This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while.  When the earthquake hit in Haiti, a group of Marines and Special Forces guys heard about how badly people needed aid, so they threw together a team to go there and do something about it personally.  As we’ve seen before in Thailand and New Orleans and now in Haiti, the big relief organizations and governments just can’t move very quickly and precisely when something like this happens.  They’re like a barge: it takes a while to get it moving, but once you do, it can move a lot of stuff.  A small group of private individuals can’t deliver as much aid overall, but they can get specific help to the most critical places faster.

So these guys formed Team Rubicon and headed to Haiti, setting up base at a Jesuit mission that still had a working well with fresh water, so they could help get water, medical supplies, and other aid to people who needed it.  Because of attacks on aid convoys and the general lawlessness, their military experience was critical for the safety of themselves and the people they’re helping.  They all volunteered and paid their own way, so all the money that people have contributed to them has gone 100% to supplies.

Now that the big relief organizations are getting settled in and organized, Team Rubicon is getting ready to step out of the way, but it sounds like this effort has gone so well that they plan to keep the team together so they can respond quickly to future disasters.