LEXINGTON, Mass., - Soldiers of the 272nd Chemical Company of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, who were tasked with filling sandbags in support of Operation Rising Water, were surprised with visits from top Massachusetts officials March 30.
Gov. Deval Patrick and Sen. Scott Brown, who were on site at the Lexington Department of Transportation to receive briefings on the operation, also checked on the Soldiers well-being and offered words of support.
Upon arrival, Patrick was briefed by the commander of the 79th Troop Command, Lt. Col. Paul Landry.
Following the briefing Patrick inspected the sandbagging operations and provided a briefing to the media.
"As usual, the National Guard has stepped right up," said Patrick, as he spoke to members of the media, "and been total professionals from the beginning."
Throughout his visit, Patrick walked among the troops and offered his thanks to the Soldiers.
"I want to make sure everyone is adequately supplied and getting the food and rest they need," said Patrick.
Brown, who is also a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, stopped by to offer his support to the troops.
He also stepped in to help with the sandbagging operations.
"When I was younger we used to make them by hand and now they have the machine from range control up at Edwards," said Brown.
As a morale booster, Brown provided coffee and donuts to the tired troops. He also took the time to personally thank every member of the Massachusetts National Guard working at the Lexington DOT site.