponsored the beautiful blue topcoat and the rest of the painting supplies.

Thanks, too, to Mission Hills Golf Club, who put up scaffolding and helped out with applying the undercoat (funded by the PCF), and to all the local people who joined in today and over the past couple of days.

Duty done, the Hopper crew tucked into a lunch made by parents of the Baan Para schoolkids, and a song performance by the school choir, including the choir’s rendition of Que sera, sera.

The USS Hopper, an Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer, is currently with the US Seventh Fleet. The ship’s website is here.

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