Photo: (BALIKATAN) Wordplay

April 22, 2009

OLONGAPO CITY, Republic of the Philippines (April 18, 2009) - Aviation Boatswain's Mate Shaina Gilliam, assigned to the USS Essex, plays "hangman" with high school students at Barretto National High School during a community relations project. During the project, Sailors performed repair work, played educational games with the children and delivered books donated by the freshman class at E.J. King High School at a U.S. Naval base in Sasebo, Japan. The donation is part of an ongoing cultural exchange between the two high schools. The community relations project at Barretto National High School was one of four such projects scheduled for Essex’ Sailors during Exercise Balikatan 2009. More than 6,000 Philippine and U.S. troops are taking part in the annual humanitarian-assistance and training exercise, which allows the Philippine and U.S. militaries to learn from one another as well as help local communities.