With a loud cheer, the 114 members of Virginia Task Force 1 (VATF-1), Fairfax County's urban search and rescue team landed at Dulles International Airport last Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. after a long mission in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Sean Kennedy, Regional Director of O'Donnell & Naccarato's Washington, D.C. office has been a longtime member of this elite team that was activated and deployed to Haiti as part of the search and rescue effort. As a structural specialist for the team, Mr. Kennedy provided structural evaluations of fallen buildings and determined the most effective way to stabilize structures to help with rescue efforts.

More than two weeks after being deployed, Sean Kennedy's wife, Michelle, along with their four children, patiently awaited his return.

With homemade "Welcome Home" signs in hand, Sean's family eagerly prepared to show how much they missed their husband and father by knocking him down with a family group hug.

This has been the team's longest deployment and it resulted in the highest number of assisted rescues in their history. n total, the team contributed to the rescue of 16 individuals.

The task force members participated in several rescue missions that ranged from as little as 10 hours to as long as 26 hours.

Sean Kennedy reports that he was personally and directly involved in several of the rescues and says that it was "a most incredible feeling that I cannot even begin to describe." He further stated that he was "very proud to be part of this team. Working with the men and women of this team is just incredible."

Nick Cinalli, President & CEO of O'Donnell & Naccarato said, "I'm relieved that Sean is back, safe and sound to his family," and says further that "we are very proud of Sean's efforts to help do a lot of good in the name of the United States of America."