Members of Commander, Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 15, in conjunction with other Sailors, Soldiers, and volunteers from the Guam community, partnered with the local government to pick up trash and other waste material during a community relations (COMREL) cleanup project at Eagles Field, Feb. 3.

The area, dedicated to outdoor sporting programs for the youth of Guam, constantly suffers from illegal dumping of trash and waste.

"I believe it is immediately beneficial for the environment and the community for Sailors to get off base and get involved in COMREL projects," said Senior Chief Electronics Technician (Communication) Jerimie Rodriguez. "It fosters a relationship of trust between the local community and the military, while improving personal morale and making an impact on the lives of those around you."

More than 60 people from SUBRON 15 and 10 other local and military organizations spent their Friday morning collecting discarded items to include household goods, car parts, and various recyclables in efforts to return the sporting fields and surrounding areas to a cleaner place where children can play without risk of contamination.

"We have been collaborating for over a month between the village of Mangilao and the military commands," said Mangilao Mayor Alan Ungacta. "Today, we hauled out three trailers full of garbage and a truck and a half of old tires; there's still more being loaded."

The cleanup of Eagles Field was coordinated between Ungacta and Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristina Rasco, Joint Region Marianas, and was designed for service members and the local community to work together toward the common goal of preserving the island and its recreational locations.

"Today is just one instance of us working together for community projects like this," said Ungacta. "I encourage more joint participation in events like this. If we continue working together with our brothers and sisters in the military, we can make our island a beautiful place to live, visit, and enjoy ourselves."

In addition to the Eagles Field cleanup, SUBRON 15's Performance Monitoring Team (PMT) conducts cleanups twice monthly at Marbo Cave's access road, and SUBRON 15 volunteers with their sister village of Inarajan and other local commands to make the island a better place.

"I encourage the Sailors who didn't come out and participate to give it a try," said Rodriquez "There is a sense of gratification you get when your actions make someone smile!"

The other organizations in attendance during the cleanup were submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40), Naval Base Security, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Det. Marianas, Joint Region Marianas (JRM), Personnel Support Detachment (PSD) Guam, Army Public Health Activity (PHA), Guam Naval Officers Spouses Connection (GNOSC), Navy Munitions Command East Asia Division (NMC EAD) Unit Guam, Guam Community College (GCC), and Naval Special Warfare Unit (NSWU) 1.

COMSUBRON 15 is located at Polaris Point in Apra Harbor, Guam, and consists of four Los Angeles-class attack submarines. The squadron staff is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support to these commands. Also based out of Naval Base Guam are Frank Cable and USS Emory S. Land (AS 39). The submarines and tenders are maintained as part of the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed submarine force and are readily capable of meeting global operational requirements.

Are you interested in taking orders to Guam? Want to learn more about the duty station and life on our island? For more information, check out the "Go Guam!" website at http://www.csp.navy.mil/go-guam/ and download the "1st Fifteen" checklist.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Commander, Submarine Squadron 15, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.csp.navy.mil/css15 or http://www.facebook.com/SubmarineSquadron15/.