The young men and women of our American military constantly make us proud not only of their actions, but their values. A classic example is seen below, written by Captain Nathan Broshear, USAF, a part of the earthquake rescue mission now ongoing in Haiti. It is reprinted here with permission, made possible by his dad Paul Broshear, and brought to my attention by Michael Schimmer.
Haiti: this is why I serve
Commentary by Capt. Nathan D. Broshear
12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Public Affairs2/23/2010 – PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — I’m often asked why I choose to be in the Air Force. Some people ask to start up conversation, others to be polite, and some genuinely wonder what compels Airmen to swear to support and defend the Constitution, put themselves in harm’s way and deploy far from home.
Most people who ask are looking for a one-word answer. They expect you’ll simply say: adventure or flying, travel, education or some other military benefit.
Usually, after about 20 seconds of explanation their eyes turn glossy as you struggle to capture the essence of what you do and why you do it – all without using military jargon.
I’ve been in Haiti since January and I know when I return, people will ask me, “What did you see there? Are we really helping?” The answer to these questions is really the same answer to the question, “Why are you in the Air Force?”
I’ve learned service has rewards greater than any paycheck, trip abroad or educational degree. In it exist opportunities to be where others cannot, to stand where others will not, and to do what people would do if only they could be where you are.
The rewards of serving aren’t one-word answers; they’re the tiny snapshots of humanity, dignity and kindness playing over and over in the minds of Airmen who’ve “been there.”
These scenes of hope replay in my mind each night as I lie down to sleep in my tent:
Airmen download thousands of pounds of life-saving food and water from aircraft that don’t even shut off their engines. They’re done in minutes and begin working on the next aircraft – 24 hours a day — so far, more than 3,000 times.
I hug a Haitian man as he tells me, “Without you, I would be dead … thank you, America.” I see the man again a few days later and he greets me like we’ve known each other for years. All he asks is for me to take a picture with him – not for him to keep, but so I can take the picture home with me and tell others his story.
An Air Force nurse cries with a patient recovering in a clinic, not from pain, but because they would soon part. Later, the whole ward — every patient with life-threatening injuries–sings together while nurses dance for them.
People come together for the greater good. Airmen unload airplanes from Venezuela, China, Qatar, France, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Colombia, Nicaragua, and dozens more. They salute every aircrew as they depart, no matter what flag is on the jet’s tail.
I stare in wonder at owls flying across a full flight line at 1 a.m. A private jet pulls in, full of volunteers. They ask, “Where’s the nearest hotel?” I point to a few tents and cots in the grass next to the tarmac. They sleep outside and don’t mind a bit.
I hold a baby born just after the earthquake on board a Navy hospital ship. The mother lost one leg and sustained multiple other injuries after debris fell on her, yet the baby is healthy…and all mom wants to talk about is how happy she is to be home again.
A family huddles under a tarp held up by sticks on a median between traffic lanes. They’re cooking rice and beans from a huge sack marked “A gift from the people of the United States of America.” They look up, smile and give us a big “thumbs-up” as we drive by.
I hear my family on the phone saying, “I’m proud of you….”
I give an MRE to someone who’s never had one, and likely hasn’t eaten all day.
When the first commercial flight arrives in Port-au-Prince, Haitian families reunite a month after the earthquake. Tears of joy stream down their faces as they embrace.
A group of Airmen get off a transport airplane carrying their bags after traveling for an entire day. They’ve got every right to rest, but just hours later, they’re building tents, marshalling aircraft, mapping food distribution points and driving earthmovers….all 700 of them.
A nurse tells me about a Haitian baby boy born on board the U.S.S. Carl
Vinson….the mother names him “Vincent.”A woman stands atop the mountain of rubble that was once her home. She points out where she and her son were when the earthquake hit, then explains how a fallen door miraculously protected them from harm. There’s a hole in the rocks, just big enough to crawl through, marking their exit from death. The woman calls the escape, “God’s hand.”
When I return home and I’m asked why I serve, I’ll struggle to communicate the sights and sounds of hope that come with the privilege of being an Airman. My storytelling will fall short of putting a person where I’ve been.
I won’t be able to conjure up the sensory signals of mutual respect, trust and compassion that come from being there when you’re most needed.
Why do I serve? The one-word answer: Haiti.
Capt. Nathan Broshear
I do understand, thank you and God bless you capt.
If you don’t think our troops and hospital ships are needed in Haiti, consider the following: Haitians with US ties and US citizens were coming into an American Red Cross facility in Orlando. Two weeks after the earthquake, Haitians were coming in with broken limbs that had not even been splinted. I got this straight from a Red Cross volunteer nurse who just returned from treating patients. ( I am involved in the American Red Cross in FL). Now, I know that Haiti lacks many things, but broken wood and rags are not lacking. No one knew or cared enough to even splint these victims wounds. If not the US, who will help? The never-generous Saudis pledged a paltry US$5 million in aid. Thanks to our troops who serve in this crisis, many will be fed and basic triage will be performed before sending the still wounded to hospital ships. Without our armed troops, the food would be stolen by criminals.
I support our armed forces– their existence is to protect our nation. However, I have problems with our armed forces being in Haiti, given their charter to protect these United States does not include philanthropy and charity work in other countries. There have been several earthquakes and tsunamis in the past couple years on foreign soil, yet our armed forces did not participate in relief efforts in all of them– just some of them, which begs the question of why.
With our nation in debt to the point that there are not even enough dollars in the world to pay our way out of it, real security comes from following the Constitution and its design of limiting federal armed forces to protecting the states. With multiple, non-Constitutionally authorized wars already in progress, including pundit critiques that we do not have enough troops in those locations, and with growing deficits and debts caused by these military ventures that are going to put all of our great-great grandchildren in hawk, I cannot imagine why our federal government would send such a critical resource to Haiti.
This is not to disclaim the character of Capt Broshear, whose writing indicates great servitude. I would rather see this servitude coming from charitable and non-profit organizations, than from the federal budget already drowning in Davey Jones’ locker. I, for one, have and would continue to contribute to charitable (non-government) organizations that take up such a valiant cause. It’s just irresponsible for our federal government to do so, especially given our current fiscal status.
Whether we like it or not, whether we like the people we help or not, there is a simple truth.
When it comes to saving foreign lives, nobody does it near as good as the U.S. military. We have the only military in the world that spends more money doing good than killing enemies. Even today the ones that we vanquish are taken care of. Even while fighting is going on we feed their families, fix their villages and improve their future.
I hate the dollar costs of the big relief efforts like Haiti, but you know we are their neighbors, it’s what neighbors do when there is an emergency.
Reading the words of Captain Broshear was both moving and inspiring. As a police officer, I know exactly what he means about the difficulty in answering the question of “why we serve”. Everyone should be proud of the men and women we are blessed to have serving in our military, most just like him.
However, I find I must agree on some level with the comments made by “Thomas Jefferson” above. I’m not sure that our military is the appropriate organization for humanitarian efforts at a time when there are very real security threats to our country that we are struggling, from a resource standpoint, to deal with.
I’m not entirely sure how else the massive airlifts of food and supplies would be made otherwise, and Fred Barlett’s last comments about the need for armed troops to prevent theft certainly ring true in my experience from disasters here at home where we police were necessary to control negative human behavior.
So I guess our military’s involvement in “meals on wheels” operations, popularized under Bill Clinton, will continue to be a debated topic. This in no way detracts from the courage and dedication of our soldiers we send to do something that may not really be their job.
There are situations where the military is the only organization that can do a job.
NGOs, aid groups and the like are not really as expeditionary like the military is. The UN and aid groups like doctors without borders have aid to distribute…but only Air Force Special Tactics Squadron controllers can walk off a plane (or jump out of it) and immediately start directing relief flights. The military travels with the tents, generators, ops centers, material handling equipment and security to deal with a situation where all infrastructure is destroyed. Aid was reported to be sitting around because of lack of fuel. The military is used to dealing with this problem. They bring their own fuel.
I am a rabid constitutionalist, but there are situations where thousands upon thousands would die while private aid would figure out how to get help to people. We have the assets, the resources, the skills and we are closer than anyone else…I will be damned if I say no. If its unconstitutional so be it, the American people can decide if firing the official who made the call is the correct response or not. Remember that adminsitering no punishment is sometimes the proper response to a guilty verdict.
Mr. Matthews and Thomas Jefferson, as much as I loathe to admit it, you are right. I’ve lost a few arguments in my day, but when I lost, I learned more than if I had won. You two are right; You two use hard logic using real information. It makes me sick to my stomach that you are right, but you two are right! Damn both of you once and bless you twice!
While we can debate the proper role of the US military, and I certainly have my opinion, remember that these folks signed up to serve, period. Our Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coasties don’t get to choose their orders or pick their fights, they simply GO.
This moving story gives some first-person insights into what it’s like to be helping and making a difference at a major disaster.
The US military is uniquely capable of offering assistance in disasters such as this. So, aside from the discussion of whether this is their proper role, I appreciate this story and wish our deployed personnel safe operations and quick return.
As much as the non-interventionists have a valid point, the truth is that the American military reaches around the world to both help and fight. Read Robert Kaplan’s excellent books about our efforts around the world. In my mind, the Swiss have it right. Everyone from 18 to 50 serves in the Swiss army for 2-3 weeks per year. Each citizen-soldier keep an automatic rifle (.30 cal, used to be AMT fully auto rifles, probably a SIG version now) with red-sealed packs of ammo. They show up in Fall and have military exercises to protect their nation. After 50 years of age, one serves, but not directly in the exercises but in a supporting/logistical role
But the US is not Switzerland, and we have exerted power in every century and every continent. Like it or not, it shows our good side to help in Haiti as we helped in Thailand after the tsunami. Haiti will never rebuild like Thailand did, mostly because of cultural reasons. Eighty four percent of Haiti’s Gross National Product comes from foreign aid. Socialism gone wild.
I’m with you BlazinDave.
There is no organization better equiped to deal with the situation in Hati. In my opinion, the day we cease to offer a helping hand to our neighbor is the day we should commit our founding documents to the shredder.
“The interests of a nation, when well understood, will be found to
coincide with their moral duties. Among these it is an important
one to cultivate habits of peace and friendship with our neighbors.” — Thomas Jefferson: Draft,
Presidential Message, 1792.
“We are firmly convinced, and we act on that conviction, that
with nations, as with individuals, our interests soundly
calculated, will ever be found inseparable from our moral duties;
and history bears witness to the fact, that a just nation is
taken on its word, when recourse is had to armaments and wars to
bridle others.” –Thomas Jefferson: 2nd Inaugural Address, 1805.
“Do not withhold good from those who need it, when you have the ability to help.” — King Solomon
Thank you for your service Capt. Nathan Broshear, and for your report.
John A. Chick
USAF ’83-’92
The strict Constitutionalist interpretation seems to be correct – The Military serves, however at the behest of the Commander-In-Chief – a civilian, elected by the American people. If he acted incorrectly in sending our troops to aid a foreign country, let the question be settled here so that the proper course may be followed in the future. Until that is settled (and I am presently unaware of any attempts to do so), discussion of WHY our troops are serving there is irrelavant.
May God bless Capt. Broshear and all with a servants heart. I fear that the amount of money being spent to aid fellow human beings in Haiti is less than a drop in a bucket compared to other outlays of U.S. resources that should absolutely enrage fellow constitutionalists. I salute the Captain and all who feel as he does. Let us focus our attention on more egregious violations of the Constitution and hold our leaders’ feet to the fire for those actions (can you say stimulus? health care takeover? tax evasion?). Again, thank you for being there when I can’t.
If they weren’t deployed they would be getting paid doing their normal home base duties.in this operation they are training as well as serving.all of the skill sets they have been trained to perform are being honed in this operation with minimal risk to life and limb. I doubt the pentagon could have developed this level of a training exercise on their own.Now add to that the opportunity to aid humanity at the same time and the benefits outwiegh the costs.
While Thomas Jefferson and others making his point are Constitutionally correct in one sense, It seems they are overruled by the point that Peter D makes that under the Constitution the military DOES in fact serve at the behest of the Commander-in-Chief.
The Constitutional restriction at first glance appears correct, but on further investigation it appears to disintegrate.
In addition, I believe the case can be made that using all of the resources at our disposal to be a good neighbor in times of disaster translates into international goodwill, which in turn translates indirectly into increased National Security.
Reading this article made me proud of our military, proud of our Constitution and proud and grateful to be an American. Thank you for sharing it Massad.