Operation Shining Express was the June 2003 deployment of an American Joint Task Force task, consisting of the amphibious assault ship USS ''Kearsarge'' (LHD-3), the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines (3/2), and a detachment of

HH-60G The Sikorsky MH-60G/HH-60G Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic system ...

helicopters and

Pararescuemen Pararescuemen (also known as PJs) are United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) operators tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. These speci ...

from the

56th Rescue Squadron The 56th Rescue Squadron is part of the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy. The squadron was previously assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England. It operates HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters conducting search and resc ...

to evacuate U.S. embassy personnel and American citizens during the

Second Liberian Civil War The Second Liberian Civil War was a conflict in the West African nation of Liberia lasted from 1999 to 2003. It was preceded by the First Liberian Civil War, which ended in 1996. President Charles Taylor came to power in 1997 after victory in t ...

. The deployment was announced on June 12, 2003 and lasted until July 2003. It followed the successful 1990 rescue effort in Liberia,

Operation Sharp Edge Operation Sharp Edge was a non-combatant evacuation operation carried out by the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) and 26th MEU of the United States Marine Corps in Liberia in 1990 and 1991. The MEUs were supported by Amphibious Squadron ...

Notable Participants

Robert J. O'Neill (U.S. Navy SEAL) Robert J. O'Neill (born 10 April 1976) is a former United States Navy SEAL (1996–2012), TV news contributor, and author. After participating in May 2011's Operation Neptune Spear with SEAL Team Six, O'Neill was the subject of controvers ...

References

* History of Liberia Non-combat military operations involving the United States 2003 in the United States 2003 in Liberia United States Marine Corps in the 21st century Non-combatant evacuation operations {{US-mil-operation-stub