The ‘Real Legacy of Work in Haiti’

Filed under DoD News by on March 23, 2010 at 8:00 pm {no comments}
Maj. Gen. Simeon Trombitas is serving in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as the Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force-Haiti.

Maj. Gen. Simeon Trombitas is serving in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as the Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force-Haiti

By Maj. Gen. Simeon Trombitas

Trombitas is serving in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as the deputy commander of Joint Task Force-Haiti.  He is the commander of United States Army South in San Antonio, Texas.

Last Sunday I visited an IDP, or internally displaced person camp, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  This particular camp is located at Ancien Aeroporte and is one of the camps identified for relocation due to its congestion and its likelihood to flood during the upcoming rainy season.   I walked into the camp expecting to see a face of collective human despair.

But you wouldn’t have known this plight by the children and the men and women I met.  Yes, the living standards here are something we (Americans) could never imagine.  The conditions are primitive and rough.  But what caught me by surprise were the smiles on the children’s faces.  Not just one, but nearly every child I met wore a smile a mile wide. This was something I did not expect.  Despite the living conditions in the camp, I was greeted with smiles of hope everywhere I walked.  Rather than despair, I saw the face of resiliency in the camp—both on the children and their parents.

When I left Ancien Aeroporte, I had a sense that these people would persevere like they always have, but one thing that struck me as I waved goodbye to the children was that this recovery is really more than the removal of debris caused by the earthquake, reconstruction of homes or the repair of the roads; its about our nation’s commitment to invest in the children of Haiti.  This enduring partnership is the real legacy of the work we’re doing in Haiti.

Stay Connected:

Visit Joint Task Force-Haiti’s Facebook page
 Visit Joint Task Force-Haiti’s Flickr site
Visit Joint Task Force Haiti’s Twitter site

C2 – Coordinate and Collaborate

Filed under DoD News by on March 22, 2010 at 1:13 pm {one comment}
Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, Commander, Joint Task Force - Haiti. <br> Photo Courtesy of Joint Task Force Haiti

Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, Commander, Joint Task Force - Haiti. Photo Courtesy of Joint Task Force Haiti

By Lt. Gen. Ken Keen
U.S. Army, Commander, Joint Task Force – Haiti

Picture more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations; the United Nations and its nearly 9,000 UN military force; embassy personnel from within the country, the region and around the world; European Union representatives, and on top of that, more than 20,000 U.S. troops and a sea of planes filled with supplies and volunteers; all converged on an island about the size of Maryland with one objective – save lives and help the injured.

This was the scene during the days and weeks that followed the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area on Jan 12. This is one of the worst natural disasters our world has ever witnessed. It required a response of immediacy that the international community could never have anticipated or imagined. The number of countries and NGOs that converged on this Caribbean island was unprecedented.

However, this convergence of humanitarian assistance presented a challenge in its own right for Joint Task Force–Haiti, whose mission was, and continues to be, to support the lead federal agency, the United States Agency for International Development. How did JTF-H bridge the gap of language, culture, function, and public-to-private sector? We did it with coordination and collaboration, the “new C2.”

Now I know there are some purists, who will read this blog and say, “No, C2 stands for command and control, not coordinate and collaborate.” You will get no argument from me. We (JTF-H) maintain command and control throughout the operation; it’s standard practice. But what I found was that command and control, though very important, was not the critical element in achieving the objective in this humanitarian assistance mission. What we have found is that our success as a comprehensive body – the Government of Haiti, U.S. Embassy, UN, USAID, JTF-H and NGOs – is primarily tied to our ability to coordinate and collaborate.

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USNS Comfort- America’s Ambassador

Filed under DoD News by on March 10, 2010 at 2:44 pm {no comments}

Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, Commander Joint Task Force Haiti

By Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, U.S. Army Commander Joint Task Force – Haiti

I had an opportunity the other day to pay one final visit to the USNS Comfort before she was to set sail and return home to the United States. For nearly two months, the Comfort has been parked in the waters just off-shore of the capital of Haiti supporting the humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts. The ship’s white hull with its distinctive red cross has been, and will always be a reminder of the enduring bonds of friendship and solidarity the United States has with this Caribbean nation. For many survivors of the earthquake who were treated on the Comfort, I am sure they too will never forget the care and compassion they received.

During her time here in Haiti, the crew has saved lives, healed the sick and injured and, as embodied in her name, comforted not only the patients, but their families too. Even before the Comfort arrived in Port-au-Prince Bay on January 20 in support of Operation Unified Response, she was already treating some of the most urgent cases, ferried to her by helicopter while she was still under way. Her mission was to provide emergency surgical intensive treatment for the victims of the earthquake. The flow of patients began in earnest once the Comfort dropped anchor. From broken bones to spinal injuries, the ship had become Port-au-Prince’s primary emergency trauma center.
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DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: JTF-Haiti Medical Operations Update

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on March 2, 2010 at 12:48 pm {one comment}
U.S. Army Col. Jennifer Menetrez, the Joint Task Force-Haiti Deputy Surgeon

U.S. Army Col. Jennifer Menetrez, the Joint Task Force-Haiti Surgeon

On Thursday, March 4 we interviewed Col. Jennifer Menetrez, the Joint Task Force-Haiti surgeon, who will discussed JTF-H medical operations and the increasing medical capacity of the GoH and NGOs in Haiti.

Listen to the interview.

View the transcript, click here.

View the Defense.gov story.

Weekly AFPS Podcast for Feb. 19

Filed under DoD News by on February 19, 2010 at 9:09 am {no comments}

American Forces Press Service Podcast

Recent AFPS news includes coverage of an Afghan-led mission to clear insurgents from the town of Marjah in Helmand province, Afghanistan; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen commented on a recent uranium enrichment announcement made by Iran; Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn was in Australia for talks on expanding the U.S. alliance with Australia with an emphasis on cyber-security; the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Thad Allen reviewed plans to replace aging ships and aircraft and he recognized the excellent response to the crisis in Haiti; Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, commander of Joint Task Force Haiti provided an update on the earthquake relief mission; and in time for tax season, a tip to visit the website militaryonesource.com for free e-filing and phone consultation services.

LISTEN to our weekly podcast.

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