Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, Vice Adm. James Foggo III visited USS Donald Cook in Rota, March 29.

During the visit, Foggo toured the ship and held an all-hands call to express his appreciation for the continued efforts of the Cook crew. Foggo also presented Lt. Fred Hendricks with a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and recognized him as a 2016 Olmstead Scholar.

Quote:
"I love being able to come out and express in person the gratitude and appreciation I have for all of you on this ship. For two years now this ship has been forward deployed, and doing an excellent job. Trust me, your hard work is being noticed."

-Vice Adm. James Foggo III, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet.

"Receiving this award was a tremendous honor within itself and having the admiral present it was even more of an honor."
-Lt. Fred Hendricks III

Quick Facts:
* USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on a routine patrol conducting naval operations with allies and partners in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in order to advance security and stability in Europe.

* U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil