The guided missile frigate USS Hawes (FFG 53) provided medical assistance to a Liberian cargo vessel while conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the southern Persian Gulf, March 30. Hawes received a distress call that morning from MV Harmony, a Liberian merchant cargo vessel. A crew member was having chest pains and shortness of breath, so Hawes changed course and increased speed to close the distance. Once Hawes was alongside the Harmony, the ship’s visit, board, search and seizure team boarded the vessel to render aid. “This was my first time with the boarding team,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Stephen Flores. Flores immediately checked the patient’s vitals and did a full examination, finding that the patient’s heart rate and blood pressure were extremely high.