United States Transportation Command

WASHINGTON (USTNCS) --- When duty calls, the Smiths answer. Lt. Cmdr. Marianela Smith and her brother Lt. Rafael Smith are merchant marine reservists. When Military Sealift Command headquarters requested assistance because of increased operations tempo, both siblings left Panama to answer the call.

"We were augmenting the tanker operations office due to the increased demands for fuel by the armed forces," said Rafael, "specifically those forces involved in Operation Enduring Freedom."

After Sept. 11, the fuel lift requirements from the Defense Energy Supply Center more than doubled, increasing MSC's workload.

"When the request for support came, I seized it immediately," said Marianela. "I was raring to go wherever personnel were needed."

Marianela arrived at MSC first and worked with the Sealift Program's tanker operations office from Oct. 22- Nov. 7 then again from Feb. 18-March 6. She set up a tanker-training book for reservists to follow, which showed them how to complete all the necessary documentation required to charter a ship. She was responsible for identifying tankers that met MSC standards to lift DESC fuels, sending the on-hire ship cargo orders and working with the on-hire ships and the DESC.

"Reservists at the Sealift Program are without question gainfully employed," said Marianela.

Twelve days after Marianela's second stint with MSC, Rafael arrived with a four-day overlap and the Sealift Program exchanged one Smith for another.

Rafael put together statements of work and conducted technical reviews of requests for proposals valued at $1.3 million.

For the Smiths, the maritime industry truly is a family affair. Their passion for the maritime industry extends for generations. Both their grandfathers were engineers and started working for the Panama Canal Company in the early 1920s.

"With the Panama Canal only a couple of minutes away from anywhere in the canal zone, the exposure to the maritime industry was unavoidable," said Marianela.

Marianela was quite certain from a young age that the merchant marine was her career of choice.

"In high school, I was able to transit the canal on a container ship," said Marianela. "I spoke to the officers and the pilot. Most of them had attended Kings Point. That is when I made up my mind to attend Kings Point and work in the maritime industry."

Realizing he also wanted some type of maritime career, Rafael first though about enlisting in the Navy during high school.

"Ultimately, however, I figured it would be a better idea to go to college," said Rafael.

At first he tried a local junior college, but the call to follow in his sister's footsteps was far too strong. He decided to try for Kings Point in 1989 and graduated four years later. Only one sibling has been able to escape the seafarer's call: their youngest brother is a computer animator.

Both parents are very supportive of their children's endeavors.

"They worry just like any parents would, but because they have two children who are merchant mariners, they are accustomed to all the spontaneous traveling we do all over the world," said Smith. "My parents are proud to have two kids who attended the Merchant Marine academy, took a commission in the Naval Reserve and are now contributing to Operation Enduring Freedom."

When not a reservist, Marianela is still tied to MSC and actively sails with the merchant marine as a first officer. Since 1988, she has sailed aboard Special Mission Program oceanographic ships that are civilian crewed and operated by Dyn Marine Services. She is currently assigned as chief mate on USNS Henson.

In 1999 Marianela obtained her unlimited master's license, and she is eagerly awaiting a master's position aboard one of the oceanographic ships.

Rafael has worked for several shipping companies in the deck department as an able seaman, third mate and second mate. He has worked aboard USNS Victorious and USNS Silas Bent. Rafael now works with General Petroleum Resources, Inc. in Panama. His company supplies marine fuels for the vessels transiting the canal. He oversees all of the operational aspects of the sale of fuels and marine lubricants to his clients.

In addition to sailing aboard two MSC ships, Rafael worked with MSC Office Panama in 1998 just before Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America.

"We were responsible for the coordination of all of the vessel movements throughout Central America," said Rafael. "I wound up going to Nicaragua for a few weeks to help supervise the off-load of construction equipment."

This is not the first time the brother and sister team have worked together.

"We performed an annual training exercise together in 1999 at the U.S. Naval Academy," said Marianela. "We worked aboard the academy's yard patrol vessels to train midshipmen."

What does the future hold for this duo? Rafael plans to stick to dry land for a while and maybe even settle down. Marianela, on the other hand is not ready to give up her seafaring life.

"I plan to visit more countries and become proficient in more languages," said Marianela who speaks English, Spanish and French. "My work and personal travel have taken me to 26 countries so far. I also have a lengthy list of countries that I plan on visiting in the near future."

Military Sealift Command, the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense, operates about 110 noncombatant Navy ships. MSC ship missions vary from the transport and afloat prepositioning of defense cargo; to underway replenishment and other direct support to Navy ships at sea; to at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies.

(FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)

Military Sealift Command: A family affair

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