• Angels watch over those who do good for others

  September 6, 2010

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  haiti   affairs  

     In response to the catastrophic earthquake that occurred in Haiti in January 2010, the remarkable provision of disaster relief and humanitarian assistance was unprecedented. Over 230,000 lives were lost across Haiti in less than one hour. Tens of thousands of residential and commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed. The majority of the government officials were killed or seriously injured. Grasping the amount of devastation was almost impossible.
     Countries around the world provided thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies, sent search and rescue teams, and dispatched military and emergency response personnel to assist. Every hour the Haitians waited for help, more were lost underneath buildings, lying in the streets without medical aid, and in the overcrowded hospitals. President Prevall pleaded with the international community to send more help.
     Throughout the next several weeks, order was restored. Thousands of Haitians were provided medical care, water, food and temporary shelter. International Non-Governmental Organizations flooded into Port au Prince by the hundreds. Charities, religious groups, and individual volunteers arrived and immediately got to work.
     As the United States military presence subsided, it was clear the Haitians had survived the worst of this historical disaster. They are an extremely resilient society and tried their best to overcome such a tragic event. Everyone who participated in the relief effort will remember their experiences for years to come.
     Out of the thousands of rescue stories told, a small Christian volunteer organization arises as a truly exceptional endeavor between the United States Government, a Christian Non-Governmental Organization, and a young couple who volunteered to help from Connecticut.
     Around 5pm in the evening, a special operations unit was informed that a vehicle accident had occurred in the mountains south of Port au Prince. The relationship established between the military unit and the non-governmental agency had occurred early in the relief effort and remained strong. A supervisor from the organization contacted a member of the special operations unit and asked for immediate assistance.
     The supervisor reported that a vehicle had crashed and there were several casualties. The special operations civil affairs officer and his medic accepted the mission and proceeded with the organization’s representative to the accident site. Throughout the disaster relief effort, the unit had provided medical support to local nationals, transported patients to the nearest medical facility and were heavily involved in humanitarian assistance.
     Prior to the accident, the Christian Non-Governmental Agency had dispatched a medical team to a small village approximately 25 miles from Port au Prince. The team was providing medical care the remote location for four days and treated over 350 Haitians. The medical mission was the first medical care the villagers had received in over six months. The 16 person team consisted of medical professionals, interpreters, a pathfinder, and several Haitian volunteers.
     Two members of the medical mission team were a couple from Connecticut. They worked together on a daily basis as EMTs in a small town in Connecticut and wanted to make a difference. They were both qualified in emergency response and life saving procedures. They represented the initial emergency medical response to the accident.
     Another member of the medical team was a gentleman from Zimbabwe. His ability to navigate in challenging terrain and endure miserable living conditions made him an excellent pathfinder. He was trusted by the organization to ensure all team members made it to their destination and returned safely.
  Once the team had completed their tasks and packed up their vehicles, they loaded all 16 members into two sport utility vehicles. They loaded their medical bags, personal gear and the remaining food and water and bid the village fair well. As they drove across extremely dangerous terrain, the stories circulated around the vehicle about their accomplishments.
     With sweaty palms and very skillful driving, the two vehicles proceeded up and down the mountains. Often the road width would narrow to less than 6 inches outside the tires. The road surface was brown crumbled dirt and rock. The road’s edge would foster a gorgeous view of the Haitian landscape only to mask the sheer danger of the thousand foot drop if the driver miscalculated. Tapping the brakes and moving slowly up and down each mountain proved to be a risky.
     As each vehicle proceeded to the base of each mountain, they would cross the riverbed and maneuvering up the next hillside. Bathing local villagers would stare as the vehicles passed.
  After the first hour of travel, the lead vehicle entered the riverbed and waited for the second vehicle to complete the downgrade when they heard a load noise. They looked down the riverbed and discovered the second vehicle was upside down. As the vehicle was coming down the graded slope, the driver apparently hit the brake two hard, lost control, spun in a circle and then plummeted over 60 feet into the river bed headfirst and flipped over onto its top. The vehicle had eight team members inside.
     The first vehicle immediately proceeded to the crash. Screams echoed throughout the valley. The other team members raced, on foot, to help their friends. Immediately, the Zimbabwe pathfinder proceeded to higher ground to call for help. The couple began rendering aid and triaged the occupants as others removed them from the vehicle.
     Even though the special operations civil affairs unit received limited information about the vehicle accident, they immediately initiated movement to the accident site to expedite ground response. The information provided by the pathfinder to the non-governmental organization headquarters confirmed three occupants were critically injured and could not be moved. The civil affairs officer and his medic coordinated with the organization leadership. They agreed that any more loss of life was unacceptable.The civil affairs officer would initiate aerial medical evacuation only after the site location was identified. At this point, the pathfinder was relocating to re-establish contact. He had not provided his current location due to a lack of cellular service in the area.
     As the pathfinder continued to attempt to determine their location, the ground evacuation team proceeded to the accident site. The route scaled several mountains ranging from 5000 to 7000 feet in height and the road surface equated to a sport utility commercial off of television. No specific accident location, only the route the team was traveling on was known. The special operations civil affairs officer reported the incident to the Joint Task Force headquarters and requested aerial medical evacuation support.
     Within 30 minutes, the special operations civil affairs unit received confirmation on the accident location. They immediately forwarded the information to the Joint Task Force headquarters. Two medical evacuation helicopters were dispatched to the accident site.
     As the ground evacuation continued to proceed to the accident site, the helicopters swept the location reported and did not see the vehicle. As time continued to pass by, the pilot reported the results to the Joint Task Force headquarters, stated his fuel levels were low and remained in the vicinity for further orders.
     On the ground, the critically injured passengers were dying. The couple struggled to administer medical care and treat them for shock without any confirmation of help coming. The last contact with anyone was between the pathfinder and the special operations civil affairs team. The couple stated their deepest fear was their comrades dying in their arms and how helpless they all felt.
     Local villagers began to collect along the riverbed and watch as the accident’s events unfolded. Dozens turned into hundreds, all demonstrating their curiosity and concern for the crucially injured. The medical team gazed upon their comrades with feelings of helplessness. No communication, only hope.
  Minutes later, there was a thumping noise, distant yet noticeable. As the noise grew louder and louder, hundreds of bystanders began to cheer. The medical team looked up and began to sigh in relief as the first helicopter came around the corner. With tears streaming down their faces, they were approached by a United States military flight medic who asked them if anyone needed a ride!
     The three critically injured patients were immediately loaded and swept off to the field hospital. The second pilot skillfully landed in the river bed and powered down his aircraft. Another medic emerged to wave on the remaining four patients. They took off and the remaining members embraced each other in relief.
     Within an hour, the special operations civil affairs team arrived and greeted the remaining team members. The civil affairs officer gently grasped the hand of each member and congratulated them for their hard work and dedication. Everyone loaded the personal items and equipment from the destroyed vehicle and happily joined the convoy home.
     All occupants survived the crash. The injuries were substantial and without immediate medical response and evacuation, three people would have lost their lives that day. Through a combined effort between the United States Government, the Christian non-governmental organization, and a group of volunteers, a terrible accident will be remembered as a valiant rescue.

  Jason R. Dunkelberger
  Major, Civil Affairs
  Commanding General Staff College
   

  submitted by Major Jason Dunkelberger on Sep 6 2010

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