Sailors assigned to aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) took part in a community relations (COMREL) event at Retsil Washington Veteran's Home in Port Orchard, Washington, Aug. 11.

Sailors were able to provide a variety of services to the home, including serving the residents food and playing a few games of bingo with them. Residents, many of whom are veterans, were able to meet new faces from the community they could relate to in a one-on-one setting.

"I love seeing them come to visit," said Michael Allison, a Army veteran from Silverdale, Washington. "They remind me of the service members I used to work with in a naval shipyard. It's cool to see how our service has changed over the years."

COMRELs like these provide the opportunity for Sailors to positively connect with their local community and give back to the past generations who have served them.

"It's great to interact with those in the community and be there with them," said Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Carl George. "We're paying it forward by visiting them. One day we'll be in a place like this and will want people to visit us; seeing their faces light up means the world. You feel like you're making a difference to them and yourself, and in the end just want to come back again and again."

Nimitz Sailors have been visiting residents for the past two years while the ship has been in the shipyard, and expect to continue to do so into the future even after a scheduled 2017 deployment.

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