Napoleonville Primary School shows thanks to National Guard
CARVILLE, La. - With smiles and cheers all around, no one would suspect the seemingly care-free students of Napoleonville Primary School had spent the last three weeks recovering from the two largest hurricanes to hit Louisiana since Katrina and Rita in 2005.
On Thursday, Sept. 18, the overjoyed second-grade class visited with Soldiers of the 928th Sapper Company of the 769th Engineer Battalion. The students were determined to show their appreciation for the Soldier's hard work around the community.
Napoleonville is a small-town community tucked away in the south end of Louisiana's boot. It received significant damage from the winds of Hurricane's Gustav and Ike, with nearly all main supply routes and secondary roads becoming impassable due to downed power lines and trees. Life in this small community was temporarily put on hold, including school, work, and daily routines, until roads could be cleared and power restored.
With the help of the 928th Sapper Company, conveniently located in Napoleonville, there was hope for the citizens here to move forward from devastation a little sooner.
The company of "combat engineers" that are trained in clearing obstacles during combat with mines, wires, and explosives had a new task on their hands. There was a definite shift in the services the engineers provided after the storm, but they got the job done just the same.
"Flexibility is something that we had to practice from the beginning of the storms in order to help our neighbors," said 1st Sgt. Shayne M. Bellina, native of Napoleonville, La., and senior enlisted advisor for the 928th. "If there was a need that we had to fulfill, we gained on-the-job-training so that our Soldiers could provide the needed services to the community," he added.
Days before the first storm, the combat engineers were called to help with evacuation missions to move citizens out of impact areas. Although driving buses is not a common skill practiced by the engineers, they successfully evacuated citizens from Thibodaux and St. James areas to higher ground. Special needs patients were also placed in the care of the 928th and they were safely evacuated as far west as Dallas, Texas.
"Having the chance to work with some of this equipment taught me skills that I can use in my civilian career, said Spc. Jasmond L. Jones, native of Donaldsonville, La., and Soldier of the 928th.
"This is our unit, this is our community, and our parish and whether it was our responsibility or not, we are going to have Soldiers there to help the people," said Capt. William W. Saint, Napoleonville native and commander of the 928th.
In the initial days after Hurricane Gustav, his Soldiers were vital to the success of distributing food, water, and ice to citizens at supply distribution points.
"The people were very grateful. When they realized the efforts and long hours the Soldiers were working, they began showing up to help. There were times that five or six civilians would work hand-in-hand next to the Soldiers to help the community," said Saint.
"Rarely did our Soldiers have to eat MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) because there was a constant flow of home-cooked meals and cakes that the citizens provided us," Saint said. "We even had meals brought to us from Danny's Cajun Catering to keep us fed. We are very grateful; this is a very rewarding mission."
While still providing necessities to citizens at distribution points, the secondary effort of the engineers was debris removal. Before contracts were set in place by the parish, the Soldiers were heavily engaged in removing debris along secondary roads by working non-stop to bring normalcy back to the city.
After roads began to clear, Soldiers continued debris removal at local schools and churches. "We really appreciate the effort and the job the Guard did to get us back into school," said Jessica B. Thibodeaux, principal of Napoleonville Primary School.
"It is very important for these students to have a sense of structure and to feel safe and loved. When the students return to class, it also gives the parents a chance to continue recovery at their homes. The efforts of the Guard helped the 420 students return to a place they understand," she added.
The second grade class at Napoleonville Primary sent cards and letters to the 928th Sapper Company to thank them for a job well done. After seeing all the heart touching cards hanging on the walls of the armory, the Soldier's of the 928th wanted to visit the students and thank them for being outstanding citizens. The Soldiers stood at the front of the class in a "show and tell" fashion and finished the day with high-fives and pictures with the youth of Napoleonville.