An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Dec. 13, 2007

Guardmembers respond to Midwest ice storms

By Tech. Sgt. Mike R. Smith National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. - More than 140 National Guard members in the Midwest responded to a band of deadly, mid-December storms that stretched from eastern Texas to the Ohio Valley and into northern New York and New England.

Missouri Army Guard Officer Candidate Neilson Rudd was one of more than 20 fatalities attributed to the storms which brought freezing rain to more than 10 states and rain, sleet and snow to nearly half the nation.

Trees and power lines in some states were brought down by inch-thick ice accumulations, which closed roadways and left thousands in need of emergency assistance from the Guard and local and state agencies.

Missouri National Guard units were on standby for most of the week and throughout the weekend after their governor declared a state of emergency.

At least 22 Guardmembers responded. An Army Guard armory was used as a warming shelter, and Soldiers provided security for residents there. Soldiers also provided transportation and cleared debris from roadways. Members of the 203rd Engineer Battalion provided generators and conducted door-to-door wellness checks for rural areas in Barton County.

Rudd saw an auto accident on Dec. 9 and stopped to check on the vehicles' occupants. He was not on military duty at the time.

When returning to his vehicle on the Katy Trail Bridge, just north of Jefferson City, Highway 63, another vehicle lost control and struck him down. Rudd was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol reports.

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of Officer Candidate Rudd," said Maj. Gen. King Sidwell, Missouri adjutant general. "His actions exemplify the values of the United States Army and the Missouri National Guard."

Officials said Rudd was returning from his weekend drill at the 140th Regional Training Institute, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., at the time of the accident. He enlisted in March 2006 as a military policeman with the 1140th MP Company in Fulton.  He entered officer candidate school earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the governor of Oklahoma declared a state of emergency for all 77 counties due to the widespread freezing rain there. The state's joint operations center coordinated missions, and at least 77 Guardmembers responded to requests for assistance. They transported 100 cots and opened a Red Cross warming shelter at the armory in Broken Arrow. Soldiers also responded to at least five requests for emergency power in the state's northeastern region. Guardmembers provided fresh water to residents in Wikiupp and delivered more than 1,000 sandbags in Clatsop County.

The Kansas National Guard provided emergency power for water treatment facilities, sewer systems and shelters in at least two counties. Nearly 130,000 residents were without power, and the Guard was planning door-to-door wellness checks Dec. 12 for affected residential areas. Guard units also delivered cots to Red Cross shelters and were planning observation flights to check on residents, which responders were unable to reach.

"We have seen a huge increase in requests for Guard support today," said Sharron Watson, a Kansas Guard spokesperson. "Generator missions have been the biggest request, but we have also had our Guardmembers out clearing roadways in southeast Kansas."

As of Dec. 12, the National Weather Service predicted lighter amounts of sleet, freezing rain and snow but also reported the possibility of additional accumulations from another storm developing later in the week.

Missouri National Guard Capt. Tammy Spicer contributed to this article.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Air National Guard civilian firefighters, assigned to the Vermont Air National Guard Fire Department, pose in front of the fire truck that was the first on scene, South Burlington, VT, June 4, 2025. These firefighters provided the first fire truck on scene to a local fire.
Vermont Air Guard First on Scene of South Burlington Fire
By Airman Raymond LaChance, | June 4, 2025
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – Doireann Chesbrough, a civilian firefighter for the Vermont Air National Guard Fire Department, was sitting next to the radio in the dayroom of the station as the sun began to set over the Green...

Paratroopers from the Colorado National Guard and the Jordanian Armed Forces stand together before the first joint Colorado-Jordan airborne Friendship Jump, Watkins, Colorado, April 23, 2025. Members parachuted from a CH-47 Chinook as part of an event to strengthen interoperability and deepen the partnership between the two forces.
Airborne Operation Strengthens Colorado Guard, Jordan Partnership
By Senior Airman Melissa Escobar-Pereira, | June 4, 2025
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – In a display of cooperation and capability, Soldiers from the Colorado Army National Guard and the Jordanian Armed Forces recently conducted a joint airborne operation in Watkins, Colorado.The April 23...

Army Guard Soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East of the NATO-led Kosovo Force mission, also known as KFOR, host a multinational non-commissioned officer academy, referred to as the Jungleer Academy, at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, May 8, 2025. 11 Sergeants Major from seven countries shared their experience with the soldiers, and many nations showcased their weapons, gear, vehicles and took a flight or hoisted in the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
Army Guard Soldiers in Kosovo Host Inaugural Event for Non-Commissioned Officers
By Sgt. Cheryl Madolev, | June 4, 2025
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – National Guard Soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East of the NATO-led Kosovo Force mission recently hosted an inaugural multinational event for non-commissioned officers (NCOs), focusing on...