38 - Natural Disaster l Earthquake in Haiti

In January 2010, a catastrophic magnitude 7 earthquake hit Haiti, with the largest impacts just outside the capital of Port-au-Prince. The damage was unthinkable: tens of thousands of buildings destroyed or severely damaged and hundreds of thousands of people killed in the already impoverished country. Many who survived were trapped in rubble or in need of first aid or food and water.

Within 48 hours of the initial earthquake the 82nd Airborne Division’s Falcon Brigade, Second Brigade Combat Team, then the Nation’s Global Response Force, was on the ground in Haiti providing security, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to the local government and aid organizations.

Under Operation Unified Response, our Falcon Paratroopers worked with joint forces and international organizations providing medical aid in the blazing tropical sun and distributing food and water in the dust of crumbled buildings. Our Paratroopers saved lives; the disaster in Haiti would have been much worse were it not for the actions of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Episode 38 of the All American Legacy Podcast is told with no narration: just the voices of our Paratroopers who deployed to Haiti in 2010 telling their own stories.

The All American Legacy podcast is produced by the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office and features a new story from the 100-year legacy of the Division every Tuesday on iTunes. Reach out to us at [email protected].

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