Doctors can’t work without military security

IN his letter (January 16), Patrick Dolan asks what Haiti needs most — marines or doctors? I think I can answer his naivete: Haiti needs both.

As he must know by now, Haiti is suffering not only from the earthquake disaster, but looting and violence is prevalent. The military can provide the necessary security to curtail the criminals. Also the military has significant engineering assets (heavy equipment, water purification, etc). Doctors cannot work without the security/equipment the military will provide. A good example of the marines humanitarian work is the tsunami in Indonesia when 8,000 of them aided that country. The US image shot up immeasurably because of that help, and we did not kill anybody. Semper fidelis.

Bill Hurley (Lt Col (retired)