THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408260269
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: SPECIAL TO THE CLIPPER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Navy Lt. j.g. Erik Brinker, son of Edwin and Mary Brinker of Chesapeake, is one of more than 3,000 Navy men and women and 2,000 Marines who patrol the waters just miles off the coast of Haiti.
Brinker is a disbursing and sales officer onboard the Trenton, an amphibious transport dock ship homeported in Norfolk. The mission of the ship is to transport and land amphibious vehicles and Marines during an amphibious assault.
Brinker and the rest of the crew, which includes a Marine contingent, have spent the past four weeks steaming the Caribbean waters off Haiti as part of a a four-ship amphibious ready group.
``If a crisis would ever develop, we have all the assets from air, sea and land to defuse the problem efficiently and safely,'' Brinker explained.
The ships are assigned to enforce United Nations Security Council sanctions aimed at restoring democracy to Haiti. They also are capable of providing an amphibious evacuation operation, if necessary. Currently there are 12 Navy vessels supporting the operation in Haiti called ``Support Democracy.''
The sailors and Marines left Norfolk and Morehead City, N.C., less than a month ago. Brinker and the crew of the Trenton began their current mission just two weeks after they returned from a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean.
Brinker was a 1987 graduate of Deep Creek High School and went on to graduate from Old Dominion University in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in human resource management.
He joined the Navy in 1992 ``to get top-notch experience.''
As a disbursing and sales officer, he said he has overall responsibility for the morale and welfare of the crew.
``I operate a ship store, barber shop and laundry,'' he said. ``I also ensure that the crew receives their required amount of pay every two weeks.''
In the course of his duties, Brinker also counsels crew members on financial management.
``I supervise over 60 personnel,'' said the 25-year-old Navy officer. ``Most people my age never get that much responsibility.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Navy Lt. j.g. Erik Brinker
Disbursing officer on the Trenton
by CNB