U.S. Marine Corps Col. Luke Watson, commanding officer, Blount Island Command, expresses his gratitude Aug. 22, 2024, while aboard the USNS GySgt. Fred W. Stockham at Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island in Florida. USNS 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez and USNS Stockham deployed in March and April, respectively, as part of a whole-of-government humanitarian response to the October 2023 terrorist attacks that killed more than 1,000 civilians in Israel, including U.S. citizens. The U.S. Navy’s roll-on, roll-off support cargo ships offloaded more than 5,700 pallets of food, along with fuel for the Army's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore temporary pier modules, tugs, boats and trucks. They also transported roughly 240 military personnel from Florida to Gaza. With the ships back at Blount Island, leadership teams from the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command and U.S. Marine Corps’ Blount Island Command, strategic partners in the U.S. Marine Corps prepositioning mission, walked aboard USNS Stockham to thank the captains and their crews. An executive team from Crowley Government Solutions, contracted to operate and maintain the massive vessels, highlighted numerous individual efforts that were critical to the response effort.