Tsunami: U.S. Marines in Sri Lanka
Marine Corps News
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka(Jan. 10, 2005) — Combined Support Group-Sri Lanka continues to push engineering and relief assets to southern Sri Lanka by ground here as it’s helicopters add daily to the already 29,050 pounds of supplies delivered to tsunami victims in more remote locations in support of the Sri Lankan government and relief agencies. The support group, currently comprised of more than 500 U.S. Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen, mostly from bases in Okinawa, Japan, began arriving last week to assist the people of Sri Lanka.
The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit Detachment A, equipped for engineering projects, arrived today from USS Duluth, which is anchored off the coast of Koggala, and CSG-S also expects assistance from U.S. Coast Guard C-130 aircraft in the next week. As well, ‘Seabees’ from Navy Mobile Construction Battalion-7 began arriving today from Okinawa, Japan.
Additional U.S. forces and equipment will continue to flow into the country for the relief effort here in close coordination with the Sri Lankan government. Additionally, the Maritime prepositioning ships Bonnyman and Lummus, with their ability to make fresh water and pipe it to shore, are en route to lend much needed assitance to tsunami victims in the Maldives.
In more than 38 missions, the support group’s U.S. Air Force Pavehawk helicopters have delivered thousands of pounds of water purification tablets, dehydration prevention tablets, hygiene kits, plastic sheeting and water to locations difficult to access, like Ampara, Pottuvil and Matara.
Marine Logistics Regiment-2’s 9th Engineer Support Battalion, coordinating closely with authorities in Galle and Gintota, cleared about 150 cubic yards of ruble in Boossa, just north of Galle. Working with Sri Lankan sailors, the engineers also assisted in building a seawall and moving another 40 cubic feet of debris to a landfill at a navy base in Boossa. MLR-2 has already completed two cleanup projects in Gintota. ‘The Sri Lankans are happy we are here and they’re grateful for our assistance, but you can tell they are still sad,’ said Capt. Ted Veggeberg, operations officer for 9th ESB. ‘It’s their lives we’re hauling away here.’ Veggeberg said the rubble at one site in Gintota was nearly six feet high before his Marines with front-loading tractors removed the remains of at least 15 homes, but ‘now you can actually see the ground.’
The regiment will continue to assist in southern Sri Lanka’s reconstruction process, to include further debris removal, water purification and distribution and providing ground transportation for relief supplies. The support group also is finalizing plans to provide a U.S. Navy medical assistance team to augment local doctors near Jaffna, located in northern Sri Lanka.
‘We will continue to work closely with the government of Sri Lanka, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the many other countries lending help here to ensure the people of Sri Lanka receive the assistance they need,’ said Brig. Gen. Frank A. Panter, commander of CSG-SL. ‘This is the other side of the U.S. military. This is how we help our friends.’
The support group will remain in the region as long as necessary to enable the Sri Lankan government to conduct sustained disaster relief operations and allow a smooth transition to international organizations.
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