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Personal Transformation Warrant Officer Dennis Aranda

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Personal Transformation Warrant Officer Dennis Aranda UNCLASSIFIED Running Head: Belizean Soldiers Belizean Soldiers in Haiti: Personal Transformation Warrant Officer Dennis Aranda Belizean Defence Force September 4-December 16, 1994 CARICOM Task Force 1 October 2006 Class 57 Abstract This autobiographical story traces my path as a young Belizean Soldier facing my first potential combat mission. At that point in my career, I had limited experiences and training in Belizean Defence Force. It had never crossed my mind that I would be called on to serve so early in my career – or to serve in a CARICOM Force bound for Haiti and Operation Uphold Democracy. The events of those few months were at first unnerving, but over time I found inner strength and proved to be an effective leader. The experience set the tone for my future as an enlisted leader. 2 Belizean Soldiers in Haiti: Personal Transformation On the afternoon of September 5, 1994, while on operational duties in the deep jungle of the southern part of Belize, my patrol commander received a call on HF radio. He told me to standby to be extracted from patrol as soon as possible. The first question that came to my mind as a young lance corporal on that cool evening was, ―Is something wrong in my family?‖ My dilemma worsened 25 minutes later when a British helicopter landed at our location to take me back to camp. On arrival, my company commander was there to greet me, so my mind began to drift. After exiting the helicopter and moving in his general direction, he stepped forward, stuck out his hand, and said, ―Congratulations, you have been selected as a part of Belize’s Contingent to Haiti along with other CARICOM Forces.‖ I was caught off guard by this comment, but at least I knew my family was fine. I immediately replied, ―Sir with due respect, what am I going to do in that country?‖ ―You will be taken to Price Barracks Headquarters tomorrow for further briefing,‖ he said. ―Get out of those dirty uniforms and go down town and drink a couple of beers.‖ As I stepped away from him, I started hearing rumors that the Belize Contingent was going to war, which just made matters worse. I knew about the problems in Haiti. It started in 1971 with the repressive regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as Baby Doc, when he declared himself president for life after his equally repressive father, known as Papa Doc died. There was some hope when Jean-Betrand Aristide was elected in 1991, but he was overthrown by a violent coup not much later. Raul Cedras and the military leaders who took over were not any better than Baby Doc. Was CARICOM going to war now with the Haitian Army, I thought to myself uneasily. 3 I didn’t want to go downtown, so instead I went straight to my barracks and sat on my bed, thinking for hours about Cerdas and the junta that ousted Aristide. Was all my military training going to come down to this? Would I be in combat soon? The following day, three other Soldiers and I were flown to Price Barracks. On arrival, we were taken to a briefing room and joined by other Soldiers from different rifle companies. Captain Juan Teck and Lieutenant Baldomar Garcia entered the briefing room. ―Gentlemen you all look well motivated,‖ Teck said. No one answered. ―Thirty of you, including myself, have been chosen to be a part of CARICOM Forces to Haiti,‖ he continued. ―We are scheduled to leave Belize one week from today on an American Trans Air plane to Puerto Rico. When we get there, we will commence training before actual deployment to Haiti. On arrival in Puerto Rico, we will be briefed properly on the task ahead. Are there any questions?‖ I had lots of questions. I just couldn’t bring myself to ask any of them right then and there. One Soldier to my left raised his hands and asked, ―Sir, can I go home and bid farewell?‖ Teck couldn’t respond, but I could have read his mind. Deep down inside of me I was beginning to feel like a Soldier concerned about the days ahead. I am as patriotic as any of my comrades in the force, but on that day I was a young Soldier who had never deployed in support of any war or combat environment. Just a few days earlier, I could remember thinking and saying that ―one day I want to get into a fight.‖ Now I had my fight. Well, I thought to myself, I am a junior noncommissioned officer with a couple years in the force. This is what I had trained to do, and now I was being given the chance. I could finally use my skills to make a difference. 4 At 4 a.m. on the day of departure, we were transported from Price Barracks to the Philip Goldson International Airport outside Belize City. As we drove up, I could see that the local Belizean TV stations were there to cover our departure. A reporter came over to me and asked, ―How do you feel about going to Haiti?‖ ―I have made up my mind. I am proud to be going to represent my country,‖ I said, pushing down my concerns. We pushed our way through the crowds toward the plane. Five of the longest hours I have ever lived later, our plane was ready to take off. Teck gathered the group and said, ―Our transport is here. Let’s get ready to rock and roll.‖ I looked around at my comrades and saw changes in their faces, especially the ones who had children back home. There was little time now to do anything about that. Soon we were en route to Jamaica to pick up their contingent of the CARICOM Force, and then the same in Antigua-Barbuda. Finally, we were all together and we began to talk to each other and share the gossip that each of us had heard. At about 6:30 that evening, we landed in Puerto Rico. On arrival, reporters from CNN World News were there to cover our story. This was one of the greatest times of my life because I knew for a fact I would be seen all over the world. I was wrong; Teck had other plans and rushed us out quickly. None of us were interviewed. Instead, we were taken to Camp Santiago in Salinas for a briefing. We were given as much information as we needed, but it was not enough to quiet the nerves of the Soldiers. I guess everyone has uncertainty the first time they face combat. The next morning, we commenced training in peacekeeping operations, including guarding the airport, escorting vehicles, conducting patrols and a vehicle check-point, and repatriation. It was good training, and it filled our days so we head less free time to think 5 about what we faced. After two weeks, though, it was time to go. Our training was over and it was time for us to put it to the test. On the day we were being flown into Haiti, we had unexpected but good news: Raul Cedras and the junta were now willing to leave Haiti peacefully, rather than face the U.S.-led invasion and occupational force. Cedras had been granted political asylum in Venezuela. At that moment, my mind was filled with thoughts that there would be no fighting, and that I would be able to survive to return home. On arrival in Haiti, we were ferried to Port-Au-Prince and it became our main base of operations initially. From there, each CARICOM contingent was assigned different rotating tasks; Belize was first given the task to guard the port, but over time those duties change. On same days, we would go out and conduct patrols in and around the city — sometimes as long as 24-48 hours. Other days, we had the emotional task of repatriation where we could see the sadness in the faces of the people who were being returned to Haiti from other counties – especially people on foot who fled to the Dominican Republic and people in all types of boats and other floating devices on their way to the United States. As a young NCO, I knew discipline would play an important role, so I insisted it from the men in our Belizean contingent. I could see and hear that the Soldiers were becoming lonely and homesick after being away from their family for a long period of time. Some of them started to seek ―relief‖ in the arms of local women. To deal with the situation, I and other NCOs educated and counseled the Soldiers about sexually transmitted diseases that were common in Haiti, especially HIV. We reminded them of 6 the embarrassment and pain of bringing that shame back to their family in Belize. The message was not a happy one, but we were successful. Although it seemed like forever, it was only a few weeks later when the entire CARICOM Force was moved from Port-Au-Prince to Cape Haitien, a smaller town in Haiti with more predictable and less dangerous missions. Finally, on December 16, the mission was deemed a success by the U.S. commander in charge of Operation Uphold Democracy. Each original CARICOM contingent was flown back to their respective country and a replacement contingent arrived to take its place. Another group of Belizean Soldiers would have their chance to be heroes, too. The Belizean contingent received a warm welcome and a motorcade through the principal streets of the city.
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