The relief efforts in Haiti received a financial and emotional boost in part due to the efforts of Niagara Falls native David Honadle.
Honadle hosts “Saturday Night Alive,” a weekly entertainment event for the crew of the USS Bataan while they’re out to sea. Recently, victims of the Haitian earthquake attended one of these events.
“The First Class (Petty Officers) Association was talking about different ways Bataan could help the people of Haiti and came up with the idea to do a telethon during SNA,” said Honadle, a U.S. Navy Yeoman 2nd Class.
Honadle acts as a bookkeeper, and therefore directly sees the contributions Bataan is making during Operation Unified Response in Haiti. The sailors, along with Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, raised more than $5,000 from crew donations from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6 for the relief effort.
Honadle, 21, has been in the Navy for about 3 1/2 years now. His mother, Susan, was in the Coast Guard for six years as well, which she said was one of the factors leading to Honadle’s decision to enlist.
The other factor at first, he said, was the benefits, which include travel, pay, and health insurance. He graduated from Niagara Falls High School in 2006 and also completed the electrical education program at BOCES. He enlisted in the Navy as a yeoman because he wanted to start his career right away, and all the electrical slots in the Navy were filled at the time.
Slowly, Honadle began to realize the Navy, and the military in general, had much more to offer.
“With my job, I have the chance to see the sunset on an open ocean, the sunrise over the islands of Greece, a full sky of stars, and constellations that you wouldn’t normally see in a city,” he said.
He admits to being caught off guard when he received the 48-hour notice for duty in Haiti.
“At first, many seemed discouraged,” he said. “Honestly, who wouldn’t be after a seven-month deployment to Europe and the Middle East? But the minute we arrived in Haiti and started delivering aid, the mood shifted.”
Rescue teams, referred to as SAMS, are sent from the Bataan to help clear rubble, build quick shelters, perform first aid, and transport victims to the next echelon in medical care. They also provide victims with warm clothing, shelter and nourishment. According to Honadle, everyone from charities to simply generous donors, and even the crew of the Bataan and their families have been sending whatever they can afford to help with the cause. The feeling he gets from helping his fellow human beings is the greatest reward of all, he said.
“Personally, just the look on their faces are enough to know you make a difference,” he said. “I’ve seen many injured Haitians come in and out of Bataan since arriving, and from seeing the look on their faces and their body language, even though we have a language barrier, I know they’re appreciative for the help they have been given.”
