As a Soldier who enlisted post-9/11, I knew the road I’d chosen would be different from my predecessors. I’ve heard the phrase “one man can make a difference” and I’ve heard it negated. I’ve seen hardship, poverty, destruction and despair on television, and smelled the pungent odors left from fierce weather and death. I’ve even felt a chill in my spine when imagining myself in others’ shoes. But until recently, I hadn’t lived it.

Preparing for two weeks in Haiti

Members of the Colorado National Guard’s 220th Military Police Company recently had a rare opportunity to spend two weeks of annual training in a real-world environment. The mission was to provide humanitarian relief to the citizens of Haiti as part of Task Force Bon Voizen, a.k.a. “Good Neighbor.” Being that I am assigned to the unit, I took part in this historic mission.

Preparation was probably the most difficult part of the assignment. We were headed to the unknown. Unlike deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, this would be more of a physical challenge than a mental one.

We’re a Colorado unit and used to Colorado weather. The move to a tropical climate in the Caribbean would definitely be an interesting change. The risk of disease was high, so to combat this, each Soldier was given a bag of little blue or pink pills that we would take daily to avoid contracting malaria.

I slept in my car the night before we reported for duty at 4:30 a.m. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I wasn’t going to be the guy who showed up late. Shortly after our accountability formation, we piled onto buses and headed for Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo.

I’d planned to sleep on the plane – it was about a five-hour flight to Port Au Prince – but excitement of a new adventure wouldn’t let me. That, and the airline had some really cool movies playing. I can’t pass up a good movie … and unlimited free coffee. This was probably the last time I would get to indulge – for two weeks anyway.

Arrival

From the air, it was a breathtaking site. The water was crystal clear with a bright blue glare that resembled stained glass. Unfortunately, thanks to the earthquake that decimated the country in 2009, the scenery from ground level was much less appealing. The humidity was horrendous. I broke into a full sweat before completing the journey down the jetway stairs. Unloading our bags made this even worse.

Immediately following our arrival, a small group of Soldiers, mostly leaders, boarded helicopters bound for the task force headquarters. The rest of us took buses to a reception area not far from the airport. Due to the lack of easily-traversable terrain – and driving habits of the local populous – it was about a 30-minute ride to navigate the roughly two miles to our next stop.

That night’s agenda would be relatively easy considering most of us had been up since before 4 that morning and had a one-hour time change (Haiti doesn’t recognize daylight savings time). My biggest hurdle was transitioning to a staple of Army-issued Meals-Ready-to-Eat which actually tasted good cold thanks to the 100-degree heat.

Following a brief on the dos and don’ts of being in Haiti, we headed to bed. Another long day was awaiting us tomorrow – much longer than any of us had anticipated.

Mission underway

The next morning, for those of us not assigned to a detail in Port-Au-Prince, we once again loaded up on buses for a ride to the task force headquarters in Mandrin, which was north of our current location.

We endured the four-hour ride that carried us through multiple towns and countrysides; each one less earthquake ravaged the further north we traveled. The terrain varied significantly, as well. I felt as if I’d crossed the entire U.S. in just a short timeframe. On one side of the road, it resembled a tropical paradise of palms and luscious flowering trees, on the other side, a field of cactus. In the middle, my new but temporary home: a tent.

I anticipated my quarters – after all I am in the Army. This wasn’t my first rodeo either. My company had spent nearly seven months living in tents during our mission in Iraq. This time it was only for two weeks, but there was no air conditioning in these and we weren’t looking forward to days and nights without a little added luxury.

After unloading our bags we divided ourselves into the tents based on the shifts we were expected to be working. I was already assigned to graveyards, so I was looking forward to a long night’s sleep before my first shift.

How wrong I was.

Taking post

After I and my 11 roommates settled into our new apartment, we received the news that our shift would start at 6 p.m. That was in about two hours. Because of the heat, none of us expected to have a very refreshing nap. At that moment, I wished I’d slept on the bus ride over. With hesitation I lay down on my cot, as did everyone else. Any sleep was better no sleep, so I forced my eyes closed. At least I got to relax for a little while.

The two hours went by quickly and off to work we went. My team was assigned to enforce force protection measures for the task force. In laymen’s terms: perimeter security. We were responsible for all traffic that entered and exited the perimeter fence. Every movement was documented, every person accounted for.

It wouldn’t take long for us to grasp our job. The hurdle was just adjusting to the schedule. By the end of the first shift, we would’ve been up for 26 hours. In the black of the night, fighting fatigue would be a challenge. With a curfew of 8 p.m. for military personnel, there was no traffic expected and caffeine was not present.

When Soldiers must fight fatigue they become innovative. The easiest and most readily-available solution was food. MREs have all sorts of goodies inside. The most obvious was the main course, which was printed on the outside of the bag. Other things include candy, pound cake and power bars depending on which meal you choose. My favorite item was the instant coffee.

Coffee, also known as Soldier fuel, is especially gratifying when hot and fresh. When a brewed pot isn’t available, iced coffee is the next best alternative. Bartering MRE candy for packets of MRE coffee and MRE instant milkshakes was my solution to fatigue. After experimenting with the mixing and matching of different flavors of shakes, packets of instant coffee and packets of sugar, I felt as if I should write my recipes down and contact Starbucks upon my return to the States, because this barista had made some pretty darn good concoctions considering my ingredients.

Touring the Town

As the days went by I began to feel as I if my guard tower would be my only real experience in Haiti. My platoon leader recognized this pretty quickly after we arrived and presented us a solution. His job was to travel from each post away from headquarters and oversee operations. This wasn’t surprising as this is what leaders do. Each one of the guards was given an opportunity to take a tour with him and see the sites around our area of operations. This was the experience I was waiting for.  

I had to sacrifice some sleep, but the opportunity was worth it. We rolled out of the gate and for once I was on the list that every other day I had to monitor. Camera in hand, I held down the button as we rolled through towns along the main road that hugged the coastline. Gorgeous beach-front homes were sporadically placed between unfinished buildings or tents made from tarps and tree branches. School children walking the streets during recess were easily identifiable by the uniforms they were wearing. Each school had its own unique uniform colors. These uniforms were also a show of status, as only those with money could purchase the necessary uniforms and supplies required to attend class.

On market day, people lined the streets selling goods from clothes to food and everything in between. Motorized scooters were parked in every space not occupied by pickup trucks or buses. Scooters seem to be the vehicle of choice. Small tents with motor oil and tires were abundant in every town to aid those motorists with on-the-spot repairs. There was point during my adventure that I wondered if I’d teleported to Sturgis, S.D., because of the hundreds of bikes that lined the street in one of towns.

Drivers would have to stay alert to avoid potential accidents that could occur from the locals’ driving habits. Those who didn’t ride scooters or have the luxury of owning a working vehicle rode taxis like pickup trucks or buses prone to stop at any moment – and anywhere – they wanted. Posted speed limits and lane markers appeared to be suggestions.

Traversing the roads was definitely a challenge that made me appreciate the annoying rush-hour traffic back home in Denver.

Mingling with the locals

We arrived at our first stop: an engineer site that was close to completion. Familiar faces were waiting on the other end for any news my platoon leader had to deliver. Their job was to provide security for the engineers constructing a clinic in an area that a school had already been established.

Less fortunate children took the opportunity to jump and run on the playground while others watched a movie on a portable DVD player located in the back of a military ambulance. Curious, the local children would follow the Soldiers around, absorbing new culture and learning about the little luxuries that we’d brought along. What we take for granted in cell phones and books created a “wow” factor among the locals. Granted, the Haitians aren’t so primitive as to have never seen a cell phone, but the technology of an iPhone or Blackberry wasn’t something they were used to having around.

As we prepared to roll on to the next location, we didn’t miss the opportunity to play some catch with a few of the school kids now that class was dismissed. On one side of the courtyard, my platoon sergeant pushed a kid back and forth on a swing while my platoon leader attempted to hit a home run with a broken baseball bat. I didn’t know if these children knew what the sport of baseball was but I could tell their knowledge was limited by the way they threw the ball – in a style more like a quarterback would throw to a receiver running a wide-out pattern. Even so, the spirit these children showed while playing games with foreigners among the rubble was heartwarming.

Back to business

After one more stop to visit with fellow platoon members at a different site, my platoon leader and I fought our way back through the market to check back in at Task Force headquarters. Another long night was fast approaching.

As the days passed, the job became routine and the “battle” shifted from fatigue to complacency. There wasn’t much change from day to day as I sat on a gate waiting for time to expire. Home was farther away in distance than in thought, but as the second week approached, I couldn’t help but wonder if this mission would ever end.

Nearly halfway through our 19 days of duty here, some familiar faces arrived. My adjutant general and his entourage wanted to see the humanitarian work we were doing in this foreign land. For a brief moment, the thought of only spending one day in this country made me jealous. Then, during lunch with our VIPs, I discovered they also had to take the little blue pills. Although their visit was for less than 24 hours, they’d have to continue to take them for 30 days after they returned – just like the rest of us.

The opportunity to spend a few hours with these familiar faces was another burst of energy for me. The praise we received from our higher leadership rejuvenated my will and reminded me that the end was near.

When I returned to work that night, it was different. It wasn’t any shorter and the moon wasn’t any higher, but bugs were fewer. We had the rain to thank for this. It wasn’t the first time precipitation had come around, but it did mark the beginning of what would become a very wet week.

Almost home

As the rains came down every day for the rest of the mission, I again wanted it to be over. We were the second-to-last group working the two-week rotations who would inhabit headquarters. As the rains came down, so did parts of the camp – some as a result of the weather and others because the year-long mission there was nearly complete.

I began to think about the drawdown in Iraq and how those final few Soldiers will feel. For me it was the turning point. I finally felt that my duties had contributed to the overall mission of helping the Haitian people and their government recover from a natural disaster that destroyed much of the country.

I never had the opportunity to see the country for what it was before the storm, but living it firsthand, I definitely knew what it was after.

It was a small, proud country that recognized that it couldn’t recover alone. The people of Haiti were glad that we were there. We brought food and medical supplies, security and aid. We helped build schools and clinics and did what we could to ease the people’s pain and suffering.

But I brought knowledge. I brought smiles and I brought friendship. I exchanged handshakes and I exchanged smiles. I lived it and I made a difference. No matter how big or how small my impact was, I made a difference.