A New Year. A New Post.

Let's start the New Year off right with a new post! Finally I have a true reason to come back home to this blog. 2011. A shrine to me.

Truthfully, I am posting today to tease you all to the actual reasoning why I've started up again. Yes I could go on about my time spent back home or back in Norfolk. I could spend the time to regale stories of my weeks at Ground C School. And it seem appropriate to tell the tales of moving to Florida, experiencing Tampa, coming to SOCOM, what my job there was like, falling in love, breaking down barriers, reuniting long-lost twins, saving the world... OK. Anything less than that and there is no excuse. And wouldn't it be crappy if I didn't tell any of you reading this any of it? Yes. That's why this post sucks and I shouldn't dare wonder why more people don't read this.

Truth be told, I only have a couple short hours but was desperate to tell this so it would get me back here posting again.

I have big, big news. Expect more information as time progresses. Let me put it this way. Six months outside the US. More later. Till then - Sailor Harry

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!

Helo Inbound

Most people in the service have been part of something significant. Most have a story to tell, whether good or bad. Then there are those that have stories of personal accomplishments and experiences. Lastly, you have those that have stories that tend to be the most entertaining. Unfortunately, the best ones usually do not start or finish with a positive outcome for the storyteller. While not my most infamous deed, I will share a recent happening aboard the USS Bataan.

The last few days have been about researching aid organizations operating in Haiti; where they are, what they are doing exactly for the people, and what supplies they need. This information is passed up to the higher ups for situational awareness and perhaps help designate where to send aid. What it is not meant to be is for me to coordinate with the group and direct supply drops in Haiti.

One organization seemed to interpret my phone call differently. A Catholic relief organization, I spoke with it's head quarters in New York City. After explaining who and where I was, I began asking for information. Their mission was in the decimated city of Jacmel, and their needs were primarily medical related. The city has one damaged hospital, and needed resupply. I asked the woman if she had any more specific information where in Jacmel the mission was. I gave her my email address and she explained she would contact someone in Haiti to forward the info to me.

The next day, while in the middle of trying to contact the UN in NYC, my workspace gets a call. The same organization called, asking for me. Turns out, the mission in Jacmel was standing by for a Navy helo full of the supplies they "requested" and that I "assured them" would come. They supposedly even cleared a landing zone and were waiting since the night before. Thankfully my leadership jumped to clear things up.

I didn't know I, a second class petty officer, wielded such power. I have since then taken charge of the air schedule, and set myself on a mission to the nearest bar. I mean, the smart thing to do would to understand our surroundings and find out whats around us, right? I also took it upon myself to inform the UN that I assumed responsibility to directing all future aid drops. Bataan's water problem will be fixed and Sailor Harry will shower again.

Water Conservation

USS Bataan's CMC puts his guidance into the Plan of the Day after two days of secured showers.

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.