Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast has visited our beautiful city many times over the past twenty years. She's what one would call a happy return visitor. Their love affair with Puerto Vallarta is perhaps attributable to our many attractions for young sailors, the friendliness of our people, or maybe an exceptional climate, particularly for a ship home ported in Oregon.

But it goes much deeper than that - to include a desire to assist less fortunate people in the ports they visit. That was certainly the case this past week, as more than 30 volunteer Steadfast sailors dedicated five hours of their liberty time to rehab the DIF Boys Shelter in Coapinole near Pitillal. When you add in the 10 Navy Leaguers who assisted, more than 200 hours of labor were volunteered on behalf of this shelter.

Results were impressive. A good percentage of the extensive exterior and interior walls were scraped, sealed and repainted. Additionally, the roofs were cleaned and sealed against the coming summer rains, bathrooms were remodeled to eliminate old and rusty shower stalls, toilets were repaired, faucets and shower heads repaired or replaced, and the landscaping cleaned of debris. DIF chipped in with the needed paint and plumbing supplies; the sailors offered their expertise and labor to get the job done.

One of the sailors said it best - "We do this because we enjoy helping people, particularly kids who are less fortunate than us." The enthusiasm of the sailors was contagious, as they were joined in their work by some of the kids of the shelter, who particularly enjoyed wielding paint rollers. But most of all they enjoyed being around young sailors, speaking a strange language, who were genuinely interested in showing them how to do their jobs. We should not be surprised if five to ten years into the future a few of these impressionable boys decided to enlist in the Mexican Armada.

Our hats are off to Chief Caitland Cunningham, who led the volunteers, Commanding Officer CDR Matthew Walker and Executive Officer Chris German for turning out a work party that was near half the crew of 75. This is perhaps a record level of participation that may not be matched for years to come.

Following the work at the Boy's Shelter, the volunteer sailors were treated to a seafood lunch at Mauricios restaurant in Las Juntas, complements of the Navy League. In Navy terms, this was a way of expressing BRAVO ZULU (well done) for a job that was truly well done.

The three day port visit was kicked off with a cocktail/dinner reception at the home of Puerto Vallarta Navy League President Bill Clark. More than 40 officers and enlisted personnel joined by 15 Navy Leaguers enjoyed traditional Mexican fare and a wide variety of adult refreshments.

Lively conversations built comradeship and new friendships which carried over to the next two days. During the evening it was revealed that the Steadfast has an exceptional record for intercepting smuggled drugs from Central/South America.

They sport a number of awards, the most impressive being one of only two ships to have captured more than one million pounds of marijuana. The Steadfast was given the nickname "El Tiburon Blanco" or "White Shark" by Colombian drug cartels because of their great success in interdicting drugs headed North. While not loved by the druggies, Steadfast crew members take great pride in this nickname and use it on their t-shirts, stationery and just about every other item of ship merchandise.

Throughout the port visit the Steadfast opened up their ship to tours by Navy Leaguers and guests. Included were the residents of the Boys Shelter, who must have thought they were living the "Star Wars" dream. The kids were given a full tour under the watchful eyes of both male and female sailors, who gave the kids personal attention and tried to explain everything in easy to understand terms. A number of crew members happened to speak Spanish, so were able to get the kids talking and better understanding what they were seeing.

All in all, the Steadfast's most recent visit to Puerto Vallarta was a huge success. The Navy League and Mexican Armada handled coordination matters with considerable skill, and the Steadfast crew was perhaps the most generous of any ships' crew to visit Puerto Vallarta in the last ten years. We wish them well as they sail north to spend the warm months in the waters of Northwest U.S. including Alaska.

As background, the Navy League is dedicated to welcoming Navy and Coast Guard ships from all nations to the friendliest port city in Mexico, painting and repairing schools and other non-profit and public facilities, transporting donated medical supplies from the U.S. and Canada aboard visiting ships, and running the local Toys for Tots program. Plus of course we have an active social program!

To join this outstanding civic and charitable organization, contact President Bill Clark at (322) 222-3616, or clarkbill(at)earthlink.net. No prior military experience is required, only an interest in helping the less advantaged citizens of our region. For more information, visit VallartaNavyLeague.org.