Enroute to Haiti on the USS Bataan

Sunday, January 17, 2010

 USS Bataan, West of Jamaica

This Amphibious Assault ship is headed south, bursting with men and materiel.  We’re a part of the US response to the historic earthquake that devastated the island of Haiti just under one week ago. 

A ship like this normally requires 96 hours to get underway when called up for an emergency – just bringing the enormous engines online can take an entire day.  But despite the fact that the crew of the Bataan only returned from a seven-month deployment five weeks ago, these remarkable men and women responded in record time, pulling away from the docks in just under 48 hours.

During the two-day run down the eastern seaboard to the beleaguered island nation, the ship continued to collect men and supplies via huge CH-53 helicopters.  The almost 2,500 sailors and Marines now aboard are all chomping at the bit to get on the ground in Haiti and start the business of recovery.  Televisions in the boardroom keep them abreast of the state of things on the ground – and the news isn’t good.  There is talk in the corridors about how best to handle the desperate crowds of hungry people who mob helicopters whenever they land.  The staff of the level-2 hospital has been conducting mass casualty drills, and young Marines are being briefed by the chaplains as to how the carnage could affect them psychologically. 

It’s a dirty job, but Marines specialize in dirty jobs, and the attitude here on the Bataan is “let’s get on with it.”