Lefever, Disaster Assistance Center Pakistan Honored At Embassy
Story Number: NNS060922-11
Release Date: 9/22/2006 3:56:00 PM

By Lt. Justin T. Cole, Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf presented the Sitara-i-Eisaar Medal, or Star of Sacrifice, to Rear Adm. Michael A. Lefever at a ceremony held at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C., Sept. 22 in appreciation for U.S. military support in earthquake relief.

Lefever led the Combined Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) in Pakistan during the relief efforts from fall 2005 until spring 2006.

Lefever commanded Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 when the earthquake struck in October 2005 and received orders from the Department of Defense to head the disaster relief efforts. He led a group that included more than 1,900 servicemen from 62 different commands and all four U.S. services.

“This award really represents all of the hard work that the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines of the Combined Disaster Assistance Center in Pakistan performed,” said Lefever. "The dedication that these young men and women showed was truly inspiring. All they wanted to do was assist those affected by this disaster in whatever way they could. Their dedication was amazing, and I am honored to be associated with them."

With winter fast approaching, Lefever received orders from the Secretary of Defense to extend relief efforts until spring, turning a normal six-month deployment into a nine-month humanitarian mission.

“This really is the most personally and professionally rewarding experience of my life. We were able to help an important friend in the global war on terror, and more importantly, we were able to save lives,” Lefever said.

During the award ceremony at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C., Musharraf explained the scope of work done by the military that helped so many of his countrymen.

“They said we would have a large famine, but because of the efforts of these men, we had no famine. They said we would experience an epidemic of disease, but because of their dedication, there was no epidemic. When winter came, they said we would freeze from the snow. Well, we had yards of snow, and because of these men and women, we did not freeze,” he said.

Also receiving the medal were leaders of every service that participated in the relief efforts, including Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74.

"I am very proud to be associated with the Seabees of NMCB 74 and the quality of work they bring to the table,” said Lefever. “At its core, they were doing exactly what we are trained to do in the Navy. On short notice, we established a command center and immediately began providing aide to those affected by the devastating earthquake in Pakistan."

President Musharraf thanked the international community for their support and while he praised Lefever for the contributions of all of the American servicemen, he said Pakistan still has a long way to go.

“This is a great and formidable challenge to the government and the people of Pakistan. But we will convert this challenge into an opportunity - an opportunity to rebuild and grow strong together,” he said.

All of the awardees expressed their gratitude to Musharraf for hosting them during the ceremony, but it was clear that the real reward was helping the people of Pakistan.

"The best part of my job is knowing that everything we did made a difference,” said Lefever. “Seeing the appreciative looks on the faces of the citizens of Pakistan affected by this tragedy is why we are in this business. We may not know when or where the next natural disaster will take place, but we can be confident that the proud men and women in the U.S. military will do everything we can to make the world a better place."

The government of Pakistan will hold a ceremony to commemorate the one year anniversary of the earthquake next month.

For more news from around the fleet, visit www.navy.mil.

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