country. JFSOCC-FWD’s role was to assess medical facilities and determine other critical needs outside
of the capital, arranging for aid to fill gaps. These outlying areas in particular were strained from the influx
of people displaced by the earthquake.
Some of the first Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) to respond to the crisis were Civil Affairs
(CA) personnel. A total of two companies from the 98 th CA Battalion deployed. The first to arrive was
CA Team (CAT) 812 from Company A, consisting of five Soldiers, including a medic. At the time of the
earthquake, CAT 812 was already deployed to Trinidad/Tobago as a Civil Military Support Element
(CMSE). SOUTHCOM easily redirected them to Haiti, and they arrived within 12 hours of the
earthquake. Since they were coming from another mission, however, they had gaps in
equipment/supplies/uniforms. When they arrived, there was total chaos, and the area was unstable from
aftershocks. CAT 812 first set up its base in an auto garage owned by the Haitian father of an ARSOF
Soldier. As part of the initial response (Phase I), the team evaluated the situation, including surveying
medical facilities for severe structural damage and overflowing morgues.
In the wake of the earthquake, a plethora of various organizations had descended on Haiti to assist,
including governmental, interagency, and international/multinational non-governmental humanitarian
organizations. 26 countries sent military assets in support, such as field hospitals, hospital ships, and
helicopters. Since so many different groups offered assistance but lacked an entity for coordination, CAT
812 formed a Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Center (HACC). It was located in the US Embassy
and managed and directed all incoming aid. The CA team set up an email account for the coordination of
food requests, and it ended up receiving approximately 300-400 emails per day. The HACC also
functioned to de-conflict efforts with the UN. Fortunately, the commander of the MINUSTAH forces,
Brazilian Major General Floriano Peixoto, had had a professional friendship with the JTF-Haiti
commander ever since he participated in a 1984 exchange program with the Brazilian Airborne
Brigade. This relationship bolstered coordination across both organizations during the Haiti disaster.
After setting up the HACC in the Embassy, CAT 812 was sent by JFSOCC-FWD to assess the situation
elsewhere in Haiti, as newly-arrived personnel from the 98 th CA Battalion took over duties at the
HACC. After assessing needs in northern Haiti and coordinating supplies for that area, CAT 812 was
sent to Jérémie, a city of 31,000 in western Haiti with a large UN presence, about 180 miles from Port-au-
Prince. In Jérémie, the team found a local hotel to use as its base of operations. For this mission, CAT
812 expanded to include an interpreter, since US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) had
placed a call for Haitian Creole speakers, and a Private First Class Soldier who spoke the language had
volunteered.
CAT 812’s primary mission in Jérémie was to assess critical needs and provide humanitarian
assistance. CAT 812 assessed the numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs), estimating
approximately 100,000 to be in Jérémie, which strained the already low levels of food available and the
limited healthcare system. CAT 812 also assessed outlying orphanages and met with local NGOs, such as
the Haitian Health Fund (HHF). After assessing Jérémie’s immediate needs, CAT 812 arranged for a
delivery of supplies, and an Army Landing Craft, Utility (LCU) delivered 29,000 lbs. of food and fuel. CAT
812 worked with both the Uruguayan UN contingent, which handled delivery and transport of the food
from the boat to the warehouse, and with local NGOs, to plan equitable food distribution. The HHF fed
4,300 people from this shipment.
Once these basic needs were addressed in Jérémie, CAT 812 focused on the surrounding area. The HHF
requested CAT 812 to assist at a medical clinic several hours outside of Jérémie. The CAT planned a
Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) with HHF, which enabled them to assess needs in outlying
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