Leo Shane, Stars & Stripes +1

Recent Blogger Roundtables have attracted MSM types who are not all that familiar with how the military works.

For example in a recent call with CDR Mark Marino, Director of Nursing aboard USNS Comfort -

Q So basically, the reason why it was taking this amount of time is mostly the time that was necessary to load the personnel, the supplies, aboard the ship, and also just the distance. Is that correct?

CMDR. MARINO: Correct. Again, we left Saturday, and we haven't stopped. So, you know, we're steaming.

Q Okay.

CMDR. MARINO: You know, we left Saturday morning. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. It's at least a five-day transit to get there. We can't get there any faster than we're going. And again, it normally, by doctrine, takes us up to five days to activate a crew, activate supplies and get everybody on board. We got activated Wednesday. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. We were out in less than four full days.

Q Okay.

CMDR. MARINO: So we exceeded our expectations. Exceeded our expectations.

Q Great. Thank you.

CMDR. MARINO: So, you know, the other option is we move the United States closer to Haiti or we move Haiti closer to us and we could have been there much quicker.

Q Right. Thank you.

LT. CRAGG: Thank you, sir. Thank you, Olivia.

CMDR. MARINO: You're welcome.

LT. CRAGG: Leo, please go ahead.

Q Yeah. Hi, Commander. Leo Shane from Stars and Stripes. You don't have an in-depth plan of how to move the United States closer to Haiti, do you?

CMDR. MARINO: (Laughs.) Nope. No, we don't.
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Thanks for the laugh Leo and thanks CDR Marino for everything you do and for rolling with it!

Transcript here.