Sailor describes tsunami relief efforts

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005 | 8:17 a.m.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ronald King, son of Ronald and Janice King of Henderson, is serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln based out of Bremerton, Wash., and now part of Operation Unified Assistance to help rebuild what was destroyed during South Asia's recent earthquake and tsunami disasters.

One of Lincoln's 6,500 crewmembers, King said in an interview with Navy journalist Petty Officer 3rd Class Maja Dyson, that he felt extremely fortunate to be among those asked to aid the region during a time of such devastation.

"I feel the U.S. military is viewed by most of the world to exist only for making war. We're really all about humanity and protecting our nation and its allies from hostile enemies who work to slaughter and oppress the innocent. We hope to redeem ourselves as an organization of empathy throughout this operation," King said.

King's ship was the first to provide logistic support to the disaster-stricken area. Six SH-60F Seahawk helicopters from Lincoln started the humanitarian mission by ferrying food and medical supplies, injured people and others affected by the disaster to and from collection points in the Indonesian town of Banda Aceh.

Government officials view Lincoln as the best force to have in the region at the right time, a consideration King agrees with.

"Lincoln is capable of providing the assistance needed throughout the recovery process because of our flexibility, resources and sheer dedication of manpower," King said. "I've already seen the news reports of gratitude from the local populations we've been assisting. It's a big boost for those of us in the military and should have long-lasting results for civilians throughout the region."

In brief