Daybreak arrival to Haiti

09 April 2009

Being at sea on a US navy ship gives you a whole new concept of time. There are no windows, so you have no idea if it’s light or dark to give you sense of the time. And people are up and working hard at all hours of the day, so there is no regular work schedule that would give you an idea of the time. It's easy to lose track not only of the hour but also what day of the week it is. This is why I always make sure to take a moment out of the hustle and bustle of the p-ways (passage ways or hall ways), stairwells, wardrooms, offices, mess decks, meeting spaces, etc. to step outside and admire the wide open seas and skies. This morning it will be to watch the sunrise as we pull into Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) first left Norfolk, VA on 1 April, and this morning we arrive at Haiti, our much anticipated first stop of seven nations on a tour to provide medical assistance to underprivileged peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our vessel: a hospital ship. Our sailors: a hodge-podge of Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, civilian mariners, NGOs (non- governmental organizations), health care personnel from various countries (including Canada, Netherlands, France, El Salvador, and Nicaragua) along with other civilians, such as myself. I have been on navy ships before, but never with such a mix of folks from different backgrounds. We really are a sight to see. Old, young, big, small, uniform, civilian attire, all living and working together to with the same goal: to help people.

At the early hour of 0600 I am the only one in my office, and for a brief moment I am alone with my thoughts, before my colleagues start filtering in, joking, laughing, smiling, planning, briefing, thinking, brainstorming, executing. It is this moment of the day, before the chaos of the world and the day begins, that I love most at sea. As I sit here at my computer, I think about our four month journey ahead, and especially our upcoming two busy weeks in Haiti.

Today we launch the supplies ashore, in preparation to set up medical sites for care, some will be treated on the ground, and some will come back to the ship for surgery. Our Navy Seabees will carry out some repairs at a local hospital. And, volunteers from the ship will join in a community relations project to paint and clean up a pharmacy at a local hospital. I am anxious to see Haiti, a place I have read much about but never seen with my own eyes. For now, I will climb up the 7 flights of stairs to the flight deck to admire the sunrise, with Haiti still in the horizon, and enjoy the last moment of silence of the day before having breakfast in the mess decks with 900 of my closest friends.