U.S. Marine, Haiti Native, Busted For Allegedly Flying Guns Into Haiti to teach Military Marksmanship, Become President to Defeat “Thugs”

A U.S. Marine, native of Haiti, caught smuggling eight Guns into his native Haiti wanted to help the country’s military learn marksmanship and defeat “thugs.”

Federal prosecutors indicted Jacques Yves Sebastien Duroseau, in North Carolina on gun smuggling charges. Duroseau, An active Marine and a military firearms instructor, reportedly told investigators he brought the guns to the Caribbean country to teach marksmanship to the Haitian army, Miami Herald reported.

Prosecutors state In the indictment that Duroseau flew from North Carolina with eight firearms, including five of which he bought himself, according to the Miami Herald Report. An unnamed source told prosecutors that Duroseau wanted to help Haiti and had illusions of becoming President of Haiti.”

The U.S. has been providing security to the U.S. mission And rendering aid to the impoverished Haiti for decades, with the latest mission from Southcom:

“Haiti is the last stop of the U.S. Navy’s ‘Enduring Promise’ five-month mission in Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean,” said Michele Sison, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. “This visit has again displayed the strong ties between our two countries; as friends and neighbors, our two nations work together to make life better for all.

During the six-day mission in Port-au-Prince, more than 900 medical professionals provided care for 3,603 patients at one shore-based medical site and performed 76 surgeries aboard the ship.

BACKGROUND:

Trial, tribulation mold Marine

By Sgt. Terry Brad

Duroseau, a Haiti native, had been inspired to become a Marine at a young age. 

“When I was a kid, I saw the marines back home [because] we had a little war going on, that was the first time I saw them and I hope to be one of them,” said Duroseau. “Since that day I had it in the back of my head where I wanted to be a U.S. Marine.

“My mother was never up for it. She [would say] ‘no I don’t want you to join. Next thing they’ll be sending you to war you’re the only son I have I just don’t want to lose you.’”

After finishing high school in Brooklyn, New York in 2006, he returned home to go to college, but tragedy would drastically alter the course of his future. On January 12, 2010, Haiti experienced a severe earthquake, causing thousands of people to lose their homes and thousands more lost their lives. 

“It’s not something I like to talk about,” said Duroseau. “I was at my house and it happened at about 5:00. I think it lasted two to three minutes, which is a long time.” 

Duroseau was stuck inside of his own house for four days, pinned between two walls.

“Back home, it’s a third world country so it took them a long time to come and get me,” said Duroseau. “They could hear me but it took them a long time to break in and actually pull me out. The stress of being alive and knowing you might die is a lot.”

After being rescued, Duroseau realized the magnitude of the devastation on his home. 

“It took me a while to find [my parents] because it was impossible to drive so you had to walk wherever you were going,” said Duroseau. “There’s a lot of stuff you wished you didn’t have to see. There were many dead and the smell was the worst. It was very sad to watch and experience.”

Duroseau had to stay in the country for three months before making his way back to the U.S.

“As soon as I flew back I spoke to a [Marine Corps] recruiter,” said Duroseau. “When I left home I had this in my head that I just wanted to join finally.” 

According to Duroseau, past life experiences have molded the way he acts everyday.

“I have learned to be humble in life because you live everyday but you don’t know when you might be gone,” said Duroseau. “It comes with experience and age. The way I was at 21 is not the same I am now. 

“Life is very funny [because] if you don’t learn from it you will fall and you will bust your head. That’s where you learn to become humble and you become mature and become the man that you were supposed to be.”

Duroseau is currently stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, where he serves as a marksmanship instructor on the firing ranges there. Having humility when taking care of the Marines he is instructing is important, according to Duroseau.

“Its good to let them know that you care about them and let them know they need to pay attention because being a rifleman is what we are all about,” said Duroseau. “Every Marine is supposed to be a rifleman but that isn’t always the case, and it falls on us.

“We make sure they come to us to get that training and we make sure that we give them our best and they understand the fundamentals of marksmanship.”

Duroseau perspective on taking care of the Marines’ basic need to be a rifleman was noticed when Capt. Jared Dalton, the team captain of the Marine Corps Shooting Team, was selecting a team of military marksmen to participate in Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting 2016. 

“When Capt. Dalton approached me he said that I would be a great asset because he needed people that knew how to shoot and are great at understanding marksmanship,” said Duroseau. “The fact that I came here has opened my eyes on a few things that I will take back to the rear. The Marine Corps should go back and focus on everything about marksmanship.”

Experiences in life, be it seeing the world to hardship on the homestead, are what drive people to become who they want to be, according to Duroseau. 

“Whenever I come home I try to share a lot of things with my friends and I tell them if you want it you can make it, even when you thought you lost everything,” said Duroseau. “Whenever you put your mind to it and you want it there’s nothing stopping you.”