Marine Corps Sgt. Mitchell Parcell, a MV-22 tiltrotor crew chief assigned to the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron, watches the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Luzon Strait, Oct. 8, 2024. (Amelia Kang/U.S. Marine Corps)
The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer arrived in the Philippines with emergency supplies Tuesday as the island nation continues to recover from Super Typhoon Krathon.
The Boxer, carrying elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, planned to assist the U.S. Agency for International Development’s relief efforts in the region by sending personnel and equipment to deliver foreign disaster response supplies, according to a U.S. 7th Fleet news release Wednesday.
Supplies include tarps, shelter kits and food packets, according to the release.
Krathon, referred to as Super Typhoon Julian in the Philippines, made landfall Sept. 30 in Cagayan province, about 230 miles north of Manila.
The storm affected more than 310,000 people, with at least five dead, eight injured and one missing as of Wednesday, according to the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
“Our condolences go out to all those affected by this devastating typhoon,” U.S. Navy Capt. Tate Robinson, commander of Amphibious Squadron 5, said in the release.
The Boxer joins the I Marine Expeditionary Force’s Marine Rotational Force–Southeast Asia in the Philippines, where I MEF was already providing aid and distributing supplies.
Additional support by a Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules from the Okinawa-based Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 arrived in Manila last week, 7th Fleet said.
On Monday, the rotational force was preparing to fly 49 tons of emergency supplies to typhoon victims at Basco, on the northern island of Batan, force commander Col. Stuart Glen told Stars and Stripes by phone from Manila that day.
The relief efforts coincide with the start of the annual Sama Sama exercise, which began with an opening ceremony at Subic Bay, just north of Manila.
The rotational force will send 120 Marines and sailors to Sama Sama — Tagalog for “together” — Capt. Mark McDonough, a spokesman for the force, said by email Monday.
The exercise this year includes participants from Australia, Canada, France and Japan. On the U.S. side, the guided-missile destroyer USS Howard and a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft will take part, according to a Tuesday news release from 7th Fleet.
Training during Sama Sama will focus on a variety of subjects, including medical, legal, engineering, logistics and public affairs, according to the news release.
