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 | May 19, 2010

National Guard releases new book about Hurricane Katrina

By Courtesy Story

ARLINGTON, Va., - "In Katrina's Wake: The National Guard on the Gulf Coast, 2005," a book that chronicles the National Guard's involvement in the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, has been released by the U.S. Government Printing Office.

This 64-page monograph, written by National Guard historians Bill Boehm, Renee Hylton, and Army Maj. Thomas W. Mehl, shows how Katrina first grew from a seemingly-routine Category One hurricane in Florida into a behemoth storm in the Gulf of Mexico bringing 150 mph-plus winds and large swells of water upon hundreds of thousands of people.

It struck Louisiana and Mississippi somewhat diminished in strength, but bringing with it the capability to flood 80 percent of the city of New Orleans as its levees failed, and to flatten buildings and structures in the state of Mississippi. Over 1,800 individuals were killed, and many more incapacitated.

The story of the National Guard during the time of the hurricane was not well-publicized, nor was it correctly reported by mass media outlets, said Boehm, who is the lead author of the book.

The National Guard undertook the largest humanitarian mission in recorded U.S. history by sending over 50,000 Soldiers and Airmen from all 54 states and territories to the stricken region for over a month.

This book focuses the readers on the tasks undertaken by the Guard in aiding marooned residents and assisting local authorities without overemphasizing political or social commentary prevalent in reporting the larger story.

It also uses oral histories recorded by soldiers and airmen on the ground to illustrate the stark conditions present there and includes maps, photographs, and multiple appendices that further detail the National Guard units that came to the Gulf States, and a timeline that shows how events progressed, Boehm said.

 

 

Related Articles
Lt. Col. William Gourlay, 107th Mission Support Group commander, New York Air National Guard, lays the presidential wreath on Millard Fillmore's grave, Jan. 7, 2025, in Buffalo, New York.
New York Air Guard Wing Marks Ex-President Fillmore’s Birthday
By Capt. Jason Carr, | Jan. 8, 2025
BUFFALO, N.Y.- The New York Air Guard’s 107th Attack Wing honored Millard Fillmore, the nation’s 13th president, as the wing’s mission support group commander laid a wreath at his grave Jan. 7.Lt. Col. William Gourlay placed...

Maryland and Pennsylvania National Guard members arrive at the District of Columbia Armory to prepare for the electoral certification mission Jan. 5, 2024. The counting and certification of electoral votes was designated a National Special Security Event.
DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania Guard Support Election Certification
By Master Sgt. Arthur Wright, | Jan. 8, 2025
WASHINGTON - District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania National Guard members were deputized by U.S. Capitol Police as a reserve force for the 2025 counting and certification of electoral votes Jan. 6. At the request of...

Soldiers assigned to the 152nd Engineer Support Company stand in formation during their farewell ceremony at Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo, New York, Jan. 2, 2025. The unit will train in Texas, before heading to Africa to support Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
New York Army Guard Engineers Heading for Horn of Africa
By Capt. Jason Carr, | Jan. 6, 2025
BUFFALO, N.Y. - One hundred and forty-five New York Army National Guard Soldiers heading to the Horn of Africa were sent off with a formal ceremony at the Connecticut Street Armory Jan. 2.The Soldiers, members of the 152nd...