CENTRAL CITY, Ky. - The Kentucky National Guard’s 307th Maintenance Company was able to stay warm while helping the state recover from a recent ice storm with hot vegetable soup provided by the unit’s Family Readiness Group.
When the county lost power Jan. 27, Cindy Shanks, the FRG president, and her husband, Gary Shanks, rushed to a friend’s house to cook soup on her gas stove.
"We heat with electric and cook with electric,” Cindy explained. "So I went to a friend’s house that had gas and said, ‘I want to borrow your stove. I’ve got to cook for the armory!’”
Cooking for the armory is not a novel occurrence for the Shanks family and readiness group members. During the tornado disaster that hit numerous counties in February 2008, the FRG cooked meals for the Guard Soldiers and local residents.
"One night we fed 360 people not counting Soldiers,” Cindy said. "We fed all the KU power plant workers, tree trimmer people and (the company), which provides cable and internet.”
During the 2008 call-up, Cindy was at the armory for seven days acting as a liaison with civilians, who came to the armory.
She slept on a small cot in her office. "I was the first Family Readiness to have an office ... and it’s a broom closet,” Cindy said, laughing.
The military creed that "prior planning prevents poor performance” has extended into the actions of the 307th company’s FRG as well.
The Shanks make sure their Soldiers are always prepared with necessities during a state activated deployment.
"I keep supplies here like tooth brushes, combs, wash rags, towels and blankets,” she said. "I set all that up in the classroom, so when [the Soldiers] come in, they know I’ll take care of them.”
Cindy stayed at the armory for seven days during the aftermath of the February tornadoes, but she didn't this time. The armory was without power, and the unit’s generators were sent to the local hospital and assisted living homes.
This time, the FRG can’t cook for workers on site. But she and Gary still plan on stopping in routinely throughout the day.
"We just like to give back what little we can to the Soldiers who protect our freedoms,” Gary said. "They put it all on the line for us, so every little bit we can do we are more than glad to.”
Cindy also wanted to encourage other FRG’s throughout the state to support their Soldiers as much as possible. "You get back more than you ever give,” she said. "If you just send your Soldier off to drill, and not know what they’re doing then you don’t really feel proud.
But if you go and see how hard they’re working and see what they’re doing - like during the tornado they were here forever it felt like – then you’ll see how they protect their country and protect their town and county. It’s a lot to be proud of.”