Gen. David Rodriguez, commander, U.S. Africa Command, visited the guided-missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58), June 11, as part of a port visit to Augusta Bay, Italy.
 
During the visit, Gen. David Rodriguez, and Capt. John Esposito, commander, Task Force 65, toured the ship with Cmdr. Robert Williams, Samuel B. Roberts’s commanding officer, and concluded his visit with an all-hands call on the ship’s forecastle where he spoke about the ship’s mission.

Sailors were happy that the Africa Command Commander took time to visit the ship and for some administrate the oath of enlistment. 

“It is not everyday that you get a four-star General to reenlist you,” said Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Michael Terry, after Rodriguez reenlisted him on the flight deck. “This will be one of the highlights of my naval career.”

For many Sailors, the port visit was a chance to recharge. Overall, Sailors are enjoying serving on deployment.

“The deployment has been interesting thus far due to being a part of a multi-faceted mission,” said Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Brian West.

Samuel B. Roberts, homeported in Mayport, Fla., is on a scheduled deployment supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of responsibility.