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Iraq war soldiers now doing Hurricane Katrina duty

Posted on: Friday, 9 September 2005, 17:21 CDT

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."

Source: REUTERS

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