US to Myanmar: We'll Help, Not Invade

The first American aid flight into cyclone-ravaged Myanmar carried not only relief supplies, but one of the highest ranking U.S. military leaders in the region who was carrying something every bit as important as the supplies on the plane.

Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet , carried with him on that May 12 flight a letter from the U.S. government to Myanmar's leaders, assuring them that America was coming to help their country, not invade it.

"He delivered a letter to them from the United States, I believe it was from the State Department, stating that we had no harsh intentions" toward Myanmar, said Capt. Trevor Hall, a pilot with the Yokota, Japan-based 36th Airlift Squadron during a roundtable discussion with bloggers May 14.

"They're very wary of us going into their country, feeling like the last time we went into a country … with a large force like this - at least from their perspective - was Iraq," said Hall, who flew the first flight into Myanmar. "And so they're pretty uncomfortable with [us] having a large military presence there."

He believes the letter stated what U.S. intentions were, "and that we wouldn't be sending in any planes with any kind of weapons or armaments on them; but hopefully just coordinate with them to let them know we just wanted to help."

Myanmar, formerly Burma, is ruled by a military dictatorship that is leery of outside influences. Even with thousands dead and scores of thousands homeless from the May 2 cyclone, the government was slow to respond to offers of assistance from the U.S. and other government. 

Myanmar did permit assistance from the Red Cross and Red Crescent, among other agencies.

As far as U.S. assistance, Keating and his written assurances obviously did the trick, since Hall's flight into Rangoon was followed up May 13 by about seven more aid missions. These included two by Marine KC-130s on May 13 and, Hall believes, one Air Force C-130 and four other Marine KC-130 flights on May 14.

In addition to the United States, Greece, Malaysia and India also have begun flying aid into the country, he said.

With Keating and Hall on the first American C-130 into Myanmar were Henrietta Fore, administrator for the Agency for International Development, who met with Myanmar leaders, and Hall's crew: Capt. Greg Judd, navigator; 1st Lt. Buck Kozlowski, co-pilot; Master Sgt. Robert White, engineer;  and Senior Airmen Daniel Mortensen and Robert Gore, both loadmasters.

Given what they had heard about the situation in Myanmar, Hall said his crew went in anticipating an unfriendly welcome.

"And when we were received so warmly on the ground it was [with] a great sigh of relief to be honest with you, and everyone we met there was so ecstatic and excited to have us on the ground, even the military people," he said. "It seemed that one in three had a camera and wanted to have their pictures taken with us, or of the plane and us."

Hall said a few of the Burmese military troops at the airport spoke some English, and many of them haltingly said they were grateful for the aid.

"And they all seemed to be saying the same thing: 'Please bring more, please bring more,' " he said.