Service Extends Past the Gates of Naval Base San Diego for USS Essex

by Ensign Fiona Kurland

24 March 2024 SAN DIEGO (March 22, 2024) Amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), ranked number one for volunteer hours among all ashore and afloat commands in San Diego, totaling 838 hours in 2023.

For USS Essex, service extends past the gates of Naval Base San Diego (NBSD). Essex recently partnered with Farb Middle School, a San Diego Unified School District school, to provide mentorship and guidance to students within the community.

“Being able to help out the community is a great feeling. It positively impacts others, and also gives our sailors a feeling of satisfaction and purpose,” said Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Raymond Stephney.

Essex was partnered with Farb Middle School through the NBSD school liaison. Sailors have engaged with students by refereeing a student versus staff flag football game, teaching a physical education class, hosting a damage control day, and routine visits to talk with students and provide mentorship and guidance.

“Engaging with students is so much fun. Damage control day was great, it really helped the students and community understand what the Navy does, and provided them with lifesaving knowledge that I was never taught as a middle schooler,” said Chief Damage Controlman Gilbert Gonzalez.

Essex has been going through a maintenance availability period for almost two years now, which affords the sailors much more personal time than they had during their busy pre-deployment workups in 2020 and their eight-month deployment between 2021 and 2022. The community outreach team, spearheaded by Stephney, finds weekly opportunities for Essex to give back to the community.

“All levels of leadership aboard have been so supportive and encouraging of sailors to participate in volunteer opportunities,” said Stephney. “Giving back to the community helps reinforce the importance of service to others and helps sailors invest their free time in positive activities.”

Essex has participated in multiple volunteer opportunities in 2024 in addition to their Farb Middle School partnership. Some community highlights include Feeding San Diego, Read Across America, Wounded Warrior, United for Reading, community cleanups, and much more.

Essex is conducting a maintenance period in San Diego to upgrade many key systems aboard.

For more news from USS Essex, follow us on Facebook, and Instagram at https://www.facebook.com/USSESSEX, https://www.instagram.com/ussessex_lhd2/
https://mobile.twitter.com/USSEssex_LHD2 or visit https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/lhd2.