Sailors, among the first to arrive in Haiti, coming home

NORFOLK

The latest wave of Hampton Roads-based sailors to return from Haiti arrived Monday at Norfolk Naval Station, with hundreds more scheduled to come home today.

About 130 Seabees and support sailors flew into the Navy base Monday morning after six weeks on the ground in Port-au-Prince. They spent most of their time there moving relief supplies and construction equipment from military and civilian ships to the Haitian shore.

Chief Petty Officer Daniel Chavez said the hardest part about the unit's mission was knowing how much work remained when they left.

"There's a lot left to go, but we could also see a lot of progress," he said. "When we got there, there were no lights at night anywhere. When we left, it was a lot brighter."

At its height, the U.S. military's Haitian relief mission - launched after Haiti 's Jan. 12 earthquake - included more than 20,000 service members. Thousands were dispatched from the Hampton Roads area.

In a statement issued Monday, the military said about half have come home as it has transferred more responsibility to the Haitian government and local aid agencies.

The sailors who came home to Norfolk on Monday are with Amphibious Construction Battalion 2 and Naval Beach Group 2, both with headquarters at the Joint Expeditionary Base's Little Creek campus. Besides moving supplies and equipment to shore, they helped clear rubble, stabilize damaged buildings and set up temporary piers.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Tibbits said this deployment was the first real test of many sailors' skills. "Usually when we're out, we're just practicing," Tibbits said. "This was very different - very long days, very hard work, no days off. But it felt good. This is what we practice for."

Heather Sookram, whose husband, Ravi, came home Monday, was among the families that gathered to meet their plane.

"It was hard saying goodbye to him on such short notice," Sookram said. "But it's an easy sacrifice when you think about the kind of work they were accomplishing over there."

The Norfolk-based dock landing ship Carter Hall is scheduled to arrive home today. Its sailors were among the earliest to arrive off Haiti's coast after the earthquake struck. They delivered food, water, cots and tents and supported an internationally staffed field hospital.

Most of the local service members who remain in Haiti are aboard the amphibious assault ship Bataan. Navy officials said they have no date yet for its return.

Corinne Reilly, (757) 446-2949, corinne.reilly@pilotonline.com