By Marine Corps Cpl. Michael Lockett
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2012 – Marines and sailors of the 26th Marine
Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., flew aboard the USS Wasp
Nov. 1 to prepare to provide assistance to New Jersey, New York and
Connecticut in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Marines
and sailors of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed aboard USS
Wasp, Nov. 1, 2012, currently afloat off the coast of New York City, to
assist in disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
The 26th MEU can provide generators, fuel, clean water and helicopter
lift capabilities to aid in disaster relief efforts. The 26th MEU is
currently in pre-deployment training, preparing for their departure in
2013. As an expeditionary crisis response force operating from the sea,
the MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force capable of conducting
amphibious operations, crisis response and limited contingency
operations. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael S. Lockett
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. |
|
Within less than a day of receiving the order from Marine Corps Maj.
Gen. Raymond C. Fox, the commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary
Force, Marines and sailors boarded aircraft and sortied from bases in
North Carolina to meet the amphibious assault ship as it sailed off the
coast of New York City, preparing to provide medical, logistical,
engineering, and heavy airlift support to the storm-damaged areas if
tasked by the secretary of defense.
“What’s important here is
that the American public sees
that their military can provide support to
American cities, to American citizens, in a time of need,” said Marine
Corps Col. Matthew G. St. Clair, 26th MEU commanding officer.
The MEU is
a Marine Corps crisis-response force that’s designed to remain afloat
for months at a time
The 26th MEU is uniquely suited to the task.
Operating from a Navy vessel, the unit’s air assets have an agility
that ensures aid can be delivered anywhere within hundreds of miles.
“We have the capability to fly, and we can support New Jersey. We can
support New York City. We can support Connecticut -- simultaneously,”
St. Clair said. “That’s what the MEU brings -- the flexibility and the
inherent capabilities that come with it.”
The 26th MEU equipment
embarked aboard the Wasp were chosen to give the unit many tools to
bring to its assistance efforts in the area. Marine Medium Tilt-rotor
Squadron 266 Reinforced, assisted by aircraft from Marine Heavy
Helicopter Squadron 366 and Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 467,
has UH-1N Huey and the CH-53E Super Stallion heavy lift helicopters
capable of moving large numbers of passengers, supplies, or equipment.
“This is another great example of the flexibility and responsiveness of
the Navy-Marine Corps team,” St. Clair said. “Specifically, our
[helicopters provide the] ability to conduct these operations from the
sea. We’re able to do something other services cannot do. We don’t have
to have a large footprint on the shore. We can conduct all of our
command and control from the sea.”
The Wasp, purpose-built to
support the operations of a Marine expeditionary unit, is the perfect
staging platform for this kind of operation.
“The city of New
York -- the states -- don’t have to find space to billet Marines. They
don’t have to find space for our aircraft. Because we can recover back
to the USS Wasp, and we can do that every day,” St. Clair said.
“We can assist with the ability to move supplies with our aviation
assets. We can do a site survey to determine how bad an area is. We can
help move and distribute supplies; water, food, blankets -- pieces of
equipment,” St. Clair said. “If it can fit in a CH-53E, we can move it.
We can get supplies and people to areas that are affected, where the
only means to get there may be aviation assets.”
Marines with
Combat Logistics Battalion 26, specializing in construction and debris
removal, water purification and transport, electrical and generator
work, medical support and heavy machinery operation, give the commanding
officer many options.
“The MEU has all these capabilities
inherent to the MAGTF -- the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. We’re able to
respond quickly. We’re able to self-deploy. And the flexibility we have
by being embarked on the USS Wasp allows for an afloat staging area,”
St. Clair said.
“Something like this pulls America together.
There’s support coming here from all over the country,” he said, noting
the MEU is just one part of a larger plan, with other agencies and
organizations coming together to provide assistance to the
storm-stricken Northeast.
“This is an example of what a true
crisis response force is,” St. Clair said. “It’s the MEU and the
amphibious ready group. We moved to the affected area quickly, with a
robust capability, and we’re posturing to support.”
Posts
