Photo By Sgt. Samuel Keenan | SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Federal responders and locals pose before a softball game...... read more read more
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A team of National Guardsmen joined civilian employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers on board a ferry as they casted off from Fajardo, Puerto Rico Nov. 26, 2017.
They set sail to the island of Culebra, a small archipelago off the coast of Puerto Rico that was ravaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
There, the soldiers and civilians faced a challenge that they had yet to encounter on their missions across Puerto Rico: the Culebrian softball team.
Army Maj. Brett Walker, executive officer of the 65th Press Camp Headquarters, Massachusetts National Guard, and William Ivan Solis, the mayor of Culebra, organized the matchup.
Walker and other soldiers from the 65th PCH have been in Puerto Rico since late October conducting full spectrum media operations in support of the ongoing recovery operations on the island territory.
“The people of Culebra and we have been working nonstop to bring Puerto Rico back after the two hurricanes,” said Army Spc. Alysia Brewster, a combat documentation production specialist with the 65th PCH. “This was a great opportunity to take a break and relax.”
The doubleheader also served as an opportunity to celebrate the teamwork amongst locals, military and federal agencies that have been making the recovery effort a success.
Federal agencies have teamed to help the island by providing temporary power in the form of generators and brining necessities to ease the burdens caused by the dual hurricanes.
“Partnership can be exercised in many forms. Today it is in the great American sport of softball,” said Walker. “Today we have representatives from many of the federal agencies contributing relief efforts in Puerto Rico coming together as a team to build stronger relationships with the people we serve.”
In an interview Lawrence “Larry” Melendez, a Culebra resident, expressed his gratitude for all the federal efforts that have helped restore the island.
“We’re here playing together with the Army, the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA,” said Melendez. “We’re having a lot of fun. Thank you for all you have done.”
The first game pitted the team of federal responders against the local softball team from Culebra. After a few innings, it became evident that the Culebrians had the better team.
“To be honest we were out there having so much fun, we lost track of the score,” said Staff Sgt. Steven Eaton, public affairs operations non-commissioned officer for the 65th PCH.
After a quick lunch break, the two teams shuffled their rosters making the game a bit more interesting.
“We mixed up the teams,” said Brewster. “With a couple of Culebrians on our side, it made things a little bit more even.”
After the last pitch was thrown, the Soldiers and federal employees started walking back to the ferry exhausted but with a newfound personal connection to the fellow Americans they are helping.
| Date Taken: | 11.29.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 11.29.2017 17:07 |
| Story ID: | 256739 |
| Location: | CULEBRA, PR |
| Hometown: | CULEBRA, PR |
| Hometown: | BOSTON, MA, US |
| Web Views: | 412 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Federal responders play Culebra in softball match, by SGT Samuel Keenan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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