Retired Canadian Forces officer shares views on Haiti
By: Warren Harbeck
Coffee With Warren
Coffee companion Richard Maillet, a lieutenant-colonel in the Canadian Forces, retired in 2007 and moved to Cochrane after 32 years of service in places like Somalia, Zagreb, Kabul and Dubai.
He also served in Haiti.
Back in 1997 he was commanding the Canadian Forces Movement Unit in preparation for closing the Canadian mission there.
Richard responded to last week’s column on the earthquake in Haiti and my comments on the southern port city of Jacmel, logistical hub for Canadian aid efforts. In a long e-mail he shared his personal perspective on the current crisis in that Caribbean country in the light of his memories of a dozen years earlier.
I’ll share some of the highlights here. To read his entire letter, simply scroll down this page.
“I remember Jacmel, its streets that were no more than dirt roads,” he wrote. “I remember the short tropical rain showers that left all the roads with two inches of thick mud. I remember the children barefoot running and splashing, the smiles, the teeth whiter than white, the smiling eyes, but more vivid in my memory was the hope and the ‘joie de vivre.’ My heart cried when I saw the recent images from Jacmel.”
But the images in his memory are conflicted. On one occasion he was part of a convoy delivering donated school furniture to a remote part of the island. Along the way the desolate landscape left a particularly indelible impression.
“Neil Armstrong would have felt at home in this lunar environment,” Richard said. “Haiti is one of the most spectacular ecological disasters that one can think of. Over the years, the population has taken down all of its trees, allowing the topsoil to be blown away into the sea, thus contaminating the sea coast.
“You can’t develop agriculture nor can you draw sufficient resources from the sea. The most troubling fact of this sad story is that it was totally the result of human activity. It will take more than humanitarian aid to help Haiti get out of its downward spiral.”
As his convoy passed by buildings and social structures that sparkled from a distance, but could not bear close inspection, one image gripped him: all the children were decked out in uniforms impeccably washed and ironed. “They go to school every day,” he said, “but because of the lack of qualified teachers, the majority of them will finish their schooling with little knowledge, and more than half will not reach Grade 5.”
Along the way, they stopped at a meagerly equipped dispensary bearing a Red Cross flag to deliver some much-needed medical supplies. “We were greeted by foreign aid workers who were trying to establish a permanent effective facility. Despite their good will and efforts, they could not cope with the flow of people needing assistance. One can only imagine the situation after the earthquake. Again my heart cries, because I know,” Richard said.
And when the convoy finally reached its remote destination to deliver the school furniture, they were welcomed by town officials with great fanfare. But when it came time to unload the trucks, Richard’s local helper disappeared after carrying just one load – he had decided to take a nap on the bench he’d just carted inside.
“Here I was on a hot Saturday afternoon moving furniture in a scorching and humid climate to contribute to the relief of another nation and the person that needed help was sound asleep. This is another face of Haiti.”
This mixed bag of images has given Richard pause, especially in the aftermath of the earthquake.
“Haiti will never be able to get out of its current situation without the assistance of the international community,” he said, adding the Haitians must take some responsibility for the state of their nation.
“Am I hopeful that it will happen? Being an optimist, I would like to think so. Haitians deserve better.
“One day as I was driving back from the port, my jeep broke down in front of one of the worst places on earth. A crowd quickly gathered around me and despite not knowing who I was, they were all trying to help — so much solicitude from all those strangers. My radiator had sprung a leak, and they brought fresh water out of nowhere.
“Instead of just refilling the radiator with the water and driving away, I spent the next few hours chatting with those strangers, trying to understand them better. Without knowing it, they taught me a valuable lesson: Despite the most hopeless poverty, there is always place for compassion.”
Clearly, Haiti and its people hold a special place in Richard’s heart. “I urge people to contribute in the relief effort,” he said, adding it won’t solve all of Haiti’s problems, “but every bit helps.”
© 2010 Warren Harbeck
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Haiti: A Personal Perspective
By Richard Maillet, Lieutenant-Colonel, Canadian Forces (retired 2007)
Cochrane, Alberta
r.maillet@shaw.ca
I remember Jacmel, its streets that were no more than dirt roads; I remember the short rain shower that are so typical in tropical climates that left all the roads with two inches of thick mud. I remember the children barefoot running and splashing, the smiles, the teeth whiter than white, the smiling eyes, but more vivid in my memory was the hope and the ‘joie de vivre.’ My heart cried when I saw the recent images from Jacmel.
We had driven that morning from Port au Prince with a convoy to deliver school furniture to a remote location in the South-East part of the Island. We had been asked to do so by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that had received the material as part of a donation, but had no way of delivering it. They had asked the Canadian forces mission that was deployed at the time if transportation could be arranged. My friend, André, a Canadian military liaison officer with the UN , had gathered volunteers to take two days from their time off to deliver the commodities. It was 1997, at the time I was commanding the Canadian Forces Movement Unit and we were getting ready to close the Canadian mission in December. My unit’s mandate was to coordinate all of the strategic movement. I was on a reconnaissance mission in October to finalize the preparation for the redeployment. André had asked for a volunteer to go with the convoy as a co-driver.
I remember the Route Nationale from Port Au Prince to Jacmel. That critical infrastructure has been under construction for the past fifty years and driving over it you would have never guessed it. It was rough. As the route was winding through mountains, we were overtaken by ‘tap tap,’ the Haitian version of a Grey Hound coach without the bus, the seats, the air conditioning, and, I suspect, serviceable brakes. It is generally an early 70’ wildly decorated truck that has every square inch of its floor bed occupied by at least three people. Invariably there are arms and legs hanging outside the vehicle. The name ‘tap tap’ comes from the sound made by passengers when tapping on the side of the truck when they want it to stop to get out. There is no bell to advise the driver, even if there was to be one, I doubt that it would work, this is Haiti remember. As they were passing us at an ungodly speed, in the middle of a blind curve, I remember the waving, the smiles, and still the hope although there is very little of it for Haiti.
I remember the desolation of the landscape, Neil Armstrong would have felt home in this lunar environment. Mile after mile we drove – not much grows there. Haiti is one of the most spectacular ecological disasters that one can think of. It is hard to believe that this is the same island as the Dominican Republic with its luxuriant jungles and natural resources. Over the years, the population has taken down all of its trees allowing the top soil to be blown away into the sea thus contaminating the sea coast. You can’t develop agriculture nor can you draw sufficient resources from the sea. The most troubling facet of this sad story is that it was totally the result of human activity. It will take more than humanitarian aid to help Haiti getting out of its downward spiral.
Before we left Canada, I had arranged for an intelligence briefing to be delivered to my unit to ensure that we all had a good understood of where we were going. The officer who was briefing us used a metaphor that kept coming to my mind when I was there. He said that Haiti is like a TV screen, when you look at it from afar, it is all nice and shiny projecting a clean and lively image. When you go behind the screen, you see all the ugly wires and circuits, this is Haiti. I remembered him when I saw the palace, from a distance; it is an exceptional piece of architecture, absolutely magnificent. When I got closer to it, I saw that it was in a state of wretchedness that you could not see from a distance. Despite its good look from a distance at close range it was in ruins, the illusion was perfect.
Likewise, one image that strikes you in Haiti is all the children in uniforms impeccably washed and ironed with girls having their hair done. They go to school every day, but because of lack of qualified teachers, the majority of them will finish their schooling with little knowledge. According to a UNICEF report, 55% of Haitians are illiterate, where more than half of the children do not reach grade five. Again, the illusion is perfect, and once again the metaphor has proven itself to be true.
I remember the dispensary in Jacmel, a nondescript building that we found because of the red cross flag on its doorstep. We stopped there because we were also bringing some very limited medical supplies. Inside the facility, a Spartan room with a gurney and an almost empty cupboard with a long line up of people, again, the smiles, the hope, but so little. We were greeted by foreign aid workers who were trying to establish a permanent effective facility relying on training local nurses. Despite their good will and efforts, they could not cope with the flow of people needing assistance. One can only imagine the situation after the earthquake, again my heart cried because I know.
Many wonder what can be done. It was strange because when we arrived in the remote village to deliver the furniture, the mayor and the village delegation came to greet us with all the protocol that you would find on Oscar night. They had juice for us, fruits and food, despite all the poverty; they didn’t want us to see it. We had welcoming speeches from the Mayor, the head of school and one of the local dignitaries. Haiti is a proud nation.
We proceeded to unload the trucks one of the locals helped me. It was hot and humid so we stopped for a few minutes to rest in between trips. I could not find my helper so I asked somebody else and we went back to the trucks with the second load. When I entered the room, I saw my first helper sound asleep on one of the benches that we had just delivered. Here I was on a hot Saturday afternoon moving furniture in a scorching and humid climate to contribute to the relief of another nation and the person that needed help was sound asleep. Honestly, without wanting to be judgmental, I was not impressed. This is another face of Haiti.
Although the international community has responsibility towards the poorest nation in the hemisphere and Haiti will never be able to get out of its current situation without its assistance more so now after the earthquake. The Haitians must take some responsibilities for the state of their nation. Haiti has been an independent nation since its first emperor Jean Jacques Dessalines in 1804. Since then, there has been a succession of unstable governments whose main interest was to promote the personal interest of the head of state. It is interesting to see how many of these governors had either been exiled or plainly executed mostly by mobs.
Haiti needs a stable government whose interest will be directed towards the interest of the Haitian population through the rebuilding of the nation and its economy. The international community has intervenedmany times in the past, but it was mostly to promote its interest. The strong American presence in Haiti is partly due to the fact they try to curtail drug trafficking, a good portion of which transits through Haiti. The international community will, at some point, have to contribute in giving them the tools they need. In turn, the Haitians, as a nation, will have to demonstrate leadership and maturity.
Am I hopeful that it will happen? Being an optimist, I would like so, but realistically, there will be many more disasters and upheavals that will strike Haiti with little or no capacity to alleviate the suffering of its inhabitants. Haitians deserve better. One day as I was driving back from the port as we were loading the ship, my jeep broke down just in front of Cité Soleil, one of the worst places on earth, bar none. A crowd quickly gathered around me and despite not knowing who I was they were all trying to help, so much solicitude from all those strangers. My radiator had just emptied itself; they brought fresh water out of nowhere. Instead of pouring the water and driving away, I spent the next few hours chatting with those strangers trying to understand them better, without knowing it they taught me a valuable lesson. Despite the most hopeless poverty, there is always place for compassion.
Haiti and its people have a special place in my heart and they deserve to be helped. There is very little we can do as individuals, but we still can help. I would urge people to contribute in the relief effort, it will not solve Haiti’s problems, but every bit helps.
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Richard: Your experience in Haiti has obviously left you with many rich and stirring memories. I hope you are right and the international community continues its efforts to help with rebuilding but, also realizes just what a huge project it will be. Enjoyed your article!