USNS Comfort Prepares for All Eventualities in Haiti

By Jim Garamone of  American Forces Press Service   ABOARD THE USNS COMFORT :  Haiti sounds like the seventh level of hell now, and the crew and medical staff of this hospital ship is preparing to enter it. Flight deck personnel work on one of the two helicopters assigned to the USNS Comfort as the ship steams south toward Haiti, Jan. 18, 2010. DoD photo by Jim Garamone (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The magnitude 7 earthquake Jan. 12 leveled the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Reports on the ground indicate that 400,000 Haitians are living in the streets, ship officials said. Either their homes are destroyed or too damaged to enter. Red Cross officials estimate that between 50,000 and 100,000 people are dead, with thousands more injured. Government offices were damaged or destroyed in the quake, and local control is tenuous at best, non-existent in most places. Government officials and police are victims just as any other Haitian in this crisis. Food and fresh water is limited and entirely dependent on humanitarian efforts now. Violence and looting also has occurred in the capital, throwing many plans out the window. The Military Sealift Command crew is driving the Comfort as fast as they safely can. They know time means lives and they are working to ensure no moment is wasted. The humanitarian crisis also drives the medical staff as they prepare to receive casualties as soon as possible. Plans now are for the Comfort to moor in the harbor of Port-au-Prince – as it did during a humanitarian exercise last year. The area is near what's left of the United Nations compound. Depending on the security environment, Officials plan to send medical detachments ashore to help in casualty evaluation. The ship has mobile security teams embarked, to provide force protection for the ship and deployed teams. They also will coordinate with U.S. forces already on the island. Aboard the Comfort, staff members are ensuring medical supplies and equipment are where they need to be. Medical planners expect crush wounds and burn injuries to predominate, and are setting up accordingly. The ship is setting up 11 operating rooms, with eight expected to be working as soon as the ship reaches its station. Medics are setting up wards and holding drills. Specialists tested casualty flow procedures through the ship this morning from the flight deck to patient admission to the operating rooms to the intensive care wards to regular patient wards. Other specialists are ensuring that the equipment works properly and procedures are in place so X-rays, for example, are produced and read quickly. The pharmacy is readying to ensure the correct medications go to the right patients and the laboratory is ensuring the right tests are performed and matched to those who need them. The crew also is working to absorb an expected influx of 350 more personnel. About 250 will be medical staff, and 100 are support personnel. This will allow the hospital ship to increase the number of patient beds and man all the operating rooms. Other health safety personnel are infusing uniforms with prometherin – an insect repellent to ward off mosquitos that carry malaria.(Issued on Jan 18, 2010) Note : The ship is scheduled to arrive in Haiti Jan. 21.

Related Sites: Special Report: Haiti Earthquake Relief

A Military Sealift Command specialist charts changes in the harbor of Port-au-Prince as the USNS Comfort steams south to aid the people of Haiti, Jan. 18, 2010. DoD photo by Jim Garamone Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution Military Sealift Command personnel conn the USNS Comfort toward Haiti for relief operations there, Jan. 18, 2010. The Comfort is enroute to Haiti to provide disaster relief following a Jan. 12, 2010 magnitude-7 earthquake. DoD photo by Jim Garamone Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

New York City Task Force

New York City Task Force 1 (NY-TF1) personnel prepare for a flight to Haiti from Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., Jan. 16, 2010. The NY-TF1 will conduct search and rescue operations in Haiti. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael O'Halloran, U.S. Air Force/Released)
VIRIN: 100116-F-5995O-027

Airborne Troops Provide First Glimpse of Relief

By Fred W. Baker III of American Forces Press Service   TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Port-au-Prince, Haiti : Hundreds of 82nd Airborne Division troops from Fort Bragg, N.C., arrived here overnight in the first wave of putting a substantial U.S. military relief effort in place in the wake of this week's devastating earthquake. Troops from the 82nd Airborne Division arrive at the Haiti International Airport after an early morning flight Jan. 16, 2009. As many as 3,500 troops are expected to arrive here in the next few days to begin security the areas for aid drop-off. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As many as 3,500 soldiers are expected to be on the ground here in just a few short days, as the military finds itself caught somewhere in the middle of finding its feet and moving out to help the tens of thousands left with nothing after the Jan. 12 earthquake. Air Force C-17s started hauling troops and equipment from the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment yesterday, with the rest of the 800 or so soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team being delivered by ongoing flights through the night. The planes were packed making use of every square inch of space. Soldiers stacked in with military vehicles, water and other equipment and supplies. With the airport here maxed out on its ability to manage the number of flights coming in and out, officials wanted to waste neither time or space. "Air planes are stacked up the 'wazoo' up there trying to get down here," one colonel said just before his troops exited the C17. The military flights were delayed somewhat yesterday simply because of the limited capacity of the airport. It is, however, running 24-hour operations with flights coming in from around the world as nations reach out to one of the globe's poorest countries. Army Maj. Larry Jordan, with 1st Squadron, 73rd Infantry Regiment, was on the ground yesterday surveying where the incoming troops would go. Most of the troops here were sleeping under the stars. A handful of tents were scattered about. For the most part there is no running water or electricity. Right  now, the troops are tasked with paving the way for the massive amounts of humanitarian aid coming to reach the communities safely. They provide airport security and a detachment watches over the embassy. Locals waved at the military helicopters flying over the city today. Acres of tin-roofed shanties were flattened. Toward the mountains, closer to the main impact of the quake, larger buildings had collapsed. Most of the houses are built near or connected to each other so entire blocks were collectively crushed. "The devastation is absolutely amazing," Jordan said. Many survivors have set up camps out in the open football-field sized areas. Brightly-colored tarps provide cover for them and the few personal items they were able to recover from the wreckage. Still, Jordan said that he did not see a lot of crime or looting in the neighborhoods he visited. He also said several Haitian police, both local and national, out in the streets. "It was not the wild, wild west. There were not gangs of lawless machete wielders running around all over the place," he said. Jordan did see a lot of locals trying to continue clearing the buildings, removing rubble, and cleaning the streets. In some of the places he was the first uniformed personnel, providing a sense of hope for relief, Jordan said. Today, the troops are moving out into forward operating bases in the city. Once their bases are established they will begin moving into the cities to help set up the security to deliver humanitarian aid, officials said.

Troops from the 82nd Airborne Division wait at the Haiti International Airport after an early morning flight Jan. 16, 2009. As many as 3,500 troops are expected to arrive here in the next few days to begin security the areas for aid drop-off. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division stack supplies Jan. 16, 2009 that will be delivered to the forward operating bases within the city of Port-au-Prince. No room was spared in the aircraft as they packed them with troops and supplies. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution 011610-D-1852B-179 Soldiers run toward helicopters that will carry them to forward operating bases within Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 16, 2009. As many as 3,500 82nd Airborne Division troops are expected to be dispersed around the city in the next few days. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution Army Lt. Col. Lisa Garcia, with the XVIIIth Airborne Corps, talks with other senior leaders while she waits to deploy from Fort Bragg, N.C. Jan. 15, 2009. The corps deployed the 2nd Brigaded Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, to support relief efforts in Haiti. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution Troops from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., watch the sun come up over the Haiti International Airport Jan. 16, 2009. Most of the 800 or so troops that came in overnight slept under the stars and began moving out to forward operating bases as the morning progressed. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

Guided-missile destroyer

Guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) is under way off the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 15, 2010. Aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing 17 are conducting humanitarian and disaster relief operations after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake caused severe damage near Port-au-Prince Jan 12, 2010. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Stephen G. Hale II, U.S. Navy/Released)

U.S. Sailors assigned

U.S. Sailors assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 6 and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), upload a Navy security patrol boat Jan. 14, 2010, at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Fort McHenry is deploying to Haiti to assist with humanitarian relief efforts. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Paul D. Williams, U.S. Navy /Released)

Pentagon Honors Civil Rights Leader's Legacy

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden of American Forces Press Service   WASHINGTON, - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today challenged the Defense Department and all Americans to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy during a Pentagon observance in advance of the Jan. 18 holiday that marks the civil rights leader's birth. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates delivers opening remarks at the Pentagon's Jan. 14, 2010, observance of the legacy of human-rights advocate and Nobel Peace-prize recipient Martin Luther King Jr. DoD photo by R.D. Ward (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "Remember and honor the great example Dr. King was," Gates said to an audience of defense employees and military members at the Pentagon's 25th annual observance of King's life and work. "Celebrate all that we have accomplished together. ... Keep working toward Dr. King's dreams with all our might." King spent his life advocating for equality and eventually became a world figure in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The Baptist minister led peaceful demonstrations and marches throughout the country and gave thousands of memorable speeches until his assassination in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. The path of service and equality led by King paved way for desegregation and better opportunities, not just for African Americans, but for all citizens. He sought a society "founded and fueled on equality, justice, dignity, freedom and strength that can come only from being a truly united country," Gates said. The secretary noted that King's efforts continue to break down barriers even today. In the past two years, the nation has celebrated 60 years of desegregation in the armed forces and witnessed the election of the first black U.S. president. Gates cited prominent African-American military officers as examples of the opportunities King and the civil rights movement provided. He noted Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command; Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, director of the Joint Staff; and Air Force Maj. Gen. Darren W. McDew, vice director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff, for their examples. "These officers represent the very best our nation has to offer, and I'm truly thankful that they chose to serve and defend our country," Gates said. The men and women who serve throughout the Defense Department are "ordinary Americans from all walks of life and backgrounds, [and] have put themselves in harm's way ... to confront those who would attack the ideals that Dr. King espoused." Their sacrifices have been made willingly on behalf of all Americans and speak volumes to their character and King's work, Gates said. Still, the secretary said, it's important to continue furthering King's principles and what he ultimately died trying to preserve. "Progress is neither automatic nor inevitable," Gates said, quoting King. "Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle." The Martin Luther King federal holiday was signed into law in 1983 and was first observed in 1986. The holiday is observed on the third Monday in January each year, around the time of King's birthday, Jan. 15. (Issued on : Jan 14, 2010) .

Biographies: Robert M. Gates

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates delivers opening remarks at the Pentagon's annual observance of the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Jan. 14, 2010. DoD photo by R.D. Ward Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution An observance Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy begins in the Pentagon's conference center, Jan. 14, 2010, with a video presentation highlighting some of King's most memorable speeches. DoD photo by R.D. Ward Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

U.S. Coast Guard cutters sit offshore near Haiti

Two 270-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutters sit offshore near Haiti Jan, 13, 2010, in preparation to provide humanitarian aid to the earthquake-ravaged country. Coast Guard personnel have been mobilized to provide support to Haiti following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. (DoD photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard/Released)