Puerto Vallarta Welcomes USS Jarrett
By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor
Local government officials, the Mexican Armada and the Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico, Council welcomed
the guided-missile frigate USS Jarrett
for a productive four-day port visit to
Puerto Vallarta in February.
While most Navy and Coast
Guard ships perform community
service at local orphanages, schools
and other public and nonprofit facilities during their visits, Jarrett took it
to another level, according to Mexico
Area President Jerome S. Lafferty.
Jarrett’s community relations
project was performed by 15 volunteer Sailors at the Asilo de Ancianos
home for the elderly. They repainted a good portion of the interior,
sealed exterior walls and repaired a
leaky roof, according to Lafferty.
Ten Navy League volunteers assisted, as did the staff of the facility.
Another group of volunteer
Sailors accompanied Navy League
members in offloading and delivering 11 pallet loads of donated medical supplies from Operation Handclasp. After the donations cleared
Customs, they were sent to a number of local medical and charitable
facilities, where they will be put to
good use serving the needs of some
of Puerto Vallarta’s charities, Lafferty
said. Concurrently, about 20 Sailors
donated blood at a local blood bank
under the supervision of Mexican
Navy medical personnel.
Jarrett and its commanding officer, Capt. Ferdinand Reid, hosted
a shipboard reception that was
attended by more than 50 city and
state officials, the U.S. Consular
Agency, the Mexican Armada, the
U.S. naval attaché from Mexico
City and a number of local Navy
League members. An ice sculpture
JEROME S. LAFFERTY
An ice sculpture created by the ship’s crew in the shape of a dolphin graced
a reception hosted by the guided-missile frigate USS Jarrett for Navy
Leaguers, local government and military officials, and U.S. diplomatic represen-
tatives during its February port visit to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
created by the ship’s crew in the
shape of a dolphin complemented
excellent hors d’oeuvres and beverages, Lafferty said. Ship tours also
were made available. Jarrett was fortunate to find dock space adjacent
to the Mexican Navy Base so invited guests were spared a long boat
ride and boarding in rough seas.
The Navy League-sponsored
cocktail/dinner reception a day
later was attended by more than 60
guests, including 30 officers and
crew from Jarrett and an equal
number of Navy Leaguers.
Gifts were exchanged between
the ship and the Puerto Vallarta
Council, including a ship’s plaque
and an “admiral’s cap” emblazoned
with the Jarrett name.
Jarrett also welcomed 13 visiting
family members and friends of crew
members who had traveled to Puerto
Vallarta to accompany the ship on a
Tiger Cruise back to San Diego.
While in Puerto Vallarta, the visiting
family and friends were hosted by
the Marriott CasaMagna Resort and
Spa, a major sponsor of the Puerto
Vallarta Council, Lafferty said.
Missouri Councils
Salute Ike Skelton
Three Navy League councils in
Missouri honored former U.S. Rep.
Ike Skelton, D-Mo., for his work in
support of a strong national security policy while serving as a member
of the House of Representatives for
more than three decades.
Members of the Jefferson City,
Kansas City and St. Louis Councils
gathered in the rotunda of the
Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson
City on Feb. 20 to pay tribute to
Skelton for his tireless efforts in support of a strong sea service team.
Samuel Bushman, president of
the USS Missouri Commissioning
Committee and member of the Jeffer-
