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Vol. 17, No. 48 May 30, 2005

IN THIS ISSUE:

This Reveille Home Page | The Friday Program: Operation Unified Assistance | The Big Black Badge Box Shuffle | Friday Potpourri | The Rotary Club of Duvall Invasion! | Club Service I Mini Assembly | New Member Inducted: Tom Harrelson | SAA Guilt Trip | Web Fun

The Friday Program:
Operation Unified Assistance

A salute to the military took on new meaning Friday when Memorial Day weekend and an eyewitness report on assistance to the victims and survivors of the terrible tsunami disaster the day after Christmas 2004 came together in a gripping program. Called Operation Unified Assistance,’the effort pulled together participating countries and organizations to direct aid where it was needed most.

Rear Admiral Doug Crowder, Commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, and Commander, Abraham Lincoln Strike Group, homeported at Naval Station Everett, played a leading role in this important humanitarian operation. Admiral Crowder has compiled a long and illustrious military career. His current post gives him operational control over seven ships berthed at Everett, including the carrier Abraham Lincoln.

The Strike Group left Everett on October 15th, being deployed for support and training exercises in the Southwest Pacific. “Our ships were in Hong Kong when the tsunami struck and we immediately headed for the disaster area. Upon arriving, we met with local officials to map plans and try to analyze the extent of damage. Communications throughout the whole area was in shambles.”

The tsunami was keyed by the 9.0 earthquake off Indonesia’s western coast. The Lincoln and the other ships responded to the hardest hit area, Banda Aceh, at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra.

“Our initial assessment showed the awesome devastation of this disaster,” said the Admiral. “Any structure or object less than 60-feet tall was pancaked. Because the Mosques were structurally built better, they were about the only buildings to make it through. We were stunned to see a large boat 1-1/2 miles inland from the coastline.”

At this point, it became apparent that the use of helicopters was the only dependable form of transportation because of the devastation. One hundred ten miles of coastal road suffered the loss of every bridge; side roads were gone and great chunks of land were gone. We had 80 choppers at our disposal and used every one of them. We ferried our troops from the ships offshore each day and began making trips of food and medicine to stricken areas.”

There was great fear that with the water supply destroyed epidemics might break out. “We began making water on the ship, had containers flown in that we filled and then delivered by helicopter. There was lots of desperation on the part of the people as we delivered food, water and medicine. As we landed, people would mob the copters. Once we offloaded our cargo and the people could see we were empty, they gave us a thumbs up, a smile and a thank you and we took off back to the supply areas for another trip.”

By this time, six days after their arrival, there was no doubt about the size of the disaster. At the final count, there were 275,000 dead in Indonesia alone. “The young kids in our Navy wanted to make extra trips, they were so caught up with the mission. From a medical standpoint, at the point where the tsunami’s force hit Banda Aceh, either you died instantly or you survived. The problem was few people survived.”

The Navy helped get power returned to the hospitals. The international community joined in the effort. “We took an entire team of volunteers representing other organizations out to the aircraft carrier and gave them phones and radios so they could communicate back and forth and among themselves. The initial assessment lasted about five or six days. We spent 35 days on duty, and I received a bear hug from the Governor of the province when we departed. It was all a very moving experience.”

Other countries participating included Australia, Singapore, and Spain. Admiral Crowder told a story about Paul Wolfowitz, former Deputy Secretary of Defense and now head of the World Bank, who came for an assessment of the situation. He was checking out the movement of big bags of rice when he poked his head into a container explaining who he was, and the sailor said, “Don’t care who you are. You’re to hump rice.” The next thing Wolfowitz knew, he had shouldered a bag of rice and was hauling it out to a waiting chopper!

The Navy hospital ship Mercy went on station at the time the Lincoln was released. The pictures of the two ships appeared in major newspapers around the world. Admiral Crowder’s summary showed that six million pounds of food, water and medicine were delivered during the month on duty. The Navy helped stabilize the situation in Western Sumatra. A transition occurred at the end of the Navy’s tour to relief agencies, led by Indonesia and other well-know world agencies. The people of Indonesia were thankful for the Navy’s work and, in fact, an estimated 40,000 citizens gathered to demonstrate keeping the U.S. forces on the job!

The Lincoln Strike Group was paid in kind! The UN reported that the quick assistance offered by the U.S. Navy stopped epidemics in their tracks. The Navy had five ships and 6500 personnel on duty. There were two Marine amphibious units, totaling 11,000 troops and 80 helicopters.

Admiral Crowder reported that the U.S. presence ended just a week ago. The hospital ship Mercy has returned to its home port. There are no military on site now, but lots of other agencies are providing service to the survivors. All in all, Operation Unified Assistance performed in a “magnificent manner” and the country can be proud of the Navy’s response to the call.

Thanks to Jim Gordon for his introduction.

Admiral Crowder was presented a certificate noting that 1,220 pounds of fresh food and produce has been donated in his and the Navy’s name to area food banks.

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