Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Vice Adm. James Foggo III visited amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Sept. 28.

The visit provided Foggo the opportunity to share his strategic vision of 6th Fleet's current operations, including Operation Odyssey Lightning (OOL), with the Sailors and Marines aboard Wasp and to thank them for their efforts.

Quotes:

"I came out today to thank all of you -- the Sailors and Marines, the stingers -- for the spectacular job you've been doing since you left the United States of America as an amphibious ready group and started operating as an ARG/MEU of one in the Mediterranean. Fifty-nine days of operations and 96 days underway is absolutely incredible, and it's a sacrifice for which America and myself owe you a lot of praise and thanks for. It is a real pleasure for me to be out here with you, a fine group of young men and women and true patriots indeed." - Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Vice Adm. James Foggo III

"Vice Admiral Foggo wasn't deterred by forecasted bad weather and flew out here to Wasp because it was that important to him to personally show his sincere gratitude to our Sailors and Marines. His visit underscored the tremendous efforts made by the entire ARG/MEU team over the past two months." - Commander, Amphibious Squadron 6 Capt. F. Byron Ogden

"We appreciate that Vice Admiral Foggo came out to talk to the crew about the great job our Sailors and Marines are doing out here. He had the chance to sit down with several of them on the mess decks, check out our plant, and spoke with some of the pilots and Marines that have been vital to our continued efforts in 6th Fleet." - USS Wasp (LHD 1) Commanding Officer Capt. Andrew Smith

"It was a real humbling experience to have Vice Admiral Foggo come aboard and take the time to have some one-on-one conversations with a few of us. We were able to talk to him, not just as a senior leader, but as a human being. Having this sort of recognition makes me feel proud that [we're] out here completing the mission and protecting the folks back home." - Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Tusharm Chavis from Harlem, New York

Quick Facts:

While aboard Wasp, Foggo met with Wasp ARG leadership, had lunch with Sailors and Marines on the mess decks, toured several spaces, and addressed the crew over the ship's 1MC.

Amphibious Squadron 6, which commands the Wasp ARG, and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) have been conducting precision strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets in Sirte, Libya, from Wasp since Aug. 1 as part of OOL.

The 22nd MEU, embarked on Wasp, is conducting air strikes in support of the Libyan Government of National Accord-aligned forces against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya as part of OOL.

Wasp is deployed with the Wasp ARG to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

For more news from USS Wasp (LHD 1), visit http://www.navy.mil/local/lhd1/ or http://www.facebook.com/ussWasp/.

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