Alix Idrache | |
|---|---|
 2LT Idrache at his 2016 USMA graduation | |
| Born | |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | US Military Academy (2016) |
| Military career | |
| Branch | |
| Years | 2010–present |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 228th Aviation Regiment |
Alix Schoelcher Idrache is a Haiti-born United States Army helicopter pilot.
Idrache's father Dieujuste dropped out of school at 14 years old to find work in Port-au-Prince. [1] Alix Schoelcher Idrache was born in Haiti, [2] devoted himself to schoolwork at his father's encouragement, and also saw the United States Armed Forces engaging in humanitarian missions there. After Dieujuste emigrated to the United States, he was able to bring his son in 2009, [1] who later became a naturalized citizen. In May 2016, the US Army listed New Carrollton, Maryland as Idrache's hometown. [3]
After he graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) in 2016, an Army photo of a tearful Idrache went viral, and made the freshly-minted officer the target of hateful comments related to his immigrant and naturalized status. [4]
Idrache joined the Maryland Army National Guard in 2010 [3] —later joking that they convinced him "because of a free t-shirt!" After completing Basic and Advanced Individual Training, Idrache successfully applied to the USMA with the assistance of his platoon leader and "the unit's full-time office administrator". Arriving in 2012, [1] Idrache graduated from the West Point, New York school (the Maryland Guard's first, at the top his class in physics) [2] on 21 May 2016. Second Lieutenant Idrache was scheduled to be assigned to the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker in July 2016. [1]
By June 2019, Idrache's uniform bore the insignia of a first lieutenant and the Army's 1st Infantry Division. That month he was stationed in Carentan and liaising with French media on the occasion of the Normandy landings' 75th anniversary. [5] A captain assigned to the 228th Aviation Regiment by September 2021, Idrache joined Joint Task Force Haiti's response to the 2021 Haiti earthquake; the UH-60 Black Hawk pilot supported evacuation efforts as well as translating both French and Haitian Creole. [6]
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, to the east of Cuba and Jamaica and south of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island which it shares with the Dominican Republic. To its south-west lies the small Navassa Island, which is claimed by Haiti but is disputed as a United States territory under federal administration. Haiti is 27,750 km2 (10,714 sq mi) in size, the third largest country in the Caribbean by area, and has an estimated population of 11.4 million, making it the most populous country in the Caribbean. The capital is Port-au-Prince.
Navassa Island is a small uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea. Located northeast of Jamaica, south of Cuba, and 40 nautical miles west of Jérémie on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti, it is subject to an ongoing territorial dispute between Haiti and the United States, which administers the island through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Faustin-Élie Soulouque was a Haitian politician and military commander who served as President of Haiti from 1847 to 1849 and Emperor of Haiti from 1849 to 1859.
The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 United States Marines landed at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on the authority of President of the United States Woodrow Wilson, to establish control of Haiti's political and financial interests. The invasion and subsequent occupation was promoted by growing American business interests in Haiti. The July intervention took place following years of socioeconomic instability within Haiti that culminated with the assassination of President of Haiti Vilbrun Guillaume Sam by insurgents angered by his ordered executions of elite opposition. The occupation ended on August 1, 1934, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt reaffirmed an August 1933 disengagement agreement. The last contingent of marines departed on August 15, 1934, after a formal transfer of authority to the American-created Gendarmerie of Haiti.
Operation Uphold Democracy was a military intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The operation was effectively authorized by 31 July 1994 United Nations Security Council Resolution 940.
Ben Hebard Fuller was a major general in the United States Marine Corps and served as the 15th Commandant of the Marine Corps between 1930 and 1934.
Jean-Jacob Jeudy is a soldier in the United States Army, having previously worked as a journalist, activist and politician.
Michèle Bennett is the former First Lady of Haiti and the ex‑wife of former President of Haiti, Jean‑Claude Duvalier. They fled to France together when he resigned in 1986; they divorced in 1990.
Haitian art is a complex tradition, reflecting African roots with strong Indigenous, American and European aesthetic and religious influences. It is an important representation of Haitian culture and history.
Major General Leland Stanford Hobbs was a decorated senior United States Army officer who commanded the 30th Infantry Division in Western Europe during World War II.
The Armed Forces of Haiti, consisted of the Haitian Army, Haitian Navy, the Haitian Air Force, Haitian Coast Guard, Agence Nationale d'Intelligence (ANI) and some police forces. The Army was always the dominant service with the others serving primarily in a support role. The name of Haiti's military was changed from the Garde d'Haiti to the Forces Armées d'Haïti—FAd'H in 1958 during the rule of François Duvalier. After years of military interference in politics, including dozens of military coups, Haiti disbanded its military in 1995.
The Second Empire of Haiti, officially known as the Empire of Haiti, was a state which existed from 1849 to 1859. It was established by the then-President, former Lieutenant General and Supreme Commander of the Presidential Guards under President Riché, Faustin Soulouque, who, inspired by Napoleon, declared himself Emperor Faustin I on 26 August 1849 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Port-au-Prince. Faustin's unsuccessful invasions in an attempt to reconquer the Dominican Republic, which had declared independence from Haiti in 1844, undermined his control over the country.
Operation Unified Response was the United States military's response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It was conducted by Joint Task Force Haiti and commanded by United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) Military Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Ken Keen, although the overall U.S. government response was headed by Rajiv Shah, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Army engineer divers are members of national armies who are trained to undertake reconnaissance, demolition, and salvage tasks underwater. These divers have similar skills and qualifications as professional divers. In the United States Army, they are members of the Corps of Engineers. In the British Army they may be Royal Engineer Divers or Commando Engineer Divers.
Alix Pasquet was a World War II fighter pilot, one of only five Haitian members of the Tuskegee Airmen, a soccer star, and a political revolutionary. He was killed while leading a coup attempt against Haitian President François Duvalier in 1958.
On 28–29 July 1958, Alix "Sonson" Pasquet, accompanied by two fellow Haitian military officers and five American soldiers of fortune, attempted to overthrow Haitian President François Duvalier by seizing an army barracks in Port-au-Prince and rallying like-minded troops for an attack on the Presidential palace. Hoped-for support failed to materialize and all eight of the insurgents were killed by troops loyal to Duvalier.
The Gendarmerie of Haiti, also known as the Haitian Constabulary, was a collaborationist gendarmerie raised by the United States during its occupation of Haiti in the early 20th century. Established in late 1915, the gendarmerie was operational from 1916 until 1928, during which time it was Haiti's only military force, earning a reputation for active interference in civilian government that may have set the stage for the future politicization of Haiti's armed forces.
The Battle of Croix-des-Bouquets took place during the Haitian Revolution.
The Battle of Cap-Français took place from 20 to 22 June 1793 during the Haitian Revolution.
Raymond Cassagnol is a Haitian former Air Force officer/flight instructor, former alleged Haitian rebel leader, and one of the first Haitian Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” or among enemy German pilots. Cassagnol is the former aviation classmate and roommate of Daniel James Jr., the first-ever African American four-star general.
Men and women who have preserved the very essence of the human condition stood in that position and took the same oath.
'A moment that I will never forget'
Media related to Alix Idrache at Wikimedia Commons