INARAJAN, Guam -- Sailors assigned to Commander, Submarine Squadron Fifteen partnered with the command’s sister village of Inarajan during a middle school cleanup Oct. 12.

The collaborative cleanup effort was an opportunity for the Sailors to engage with the residents and students of Inarajan and foster relationships between the military and local community.

“It’s always good to have the military here supporting us," said Joey Paulino, a teacher at Inarajan middle school. “It enhances our relationships and helps improve the school environment.”

Sailors and community members removed debris, scraped walls and floors, and water blasted the school’s walls. Sailors also removed portions of the school’s sheet metal roofing that had been damaged. The cleanup was in preparation for the school’s upcoming accreditation visit.

For one Sailor, the cleanup was his first experience volunteering on Guam.

“I’ve been on island six days,” said Electronics Technician (Navigation) 2nd Class Andrew Walters, a native of Toccoa, Georgia. “I’m impressed with how connected and involved the command is with our sister village. I was thrilled with how excited the community was to have us out there helping. Seeing the community, both local and military, come together to help the students was remarkable.”

As the cleanup event came to a close, Paulino went on to express his feelings on the importance of community outreach.

“It builds camaraderie,” said Paulino. “It doesn’t always have to be a cleanup. It’s about celebrating our successes together.”

CSS-15 is located at Polaris Point, Naval Base Guam in Piti, Guam, and consists of four Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines. The squadron staff is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support to these commands. Also based out of Naval Base Guam are submarine tenders USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and USS Emory S. Land (AS 39). The submarines and tenders are maintained as part of the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed submarine force and are readily capable of meeting global operational requirements.