The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is hosting five midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy during the humanitarian-civil assistance mission Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15) to Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

The midshipmen are serving aboard Comfort to further their professional development as future leaders of the fleet by learning about the various aspects of the Continuing Promise humanitarian mission and working alongside crew members both aboard the hospital ship and ashore.

"Being aboard Comfort has taught us a lot about the inner workings of a large scale humanitarian mission, as well as countless things about command structure and the lifestyle of Navy corpsmen, nurses and doctors," said Midshipman 1st Class Eleanor Derouin, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. "I was surprised just how much this mission brings to the countries that we visit. Besides simply providing basic health care services, the CP mission also includes surgical services and veterinary services to the people of these countries."

Derouin explained that her opportunity to deploy aboard Comfort for a one-month rotation was part of a summer training opportunity available to rising seniors at the Naval Academy who are pursuing a career in the medical field.

The current group aboard Comfort said they have enjoyed their time on the ship and have been impressed with the mission-first mindset and personable demeanor of the ship's crew.

"One of the biggest things I have witnessed is the incredible sense of teamwork that Navy medicine has, especially in a deployed environment," said Midshipman 1st Class Joe Chilbert, a Gaithersburg, Maryland, native. "The hospital corpsmen are very versatile in their jobs and the doctors and nurses, who may specialize in their own areas, are always flexible and willing to help where needed. Seeing that teamwork and camaraderie come together during this mission has just been incredible."

The midshipmen have been shadowing medical officers, who provide mentorship as well as share experiences about underway operations and life in the Navy as a medical provider.

"We could give them a lecture on humanitarian and disaster operations, but it won't mean nearly as much as witnessing first-hand the patient who has problems performing his job because of the hernia he has been living with for 20 years," said Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Restrepo, a third year surgical resident assigned to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia, and 2004 Naval Academy graduate. "When the midshipmen get to assist in an operation that will change a patient's life, they will return back to Annapolis with a sense of accomplishment that far exceeds what can be taught in the classroom."

Restrepo added he has no doubt the experience the midshipmen gain on this mission will motivate them in their future medical studies as they prepare for their commissions at the conclusion of their senior year.

"The mission has demonstrated to me that this is definitely a community I would like to be part of, said Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Hemphill, a Houston native. "The medical professionals are an incredible group of people who maintain a sense a humor, work as a team, and are so willing to teach and share what they do."

Thus far in the CP-15 mission, the midshipmen have scrubbed into surgeries, triaged patients at medical sites ashore, and worked in the ship's sick bay.

"When I wrote their schedule, I set it up so they would work several days in a row in different areas in order to expose them to a wide range of specialties and experiences," said Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan McDivitt, assigned to Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Florida, currently serving as a staff cardiologist aboard Comfort. "Working on a humanitarian mission is an experience that very few midshipmen will have the opportunity to participate in. But, it also serves to give them a taste of what it will be like after they finish medical school. Several of them have told me that the experience may cause them to choose specialties that are conducive to humanitarian missions similar to CP-15."

"Lifechanging" is the word that all five students used to describe the work being done as part of CP-15. Each member noted the gratitude of the patients, the smiles on the faces, and said they will carry memories from the mission with them for the rest of their lives.

"The CP mission changes lives," said Midshipman 2nd Class Nicole Hadler, a native of Medina, Ohio. "I could provide countless examples, such as a paralyzed patient who had previously been housebound before receiving a donated wheelchair, or the Operation Smile children who are now able to speak and breathe normally after their surgeries. That experience is humbling and the gratitude expressed by the patients is profound."

In addition to Navy medical providers, the midshipmen are interacting with partner nation military medical providers, as well as medical professionals from several non-governmental organizations.

"Working with partner nations and NGO (nongovenrnmental organization) volunteers has been a wonderful experience," said Chilbert. "It has been interesting to see a lot of different perspectives from all the people involved in the mission. They may be from different backgrounds, but they all bring medical skills and knowledge, and it's been easy for everyone to bond and work together toward a common goal of helping others."

The five midshipmen said they agree the CP-15 mission has served to reinforce their decision to pursue a medical career in the Navy, but also piqued their interest about healthcare on a global scale.

"After this, I think I want to also study global health policy," said Midshipman 1st Class Megan Musilli, a native of Sacramento, California. "This has been an eye-opening experience for me. Resource limitations are real and people are doing the most with what they have. It has all been very interesting how much goes into making this mission happen. I've wanted to be a doctor since I was a little girl and being on this mission has reassured me I am on the right path."

Continuing Promise is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet-conducted deployment to conduct civil-military operations including humanitarian-civil assistance, subject-matter expert exchanges, medical, dental, veterinary and engineering support and disaster response to partner nations and to show the United States' continued support and commitment to Central and South America and the Caribbean.

For more news from Continuing Promise, visit www.navy.mil/.