Unheralded Relief Efforts by US Navy, Airforce

Personal e-mails from various posts | January 01, 2005 | Self

[jtill]

Patriciaruth, thanks for the ping.

I caught this a little while ago, and was pleased that someone is finally publicizing the good work that our armed forces have been and are doing.

[BykrBayb]

I was half hoping to find something in this story that would give me a hint where my son's been since the tsunami, and on the other hand relieved that his location hasn't been broadcast (like the faces of the Navy SEALs.) I don't know if he's accompanying any of the ships bringing supplies, or maybe occupying a location they left behind. It's hard not knowing the details, but this much I do know. He's not sitting around with his thumb up his butt like all the arm chair quarterbacks who keep calling foul. If the media had the opportunity to broadcast the locations of our ships to compromise our security, they'd do that in a heartbeat, but announcing that we're sending supplies and other assistance isn't worth their precious ink.

[kingu]

Money is great; boats are better. The rough estimate right now is that 100,000 boats were destroyed by the waves, leaving many islands cut off from any outside assistance. Alas, my guess is that most of the money will be swallowed up by resorts who will be rehabilitating their beaches and pools, by governments who will be building new military bases, by officials who will line their pockets.

People really need to consider whom they are donating to. I've been making open donations to the American Red Cross; that money almost always goes to direct relief efforts for those affected by whatever disaster is occurring. The outpouring of donations for 9/11 was incredible, but alot of that money is sitting in bank accounts, unable to be touched, because immediate relief efforts are long over with.

First response efforts by the Red Cross always comes out of their general disaster funds and current rules don't allow that money to be repaid by later donations for that particular disaster. Contribute, but don't specify what the money is to be used for other than 'disaster fund.' They'll know what to do with that money.

[BykrBayb]

I agree with everything you said. Not to take away from the impact of your statement, but I'm still stuck at "Marines stripped down to their undershirts dripping with sweat... I can't get that image out of my head. Maybe I'm not trying very hard.

[Marine_Uncle]

You got it right buddy. At least a lot of Freepers will fully understand your message. Good old warm fuzzy feeling aaah.

Such is the way it has been since modern civilization an the Television came into existence. So many in so many lands don't have a clue to what honor and commitment for the good of all really means. They are to busy waddling between the refrig and boob tube.

US Military in war and peace...........we smarly salute you all!

[i_dont_chat]

Look at what?

[El Gato]

The Navy P-3s were in the air and over the devastated areas faster than any US based Air Force planes could get there.

Not all Air Force planes are US based. Those P-3s probably came from Diego Garcia, which also hosts USAF bombers from time to time. The bombers have similar capability in their radars and other systems.

[SuziQ]

Sad, our press,UN, and Europeans complained earlier this week as why GWB was not doing something when little did they know things the day after where already being put into play.

I believe that they DID know, they just wanted to try to make the President look bad with their reports of his "not publicly mentioning the story for 4 days while he was vacationing in Texas".

Fargin bastiges!

[TomGuy]

Tsunami Survivors Mob U.S. Aid Copters

Posted by Pikamax On 01/01/2005 3:59:30 PM CST · 3 replies · 11+ views AP ^ | 01/01/05 | DENIS D. GRAY Tsunami Survivors Mob U.S. Aid Copters 38 minutes ago World - AP Asia By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN - Desperate, homeless villagers on the tsunami-ravaged island of Sumatra mobbed American helicopters carrying aid Saturday as the U.S. military launched its largest operation in the region since the Vietnam War, ferrying food and other emergency relief to survivors across the disaster zone. From dawn until sunset on New Year's Day, 12 Seahawk helicopters shuttled supplies and advance teams from offshore naval vessels while reconnaissance aircraft brought back stark images of wave-wrecked coastal landscapes and...

[Marine_Uncle]

"First response efforts by the Red Cross always comes out of their general disaster funds and current rules don't allow that money to be repaid by later donations for that particular disaster. Contribute, but don't specify what the money is to be used for other than 'disaster fund.' They'll know what to do with that money."

Very good point. Some other posts on this subject include links to some good religious based organizations that are known to use monies very effectively.

As for your comments on the huge area of Islands affected.
Yep. I was going to write up a long disertation on the subject, with reference to the various Island groups, those mostly hammered etc., but felt perhaps it was to verbose.
One thing for sure is the United States Navy will get to areas no one else other then our Brit and Aussy buddies could do. As usual it perhaps is only somewhat important that Americans get the after facts in how our guys quickly came to the aid of those in dire need.
Semper Fi to them all.

[kingu]

One thing for sure is the United States Navy will get to areas no one else other then our Brit and Aussy buddies could do. As usual it perhaps is only somewhat important that Americans get the after facts in how our guys quickly came to the aid of those in dire need.

I'll give a nod as well to the Canadian Navy who are also lending a hand as well doing relief efforts. If our press is bad about getting this info out, I expect that those to our north will hear about this sometime next July.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Those P-3s probably came from Diego Garcia,..."
Surely you right on the money. Good call.

For those readers not sure where this Navy base is located.....it is about 500 miles south of the lower Maldive Island group south of the Indian contienent. Our Navy Patrol P3 Orions etc., will be the most VITAL link the world has to those living in those island chains.

[snowsislander]

Yes, the MSM have been down-playing the non-cash contributions. Whether or not it's willful ignorance, it's frustrating.

[SkyPilot]

I sure am glad the United Nations has sent "hundreds and hundreds of aircraft laden with relief supplies" as dutifully reported by National Public Radio.

But hey, spin and good press is better than the facts.

[kingu]

Yes, the MSM have been down-playing the non-cash contributions. Whether or not it's willful ignorance, it's frustrating.

You can bet your bottom dollar that all the costs for relief operations by the military will appear in a story about how much it is costing us to be in Iraq and Afghanistan, lumped in to inflate the numbers.

And you can bet that there will be a story about how little of the pledged money has been spent to help survivors as well.. Ghads, it's so easy to write the front page of the NY Times for the next six months.

[kingu]

I sure am glad the United Nations has sent "hundreds and hundreds of aircraft laden with relief supplies" as dutifully reported by National Public Radio.

There are hundreds of thousands of tons of relief packs available in the regions of Kosovo and Serbia, more in Afghanistan, still more in Africa that are waterproof and can support four people for five days. The keepers of these stockpiles won't allow their distribution because, being the good bureaucrats they are, no allocation has been made, and even if it was made, new packs have to be made just in case the language or contents might offend someone.

Some day the world will realize that the UN is the biggest problem ever created, our biggest man made disaster.. Or maybe not.

[Marine_Uncle]

"I believe that they DID know, they just wanted to try to make the President look bad with their reports of his "not publicly mentioning the story for 4 days while he was vacationing in Texas". Fargin bastiges!

I don't think they really had a clue in the first day or so what and who the POTUS may have been making calls to from Crawford. Our POTUS is a man of few words, he could even follow through in the first debate with the traitor to our military, about why the MSM was totally distorting some of the issues the traitor was blurting out. He started to say in effect......"well I could talk a bit about this......then just sort of laughted and droped it."
But surely if any of those pop weavils on day three or four where contacting the DoD etc., they should have started to realize the USA was moving fast on putting into play the solution to many of the tough problems the UN and most every other nation would not be able to do much or anything about.
So I would for day one give the miserable pud knocker L/MSM the pass on this one. Day two and beyond, their back to being at very best miseriable pud knockers.

[Marine_Uncle]

" I'll give a nod as well to the Canadian Navy who are also lending a hand as well doing relief efforts."

Yes. Let us salute the our brothers to the north.....those in the military and those citizens of Canada that still are truly spirited and bonified patriots, conservatives, and for the most part, ones we can stand side by side when the going gets tough. We have some Canadian citizens on this site that yearn for the good all days when Canada was truly free, sane, conservative in many respects, willing to stand up against evil and oppresive regiems, in short our brothers in arms against the evils of the world. So much goodness left in Canada. I pray their liberal mental set can divert back to at least a neutral point. Obviously there is so much strong feelings of close friendship between these two great nations. I aalute their service in this aid relief cause, I am sure their contribution will prove quite meaningful.
Now lets see how long it takes the American and Canadian press to belt down a few shots of Wild Turkey 101 or whatever and start reporting how the truly free nations of the world are contributing a large military presence to do the work no one else can tackle.

[Prospero]

The Lincoln may be precisely where it should be:

Read Miracle at Banda Aceh

"Now, if you had told me a week ago that an American Marine expeditionary force would be in Banda Aceh on New Years Day, my first reaction would have been that the President had decided upon a bold and unexpected strike in the War on Terror, jumping ahead on the timeline of that effort's multi-generational strategy. I might have thought it was a bold and necessary move, and I would have believed you if you had said they had located and captured Osama Bin Laden there.

"As it was, in our shock, probing in from the parameter toward the epicenter of the Banda Aceh Earthquake, only a few have considered whether the hand of the Almighty reached out and sliced off a decade from what still promises to be a protracted conflict with Islamo-Fascism."

Go Navy!

[daybreakcoming]

***We know what the hell we are doing often before we must even act***

And THAT is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. Thank you for stating it.