MAFB Airmen return to complete Haiti mission Published Sept. 25, 2008 Continuing Promise 2008 Public Affairs ABOARD USS KEARSARGE (LHD 3) -- After a two-day stop at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to refuel and obtain supplies, USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), with approximately 40 Airmen from Minot Air Force Base aboard, returned to Haiti Sept. 21 to continue its humanitarian assistance/disaster relief mission. The amphibious ship was diverted from Santa Marta, Colombia, Sept. 6 to assist with mitigating human suffering and loss of life in Haitian communities impacted by Tropical Storm Hanna, and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Airmen from the 5th Civil Engineer Squadron Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force and Navy Seabees continued to conduct assessments in some of the more heavily damaged areas where roads, bridges and critical infrastructures were destroyed by heavy rains and flooding from the storms. "Kearsarge has refueled, resupplied and the crew is ready to resume the vital relief operations in Haiti," said U.S. Navy Capt. Fernandez "Frank" Ponds, commander of the U.S. military relief efforts in Haiti. "The ship now continues the promise of support and assistance to the population by distributing necessary supplies, as well as requested medical and engineering support." To date, helicopters and landing craft embarked aboard Kearsarge have delivered more than 1,200 metric tons of relief supplies, including 26,000 gallons of water to devastated communities isolated by damaged roads and bridges. "We are doing good work here," said Maj. Thomas DeFazio, 5th CES contingency engineer forces commander, "and I'm very proud of our Airmen." Altogether, service members from the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, along with medical personnel from the U.S. Public Health Service, Canadian Army and Air Force, Brazil, Project Hope and International Aid are supporting Continuing Promise 2008, a four-month mission in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. Minot AFB's Airmen have been deployed in support of CP 2008 since July. So far, they've completed engineering projects in Nicaragua and Colombia. They will also visit Panama, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. The deployment is scheduled to last through November. For more news on CP 2008, log on to USSOUTHCOM's Web site at www.southcom.mil.