Iraq war soldiers now doing Hurricane Katrina duty

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – In Iraq, Staff Sgt. Rob Scott of
the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, cleared mines and
roadside bombs.

In New Orleans on Friday, he and his unit from the 307th
Engineers cleared streets in the French Quarter, fixing a
little of the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina almost two
weeks ago.

Delicately, the engineers in red berets sawed away at a
massive fallen tree that hung over a figure of Christ in the
courtyard of St. Louis Cathedral, taking care to ensure the
limbs did not crash down on the statue.

Then their earthmovers bit into the pile of tree limbs and
garbage and, little by little, carted it away.

In some ways, they said, the debris of war and of natural
disasters are similar.

“It is kind of weird to see it back here,” Scott said. “I’d
say the biggest comparison is over there you’re dealing with
crazy fools. Here they like you to be here, they appreciate our
help.”

The paratroopers of the 82nd, whose home base is Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, have seen action in both Iraq and
Afghanistan since the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York
and Washington.

Alongside National Guard troops from several U.S. states,
the soldiers are now helping to patrol the almost deserted
streets of New Orleans, and to help the city recover from one
of the worst disasters that has ever struck the United States.

The division has some experience – some of its units went
to Florida after Hurricane Andrew destroyed the town of
Homestead, south of Miami, in 1992.

But after several years of overseas missions, being
deployed within the United States was not something many of its
soldiers expected to see.

“It definitely is not everyday business. This is just like
one of those freak things, one of those 100-year floods,” said
Sgt. David Cassidy. “It’s good to get a chance to help in the
country as opposed to going overseas getting shot at.”

Most units of the 82nd are out patrolling the ghostly
streets of a city that once housed a million people in its
metropolitan area, but is now home to probably fewer than
10,000 determined holdouts and tens of thousands of police,
troops and emergency personnel.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, looters ran
rampant, overwhelming the New Orleans police. But the city is
probably now the most secure in the United States, patrolled
not only by troops in the street but also by military
helicopters overhead.

Scott said it was maybe too relaxed. Clearing mines and
street bombs in Iraq gave him more of a kick.

“It’s the thrills, living on the edge I guess. I knew I was
saving other soldiers’ lives,” he said. “But here my present
mission is to get everything cleaned up so people can move back
into town.”