Photo By Staff Sgt. Maricris McLane | Sgt. 1st Class Shaun Wilkinson, master gunner with 1st Armored Division Artillery, and...... read more read more
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A garage full of bags, boxes and furniture emerge behind the door as it slowly opens.
It’s Sgt. 1st Class Shaun Wilkinson’s garage, and amount of stuff shocks him every time he steps in, but it’s a good shock. They’re donations for a cause that literally hits close to home.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this much, but it’s good and it’s awesome,” said Wilkinson.
Soon the garage would be empty.
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According to several news sources, from August 11th to the 22nd, 6.9 trillion gallons of rain devastated Louisiana, taking 13 lives and causing thousands to lose their homes in the largest U.S. natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
On August 14, Wilkinson received word that his parents and grandparents where one of the flood’s many victims. He immediately thought of heading home to help his family there.
“I was listening to my (extended) family struggle as they were evacuating their houses,” said Wilkinson. “I just wanted to start collecting stuff for them.”
He knew he needed to help his hometown of St. Amant, Louisiana. A master gunner at the 1st Armored Division Artillery, he took the initiative and went directly to his commander’s and 1st Sgt.’s offices to ask if they could get word out about gathering donations.
“The response was overwhelming,” said Wilkinson.
People and organizations from across Fort Bliss and El Paso areas didn’t hesitate to heed Wilkinson’s call.
One of them is Staff Sgt. Joseph McIntyre, network operations chief with DIVARTY, who was supportive of Wilkinson’s proposal.
“As soon as I found out, I contacted the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association and American Patriots to do a food and goods drive to send with Wilkinson to Louisiana,” said McIntyre. “The American Patriots donated the truck and we filled it.”
Within the first week, they filled a 17 ft. truck with clothes, furniture and appliances. On August 23, Wilkinson took the wheel of the truck and drove 15 hours to his hometown.
Wilkinson described his parents’ jaws dropping as soon as they saw the amount of donations in the truck. For him it was a reaction which made all of his efforts worth it.
With the first trip being a resounding success and knowing that the donations were continuously piling up back home, Wilkinson decided to take a second trip.
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As his wife and friends finally emptied the garage and loading the 20 ft. rental truck for his second haul, Wilkinson became aware he never really had a choice in the matter. He’s a family man and a Soldier to boot.
“I feel like it is part of my duty as a guy who grew up in that community,” said Wilkinson. “I’m doing something to help my people.”
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2016 15:41 |
| Story ID: | 208977 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | ST. AMANT, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 210 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, DIVARTY SOLDIER EMBARKS ON HUMANITARIAN MISSION, by SSG Maricris McLane, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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