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Old 11-09-05, 17:17
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sapper740 sapper740 is offline
Derek Heuring
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Corinth, Texas
Posts: 2,018
Default Proud moment for a Canadian

You've all heard of the tremendous destruction wreaked by Hurricane Katrina throughout the Gulf Coast. Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana were devastated by the wind. rain, and subsequent flooding. These three states hold particularly fond memories for me. My old Engineer unit has trained at the Combat Readiness Training Centre in Gulfport, Mississippi and we were able to explore the surrounding area during time off. The Gulf coast states are home to many U.S. Military units and museums, many of which I and my fellow unit members were able to visit. The SeaBee museum is located right in Gulfport, Mississippi and had many fascinating displays which would have been of great interest to our N.C.T.'s, although I didn't see any photos of John Wayne. Mobile, Alabama is host to the battleship U.S.S. Alabama, U.S.S. Drum, and many other exhibits and was severely damaged by the hurricane. New Orleans hosts the National D-Day museum, part of which is housed in the old Higgins Boat plant. NASA has several facilities throughout the Gulf Coast including a test facility for the Shuttle's engines.
Everywhere we went we were treated graciously and got to experience "Southern hospitality" at it's finest. The highliight of our visit to the C.R.T.C. in Gulfport was a traditional Cajun "Crawdad and Shrimp boil" feast the day before our departure.
I'm sure everybody has heard of the slow response by Federal agencies to assist in disaster response and relief. The press has been unrelenting in their criticism of F.E.M.A. and Homeland Security. The only agency that hasn't been pilloried by the press has been the U.S. Coast Guard which has done a sterling job of search and rescue. Midst the outcry and recriminations there has been one shining example of people ignoring red tape and getting aid to those who need it most; on the front page of the Sept. 4th Dallas Morning News in full colour is a photo of Vancouver (my home town!) Fire and Rescue personnel rescuing an elderly lady from Chalmette, La. The caption quotes the Chalmette fire chief as saying,
" We had people here from Canada before the federal government got here!"
As you can well imagine I proudly showed my fellow workers the page and received many slaps on the back in gratitude. Many of my American friends remember aid rendered by Canadian Military Engineers in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Florida years ago. anyway, it was a proud moment for me both as a retired C.M.E. and and as a Canadian!
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