By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Lindahl
<< In this file photo, USS Denver (LPD 9) transits the Coral Sea earlier this month. The ship arrived off the coast of Dili Aug. 27 to work with the Timor Leste Defense Force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Edward Guttierrez III)
DILI, Timor-Leste - Amphibious transport dock ship USS Denver (LPD 9), with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), arrived in Dili, Timor-Leste, Aug. 27, following scheduled operations in the region.
During the visit to Dili, Denver's medical staff is scheduled to conduct medical training in a collaborated session at National Hospital Guido Valadares (HNGV) on basic lifesaving, while Sailors and Marines conduct a variety of military exercises with the Timorese Defense Forces.
A host of community service programs are also scheduled. The medical training will be held in collaboration with staff from the Royal Darwin Hospital, in Darwin, Australia, already embarked on Denver, Timor-Leste's Ministry of Health Directorate of Community Health Services, HNGV, the National Hospital Referral and Ambulance Services, St. John of God, and the USAID-funded health improvement project.
"I am excited about our port visit to Dili and the positive impact our Sailors and Marines will have with all the programs and events we have set up," said Denver's Command Master Chief Edwin Purdy. "Providing assistance to the people of Timor-Leste serves as a testament of our desire to strengthen this relationship well in to the future."
Denver is on patrol with the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 31st MEU, is currently conducting routine joint-force operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility.