Soldiers return from St Vincent humanitarian mission

A group of 50 members of the Defence Force who went to aid the people of St Vincent after the La Soufriere volcano erupted returned home on Saturday.

Some members of the team returned on the Galleons Passage along with other nationals who were stranded on the island, a release from the National Security Ministry said.

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Chief of Defence Staff Air Vice Marshall Darryl Daniel were on hand to welcome the officers who deployed on April 13.

Another group of officers landed at Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas, aboard the Coast Guard vessel the TTS Brighton.

They along with the returning nationals will be quarantined and treated in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s covid19 protocols, the release said.

Hinds commended the officers for answering the call to represent Trinidad and Tobago in support of the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Judging from the feedback he received, the minister said, “the men and women of the TTDF were self-sustaining and served with distinction during their two-week tour of duty abroad.”

Daniel congratulated the contingent for representing the Defence Force with sterling service.

While in St Vincent and the Grenadines the troops performed duties including:

* Assisting in the construction of mobile storage units (MSUs) at the decommissioned ET Joshua Airport located in Arnos Vale, near Kingstown;

* Offloading disaster relief cargo from vessels and shipping containers at the Port of Kingstown; and

* Distributing relief items to displaced and vulnerable citizens affected by the volcanic activity.

Squadron leader Marlon Dowrich led the TTDF personnel in St Vincent and the Grenadines as task force commander. Dowrich said he felt the team made a positive impact on that island.