Operation PEGASUS LOIGN - Airmobile mission aids mountain communities

Published On Tue Feb 16 2010

By Captain Lyne Poirier

One of Joint Task Force Haiti’s six CH-146 Griffon helicopters delivers boxes of food to an isolated village in the mountains near Léogâne.

One of Joint Task Force Haiti’s six CH-146 Griffon helicopters delivers boxes of food to an isolated village in the mountains near Léogâne.

Cpl Sébastien Abat of A Company, 3rd Battalion Royal 22e Régiment distributes boxes of food flown in by Griffon helicopter.

Cpl Sébastien Abat of A Company, 3rd Battalion Royal 22e Régiment distributes boxes of food flown in by Griffon helicopter.

Soldiers from A Company, 3rd Battalion Royal 22e Régiment control the crowd waiting for distribution of the first new food supplies delivered to the isolated village since the earthquake.

Soldiers from A Company, 3rd Battalion Royal 22e Régiment control the crowd waiting for distribution of the first new food supplies delivered to the isolated village since the earthquake.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, Camp Lynx was already stuck into its work day. Helicopters filled the sky, thrilling us with the zoom of their rotor blades. We were about to start something really big: Operation PEGASUS ÉLOIGNÉ.

Following on reports of many crowd movements, there was some concern that residents of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding countryside had decided to head for Léogâne. A mass exodus towards Léogâne could destabilize the region, where resources are in short supply. Officials also doubted that it would be possible to distribute humanitarian aid in the countryside, in outlying areas inaccessible by road.

Consequently, helicopters transported medical teams and soldiers from A Company to three distribution sites in the mountains. Humanitarian aid delivered by Griffon helicopters, both inside the aircraft and swinging below in sling loads, included food, shelter materials, and medical supplies.

The four Griffon helicopters involved in Operation PEGASUS ÉLOIGNÉ transported 64 people, 1,500 boxes of non-perishable food, and 1,500 sheets of tent material. The synchronization of the aviation and medical elements unfolded without a hitch. In fact, the schedule allowed completion of the cargo delivery to the mountains by about noon, so the entire operation could wind up by 4:30 p.m.

“Thanks to the flexibility of A Company’s soldiers and their ability to adapt to any kind of terrain, we overcame every obstacle we encountered during the operation. It ran smoothly from A to Z, thanks also to the support we received from members of the tactical helicopter squadron,” said Major Frédéric Pruneau, the officer commanding A Company.

The medical team led by Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Martin Bédard flew through Haiti’s hot sun to a village called Chalate. Lying in the middle of a chain of mountains far from any distribution centre, Chalate has a population of 4,000 people and a crying need for humanitarian aid.

The medical team gave treatments using the means and resources available to them. “We had to transport our medical equipment in the helicopters, and obviously this limited the amount we the amount we could bring. The choice had to be made carefully, following priorities,” explained CPO1 Bédard.

“When we arrived, we found some 350 people lined up and waiting for medical care,” he went on. The PEGASUS team was also able to evacuate one wounded person to the Canadian military hospital.

The first such mission conducted by Joint Task Force Haiti, Op PEGASUS ÉLOIGNÉ turned out a resounding success. More operations of the same kind are expected within the next few days. The collaborative efforts of the various units of the joint task force demonstrate the professionalism of our soldiers, sailors and air force members, and their ability to adapt to any kind of mission.