Photo By Spc. Tarell J. Bilbo | Heavy equipment operators from the Louisiana National Guard?s 922nd Horizontal...... read more read more
GRAND ISLE, La. – The connection between Soldiers of the Louisiana National Guard's 922nd Horizontal Engineer Company and the community becomes even stronger as they work to prevent oil from affecting the coastline near Grand Isle, La.
The 922nd worked on the west side of Elmer's Island, May 16, to build a rock and sand barrier that will block oil from coming into an estuary and affecting wildlife.
"A lot of Soldiers, just like me, grew up fishing in areas like this," said Sgt. Ray A. Duplechain, an engineer with the 922nd HEC. "My dad would bring me here for vacation. This is where I learned most of my fishing skills."
Duplechain, a native of Baton Rouge, La., felt a strong connection with the community and the project the unit was tasked to do.
"To hear about the oil spill possibly coming into this area, you sort of go into a protection mode," Duplechain said. "We want to keep it safe so that future generations can enjoy it just like when we were kids."
With the ongoing coverage of the oil spill, children are already getting a glimpse of the work that Soldiers are doing.
"My two oldest kids, ages six and seven, see the National Guard on the news and they say 'That's my daddy. He's helping people,'" said 1st Lt. Nathaniel F. Jenkins, executive officer for the 922nd HEC.
After operating out of Grand Isle, La., for over a week, the Soldiers of the 922nd HEC, headquartered in Gonzales, La., continue to show excitement for what they do.
"A lot of the Soldiers, especially those who just graduated Advanced Individual Training, say they're enjoying the experience of working on these missions," said Jenkins, an Alexandria, La. native.
"We're on the beach protecting what we love. It can't get better than this," Duplechain said.
| Date Taken: | 05.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2010 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 49799 |
| Location: | GRAND ISLE, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 200 |
| Downloads: | 170 |
This work, Strong Connections: Louisiana National Guardsmen preserve coastal shoreline, by SPC Tarell J. Bilbo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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