PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. - National Guard Soldiers are hitting Florida’s beaches this week as part of the ongoing response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
More than 30 volunteers from Florida Army National Guard units are undergoing two days of training at St. Andrews State Park ust east of Panama City Beach on Florida’s Panhandle, and will shortly be stepping onto about 60 miles of beaches in an effort to spot any oil washing up onto the fragile shoreline.
If they spot any oil, the Soldiers will report the location and amount to the state of Florida Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.
“What we are going to do is go up and down the beaches in the Gulf, Franklin and Bay County areas, making sure we relay any information as to the condition of the beaches and possibly trouble spots or affected areas from the oil spill,” said Capt. Gene Redding of the Florida Guard’s Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, Radiological and high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package (CERF-P), who is overseeing the training and deployment of the Florida Soldiers.
The mission is in support of Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
In addition to the Soldiers from the Florida National Guard’s 153rd Cavalry Regiment, 14 Soldiers from Florida’s CERF-P and the 146th Signal Battalion are at the state park providing command and control, and communications support for the mission.
After some initial training on safety, operation of all terrain vehicles, wildlife awareness and reporting procedures, the Soldiers could be on the beaches as early as June 23.
“These Soldiers are Florida Guardsmen,” Redding said. “We live in Florida and a great number of these Soldiers who are doing ground reconnaissance live and work in this area. It’s very personal to them and they’re glad to help out.”
One of those volunteers is Pvt. Patrick Colbert from the 153rd Cavalry Regiment, who just recently returned from basic training and is a resident of nearby Lynn Haven, Fla.
“I volunteered for this mission because it is right in my back yard,” Colbert explained during training at St. Andrews State Park on Monday afternoon. “I come here almost every weekend, and I don’t want to see it messed up.”
Colbert said he hopes his knowledge of the beaches and coastline will be useful in the days to come, as the Guardsmen take to the sand and shore in defense of Florida’s diverse ecosystems.
“I feel great about doing this mission,” he added.
More than 80 Florida National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are directly supporting Operation Deepwater Horizon, with missions including liaison support, aviation support, public affairs, communication support and reconnaissance of coastal areas, under the direction of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and U.S. Coast Guard