Posted on 01/13/2010 4:54:55 PM PST by csvset
Navy, Coast Guard deploying forces to Haiti
NORFOLK
Thousands of Hampton Roads sailors received orders this morning to prepare to deploy to Haiti as part of a massive U.S. effort to deliver humanitarian assistance in the wake of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.
At least four Norfolk-based ships are getting ready to leave for the impoverished country, said Ted Brown, a spokesman with Norfolk’s Fleet Forces Command. The amphibious assault ship Bataan, the guided missile cruiser Normandy and the dock landing ships Fort McHenry and Carter Hall will likely leave port by Friday, the Navy said.
Expeditionary forces based at the Little Creek campus of the Joint Expeditionary Base also are preparing to deploy, Brown said.
Additional Navy ships that will deliver humanitarian assistance include the frigate Underwood, based in Mayport, Fla., and the hospital ship Comfort, homeported in Baltimore.
The San Diego-based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, which left Norfolk on Tuesday after finishing its midlife overhaul, has been redirected to load equipment and supplies to assist in the recovery, Brown said.
Several U.S. Coast Guard ships also have been deployed to the area, including the Portsmouth-based cutter Forward, which arrived in Haiti early this morning, said Senior Chief Petty Officer Steve Carleton. The Coast Guard’s first order of business will be to assess whether main ports near Port-au-Prince are clear to receive ships carrying aid, Carleton said.
They're sending a ship from Balmer, hon!
Maryland PING!
The US Navy has a long and established history of humanitarian assistance. For example, they played a leading role in assisting Messina, Italy after a massive earthquake in Sicily in 1908 that killed over 50,000 people.
It doesn’t much matter which event set the precedent. There shouldn’t be a precedent. It should be privately funded.
You do have a valid point. But I believe this is one of the few valid expenditures in foreign aid (Falls under foreign commerce clause of the Constitution). I believe this buys us more than it costs us in the long run.
Again, you do have a valid point and perhaps a better way to do this would be to designate on our taxes where we wish them applied. (Wouldn’t that be cool!)
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