I am pleased to report that all one hundred and fourteen members, and their canines, arrived home safely this past Thursday. Usually, only seventy members are deployed at a time, but in a crisis such as this one they sent as many as they could. The Task Force flew into Dulles International Airport, where they were greeted by officials and a water arch on the runway. The team loaded onto three buses and was escorted by police to their training center. There, family members of the team impatiently waited for “our guys” to arrive.
This is the first mission that I have been unable to welcome the team home, so I have been watching the media coverage from Blacksburg. After speaking with my family members, I have been told that the cameras could not capture the size or energy of how great the homecoming really was. It is a relief to have the Task Force home, but I know that they would all return in an instant if needed. The media has been referring to the team members as "heroes," but they just see themselves as doing what anyone would, helping out when others are in need.
My objective with this blog is to discuss several topics regarding the earth quake in Haiti. Virginia Task Force One was the last of our American teams to leave Haiti. One of my goals is to really bring attention to Haiti now that our teams are home and it is beginning to fade out of the media. Everyone is so involved when a disaster first happens, but as soon as the media decides that it is not "current" news anymore, less people pay attention. Relief in Haiti has just begun, even though Anderson Cooper and his team are home.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid30317508001?bctid=63910463001
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