Corporal Sean Shelton is a rifleman with the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) in Jacmel, Haiti, is helping to provide security as aid is delivered to Haitians.
A member of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, Cpl Shelton was in Petawawa when he received word on January 13 to deploy to Haiti. By the next day, the Toronto-native was in Port au Prince.
Since then, Cpl Shelton has provided security at the gates of the Canadian embassy ensuring that refuge-seekers were seen in an orderly fashion. The Oakwood Collegiate graduate also participated in the mission that rescued 17 stranded high school students from British Columbia on 17 January.
Corporal Shelton says one of the most challenging points was when he was conducting crowd control outside the Hôpital de la Paix in Port au Prince, watching people who lost their homes come with broken bones and crushed limbs.
“Seeing old people whose homes were destroyed living in the streets, little kids in the street who were thirsty and hungry – the worst was seeing the kids,” he says.
Corporal Shelton moved to Jacmel with the rest of the DART on January 19, where he has been providing security at the DART’s medical clinic at the city’s port. The towering 6-foot 8-inch rifleman can also be found at the Penchinant displaced persons camp where the World Food Program doles out hot meals. Cpl Shelton works with local volunteers to ensure that women and children get their fair share of food in a safe and orderly manner.
It’s a different experience from Cpl Shelton’s only previous deployment when he operated out of a forward operating base in Kandahar last year. Unlike in Afghanistan where it was hard to tell friend from foe, he says the people in Haiti are friendly and relaxed.
He says one of the more rewarding experiences he had was when he was part of a team that escorted 20,000 tonnes of food to Haitians in the town of Belle Anse, east of Jacmel.
“It wasn’t our food being given out, but we’re making sure that it gets delivered in a peaceful manner,” he says. “We’re helping people here recover after this devastating earthquake. Every little part helps in the end.”
Corporal Sean Shelton is a rifleman with the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) in Jacmel, Haiti, is helping to provide security as aid is delivered to Haitians.
A member of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, Cpl Shelton was in Petawawa when he received word on January 13 to deploy to Haiti. By the next day, the Toronto-native was in Port au Prince.