A few thousand .."U.S. withdrawing troops from Haiti" Thought I'd give some positive

[Cha]

information on the US Troops in Haiti..

<snip>

"Great gray ships have been leaving behind Haiti’s battered shores as thousands of American troops pack up their tents. The mission, however, is far from over.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S. will be in Haiti for the long haul, although troop strength is down to 13,000 from a Feb. 1 peak of 20,000.

Within a broad international relief effort, U.S. forces have provided some of the most visible support to a nation whose government and infrastructure were nearly wiped out in less than a minute on Jan. 12.

They have shored up the capital’s quake-damaged port to operate at several times its pre-quake tonnage, while acting as a security and logistics mainstay for U.N. food distributions. Military choppers have delivered life-sustaining relief to isolated villages."

<More>
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/15/us-withdrawing-troops-from-haiti/

[DevonRex]

1. But I thought we were evil and graceless and shameful and were killing Haitians

right and left. That's what they tell me elsewhere on DU.

[Cha]

2. That's what prompted me to go searching

to see if there was another view on this. Instead of getting on any of those threads whining about the US Soldiers I see it's not all Doom and Gloom for the Haitians having the US helping them out.

Here's some more positive US Soldiers in Haiti news now..

<snip>

"Although the ruined streets of Haiti are filled with millions of hungry, desperate, homeless people, the 6,200 American soldiers on the ground here are facing a climate far different from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many soldiers move unarmed or with their weapons slung behind their backs, and interaction with the public seems to be marked by a mutual, cautious respect. Still, the change in environment is dramatic for soldiers who have operated in a war zone where every alley and desert road was the front line.

But according to Major General Daniel Allyn, deputy commander of the task force, the transition from a combat to humanitarian mindset “has been far less difficult than you might think. Most of the soldiers are just happy to be able to help folks who need help.’’

About 50 percent of the US soldiers here are veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan, Allyn estimated."

<more>
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2010/02/16/us_soldiers_shift_from_mideast_to_haiti_dramatic/