Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced Feb. 1 that a Military Sealift Command (MSC) contracting team won a 2006 Navy Competition and Procurement Excellence Award for chartering ships to rescue Americans stranded in Lebanon last year.
The team -- Ken Allen, Lee Anderson, Olivia Bradley, Tim Pickering, Lance Nyman, and Dan Wentzell -- worked with companies and brokers from around the world to ensure that more than 6,700 Americans were rescued and moved from war-torn Lebanon to safety in Cyprus during the July 2006 Israeli offensive against Hezbollah militants.
Though U.S. military ships also took part in the effort that eventually rescued more than 13,000 people, the MSC-chartered cruise ship Orient Queen was the first to arrive in Lebanon. MSC chartered a total of three ships for the operation.
In his message, Winter extended his personal congratulations and noted that “the outstanding performance by all personnel involved in the acquisition process is greatly appreciated.”
MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S.
Navy ships, chart ocean bottoms, conduct undersea surveillance, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military equipment and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces.
Source: NavNews
By Tim Boulay, Military Sealift Command Public Affairs