Marines ready to assist Haiti after earthquake
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Wilburn guides U.S. personnel affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti to a waiting HC-130 Hercules aircraft in Port-Au-Prince Haiti, Jan. 13, 2010. The evacuation is part of the U.S. government's continued humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts. Coast Guard personnel from Air Station Clearwater in Florida evacuated nearly 140 U.S. personnel from Haiti. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Mariana O'Leary
About 2,000 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C., are preparing to deploy to provide disaster-relief support in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
The Marines will begin loading equipment on three Navy ships – USS Bataan, USS Carter Hall and USS Fort McHenry — tomorrow, a process Marine Capt. Clark Carpenter, the 22nd MEU public affairs officer, said he expects to take two days.
The unit is tailoring itself for the support mission ahead, with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 from New River, N.C., as its aviation element, providing eight CH-35 helicopters. Four UH-1 Huey helicopters also will deploy with the MEU.
Carpenter said it’s not yet clear what role the Marines will play – lift support, disaster assistance, security support, or a combination of all three – so it’s preparing for whatever it’s asked to do.
“The great thing about a Marine expeditionary unit is that we train to do all of those things,†he said. “We are an extremely flexible organization, and we train to many missions during our pre-deployment work-up period, a six-month-long period when we train for humanitarian relief and disaster recovery operations just like this one.â€
The 22nd MEU returned Dec. 5 from a seven-month deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of operations. It sailed through U.S. European Command, serving as its theater reserve force and conducting training missions in Bulgaria and Greece. From there, the Marines transited through the Suez Canal to the 5th Fleet area of operations, serving as Centcom’s theater reserve force. In addition to exercising with Middle Eastern partners, the MEU supported the Bright Star exercise in Egypt and delivered the first 10 Osprey helicopters into Afghanistan.
Upon getting word at 3 a.m. yesterday of the upcoming Haiti mission, 22nd MEU officials began recalling unit members, and they conducted the first crisis action team planning session six hours later, Carpenter said.
“So we have been prudently planning the embarkation of the ships,†Carpenter said. “Right now, the focus is to expeditiously and safely embark these ships and get the equipment we need aboard. We are tailoring a very flexible package to ensure we can accommodate broad requests, because we don’t exactly know the specifics of what we will be doing right now.â€
The Haiti mission offers another opportunity for the MEU to demonstrate its flexibility and readiness, Carpenter said.
“Marines stand ready to support any mission that may be asked of them,†he said. “We are exceptional warriors when we are asked to be warriors. But equally important, we are exceptionally compassionate when we need to be compassionate. And these roles we can do equally as well.
“So it’s a great opportunity to highlight the compassion that the United States Marines and United States Navy have and can offer to those in need around the world,†he said.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Table of contents for Haiti quake 2010
- Massive earthquake strikes Haiti
- Earthquake in Haiti – aftershocks continue
- Haiti earthquake aid
- Haiti quake damages pile up
- Horror in Haiti – the morning after the quake
- U.S. quickly responds to Haiti quake
- Infrastructure hurdles to Haiti quake relief
- U.S. Coast Guard on location in Haiti right now
- Strong aftershocks continue in Haiti
- PR Guard standing by – Gitmo damaged by Haiti quake
- Paras and Marines on alert for Haiti move
- Earthquake in Haiti update for January 13 evening
- Earthquake in Haiti – January 14 morning update
- Marines ready to assist Haiti after earthquake
- Earthquake in Haiti – Update for January 14 evening
- FEMA report on Haiti relief efforts for January 15
- Out of the night sky – Air Force secures Port-au-Prince airport
- Earthquake in Haiti – January 15 evening
- Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers
- But people are dying – thoughts on the Haitian disaster
- Aftershocks continue to rock Haiti
- Earthquake in Haiti – Update for January 16
- Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers for Jan 16
- Hospital ship Comfort sails for Haiti
- Baby delivered during Haiti evacuation
- Navy is delivering supplies to Haiti victims
- Hospital ship Comfort racing to Haiti
- Country club serves as forward base for Paras in Haiti
- Situation at Port-au-Prince airport improving
- Sanjay Gupta Assists Vinson Medical Team in Haiti
- USAID Update on the Haiti relief operation January 18
- Air drop to aid Haitian victims of earthquake
- Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers for Jan 18
- Earthquake in Haiti – morning update January 19
- Los Angeles rescuers save Haitian woman
- Stories from Haiti – update for Jan 20 morning
- American volunteers in Haiti
- American donations for Haiti earthquake relief – Jan 21
- Haiti earthquake relief update for Jan 21
- Haitians receiving care and support aboard Bataan
- Hospital ship Comfort healing, hugging Haitians
- Brief update on Navy and Marine relief efforts in Haiti Jan 23
- Fort Hood veterinary services unit sent to Haiti
- Harbor damage in Port-au-Prince
- American giving for Haiti relief as of January 25
- Comparison of Haiti donations to Katrina and the tsunami
- Haitian Coast Guard base becomes hub for quake relief
- Comparison of Haiti donations to Katrina and the tsunami Jan 28
- High tech warbird aids Haiti relief efforts
- High-speed ferrys en route to Haiti
- Southern Command briefs on Haiti situation
- Paras opening roads in Haiti
- Aid from Dominican Republic via Kentucky National Guard
- Haitian assistance stories for February 3
- Haitian relief efforts slow
- Marine calls Leogane Haiti home
- Haiti earthquake relief update for February 7
- Army medics at work in Haiti relief effort
- Haiti earthquake relief funding update for February 14
- Keeping Haitians informed
- A tent means a lot to Haitian orphans
- Italian troops aid paras in Haiti rubble clearance
- Landslide in Haiti tests Special Ops rescuers
- Navy and Marines bridge Haitian divide from government
- Haitian earthquake relief – update for February 28
- Haitian earthquake update – March 4
- Air Guard Engineers Help Haitians
- Things are baaaaad in Haiti
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USCG evac Americans from Haiti
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