Green Mountain Boys go down south

Author: Andrea Glaessner

Soldiers of the Vermont National Guard were dispatched last week to the towns of Harvey, Terrytown and Gretna - the southern suburbs of New Orleans, La. - where Hurricane Katrina whirled through with 150 mph winds, uprooting citizens and battering homes and businesses. Before the soldiers reached the suburbs, they stopped in New Orleans, where they witnessed first-hand the decimation of "The Big Easy." The city most famous for beignets, jazz and Bourbon Street was teeming with the murky waters of the Mississippi River.

Upon arriving in Harvey, the soldiers immediately recognized the extent of the damage inflicted upon these communities in the wake of the Category 4 hurricane. Many of the 24,000 residents of Harvey have evacuated since Katrina rolled through, but there is still a tremendous need for the soldiers' help. According to The Burlington Free Press, "The Guard's first five days in suburban New Orleans were filled with contrasts. Devastation surrounded them. They patrolled neighborhoods where siding lay in the road and brick walls had collapsed. They smelled garbage rotting in the streets under a scorching sun. They stroked starving, abandoned animals."

After surveying the damage, Specialist Eric Ingleston, 24, said, "Everything's a mess. It's bad. It's going to take a lot to rebuild, that's for sure."

The Vermont soldiers set up a base at Helen Cox High School, their home for the next few weeks, as they began to assist the communities affected by Katrina and the post-hurricane influx of crime and disease. A description of the school offers a poignant image of typical destruction to large-scale structures. As quoted in The Burlington Free Press, "Wind and water had left the school scarred. A shallow, tepid pool filled the center of the gymnasium and drowned the cougar mascot painted on the floor. A cafeteria wall had collapsed. A section of bleachers had been blown through a fence." It was not unusual to find such massive objects relocated by Katrina's winds. Despite such dire circumstances, the soldiers managed to make the school habitable.

The soldiers began their duty as guards at the local mall and a food-distribution center, and later learned they would be specifically assisting Jefferson Parish County's 30-member sheriff's department in patrolling and protecting the three towns in the southern suburbs, especially in high-crime areas. Looting was a major issue of concern for remaining citizens, and the soldiers made it a priority to put an end to this and other forms of crime and violence exacerbated by the chaos of this monumental disaster. For security purposes, the Vermont Guardsmen are equipped with body armor, Kevlar helmets, 9 mm pistols and M-16 rifles or shotguns.

Most members of the Vermont unit belong to the 1st Battalion 86th Field Artillery Regiment, and many returned just six months ago from a year-long combat tour in Iraq. Some soldiers experienced dèja vu from time served in the Middle East as they patrolled the streets of Harvey. The Burlington Free Press reported that "details of the mission were scarce.

Officers and senior enlisted men knew only that they were needed, but not for what. But they were willing and ready to go. This unit is no stranger to sketchy mission details. They received similar vague orders when deployed in the Middle East last year." Not only were the soldiers reminded of Iraq, but as Vermonters, some recalled local disasters, namely the flood of 1998.

The troops plan to be in Louisiana for approximately 45 days, but will stay as long as necessary.