US Navy Change of Command Ceremony Amid COVID-19 Pandemic April 15, 2020
Cover, gather, disperse.
I was tasked with documenting the USS Sentry (MCM-3) Change of Command, ported in the Arabian Gulf upon Naval Support Activity Bahrain. On any typical day, the handing over of command would draw over a hundred attendants, surrounded by an outdoor festival of naval pageantry. Because of COVID-19 regulations, the US Navy permitted only an intimate gathering upon the bridge of the ship.
Spouses and children stepped outside their homes to confront the enemy without a face. While any trace of tears soaked into the smile stifling material, families and shipmates stood alongside each other to celebrate, in whatever capacity authorized.