That machine gun (a M249, SAW) is bigger than me! 
Well it looks like Haiti is back in the news again, for all the wrong reasons. Lets take a ride through history, to nine years ago. Back when I was a young soldier in the US army, and images of the gulf war (the first one) were fresh in our minds. The dragon of communism, a danger for fifty years, had been vanquished and our nation's military were trying to understand their new role in a changing world.
A map of Haiti 
Here's the 65th Engineer Battalion in Jacmel. We repaired three bridges in Jacmel 
A view of the river passing under 'Amber', the biggest of the bridge projects 
A bulldozer 
Another view of the bridge 
Shit burning detail. Yes, that is the technical military term. pour in gasoline, diesel, and stir while burning. Luckily some local was employed in this lowest of occupations 
The drive from Port Au Prince to Jacmel was a long and windy one, even though they are relatively close together 
A dismembered truck in one of the villages along the route 
Haiti, although impoverished, is very beautiful out away from the cities 
The industrial park that was US Army headquarters, Port Au Prince 
Biggs, one of the mechanics in my platoon 
I was on the losing end of a shaving cream fight. This is our 'home', a tent that housed a dozen of us 
A bus station in Port Au Price; busses are the main way haitians travel around their country 
This was our own 'bus', a chinook, which took a few mechanics (including me) to Cap Haitien 
SPC Todd Spelman, CO's driver, C Company 
A view of the port at Cap Haitien 
SPC Jeff Novatny, who worked in the signal battalion here in Cap Haitien 