Sean Penn Witnesses Haiti Devastation, Shares Aid

First Published: January 22, 2010 8:55 PM EST Credit: AP

Caption Sean Penn brings relief while visiting the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division’s forward operating base in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 22, 2010

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Hollywood actor Sean Penn visited a medical clinic, toured a food distribution site and passed out water filters Friday as he sought to get a firsthand glimpse of the devastation wrought by a deadly earthquake in Haiti.

Penn arrived in the poor Caribbean nation Thursday accompanied by 11 doctors and a U.S. businesswoman with whom he has established a private Haitian relief organization.

The star of “Mystic River,” '‘Dead Man Walking” and “Carlito’s Way” chatted with paratroopers from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division and searched for areas to bring aid in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince.

“It is a devastated area,” said Penn, dressed in torn jeans, cowboy boots and a dark blue T-shirt. “I’ve seen the same thing your cameras have seen: People are suffering anda lot of people are doing their best — the U.S. military and human aid groups — to help them.”

Penn brought 1,000 water filters that were distributed to villages outside Port-au-Prince. He spent part of Friday meeting with aid groups and hospitals.

“The idea of us being here is to make sure the aid gets to them,” he said.

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