Guardians Report In from Haiti
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Written by: Christopher Lagan
Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk crewmembers help carry a young Haitian girl on a stretcher to a rescue helicopter where she will be airlifted to a local hospital for treatment of her serious leg injury. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Etta Smith)
As relief operations continue in the wake of the Haiti earthquake, Guardians have gotten more than a bit of recognition for the great work they have done as the first responders to this crisis and, now, in support of United States government efforts on the island. Here are a few more of their stories as told by the mainstream media.
The Coast Guard Cutter Oak docks in Haiti. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandyn Hill)
Commander Michael Glander, commanding officer of the CGC Oak – CDR Glander was interviewed by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on his crew’s efforts to reopen the harbor at Port-Au-Prince.
“It’s such a huge and complex effort. Ports and maritime transportation systems are the Coast Guard’s expertise,” said CDR Glander. “We recognize how critical it is to open up this relief pipeline and the maritime transportation system is absolutely vital to that.”
Click here to watch the interview.
Ensign Christopher Pince, CGC Tahoma – An e-mail by ENS Pince in which he related his experiences in Haiti thus far was shared with the Concord Monitor by his parents.
“One thing I want you to know is that every day Captain will ask us at quarters (formation) who wants to go over the next day, and everyone raises their hand. That’s the kind of people that are working down here right now. They are devoted to their job and helping people. This is why we signed up.”
Click here to read the story.
Guardians work alongside the Haitian coast guard work to transport the critically injured. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Melissa Cardwell)
Ensign Kevin Robinson, CGC Tahoma – An e-mail from ENS Robinson was the focus of a piece in the Charlotte Observer.
“I’m really too busy to reflect on what’s happened so far,” said Robinson, 22. “The only thing that I’m concerned with at the moment is determining how I can be more effective in helping the people here.”
Click here to read the story.
Health Services Technician 1st Class Larry Berman, ship’s doc aboard the CGC Tahoma – You may recall HS1 Berman from an earlier “Guardians Report In” post. Well, today he shared an e-mail with Foster’s Daily Democrat in which he announced, “We delivered another baby today, this time in the clinic.” Sadly, HS1 Berman and his team also lost their first patient on Sunday.
“It is slow, but we are learning as we go. Disaster relief is dirty, fast, slow, but steady. We need one of those cargo drops of supplies, it has not come yet, but I am getting messages that the (Coast Guard) has assets on its way. We will not abandon this post,” Berman wrote.
Click here to read the story.
As Coast Guard operations continue in Haiti and Guardians report in, we will continue to bring you their stories here at Coast Guard Compass. If you have a story or an e-mail from a Guardian that you would like to share, please e-mail socialmedia@uscg.mil.
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