Sgt. Donald McVay, from the 900th Maintenance Company, Alabama Army National Guard, loads Meals Ready-to-Eat for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Master Sgt. James Bowman

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 2, 2005) – Thousands of National Guard and active-duty Soldiers from across the nation are deploying to the Gulf coast to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery operations.

Troops from the 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division based out of Fort Hood, Texas, are now part of Joint Task Force Katrina, headquartered at Camp Shelby, Miss. Helicopters and crews from Hood’s 1st Air Cavalry Brigade are the lead air element of the task force.

More than 19,500 National Guard Soldiers were on duty to assist with the hurricane recovery in Louisiana and Mississippi as of Sept. 2, according to a Guard Bureau spokesman, with thousands more en route from across the nation expected to arrive this weekend.

The Ohio National Guard, for instance, reported it is preparing to deploy about 1,500 Soldiers and airmen to assist in the hurricane rescue and recovery efforts. The units will provide security and general support in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Arkansas Guard opens doors to evacuees

The Arkansas National Guard is preparing to open 59 Guard readiness centers (formerly referred to as armories) in 58 counties this weekend to assist with efforts to register hurricane evacuees. Two other Guard centers there have been serving as shelters since Aug. 30.

About 1,000 Soldiers and airmen from the Arkansas National Guard are already involved in relief efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi. Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are flying search and rescue missions along the Gulf Coast and several Soldiers have been assisting with the evacuation of the New Orleans Veterans Administration Medical Center.

A team manning a highly specialized communications truck from Arkansas is supporting the Louisiana joint operations center at Zephyr Field near New Orleans.

More than 40 Soldiers from the 93rd Signal Brigade out of Fort Gordon, Ga., are providing communications support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the joint task force at Camp Shelby, about 100 miles north of New Orleans. The communications support includes both secure and non-secure voice and data communications, and video teleconferencing, officials said.

Continental Armies have key role

Joint Task Force Katrina at Camp Shelby is commanded by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, commanding general of First U.S. Army. Joint Task Force Katrina has the responsibility for coordinating overall DoD relief efforts in the affected areas. Both the First and Fifth Armies fall under the control of Northern Command during the disaster-relief operation, officials said. FirstArmy is in charge of mobilizing the reserve component eat of the Mississippi, and Fifth Army is west of the Mississippi.

Soldiers from Fifth Army and the 75th Division are assisting in efforts to evacuate people from the New Orleans Superdome to the Houston Astrodome. The Superdome, used as a temporary shelter for thousands of people, was itself badly damaged during the disaster, causing the need for further evacuation to the Astrodome nearly 355 miles away.

Helicopters assess damage, haul logistics

Task Force Katrina aircraft from Fort Hood were initially given the mission of flying assessment teams for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Col. Dan Shanahan, commander of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

“Once we finish those missions, we’ll be flying food, water, logistical support missions and providing evacuations of people out of dangerous areas,” Shanahan said.

“Right now, there is a lot of ambiguity on the ground, but every day we’re making great progress and helping those great people that were hurt in this hurricane,” Shanahan added.

Shanahan said that as of Sept. 1, 80 aircraft and 300 Fort Hood Soldiers were part of Task Force Katrina, and he expected that number to grow.

One of the task force’s CH-47 Chinooks was loaded Sept. 1 with more than 16,000 pounds – mainly generators and initial supply items for the forward-deploying troops.

“I’m just glad to help,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 T.J. Saari, a Blackhawk pilot with 2-227th Aviation. “It feels a little different than Iraq. Over there, it’s the job you signed up for. Here, we’re just lending out a helping hand.”

The impact of Hurricane Katrina and helping those in need extends well beyond the deployments to Louisiana for some Soldiers. Several Fort Hood Soldiers have family in the areas devastated by the hurricane. Shanahan said that his driver’s family, from Mississippi, has relocated temporarily to central Texas.

Several troops have had to make sacrifices on the home front to help those in need. The aviation troops are eager to help, whether they are personally affected by the disaster or not.

“I’m glad to help. This is what I do” said Spc. Chad Webster, a flight operations specialist with Headquarters Company, 1st ACB. “But it’s my son’s birthday on the sixth. It’s the fourth birthday I’ll miss, and he’ll be four years old.”

(Editor’s note: Spc. Colby Hauser of 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs was a significant contributor to this article, along with National Guard news releases and one from Fort Huachuca, Ariz.)

September 2, 2005 Mississippi Army National Guardsmen and Sailors from the Amphibious Assault Ship USS Bataan (LHD-5) load a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with hurricane relief supplies at Gulf Port International Airport, Miss. By PH1 Ken J. Riley

September 2, 2005 National Guardsmen at the Gulf Port International Airport, Miss., load a Humvee with bottles of water to be delivered to victims of Hurricane Katrina. By PH1 Ken J. Riley

Story and photos from ARNews

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