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Troops in Haiti are seeing a different kind of service

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Members of the U.S. military, so often portrayed as tough combat heroes, are taking on a new role, according to Megan McCloskey, writing in the Jan. 30 edition of Stars and Stripes. Her story, "Trained to Kill, GIs Save Lives Instead," describes the American servicemen and women now deployed to earthquake-devastated Haiti.

"Were this any other deployment, as the convoy working its way down narrow, smoke-filled streets, Army medic Spc. Willie Green would be clenched in the back of the Humvee, praying no one got hurt but just the same reciting medical procedure over and over in his head," McCloskey writes.

Down range is a world where you "prepare for the worst and hope for the best," Green said. "It's gonna happen. You've got to anticipate. You're out there and they want you dead just as much as you want to return the favor."

In this densely-packed, rough-and-tumble neighborhood, the pungent smell and the milling crowds are familiar. So are the burning trash, the feral dogs and the waving children chasing the convoy.

But in Haiti, the 6,000 troops on the ground aren't seeking out an enemy. They are helpers rather than aggressors.

"Everywhere I go, I get welcomed with open arms," said Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, head of Task Force Haiti. "We're here by invitation."

Before leaving Ft. Bragg, N.C., one company commander with the 82nd Airborne Division stood on a bench near the flight line and told soldiers, "The No. 1 thing I want you to understand is we are going to Haiti to help people."

"We're not going for gunfights," Capt. Andrew Salmo said he told his men.

"Knocking heads together ain't going to help them."

For the battle-hardened commissioned officers, it's a steep change of pace.

Staff Sgt. James Gresham, a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, said he initially felt exposed without his body armor.

"To come here and be in a very relaxed security posture, not having to roll around looking for IEDs or worry about suicide bombers and that kind of stuff, it's a pretty big switch for us," he said.

McCloskey's lengthy story about deployment of the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, to which they belong, is the military's Global Response Force, ready to react to disaster anywhere in the world with boots on the ground in less than 96 hours.

If you would like to read the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey was given to say, visit Military.com on line.

* * *

In a letter written on Jan. 14, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, announced the VA will pay all outstanding Post 9/11 GI Bill claims by Feb. 1. If the VA is able to meet this goal, thousands of veterans, and their schools, will finally begin receiving the long overdue payments. Some veterans have been waiting for payments since August of last year.

Note: This deadline covers claims received before Jan. 19.

Claims posted after that date will be paid "at the earliest opportunity."

In addition to a full-on blitz to catch up on the current backlog of claims, the VA has produced two guides to help veterans prepare for enrollment in the spring semester.

The first publication is a two-step schedule designed to guide veterans using any GI Bill program.

The second publication is a tri-fold "hip pocket guide," containing tips and reminders to help inform vets and reduce the number of GI Bill related questions they may have.

* * *

Briefly: William D. Montague, director of the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, will be honored at a retirement dinner, Feb. 20, at Catered Elegance, 1160 Broadway in Bedford. Cost of the dinner is $35. Please RSVP Marilyn Roberts by Feb. 5.

Chaplain's services:

* American Legion Post 309, Maple Heights, Feb. 7, at Maple Heights Presbyterian Church, 15715 Libby Road. Services start at 10:15 a.m.

* American Legion Deerfield Post 713, Sunday, Feb. 14, at the Deerfield United Methodist Church, 1483 Route 225, at the corner of Route 14 and Route 225. Services start at 11 a.m.

We welcome news about your post and auxiliary. Send material to Ron Seman, 5811 Renwood Drive, Parma, 44129. Or send e-mail: SemanRJ@aol.com.

Thanks!