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Photos From A Reporter’s Notebook In Haiti

By R.Gregg, The Raleigh Telegram

Thursday, February 4, 2010

PORT AU PRINCE - Often when you’re reporting on an event, you’ll take a lot of photos that are certainly interesting but not necessarily worthy of an entire article on their own.

When I was embedded with the 82nd Airborne recently down in Haiti to report on their humanitarian aid efforts after the earthquake, I probably took a couple thousand photographs and dozens of photos while I was there.

Trying to decide which photos and which stories we publish (I distilled it down to 20 stories and around 200 photos) is not easy and sometimes some good items get left out.

However, on this page, hopefully you’ll enjoy some of the items that I recorded in my own personal notebook about my trip to Haiti.

Photo credits: All photos on this page are by The Raleigh Telegram.

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Leaving Haiti And The Great Soldiers In The 82nd Airborne:

This photograph is one of this reporter’s favorites because I was able to have my picture taken with some of the soldiers that I stayed with in Port au Prince. To the left and right of me are Lt. Valtin and Sergeant White (right), both from NC and who are in the 2nd of the 319th.

Leaving Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base:

We rode down to Haiti on an Air Force C-130 (see separate article) that stopped at McDill AFB in Tampa. To be honest, this was the last photo of me where I didn’t seem have dust everywhere in my clothes, bags, and shoes.

Some Carolina Fans In Haiti:

After arriving at the airport in Port au Prince, since I was wearing a UNC shirt, I ran across Major Tonya Bradsheer and TV reporter Pamela Brown, both Carolina graduates. It’s a small world as I found out on the way back to the US (see article on the C-17 on main page).

US Navy Helicopters Distribute Food:

As anyone who camped out with the 407th at the airport will tell you, the US Navy were running re-supply missions non-stop between dusk and dawn. The Army guys were convinced that the Navy copters buzzed our camp on purpose, stirring up clouds of dust.

Food Truck Tips Over:

One of the soldiers took my picture next to a Humvee in town (top) while I was with the 2nd of the 319th at the Advance Operating Base Green. This Mack truck was overloaded with bags of food and the Airborne soldiers had to help reload it and then send it on its way.

French Presence In Haiti:

The French military was certainly on the scene in Haiti. This snapshot of some members of the French forces shows their serious side. The French soldiers were camped out close to the runway and had the tallest flagpole at the airport where they flew the tri-color French flag.

A Nice Breeze To Be Sure:

When I was camped out at the airport with the 407th and needed to do some writing, I would find a little shade behind one of the cargo containers to get away from the hot Haitian sun. The prop wash from the helicopters provided a nice breeze although more than once I had to chase items as they got blown away.

Evidence Of The Earthquake:

When the 407th visited the port area of Port au Prince, I was somewhat startled to see this big giant fissure in the ground next to the water. On our trip, we saw several cracks in the ground when walking in the downtown area next to a river.

What’s On The Haitian Menu:

After eating MRE’s for a week (above), I was ready to try something new. However, we were under strict orders not to eat the local cuisine including this chicken (above), no matter how good it looked or smelled as it was cooked on charcoal.

Phone Charging Station:

As electricity was in somewhat of a short supply even before the earthquake, the Haitian people often used car batteries as a source of power as you can see by these phones charging. We often saw car batteries being used to power small lights inside of the tent camps as well.

Horses In Haiti?:

At the headquarters for the 2nd of the 319th in Haiti, we stayed at an equestrian facility in the middle of town. It was somewhat strange to see some of the soldiers sleeping in stables formerly occupied by horses, but at least the riding club offered a lot of shade.

Explaining What A Paratrooper Is:

While we’re stopped on a street in Haiti, a paratrooper just finishes explaining using his hands what paratroopers do for a living. I’m not sure if the man understood all of the hand gestures about jumping out of an airplane, but he seemed to be entertained nonetheless.

Sorry No Phone Service Today:

A soldier jokes around with what’s left of a pay phone in Haiti next to a tent camp. The phone booth, which didn’t work, was the only pay phone that I saw in the entire city, as many people don’t have land lines use mobile phones instead.

Some Interesting Tattoos:

During my talks with the troops in the Airborne, I got to see several interesting tattoos including this elaborate portrait of Jesus Christ on one soldier’s arm. Other tattoos included a giant red dragon and Celtic designs.

The UN Guys:

We saw several soldiers from the United Nations peacekeeping force which was stationed in Haiti long before the earthquake occurred. Soldiers from Brazil and Jordan were among those we met in the country and they were easily visible in their white vehicles and blue berets.

Dusty And Smoky Street:

I’m not sure why, but this is one of my favorite photos from Haiti. Perhaps because it shows our troops making their way through a dusty, smoke-filled street where people are literally sleeping on the ground under bedsheets. That pretty much sums up the situation there.

Photo In A Port au Prince Neighborhood:

According to a soldier from Haiti, the rainy season is due up in the spring. Low-lying areas like the one behind me with lots of trash will likely be filled up with water and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can spread malaria.

Meals, Ready To Eat:

For a country that is experiencing a big shortage on food, we certainly did see lots of barnyard animals walking around. In addition to lots of large pigs who survived by living on trash, we saw chickens and goats in the streets. Some of the pigs were pretty huge.