Guarding Texas till the cows come home

147th Attack Wing (Texas Air National Guard)
Story by Tech. Sgt. Shawn McCowan

Date: 09.07.2017
Posted: 09.09.2017 14:44
News ID: 247572
Guarding Texas till the cows come home

When Hurricane Harvey invaded the Gulf Coast of Texas, Government agencies from 40 states converged to provide assistance. Although Harvey delivered America its worst natural disaster, it also provided the chance for some of America's bravest and brightest to shine through teamwork and ingenuity.

Army National Guard and Civil Air Patrol units steadily arrived from across
the country to support the 147th Attack Wing, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Houston, local Civil Air Patrol, and other military units stationed at
Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, Texas.

The additional manpower and equipment allowed missions to expand beyond rescues. The Army National Guard's Company B, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, from Canton, Ohio, provided relief for another one of Texas' biggest populations... cattle.

238th personnel loaded dozens of bales of hay into two CH-47 Chinook
helicopters before launching in search of livestock stranded by flood
waters. Before long, they found cattle on islands of high ground near
Beaumont in Jefferson County. The unit spent several hours each day
delivering hay wherever needed as they continued their mission of disaster assistance to Texans... all Texans.