Military Sealift Command Public Affairs
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September 23, 2010

Lithuanian President Visits Mount Whitney

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The President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite receives official honors from rainbow sideboys as she arrives aboard the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20). Mount Whitney is operating in the Baltic region in support of exercise Jackal Stone (JS10) 2010, a 10-day special operations exercise featuring participation from Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, and the United States. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sylvia Nealy/Released)

Click on the image for a high-resolution photo.

President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite, left, operates the helm of the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) as commanding officer Capt. Jeffrey Ruth explains how it maneuvers the ship. Grybauskaite toured the ship during exercise Jackal Stone 2010. Mount Whitney is operating in the Baltic region supporting Jackal Stone, a 10-day special operations exercise with participation from Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and the United States. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Terry Vick/Released)

The following information was released by the European Command:

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sylvia Nealy, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa/ Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

The President of Lithuania and the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania arrived aboard USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) for a short visit, Sep. 21.

President Dalia Grybauskaite and Ambassador Anne E. Derse were greeted by Capt. Jeffrey Ruth, Mount Whitneys commanding officer.

It truly was an honor and a privilege to host [Grybauskaite] aboard Mount Whitney, said Ruth. She not only showed a genuine interest in the ship and its mission, but was especially interested in meeting the crew and talking about what they do on a daily basis.

A guided tour was arranged for the guests in order for them to have a general understanding of Mount Whitneys mission. The tour included the joint operation center, network operation center and the bridge.

During the tour, Ruth escorted Grybauskaite and Derse to the ships wardroom to mingle and discussed building partnership and lasting friendship between Lithuania and the United States.

After the tour, Ruth presented a plaque to Grybauskaite in remembrance of the visit.

I believe this short visit will go a long way toward helping build the partnerships needed to guarantee maritime security in the Baltic region, said Ruth.

Mount Whitney is currently operating in the Baltic region to strengthen the partnership and friendships between the U.S. and Baltic nations. Mount Whitney, the flagship for the U.S. 6th Fleet, is homeported in Gaeta, Italy, and operates with a hybrid crew of U.S. Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners.

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