Aircrews quickly respond to Hurricane Rita
By Spc. Joshua McPhie
September 26, 2005
FORT HOOD, Texas (Army News Service, Sept. 26, 2005) -- Just hours after Hurricane Rita made landfall, 1st Cavalry Division aircrews were on their way to the Houston area to lend a helping hand.
The division’s 1st Air Cavalry Brigade sent 12 helicopters from the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment to provide relief from the second hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast in less than a month.
“We’re going to go down and work for FEMA and Fifth Army and see what we can do to help,” said Lt. Co.l Chris Joslin, 2-227 AVN commander. “We provide a tremendous capability being able to move people and supplies quickly, especially where other transportation is rendered incapable.”
His battalion sent the first of the six CH-47 Chinooks and six UH-60 Black Hawks to Conroe, Texas, just hours after the storm passed and the rest quickly followed.
Helping after a hurricane is nothing new to the First Team aviators. They spent nearly three weeks in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
“It’s kind of like déjà vu,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Lance Oldham, a Black Hawk pilot from 2-227 Aviation. “We just got back less than a week ago from Katrina, now were having to turn around and go right back out to Rita. We kind of have it down pat now. Hopefully it won’t be as bad this time.”
Oldham isn’t the only Soldier giving a repeat performance. Many of the troopers who went to aid relief efforts are veterans of Hurricane Katrina. “I know what to expect this time,” said Staff Sgt. Antaune Collier, a crewmember with 2-227 AVN.
Despite the similarities, there are some unknowns for the humanitarian helpers. Oldham said he isn’t sure exactly what kind of damage, or relief efforts, to expect.
“I don’t know if the damage will be quite the same as seeing the flooding around New Orleans,” the Plano, Texas native said. “There’s going to be a lot of aircraft flying around, that was one of the challenges when Katrina hit. There were massive amounts of aircraft fling around trying to rescue people. I don’t know what the rescue efforts are going to look like this time.”
One thing he is sure of though is his desire to help.
“This is one of the most rewarding jobs out of everything we have done,” Oldham said. “I spent a year in Iraq and felt like I was really doing my job but when you come out and do this and you get to help people and move people around and help in the relief efforts … that’s when you really get a sense of accomplishment and reward and a feeling of pride for what you do.”
He’s not alone in that sentiment.
“Probably the most fulfilling that you can ever do is to save people’s lives and know that you’re having a positive impact,” Joslin said.
“I’m excited to help in any way possible,” said Collier, a Jackson, Tenn. native. “I look at this as part of the job. Where ever duty calls, I’ll go help.”
(Editor’s note: Joshua McPhie serves with 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.)
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