Cannon reservist aiding humanitarian mission

DoD photo: Benjamin Faske Navy Reserve Petty Officer 2nd Class Tiffiny L. Cicero is taking part in “Continuing Promise 2009", aboard the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20).

USNS COMFORT, Colon, Panama — When most people leave their ship at this port city on the tiny ismuth that separates the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, they are normally met by a local greeter, scenic tours and a cold tropical drink. For the daughter of a Melrose man, the scene awaiting her was much more tragic.

Navy Reserve Petty Officer 2nd Class Tiffiny L. Cicero, daughter of Donald Hovde of Melrose, was one of more than 900 service members and other medical experts who daily met crowds of literally thousands of locals awaiting medical care during a four-month humanitarian and civic assistance mission at ports of call throughout Latin America and the Caribbean called “Continuing Promise 2009.”

Cicero is a nurse aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, where she is not only helping assist those in dire need, but also receiving valuable training from those experiences.

Continuing Promise 2009 is a partnership with Latin America and Caribbean nations who share a common interest in making the Americas stable and secure. Through professional and military exchanges and exercises, stability, peace, and prosperity are preserved.

During the past couple of months, Cicero and her fellow shipmates have been bringing smiles to thousands of grateful local nationals throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, by putting in long hours and lots of hard work in the extreme heat, humidity, and rain.

“I work in mission operations doing patient tracking.