Camp Fairwinds
Troops of the U.S. Support Group Haiti deployed to Camp Fairwinds in support of Operation Uphold Democracy. The Group set up temporary humanitarian assistance sites to provide medical and dental attention to the Haitian people and rebuilding schools and roads throughout Haiti.
Thanksgiving 1887 for most at U.S. Support Group-Haiti consisted of enjoying the elaborate dinner provided in Camp Kinzer's and Fairwinds' dining facilities, followed by watching football on satellite television.
By 1999, because of unrest in Haiti, the 500 American troops stationed at Camp Fairwinds had been barred from taking recreational excursions and could only leave the Camp for mission essential tasks. In a 23 April 1999 incident, dozens of soldiers assembled near the front gate of the US military's Camp Fairwinds compound were threatened by a spray of bullets by unidentified gunmen. While no one was hurt, the Haiti commander, Col. Charles Morris, said this wasn't the only brush with danger and that growing violence and instability pose significant threats.
Camp Fairwinds in Port-au-Prince officially closed on 21 January 2000. About 200 US soldiers were deployed in the northern city of Cap Haïtien as part of the Pentagon's "new configuration" in Haiti. Instead of maintaining a permanent base, which cost $22 million a year, the US army began sending troops in on "specific humanitarian missions". This program, called New Horizons, was already in place in several countries in Latin and Central America and cost only $20 million a year. This money saving plan had another benefit for the U.S. in that the program is tailored to give soldiers a more extensive training.
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