Sailors from the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) volunteered to visit Sham Tseng Catholic Primary School during a community relations project, June 19.

The visit allowed 30 Sailors to share personal experiences about life aboard a ship, eat lunch and play competitive games with Sham Tseng students, teachers and staff members.

"I am excited to see these fantastic Sailors from George Washington here at Sham Tseng Catholic Primary School," said Clifford A. Hart Jr., U.S. consul general to Hong Kong and Macau. "It is a huge way to build a relationship with the people of Hong Kong. I love to have ships come to Hong Kong because we get these crews of fantastic young Americans with all kinds of backgrounds. We are very diverse and that is surprising to Hong Kong's locals to see how diverse we are. It teaches the kids, just from this human contact, a lot about our country."

This event presented a unique opportunity for more than 650 Sham Tseng students and approximately 60 teachers and staff members to meet, talk and interact with U.S. Navy Sailors.

"This is my first time ever meeting a Sailor," said Lourdes Yu, Sham Tseng principal. "Sailors have always just been people we've seen in movies. Today's opportunity really allows us to see that Sailors are just normal people who are kind and friendly, and are willing to use their spare time to do volunteer work."

Sailors, students, staff and parent volunteers worked hand in hand to assemble 20 game booths for the students to practice reading and speaking in English.

"This visit allowed our students to learn something new and foreign," said Yu. "Learning about Navy ships and daily life of a Sailor has broadened our students' horizon."

According to Hart, community relations projects advance the Navy, support overall U.S. mission overseas, and promote U.S. national security.

"It increases understanding and reduces the chance of misunderstanding," said Hart. "These kids will remember this visit and they will share their experience with friends and families. Being polite and respectful makes a big difference and people do notice."

During the visit, Sailors were not only given the opportunity to share experiences individually in classrooms, but they were also given a chance to eat roast goose, Hong Kong's most famous dish.

In response to a student's question about pride of serving in the Navy, Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Daniel R. Ligocki, from Chicago, Illinois, said, "I am proud to be in the Navy. I have done many things in my naval career; however, the most rewarding thing I have done so far is to come here and be your guest."

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its partners and allies in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.