‘‘The end crowns all,
And that old common arbitrator, Time,
Will one day end it.’
William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
A sailor on board the USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) lowers the national ensign at the close of day on 22 August 2008 signifying the end to the ship’s deployment for Pacific Partnership 2008. Over four months in Southeast Asia—with stops at the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam—the ship’s medical team treated more than 90,000 patients.
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