Specialist James Kaye, a UH-60 crew chief with the 1st Battalion,
228th Aviation Regiment, takes a load of food from a local civilian to deliver to the
south central region of the Dominican Republic.

On November 11, a team of service members from the United States and the Dominican Republic delivered more than 4,900 pounds of provisions to villages in the south central region of the Dominican Republic, as part of the relief effort following Tropical Storm Noel. Deliveries of food, blankets and medical supplies had been ongoing since the beginning of the month.

Two US teams also set up makeshift clinics in the towns of Paya and Valdesia on November 10, treating more than 600 villagers. Another team dropped medical personnel and 300 pounds of supplies in Paya for a follow-up to a November 10 Expeditionary Medical Liaison team mission. Local civilians and military personnel assisted in loading the bags into the team’s Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which delivered the goods to the towns of El Rocodo, Miguel Martin and El Desechado.

Chief Warrant Officer Four Tim Connor, one of two UH-60 Black Hawk pilots flying the missions, commented that the team was well-received in each village they visited. “As soon as they heard and saw the helicopter coming in, the people in the towns ran waving and cheering to where we were landing,” he said. “They were very eager to help us offload the supplies, which gives us more time to visit other villages.”