Photo By 1st Lt. Ashley Alameda | Commander of the 411th Engineer Brigade, Col. John R. Seeley addresses the 668th...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas - Approximately 130 soldiers from the 668th Engineer Company arrived to Fort Bliss, Oct. 30, after conducting construction missions in Afghanistan. The Army Reserve unit, based out of Orangeburg, N.Y., is here processing its demobilization before returning its hometown, which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
The unit heard that their hometown was in Sandy’s path; however, the soldiers were traveling to Fort Bliss during the harshest part of the storm. Upon arriving at Fort Bliss, they were unaware of the level of destruction that had hit the area.
Their plane landed around eight o’clock at night. After briefings, and chow, the unit was transported to the barracks, as they were exhausted. Some soldiers called home and sent messages to let their loved ones know they made it safely back to the U.S. Some soldiers did not have phones; many did not know the extent of the damage Sandy caused until the next day.
Company Commander Captain Joshua McClure confirmed Sandy had severely affected some soldiers in his unit. Three of his soldiers had families displaced by the hurricane. He and Company 1st Sgt. Juan Cruz acknowledged the need to get those soldiers and all the others home to their families in this challenging time.
Unfortunately, getting those soldiers home on individual flights would cause more strain on the soldier than having them demobilize with the rest of the unit.
“Even though we want to get them home, we can’t,” McClure said, noting that the New York airports have been shut down. Cruz added “If they made it to the airport, how would they make it home?”
The command team explained that most of the soldiers do not own their own transportation because mass transportation in New York is usually readily available. The strain on the soldier and his family would be in getting him from the airport home.
The command made the decision to return home as a unit. The personnel will fly to an airport an hour north of their reserve center and then be transported to their reserve center by busses.
Plans were made to get soldiers without personal transportation home before the storm was an issue, so contingency plans are being created to get everyone home safely.
Communicating with the Rear Detachment staff in New York was difficult since the reserve center was without power, but the Command assured the unit that their Family Readiness Group and rear-detachment are available to the families back home that are in need of assistance.
The overall outlook of the soldiers in the company is a positive one. They are happy to be back in the United States; however, with the threat of another storm threatening the area, the unit’s focus is getting its entire company home to take care of their families and not on any welcome home ceremonies.
“People expect big welcome home parades, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen,” said McClure, adding “We just don’t want any Soldiers left without a ride.”
The return of the Soldiers of the 668th did not go uncelebrated. As with all redeployments, active duty or reserve status, the El Paso Fire Department, the 1st Armored Division Band and the Directorate of Mobilization and Deployment staff and color guard were there to greet the company upon its arrival. The Command Team of the 854th Engineer Battalion and the Commander of the 411th Engineer Brigade, Col. John R. Seeley, were also in attendance to welcome home their troops.
The 668th Engineer Company is scheduled to fly home later this week, pending any delays caused by the incoming winter storm.
New York and New Jersey are being evacuated again in preparation for the storm that will bring rain, wind and snow on an area that has only started recovering from Sandy.
Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, has killed over 100 people in New York City and New Jersey, left millions without power and has caused at least $20 billion in damages, making it the second costliest Atlantic hurricane with Katrina as the first.
Additional pictures can be found at www.facebook.com/domadpao.
| Date Taken: | 10.30.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2012 17:44 |
| Story ID: | 99444 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 350 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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