U.S. Navy aircraft carrier on station off coast of Haiti to provide relief to victims of earthquake
As a former sailor who served on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War, I was pleased to learn that the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson has arrived off the coast of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.
The carrier is “on station” and has begun to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations for the victims of the devastating earthquake.
“Our initial focus is to concentrate on saving lives while providing first-responder support to the people of Haiti,” Navy Rear Admiral Ted N. Branch told the American Forces Press Service.
Admiral Branch, the commander of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and the sea-based portion of the Navy’s humanitarian-support mission in the earthquake-stricken island nation, noted that the U.S. Navy’s assistance reflects America’s compassion and commitment to those impacted by the tragedy.
“When tasked to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Haiti, we immediately headed to Mayport, Florida at more than 30 knots and loaded 19 helicopters, personnel and support equipment from five different East Coast Navy squadrons in less than eight hours,” said Navy Captain Bruce H. Lindsey, the commanding officer of the Carl Vinson. “There is no other platform that can do all of that so quickly.”
In war and in peace, there is nothing on earth like an American aircraft carrier. I’m proud of the young men and women on the Carl Vinson.
I’m also proud of those in other U.S. Navy commands, the other military services, the civilian government agencies, and the charitable organizations who are also supporting the relief effort.
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Paul, I share your admiration for the men and women in the service. Coordinated, well-trained and disciplined personnel, operating from a well-equipped and secure bnase, are exactly what is needed in dire situations such as these. I once had a chance to report on a situation such as this when one of our ‘hometown boys’ commanded the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during tsunami relief in the Pacific … outstanding and lifesaving efforts by all involved.