USNS COMFORT, Colon, Panama - When most people leave their ship at this port city on the tiny isthmus that separates the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, they are normally met by a local greeter, scenic tours and a cold tropical drink. For the son of a Bowie woman, the scene awaiting him was much more tragic.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ian Chenkin, son of Claudia Spaulding of Bowie, was one of more than 900 service members and other medical experts who daily met crowds of literally thousands of locals awaiting medical care during a four-month humanitarian and civic assistance mission at ports of call throughout Latin America and the...