U.N. 'building bridges' in Haiti

Operation Restore Democracy: One year later

September 19, 1995
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. EDT (1920 GMT)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNN) -- When United States-led troops intervened in Haiti a year ago, the operation had all the look of a war mission. The job then, as it is still today, was to make Haiti safe for a transition to democracy. "Our mission under the U.N. mandate is to assist the (884K QuickTime movie) government of Haiti in maintaining stability and a secure environment for that," said Gen. Joseph Kinzer, commander of the United Nations troops.

Why then, are soldiers of Operation Restore Democracy running around with syringes? (860K QuickTime movie) Because the Mad Dog campaign -- a vaccination drive against rabies -- is part of a voluntary broadening of the U.N. mission's job description.

When a hurricane knocked out the only bridge connecting Jacmel to the capital, the United Nations decided to do something about it. Soldiers from at least four countries are taking part in building a new bridge, providing badly needed jobs for many local residents in the process. "We were trained more for war and stuff, but to be able to help other people, well, I guess that's today's new army," said U.S. Army Pvt. Brian Beach.

U.N. troops are taking advantage of their engineering capabilities by building roads with money provided to Haiti by the international community. When they're not on patrol they also are building schools. A new one in Port-au-Prince should be ready when classes open later this month.

The exercise is as much for the soldiers as it is for the Haitians. "It builds a lot of morale as far as dealing with different nations and it also has a different perspective," said Sgt. Curtiss Gross. "(Troops) see the Third World countries and they see how they're helping develop it. That gives them a sense of pride."

Few have forgotten how U.N. troops were jeered as they pulled out of Somalia. At a time when U.N. forces are being deployed more and more around the world, actions like those being undertaken in Haiti are meant to ensure that when they leave, they are well remembered.

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