Coronavirus: Beachgoer Captures Inspirational Photo of USNS Comfort Headed to Aid New York

Facebook user Kyle Brown shared a beautiful photo of a man raising the American flag in salute to the USNS Comfort as it departed Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday.

“Probably the most iconic acts of heroism VB has seen in a long time,” Brown wrote in a post accompanying the picture of Charles H Duff that has spread across the internet. “In the midst of all this chaos and negativity a friend caught this epic picture of the USNS Comfort leaving Norfolk, headed to New York to help aid the COVID-19 that had caused so much heartache and disparity in so many American lives.”

The USNS Comfort arrived at the New York harbor in New York City on Monday, seeking to alleviate some of the strain on local hospitals during the ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus global pandemic — officially classified “COVID-19” by the World Health Organization.

The ship transports a crew of 1,200 in order to “serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals,” Rear Admiral John Mustin said, remembering the same duty it performed after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“Today, like then, we bring a message to all New Yorkers — now your Navy has returned and we are with you, committed in this fight,” Mustin said. “Words are incapable of expressing the depth of my gratitude for those on this mission and for the families they leave behind.”

“This gives me a reason to smile today and hope that this is all soon coming to an end,” Brown wrote in the viral post. “Today we all stand together as one.”