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SUBIC BAY, Philippines - The guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106) arrived in Subic Bay Feb. 5 for a routine port visit to replenish supplies and offer the crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation.
"Visiting Subic Bay provides us with a great opportunity to continue the long-term relationship between the Philippines and the United States and that is very important to us," said Cmdr. Lex Walker, the ship's commanding officer.
Walker also spoke about the diversity of his crew. "We have quite a few Filipino-American Sailors among our crew, and I hope that the citizens of the Philippines can look at our ship and see that their people and their culture are well represented and respected in the U.S. Navy," he said.
Fifteen Filipino-Americans sail aboard Stockdale, among them Sailors with family ties to Baguio City, Manila, Marikina City, Orion, Olongapo City, Quezon City, and Santa Monica. Many of the Stockdale's Sailors plan to visit family while in port.
This will be the Stockdale's first visit to the Philippines. The visit is part of the ship's nine month deployment to the Western Pacific that began in January 2013.
During the visit, Stockdale sailors will be participating in a number of community service projects including visits to local orphanages.
The USS Stockdale was commissioned on April 18, 2009, and is homeported in San Diego, California. The ship is named for Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale, who was the highest ranking U.S. naval officer to be held as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam.