America, F**K YEAH!

In this joyous occasion, I would like to serenade you with a patriotic hit. A song that should be played around the world as loud as possible. From every mountain top, in every valley. On every street corner, and of course, every cave along the border of Afghanistan/Pakistan... Or custom built terrorist mansion in Islamabad. Warning, strong language.

America, F*** Yeah (Click the link "Play" at the bottom of the page.)

About damn time.

Finally something worth writing about. Our mission to Haiti is finally over. What? You thought I cam back with the rest of the other Navy ships a couple weeks ago? Nope. MY ship was one of the very first ones in and the last to leave. Funny how that is. It was a bit frustrating to see the news coverage of the Comfort returning and how the media basically reported the US military's mission in Haiti was finished. We have over 3,000 people here on board, and we just now started dropping stuff off at Gitmo and heading home.

I'm looking forward to our return to Norfolk. We look to be back right before Easter, and I hope to be home that Sunday for the annual family brunch neighborhood get-together. However, i am looking forward to be able to go home and stay home for a couple weeks of leave, starting on the 5th. After my little vacation, I will be headed off to start another school to change my job's specialty and then head to Tampa Bay, Florida.

It turns out Germany wasn't to be. My rate's detailer likes to let multiple people choose the same orders and then feels that she can fix things by changing the orders without telling anyone. After about a month at sea, I got my orders which were totally different from the ones I was promised while I was in Iraq. No phone calls or emails. She emailed my orders to my Chief and that was that. Luckily, in all the ways to get screwed over, this is the best way how. It's not Europe, but I guess I can live with shore duty in sunny Tampa just fine. Plus, the school will give me a better job.

The past two and a half months have been long. The work output from my shop has been pretty minimal and it's honestly been us counting down the days since the beginning. Unfortunately, we never even know when the end was till about four days ago. We've had admirals, generals and other big-wigs onboard, and no one had any idea when we would be able to leave. Hell, we even had the CNO.

That's not to say we didn't accomplish anything. We dilivered an unprecedented amount of supplies, saved hundreds of lives and among other things, deeply touched the people of Haiti. What we thought might have been an opposite reaction, for the most part, the Haitians welcomed us with open arms.

It's just sad that with Haiti's current and past state, instead of truly helping the Haitians, we have simply empowered a culture of dependency. I'm afraid that I will never see or hear of a stable, prosperous Haiti in my lifetime. Unfortunately, I really don't know what could be done to trun it around for them for the long run.

I am looking forward returning to my family and to start school. I will write again once I am home and have a belly full of delicious food.

Still in Haiti; Can you believe it?

Well it looks like my estimated time of return was incorrect. So wrong in fact that it would seem we have another month and a half left of this mission. It will be the most time I've been out at sea for one period, (without stepping foot on land). Hell of a way to end a tour on the LHD 5.

The mission has been long and is starting to wear us down. Tempers are short and we simply desire a date of return. Yep, we don't even know when we will be back home. The longest they can keep us here is till the end of March. The soonest I can depart Bataan is April 1st. I figure I'll ride this humanitarian ride till the end, and walk away with a week and a half off time before heading to school.

Wait! Hold the phone. When did Sailor Harry ever mention that he was destined to go to school? Whatever happened to Germany? Well, plans change. Seems the detailer allowed several people to go for the same orders in Germany and figured I wouldn't notice the change. Could be a heck of alot worse. Ended up with a really great school and shore orders to Tampa Bay, Florida. Not bad. Now the plan will be to buy a new car and get ready for one of the hardest physical challenges of my life.

That being said, I'll be in the Virginia/Maryland area for an extra three months, and will remain Stateside for the next three years. I also will go ahead and re-enlist, meaning I will keep on going with the Naval tradition. Whether I'm sure of it or not by now, I have a sure feeling that I'm probably going to make a 20-year career of this gig. Not exactly the worse way to live your life.

I guess I can talk about Haiti and the good works being done there. We've sent sailors ashore, along with the marines, and the blue side has pulled it's weight. We've cleared rubble at three orphanages/Christian missions and built temporary shelters for the people in Grand Goave. The people are very appreciative and so far we have been welcomed with open arms. The Creole translators ashore come back for debriefs with us and they all pretty much tell the same story.

1) The Haitians recognize where the aid is coming from.
2) They prefer the Americans presence over the UN and especially their own government.
3) A genuine feeling of abandonment from the Haitian government and police force.
4) Very appreciative of all the aid and help that's come so far.
5) Medical aid and water are the biggest concerns.
6) Those with families in America and Canada would like to live with them.

We obviously will still be here for the next several weeks. We are still getting big shipments of aid to distribute to the shore. The big priority of our mission is to find evidence that we can turn over to the UN and the other organizations. The military will not make this a permanent mission, but will make sure those that will remain there will have the capabilities and are capable to remain independent.

We all want to come home. The ship and personnel have been in a deployable status since January 2009. Yes, January 2009. Though the "deployment" was seven months, the ship has been in and out of Norfolk, underway conducting exercises and operations off the US coast. Deployment 2000-infinity continues!

Toughing it Out

The days go by and Bataan keeps dishing out the help. After another successful underway replenishment, the ship became full of aid supplies and is continually transporting it to shore as I type this. This mission has allowed Bataan to reach some milestones, including the transport of 600 pallets of supplies. (A big RAS usually only has about 200 pallets). The supplies include MREs, medicine, food, equipment, and bottled water. The included picture shows one of our LCACs delivering aid to the shore. Our helos and LCACs have been critical to our efforts getting aid where it needs to get, and transporting critcal patients to recieve medical treatment.

As I posted before, our ship just finished a seven month deployment and was scheduled a trip into the yards. We go into the yards to conduct matinence on worn out equipment. In the engine room, Bataan has two huge water evaporators, which provide the ship with thousands of gallons of fresh water daily. This potable water supplies the ship's boilers and other steam powered systems, and also provides for crew consumption. Yesterday, one evap broke down, and today the second followed suit. Our fresh water supply is at a critical level. That means Sailor Harry must stink while he writes this. Thank God my shipmates left me some body spray before they left. Lets just say its a good thing you get to read whats it like being here next to me, and not actually aboard the ship with all the other sailors and marines.

We're trudging through and the plan is to fix the problems and continue our support in Operation: Unified Response. Now if you excuse me, its been another long day, and my rack is calling me.

U.S. Causes Earthquake in Haiti

Among the numerous stories from the international press and media, putting the United States' support in relief efforts, (including domestic, far-left liberal dribble), in a negative light, the most comical of them all comes directly from Hugo Chavez's mouth. The Venezuelan "President" has discovered the awful truth behind the destruction of Port-Au-Prince: "U.S. Hit Haiti with 'Earthquake Weapon'"


Yes folks, it's true. I mean, doesn't it make sense that a top secret weapons facility in ALASKA caused a massive Earthquake near the opposite coast of the US? Whats baffling me is how did Chavez get the info? I mean, our military held onto that little gem tighter than fat kid grips a Butterfinger. The only person we told was Elvis, and he was too busy coordinating relief with Ambassador Bat Boy and the Martians.


Obviously our Intel service has a mole. So much intelligence has leaked since this operation started: countries know we're here to occupy Haiti, that we are only allowing our MILITARY planes to land, and even where our vessels are! (We thought our ships' cloaking devices worked and no one would be able to see us through binoculars, even though we're close enough to be seen from shore without them.)


You might have guessed that I'm being sarcastic, (and you might be right.) Chavez was only a little off. The real truth is George Bush is the reason it happened, and we're here for Haiti's oil. Seriously though, I'd like to thank ambassadors Bat Boy's and Elvis's efforts in coordinating with the Martians in sending $100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 in aid.

Relief Efforts

This morning the crew was literally shook awake. Thoughts of the ship running aground were soon gone as it was announced we experienced an aftershock (6.1). We're fine, and besides scaring the people to death, there was no word on efforts halting or the situation worsening.

Bataan and Comfort are here and doing our jobs. You know what they say; a picture is worth a thousand words.

Haiti SITREP

USS BATAAN and the 22 MEU reached its staging point off the coast of Haiti approximately 1500 yesterday. We are currently providing support to humanitarian efforts on the ground, via our helos and landing crafts, and have sent marines and aid throughout yesterday afternoon. The Comfort has been on our tail since this thing started and should arrive tomorrow.

The USNS Comfort is ready and capable. The floating hospital has a total patient capacity of 1,000, and is complete with its own intensive ward, radiology, casulty reception, dental, and optometry lab. Another great feature of the ship is its capability to make up to 300,000 gallons of fresh water daily. USS Bataan has similar capabilities. I have personally toured the ship myself and I am confident in its abilities to provide support in this endevour. This isn't the first time the ship has been sent to Haiti. Operation Sea Signal 1994, Operation Uphold Democracy 1994, and Operation Continuing Promise since 2007.

Researching on internation efforts; apparently a plane, originally from Iran, landed in Haiti on January 18. Open Source (news) reports the cargo plane left Saturday and via-Caracas, Venezuela, landed on Monday, bringing 30 tonnes of food, medicine, tents, and a 30 medical and search-and-rescue team. No reporting from any major news source yet, and anything out of Iranian or Arab news reporting is always viewed cautiously. Hopefully nothing has been exagerrated or lied about, for no matter where it comes from, Haiti needs all the help it can get.

Almost There

While not close enough yet to provide support, USS BATAAN is currently less than 50 nautical miles from Port-au-Prince.

There has currently been news reports circulating that some countries, particularly their leaders, feel that the U.S. is using this humanitarian effort as a cover for its real agenda. Accusations of an American invasion/occupying force have begun to wear away at an already tense coalition of international aid support.

The United States wants to increase troop levels supporting efforts in Haiti to approximately 10,000. This is in no way meant to be viewed as some type of military takeover. Our troops are simply assisting Haitian police, and more specifically, U.N. security forces in maintaining order and providing security at aid distribution points.

Currently there are growing reports of gang activity rising, with men armed with machetes and potentially fire arms, committing carjackings, armed attacks, and specifically looting. There has been a resentment of any type of U.S. presence in Haiti since our country occupied the country twice in 1915. While it is true the U.S. has influenced Haitian leadership that has led to unfavorable results, our purpose here and now is to assist with ongoing humanitarian efforts, aimed at saving as many lives as possible.

International tensions have risen due to our control of the airport in PAP. Currently, we have shifted the priority of incoming of flights to aid support, but the need for security forces and military equipment is still greatly needed in helping the aid workers do their jobs effectively and safely, while also ensuring the safety of Haitian nationals.

Primarily Marines will be deployed to conduct this tasking and they will conduct it professionally and efficiently, helping and protecting the citizens of Haiti, while still protecting each other. In any type of situation, deadly force is authorized as a last means of self defense.

We are not an occupying force in this time of crisis. We are deploying peacekeepers, aid workers, medical staff, food, water, and other means of survival to help a desperate people. This isn't trying to come off as some "poetic propaganda". Continuing reading as I continue to update. If anything, at least watch CNN or Fox News, as we have with us the news media. If anything, especially CNN, they wouldn't shy away from the idea of broadcasting any mistakes or "nefarious deeds" conducted by us.

Hold on Haiti. We're almost there. We're almost there. Image: Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, hand out meals to women and children in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 16, 2010. (DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III)

Imagery Pre and Post Earthquake

Currently having issues posting images as bandwidth on the ship is limited. I will hopefully be able to post the image itself at a later time but can be accessed with the link provided. The damage sustained at the piers is noticeable and the building on the upper right corner is completely gone.

Imagery is UNCLASS and can be accessed here.

BATAAN and the 22 MEU is currently less than 200 nautical miles North of Cuba and continuing southward towards Haiti. Will update accordingly.

Bataan Amphibious Relief Ships Onload 22nd MEU Enroute To Haiti

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. – The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) began onloading approximately 1,700 personnel and their equipment today aboard the ships of the Bataan Amphibious Relief Mission to aid the people of Haiti following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake Jan. 12.

The ships of the relief mission and the 22nd MEU were mobilized and ready to depart their home bases within 48 hours of being notified, and the onload which normally takes two days is being compressed into 16 hours due to the urgency of the situation.

The MEU along with the contingent of ships, which include USS Bataan (LHD 5); USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) and USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), will bring much-needed assets to the Caribbean country to support the disaster relief efforts.

Haiti

Long time no post. A continuing trend, and I apologize. I am currently off the coast of North Carolina, en route to Haiti aboard the USS Bataan, along with the 22 MEU. We are headed to the island nation to assist with Humanitarian efforts in response to a catastrophic earthquake that shook the island apart, leaving a people already stricken with poverty, further destitute and desperate.

As of know, I have no idea what exactly type of assistance we will provide, however this ship has the capability of creating it's own fresh water supply, a complete and competent medical team, and an entire crew of sailors and marines willing to do whatever we can to ensure that help reaches these people.

I will update this as time passes, but unfortunately over leave, I have currently misplaced my personal camera. However I will use photos from other sources. Keep in mind that the pictures may tend to be on the more graphic side, but I will limit the amount of death shown. I do not if I will be boots on the ground or stay on the ship, assisting others from the coast, but I will do my best helping out in this time of crisis.

Good to be back with something to post about.

That crazy Kanye

Change Someone Else can Believe In

It seems everyday there's something new that our new Presidential Administration is doing to either worry or piss me off. I said from the start that my number one worry about Obama was his lack of experience and foreign policy.

Scrapping our missile defense shield in Europe, in my opinion, will do us more harm than good. As the days go by I really want to tell this Administration where they can take their "Change" and shove it.

POTD for September 16th, 2009: "Swine Flu Free, That's For Me!"

Seems I left for Iraq at a crazy time for our country. Health Care Reform, North Korea test firing missiles, and a global pandemic. The first couple of months in country, it seems people were panicking about the newest "Black Plague". The media made it sound as if people were
dropping like flies, Mexico was a biohazard, and it wasn't safe to go to school. Was it safe to eat pork? How can I prevent getting the H1N1 virus? How long can someone live if they have it? My question is, how will we react if we have a REAL pandemic?

Few months ago, I got into a heated discussion about swine flu with a friend online. He kept going on about how serious the virus was and how it would be horrible when it spreads all across the world. I asked him if this is the way he reacted whenever flu season hit. He scoffed and
reminded me that this was no "common cold". I simply responded, "No, this was more like the 'common flu'." Confused? He was, to say the least. I'll spare you the rest of his CNN-driven panic, and how WHO labeled this as a pandemic and how, "Dude, Swine Flu kills. IT KILLS MAN!" Yeah, so does MRSA, and remember how that was treated like the new doomsday disease, last year?

"Harry, death is serious and isn't a joke", some of you may say. You're absolutely right, it isn't. I just see the virus for what it really is, and what it really is, is a different strain of the Influenza virus. Influenza? That sounds pretty severe. People get Influenza all the time. My dad had it a few months ago. What's Influenza like? A really bad flu. What's Swine Flu like? Just like what it is; influenza.

But what about the unfortunate people killed by the virus? Isn't that something to raise concern about? Sure, but not the escalated fear that FOX and all the other networks went on about. Thousands of people were killed! Compare the numbers with the amount of people that are laid to rest from the common flu/cold. And the numbers are from a global scale. The annual rate of American deaths from common influenza rivals that! Wow, you had no idea? I don't blame you. H1N1 was a breaking story in a slow news lull.

When I began writing this, I was going to blast and chastise the general ignorance of common people, and the way they perceived the "epidemic". But I stopped myself because I soon realized that this panic was brought on by misinformation. What really got to me though was all the concern and people wanting to know how to prevent catching the virus. What was worse was the reaction when news casters explained that simple hygiene, such as washing hands, cover your mouth and nose when sneezing, and to stay home if you have, (and this is what was the final straw with me), "The following symptoms". The reporter then went on to list the same
exact symptoms of the common flu. Woooooooooooooow. This is a brand new MEGA VIRUS?! Please give me a break and stop toying with people's fears. We have enough problems with people panicking about supposed fake birth certificates of our President, North Korea and Iran using Wonder Twin Powers, and the fate of our Nation's Health Care. Now we're discussing a
huge push for a vaccine. How effective will it be? It's just a guess, but maybe it'll be as effective as a normal flu vaccine?

Bottom line is this, if you or your child gets Swine Flu, DON'T PANIC. DON'T PANIC. DON'T PANIC. Panic causes stress and stress can determine how effective our bodies are to fighting disease and getting better. People usually get better with a positive attitude. Stay at home and get better. I hear H1N1 is like having a bad flu, and that's what it is. The symptoms may be a bit more severe, (people who normally don't feel nausea may start vomiting, migraines, worst aches and pains), but it effects people differently. I believe that the virus has been the cause
of some deaths world-wide. I'm simply trying to play down the built up hype and panic caused by the media. Don't panic and definitely don't treat those that have H1N1 like they're going through chemo with a 50-50 chance to live. Lastly, you can't get the virus from eating pork, so eat some friggin' bacon if you want!

There's outrage of how WHO was prepared for this "epidemic". I think people should be outraged if this is the best WHO could do for just bad cold. You think the world was in shambles from just Swine Flu? Imagine when a real health threat, that kills respectful numbers returns to
erase a good percentage of our population. Hey, at least I have a gas mask for when that happens.

All Will Come Home

18 years; 18 long years. The remains of Capt. Speicher were found by Marines today. This brings closure to his family and a search that has been ongoing for a long time. The full story can be read here.

If you notice, I am currently at COB Speicher. Last week I looked into the name and found out that it was named after the Navy pilot. Funny how all this has happend in less than a week. Finally someone can be taken off the MIA list and finally be taken home.

Fun-filled week, to say the least....

I am, of course, being sarcastic. Last week was filled with so much news, it was almost a little hard for this dirt sailor to keep up with. Famous deaths, protests in Iran, and cautious happenings with our buddies in North Korea. I decided to pass sometime reading, what I thought was an appropriate book at the time.

Better knock, what I consider the least important news stories, out first. Farrah Fawcet, Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson, and now, Billy Mays all died. Wow, it almost sounds like a cruel joke, where you ask yourself, "Who's next?" Mays was the biggest surprise to me, and to be completely honest, the only one where I went, "Aww, man!" Farrah Fawcet and McMahon were before my time, and MJ, well, as Short-Round would say: "He crazy!"

In fact, our little Vietnamese friend would probably also say, "Dr. Jones say, no going to crazy man's house. He say, crazy, plastic man will try to hug me.... inappropriately." Whether you believe he was innocent or not, the fact was he was more than a bit off the reservation. The real disturbing part, isn't his transformation to Barbie's creepy cousin, who is kept in the attic, it's the amount of news coverage totally focused on him and his family. But I always complain on how the "real" news gets ignored, and the priority is celebrity nonsense. I'm saying his death wasn't nonsense, just that we understand the King of Pop has passed away and there are other things in the world brewing.

Death always sucks, especially those who are friends or family to the individual. Trust me, I know. I am not trying to be cold to the musician, it's just that, the way people, for whatever reason, go on about how MJ "touched" and improved their lives seems a bit odd. Maybe I'm just saying it because I'm not exactly a fan of his work. To be honest, Billy Mays touched my life more than any of the other stars who died. I wouldn't have known about Oxy-Clean if it wasn't for him. I thought this was nice. If MJ was your idol, I'm sorry for your lost. He was not mine, and I can't say that my life will change in any way now that he's gone. For many others, this is different, and it is a tragedy. Sorry about what happened, and I hope you all pull through fine. There are plenty of memorials for him and many people who mourn for him.

Back on track... OH YES, so Iran. Nice to finally see it's citizens revolting against the Regime. However, is it too late, and what will come out of it? I, like many others, are curious to see this thing along, and wish our president would be more active with the situation. We understand health care is important, but when an opportunity to do the most with Iran besides war is knocking, here's hoping he'd do more than the little that has been done. Even if the "Green Revolution" succeeds and Ahaminejad, the little piss ant, gets removed from office, I don't see much changing with Iran's relationship with America. This election dispute is not like the Islamic Revolution and the real problem is still in charge. For Iran to truly change it's course, not only do you need to get rid of the puppet president, you need to get rid of the puppeteer, and I mean the Ayatollah and the others behind the scenes.

Lastly, North Korea. It gives me goosebumps, not in a bad way, but from a strange curiosity of what could possibly happen from this. North Korea has always been that nasty pimple that threatens to infect your face if action is taken, and the doctor (the UN) simply prescribes a weak face cream. It's nasty, and you know of the easiest way to clear it right up. But, with pleas from a couple of your friends, you decide to listen to the doctor, apply the cream, and watch it come and go, always nastier each time it comes back, usually the night of a big date or activity. North Korea has threatened to pretty much wipe America off the face of the map with a proposed nuclear arsenal. Call me arrogant, but I can't help but act like these guys: Give it your best shot. I'm not saying that we have nothing to worry about, the idea of real nuclear war is frightening and nuclear weapons should only be used as a deterrant. They should never be used in an act of war, and their presence simply to prevent war, period. But when you look at a country like North Korea, see the genius who runs the country, and you simply wonder. They say if we stop their vessel it will be an act of war. I believe, it would finally show the North Koreans that we still mean business.

NK is nothing more than a little punk, and like a little punk, a quick jab to the nose, and it crumbles to floor. If there ever was a conflict where many could agree that it was a necessary evil, I'm sure North Korea would be one of them. I'm not saying war is the only option, but I won't disagree that maybe we didn't finish a job the first time.

- Sailor Harry