20430: (Hermantin)Miami-Herald-Marine wounded in Haiti recovering in Miami (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Mon, Mar. 15, 2004


Marine wounded in Haiti recovering in Miami

By LUISA YANEZ

lyanez@herald.com


A U.S. Marine wounded during a neighborhood patrol in Port-au-Prince was
recovering Monday at Jackson Memorial Hospital from a gunshot wound to the
lower left arm, a U.S. Southern Command spokesman said.

Shot Sunday night, Pvt. 1st Class Howard W. Hamilton, 19, of Murfreesboro,
Ten.

''His injuries are not life-threatening,'' Steve Lucas, spokesman for the
Doral-based Southern command said of the wounded Marine, who was airlifted
to Jackson's Ryder Trauma Center early Sunday.

Few details are known of how the Marine, one of 1,600 in Haiti, was wounded,
but the gunfire erupted as police cracked down on supporters of ousted
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who is flying back to Jamaica today from
his African exile despite objections from U.S. and Haitian officials.

The wounded U.S. Marine had been patrolling the Belair neighborhood, an
Aristide stronghold when he was shot, Staff Sgt. Timothy Edwards told The
Associated Press on Monday.

The weapon used was believed to be a small-caliber pistol, Edwards said.

It was not immediately clear if more than one shot was fired, nor whether
Marines returned the gunfire.

Tensions between peacekeeping forces and citizens on the island have
heightened as up to six Haitians have been killed by Marines, most in
roadblock disputes.

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