New People Checking Out This Blog

I would like to say thanks to all the new people checking out this blog. If you would like to see a large array of pictures from this media deployment with the 3rd ESC. Please Check out these two sites.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/WQXE-Quicksie-983/52518518129?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Port-au-Prince-Haiti/Joint-Logistics-Command-Haiti/299715573287?ref=ts

I will posting another blog later this evening, between a radio show, television interviews and a trip to the Embassy that took forever in the Port-Au-Price traffic, the day has got away from me. It is time for a little run with Major Hayes to wind down. I hope to visit the University Of Miami Hospital again tonight to see Pablo Picasso (yep that is his name).

Greg

My First Trip Into The City

Thursday morning I was invited by Col Akin and CSM Tennant to accompany them on a trip into the city to visit a couple of the distribution locations. It only took 20 seconds into the trip for my eyes to be opened to a whole new world, the amount of time it takes to drive out of our camp into the streets of Haiti. The traffic flow is mind numbing. We drove to the first distribution site where over 9,000 line up each day.

Each of the distribution points are ran by different aid organizations. The military provide security to help keep order in the area. You may notice in the photo that the line is all women. Since women are the food providers for each family, there is less of a chance they will try to sell their rice after recieving it.

It was a smack in the face to me when we arrived at the first site. I was questioning all of the times I just threw away food and old shirts. As I walked through the site with command staff I was really impressed on how much hands on work they were doing, helping cut open bags, shaking hands, caring rice out of the area for the women. Col Akin and CSM Tennant really impressed me that day.

We left that area and traveled to Cete Soleil, which has been called "The Most Dangerous Place On Earth" by some people. On this day, it didn't seem like it though, everything seemed calm.

World Vision was in charge of the aid at this site and had a great set up to keep things moving. It was amazing to me the amount of people living in that area. You can view photos from my first trip into the city on the Quicksie Facebook Fan Page. There are two pictures from Thursday's trip that really stand out to me why the military is here and I am going to close out this blog post with both photos.

How It All Happened

Howdy! Well I have had a lot of emails from people wanting to know how this trip came to be, so I though I would share a little of the story with you. It all started in April of 2007 when Major Paul Hayes made a visit to Quicksie to introduce himself and the 3rd ESC to station personnel, He said his goal was to make the community aware of what the 3rd ESC was all about. A bond formed from there between Quicksie and the Unit. We were at Ft. Knox for tours and to be apart of Unit Drills. We were there when they left for Iraq in 2007 and talked with them on the air every week during their 15 month deployment. During that time I was invited to join them in Iraq for a period, but was unable to go due to issues, but really wanted to see what it was like for the soldiers deployed.

I have developed a personal friendship with Major Hayes and quite a few other 3rd ESC soldiers, and when the offer was made to join them in Haiti to report on Camp conditions and the impact of this tragic earthquake, I couldn't say no. I had a high degree of respect for our troops before this trip, but after feeling a small piece of what they go through before, and during a deployment, that respect has went to such a high level I don't think I can chart it.

Planning for this trip began last week, and hit a fever's pitch last Friday (Feb 12th) when insurance gave me permission to go. When I made the call to Major Hayes that I was a go for the deployment, the phone calls & texts started lighting up. Different people in Haiti, Ft Bragg and at Knox started the process of getting me here. The Quicksie Engineer Phil Jockell went to work to make sure technical studio details could be worked out for the show. By Monday (Feb 15th) we had a plan in place. Tuesday (Feb 16th) I made a test run of the equipment from my home, I had no idea that less than 12 hours later I would be on a plane bound for Ft Bragg North Carolina.

Here is how that 26 hour Trip looked:
Medical Shots @ 10:15am
Packing & final trip to store for supplies
Arrive at the Airport at 4:30pm
Flight to Atlanta at 5:50pm
Flight to Ft Bragg at 9:45pm
Get to sleep in the Barracks at Ft Bragg @ 2am
Wake up @ 7am for Chow
Arrive at Air Force Hanger at 9am
Flight to Homestead Miami on a C-130 at 1pm
Flight to Haiti on a C-130 at 4pm
Arrive in Haiti at 7pm
After processing and gear storage, we finally made it to bed at midnight.

After looking back on all of the issues and stresses of getting to Haiti and the fact that Wednesday's big travel day was my 36th birthday, I don't think I could have asked for a better birthday. A day that I truly learned why we call our soldiers and their caring families..."American Heros".

Greg

First Blog Friday

I will be posting the first blog of this trip Friday. I have alot to cover in the first blogs, from how this trip came about to the first trip into the city with command team. There are a ton of things in between that military families can relate to that everyday people take for granted. I am off to bed for now, got to get some sleep before the first full show in Haiti Friday morning.