Operation Distant Runner

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Operation Distant Runner was a US military operation that involved the evacuation of non-combatants from Rwanda in 1994 during the Rwandan Genocide. The operation, executed from April 7th to 18th, 1994, [1] [2] had the primary goal of evacuating US nationals caught amidst the ethnic bloodshed engulfing Rwanda at the time.

In early April 1994, [3] US President Bill Clinton notified US Congress of deployment of US military forces to Burundi for possible non-combatant evacuation operations (NEO) from Rwanda. [4] The operation officially commenced with the deployment of a US Marine Corps marine air-ground task force (MAGTAF), [4] notably the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Utilizing aerial refueling provided by VMGR-252, [3] [5] three CH-53E helicopters - named HMM-263 - embarked on a journey spanning over 750 miles from the USS Peleliu and made their way to Bujumbura, capital of Burundi. [5] Their mission: to provide critical support for the evacuation of U.S. nationals from Rwanda.

Upon arrival in Bujumbura, the marines coordinated of civilians, including 142 US nationals [6] and a US diplomat, [4] from the chaos engulfing Rwanda. By the end of the operation, a total of 241 civilians found refuge and safety. [4] [3]

Those who have participated in Operation Distant Runner are qualified to receive the Navy Expeditionary Medal as it involved Navy and Marine Corps personnel engaging in an operation in a foreign territory to provide humanitarian assistance and evacuate civilians amidst war. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Navy Expeditionary Medal". medalsofamerica. 16 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "Campaign and Service Medals".
  3. 1 2 3 "The Marines Have Landed: Eighty Years of Marine Corps Landings, 1935–2015" (PDF). History Division: US Marine Corps.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Summers, Clark. "US GENOCIDE IN RWANDA 1994: A CASE STUDY IN INFORMATION OPERATIONS". USAWC WF 2303C Journal.
  5. 1 2 "Filling the Capability Gap". US Naval Institute.
  6. ↑ "Marine Corps University > Research > Marine Corps History Division > Research Tools/Facts and Figures > Chronologies of the Marine Corps > 1994". www.usmcu.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
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