Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin J. Dumbaugh, a son of Jamie L. and Bryan M. Dumbaugh, of Catawissa, and other sailors aboard USS Ronald Reagan received more than 2,500 Operation Gratitude care packages at the all-hands call in the ship's hangar bay.
Dumbaugh is a 2009 graduate of Southern Columbia Area High School. He joined the Navy in February 2010.
Carolyn Blashek, founder of Operation Gratitude, and Michael Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, attended the event. They, along with other Operation Gratitude members, took time to thank the crew for their service and recognized the success of the work done thus far.
Operation Gratitude is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that sends 100, 000 care packages annually filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letter of appreciation. The packages are delivered to everyone from U.S. service members deployed to hostile regions around the world, to their children left behind and even wounded warriors recuperating from war. Their mission is simple: lifting morale and expressing the appreciation and support of the American people.
USS Reagan is currently homeported in Bremerton, Wash., while undergoing a maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.