BURAS, La., - The Louisiana National Guard's 843rd Horizontal
Company and 2225th Multi-Role Bridge Company, 205th Engineer Battalion,
started joint operations with 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment by
filling one of 16 breaches spanning more than 7 miles from Pelican Island to
Scofield Island near Empire, La., May 17.
Operations consist of filling large sandbags on the ground and then
airlifting them with UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to repair the gaps caused
by coastal erosion and mitigate the approaching oil.
The Soldiers on the ground are filling as many sandbags as possible to stay
ahead of the actual airlifts.
"With 24 hour on-the-ground operations, I am confident that my Troops will
get the job done quickly and efficiently," says 1st Lt. James T. Gabler of
Metairie, La., officer in charge of sling operations in Buras, La.
The 2225th assisted in placing the sandbags and recovering the sling cables
used to haul the large sandbags.