Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) gathered on the flight deck to celebrate Easter with a special sunrise worship service, March 27.

The service took place during a short break in the ship's schedule as Arlington continues operations in the 5th Fleet area of operations.

Lt. Jason Ulven, Arlington's command chaplain, delivered the service that began in the pre-dawn hours and continued as the sun rose over the event.

"A sunrise service on Easter is a very common practice in Christian churches and this was something we wanted to make available for the crew on Easter Sunday," said Ulven. "Our current operations schedule allowed us an opportunity to utilize the flight deck so the congregation could see the sun rising during the service."

The service featured testimonies from Sailors and Marines, a song selection from the ship's choir and communion followed by a fellowship gathering on the flight deck.

"The turnout for the service was great and everyone in attendance seemed to take something away from it," said Ulven. "Being able to provide a service like this on Easter, sometimes helps the Sailors and Marines better cope with being away from home during the holidays."

The crew of the ship also enjoyed a special Easter meal of lemon herb Cornish-game hen, honey baked ham, steamship round, yams, succotash, crab cakes and assorted desserts provided by the ship's food service division.

"Holidays can be really hard when you're underway and away from family," said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Shaneris Stephens. "Our goal was to be able to allow the Sailors and Marines to still keep some family traditions of Easter even though we are deployed and on the other side of the world from our loved ones. The cooks put a lot of heart into the meals, and I think this one enhanced the crew's enjoyment of the Easter holiday."

For many of the crew, the sunrise service and meal were a chance to not just celebrate an important holiday, but to relax and take their minds off of work, if only for a few hours.

"Easter is a big holiday in my family, so having the opportunity to celebrate it with a sunrise mass here in the Gulf of Aden was a great opportunity to relieve some stress and enjoy fellowship with my shipmates," said Yeoman 2nd Class Sean Williams. "The meal was delicious, and being able to celebrate such an important day really put me in a great place."

"If we let it, the mission could consume us and we could begin to neglect taking care of ourselves," said Ulven. "Sometimes it feels like there is always more to do, and this sunrise service and meal reminds us that there is a bigger world out there, and that we have family back home thinking about us. Today was not just a celebration of Easter, but a renewal of energy, hope and purpose."

Arlington is part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and, with embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

For more news from USS Arlington (LPD 24), visit www.navy.mil/.