200328-N-EV253-1085 NORFOLK (March 28, 2020) - Quartermaster

200328-N-EV253-1085 NORFOLK (March 28, 2020) - Quartermaster 2nd Class Rodney Starkes, right, from Greenville, South Carolina, and civilian mariner Jaquan Elliott, from Portsmouth, Virginia, shift colors as the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) departs Naval Station Norfolk for New York City in support of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts. Comfort will serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals. This allows shore-based hospitals to focus their efforts on COVID-19 cases. One of the Department of Defense's missions is Defense Support of Civil Authorities. DoD is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency, as well as state, local and public health authorities in helping protect the health and safety of the American people. (U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Sara Eshleman)