YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — U.S. military commands in the Pacific are sending money and manpower to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, base officials said Friday.

Base chapels throughout the country have collected thousands of dollars in donations directed toward Haiti relief charities.

Residents of Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, have contributed more than $27,500 to various charities in a base chapel-coordinated effort, said base spokesman Tim McGough.

Other chapels say they are working on coordinated fund drives or donating their Sunday religious offerings to Haiti relief.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hawkins, chaplain at U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan, said all Army chapels in South Korea will take a designated offering Jan. 24 or Jan. 31, with all proceeds going directly to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. Individual chapels will decide which date the offering will be collected.

Base Red Cross offices are also accepting donations.

Meanwhile, U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka is ready to send 25 medical personnel to Haiti for a potential six-month deployment, spokeswoman Jennifer Savage said.

As of Friday afternoon, the Yokosuka sailors were on standby and no information was available on what unit they might deploy with, Savage said.

South of the mainland, U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa is offering an eight-week support group for anyone affected by the disaster.

“We saw a need for something like this,” hospital spokesman Brian Davis said. “There are quite a few Haitians in the military, and they are feeling isolated being so far away from their family and friends and not having much information on how they are faring.”

The group will meet from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Camp Lester Outpatient Mental Health Center on Fridays, beginning Jan. 29. For information about the Haitian Grief Support Group, call DSN 643-7722 or 643-7590.

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