Gunston Hall Establishes Killick Landing Zone for Haitian Relief Efforts

KILLICK, Haiti (NNS) -- A soccer field at the Killick Haitian Coast Guard Base, swampy and strewn with trash and debris, was once home to hundreds of Haitians displaced by the Jan. 12 earthquake which devastated the Caribbean nation. Today, the area is a helicopter-landing zone (LZ) for medical evacuations (MEDEVAC).

With the help of Sailors from USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) Africa Partnership Station (APS) West staff member Lt. Cmdr. Andy Grabus removed the debris, established communications and began running what has now become a very busy patch of grass.

"It was bad," said Grabus. "Trash was everywhere as were the cinderblocks the Haitians used to keep their tents from blowing away. I knew we had to do something, and do it quickly."

Before the LZ was established, injured Haitians were taken by boat to one of several U.S. Coast Guard ships occupying the waters just offshore of Killick. They were craned onto the ship and then rushed in for treatment, something Grabus said was an inadequate method of transporting injured people.

"I understood it was the only option at that time," said Grabus. "We had to come up with a better solution because…it just wasn't cutting it."

Grabus' said that with this effort, the amount of personnel being moved from the area significantly increased.

"In just a matter of a day or so, we went from 41 patients being evacuated up to 91," he said. "Totally unbelievable."

Gunston Hall Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Joseph Clark, from Spokane, Wash., said the LZ's environment can make his task difficult.

"Doing the job of a landing signalman enlisted (LSE) is totally different out here," he said. "On the ship, I don't have to worry about the force of the rotors kicking up dust in my face or the swamp mud sticking to my boots."

Trained as an assessments officer as well as an F-18 pilot, Grabus sometimes loses sleep because he's constantly thinking of ways to improve the process.

"I stay up a lot and wonder how I can make it better," he said. "I wonder how I can double, even triple the amount of flights."

But for now, Grabus' efforts are lending way for much-needed MEDEVAC transfers for seriously injured Haitians.

Gunston Hall, a Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock-landing ship, was originally scheduled for a deployment to Africa in support of Africa Partnership Station (APS) West. The ship was diverted to assist in humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations as part of Operation Unified Response.

The ship recently completed a mid-life modernization availability. The work included major upgrades to the ship's control system, local area network and machinery control system, propulsion systems, HVAC, as well as replacement of the ship's boilers and evaporators with an all-electric services system.

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