During a visit from distinguished guests, Master Gunnery Sgt. Teresa J. Cardwell, the personnel officer for Exercise Western Accord 2012 and Seymour, Mo., native, salutes Senegalese Admiral Ousmane Ibrahima Sall, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Senegal, as a contingent of U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen meet-and-greet with visitors from the U.S. Embassy, Senegal, Gambia, France, Guinea and Burkina Faso. Distinguished visitors included: Gen. Carter F. Ham, the commander of U.S. Africa Command; Lt. Col. Daniel Jones, U.S. Defense Attaché to Senegal; Col. Douglas Fairfeld, Chief of Staff for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa; The Honorable Robert Yamate, Charge d’Affairs of the U.S. Embassy in Dakar; Brig. Gen. Richard N. Harris Jr., Chief of Joint Staff of the Vermont Air National Guard; Admiral Ousmane, Ibrahima Sall, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Senegal; Brig. Gen. Pape Samba Kamara, Chief of the Senegalese army; Brig. Gen. Gregoire Saint-Quentin, Commander, French Elements in Senegal; Col. Vinta Some, Burkina Faso Contingent Commander, ECOWAS Standby Force; Mr. Abdoulie Kah, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Defense, Gambia; Brig. Gen. Namory Traore, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Guinea. Exercise Western Accord 2012 is a multi-lateral training exercise with West African nations to increase understanding and interoperability, prevent conflict by enabling Africans to provide for their security and stability, strengthen relationships with partner nations, and promote and support U.S. national security priorities. Participating African nations include Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Gambia.