WHEN AID BREEDS SUSPICION

摘要

From his seat aboard a U.S. Sierra helicopter, Airman Mike Stewart looks down on a cruel artifact from the tsunami. Surveying the ruins of Meulaboh in Aceh province, his chopper passes over an intact tower clock that hasn't moved since the earthquake struck. Stewart and his crew are on one of their six daily runs to deliver supplies to some of Indonesia's most remote villages—all part of Operation Unified Assistance, the largest U.S. military operation in Asia since Vietnam and the backbone of the global campaign to fend off hunger and disease among tsunami survivors. For combat-trained service members like Stewart, 23, the mission requires patience instead of firepower. When his crew lands to deliver plastic sheeting, which can be used for makeshift shelters, two Marines on the ground say it isn't needed. Up in the air again, Stewart spots a lone man Waving. When the helicopter circles in, other villagers start smiling and blowing kisses. Stewart decides to return to the site later with food and water. "We're here to help," Stewart shouts above the earsplitting beats of the chopper's blades. "And these people need it."