{"id":96159,"date":"2024-01-22T17:28:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T18:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=96159"},"modified":"2024-01-22T19:31:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T19:31:04","slug":"bataan-arg-26th-meusoc-arrive-in-souda-bay-for-port-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=96159","title":{"rendered":"Bataan ARG, 26th MEU(SOC) Arrive in Souda Bay for Port Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p>While in port, the Bataan ARG and 26th MEU(SOC) team will conduct routine maintenance following several months of distributed operations and activities within the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations since July 2023.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last six months has showcased the value, utility, and operational flexibility a forward-deployed ARG and MEU(SOC) provide in terms of campaigning and crisis response,\u201d said Col. Dennis \u201cDolf\u201d Sampson, commanding officer of the 26th MEU(SOC). \u201cOur recent MEU(SOC) Exercise \u201cOdyssey Encore\u201d and the integrated training with the Hellenic 32nd Marine Brigade and Hellenic SOF was essential to sustaining our operational capabilities and readiness across the MEU(SOC) Marine Air-Ground Task Force. This port visit will provide an opportunity to conduct normal required maintenance and inspections of our vehicles and equipment prior to getting underway for the next phase in our deployment. More so, it will provide the Marines and Sailors with some quality, well-earned liberty and an opportunity to enjoy the local culture in Crete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Souda Bay marks the second port visit for majority of the Sailors and Marines of the Bataan ARG and 26th MEU(SOC) to the U.S. Naval Force Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) area of responsibility following their re-aggregation in the Mediterranean, Dec. 28. During this visit they will have the opportunity to explore Souda Bay, participate in community relations projects and cultural excursions hosted by each ship\u2019s Morale, Welfare and Recreation committees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is my last port visit as I depart the Bataan after six years, and I am looking forward to seeing historical places from 1,000 years ago,\u201d said Aviation Boatswain\u2019s Mate (Fuel) 2nd Class Gerald Labtis. \u201cI will cherish and treasure every bit of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility. U.S. 6th Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, please contact Amphibious Squadron 8 Public Affairs Team, <a href=\"mailto:CPR8PAO@lhd5.navy.mil\">CPR8PAO@lhd5.navy.mil<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While in port, the Bataan ARG and 26th MEU(SOC) team will conduct routine maintenance following several months of distributed operations and activities within the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations since July 2023. \u201cThe last six months has showcased the value, utility, and operational flexibility a forward-deployed ARG and MEU(SOC) provide in terms [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":96161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96159"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96162,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96159\/revisions\/96162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/96161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}