Surface Warfare Officer School Unit (SWOSU) Great Lakes and Center for Surface Combat Systems Unit (CSCSU) Great Lakes Chief Petty Officer Association (CPOA) teamed together in gathering critical items to send to Puerto Rico, Oct. 5.

Machinist's Mate Senior Chief Instructor James Ontiveros, president of SWOSU CPOA, has taken the lead in gather items to be sent after seeing the news coverage and hearing first hand from SWOSU shipmate Machinist's Mate Chief Instructor Jose Oterorivera who took leave to travel to the island to help family and friends.

"At first I started collecting items for him because his family lost everything including their home and then I found out we had another chief's family in the same predicament," Ontiveros said. "We thought it would nice to pull together within our own chief's mess and volunteer to help them and others in Puerto Rico out. I reached out to CSCSU Great Lakes' CPOA and they have made donations too."

Items collected for shipment to Puerto Rico included toiletries, first aid kits, batteries, water and food.

"Unfortunately, being a small island and seeing how huge the storm was the whole territory was devastated," he said. "I was watching the struggles after the storm on television and knew that there were people who needed our help. It is our job, as Americans, to lend a hand. That's what we do as Americans, it does not matter who you are or where you are, we help out."

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