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.”

Amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1)
cuts through the Pacific Ocean while on deployment in support of
maritime security operations and the global war on terrorism.

The Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), made up of over 5,500 sailors and marines, is capable of conducting strike warfare and engaging enemy forces in the air, and on and beneath the sea’s surface. It is supported by various aircraft, including the CH-46 Sea Knight, CH-53 Sea Stallion, AH-1 Cobra, UH-1 Iroquois, SH-60 Seahawk and AV-8B Harrier.

On November 5, the San Diego element of the Tarawa ESG departed for a six-month deployment to the US 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. Units from San Diego include Amphibious Squadron 1, USS Tarawa (LHA 1), USS Cleveland (LPD 7), USS Germantown (LSD 42), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and elements of Naval Beach Group 1. Also joining the Tarawa ESG in Pearl Harbor are USS Port Royal (CG 73), USS Hopper (DDG 70) and USS Ingraham (FFG 61).

During a 2005 deployment, the Tarawa ESG conducted maritime security operations, participated in Exercise Bright Star and served as an afloat staging base in the North Arabian Gulf, training with the Iraqi Navy and guarding key Iraqi oil terminals.

(U.S. Air Force photo/Robbin Cresswell)

Tech. Sgt. David Adcox holds his military working dog Samo, as decoy Staff Sgt. Jeremy Toliver agitates the dog during a demonstration Nov. 7 for the 5th International Working Dog Breeding Conference at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The conference was attended by 140 people from 16 countries, representing military, government and non-government programs, academia and industry. The conference focuses on the improvement of dogs through selective breeding for working occupations such as military, police, detection and assistance. The sergeants and Samo are from the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland.

A sudden blast in the hull of a Navy Cruiser during routine maintenance injured six workers last Saturday. Two of them are in critical condition, authorities said.

Subcontractors from the National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. were working in the fuel tank of the USS Lake Champlain as it sat in dry dock when the explosion occurred just after noon, said San Diego Fire Department spokesman Maurice Luque.

“Apparently it was caused by flammable gas that ignited,” Luque said. “We don’t know how or why.”

Two of the workers were taken to UC San Diego Medical Center with “major trauma burns” that Luque said were life-threatening.

Two others had moderate injuries and were taken to the hospital, Luque said, and two more were treated at the scene and released.