NMCB-7 Conducts Hotel Montana Search, Recovery Effort in Haiti
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS100310-02
Release Date: 3/10/2010 3:35:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kim Williams, Navy Public Affairs Support Element, Norfolk
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (NNS) -- (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 relieved Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202, and joined Naval Facilities Engineering Command and several international agencies in ongoing efforts to recover the remains of several Americans, Canadians and other citizens trapped beneath the rubble of the Hotel Montana in Haiti.
Considered one of the premiere tourist locations in the hills of Port Au Prince, Hotel Montana was destroyed Jan. 12 in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake.
"No matter what I heard, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when we arrived," said Builder 2nd Class Thomas Camara, NMCB-7 Detachment Haiti. "The hotel is now a large pile of rubble, but we are determined to recover our fellow Americans and other comrades."
Fifteen Americans perished in the hotel, including Air Force Major Kenneth Bourland, who was in Haiti to meet with Haitian security officials. While officials recovered Bourland's body Feb. 7, they are working to find all of those still trapped in the ruins of the hotel.
"The fact that we are working on private property makes this a unique mission," said Navy Lt. j.g. Bryan Beyer, of Naval Facilities Engineering Command. "But it's important to all 140 of us working this recovery effort to bring as many individuals home and give the families some closure."
In the seven weeks the recovery effort has been underway a the hotel, 67 bodies have been recovered and approximately 1300 truckloads of debris removed.
Upon completion of this mission, NMCB-7 will rejoin the rest of it's unit in Rota, Spain for its regularly scheduled deployment.
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