Louisiana Guard Soldiers work nonstop in oil spill response

By Spc. Christopher L. FosterMay 19, 2010

Sandbag lift
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Louisiana National Guard Soldiers conduct around-the-clock sling loading operations to prepare and deliver sandbags to a staging area, where they will be airlifted by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to fill breaches on Pelican and Scofield islands in re... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Helo lift
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BURAS, La. (May 18, 2010) -- 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 seven miles from Pelican Island to Scofield Island near Empire, La., yesterday.

Operations consist of filling large sandbags on the ground and airlifting them with UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to repair gaps caused by coastal erosion as part of efforts to mitigate effects from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The Soldiers on the ground are filling as many sandbags as possible to stay ahead of the airlifts.

"With 24-hour, on-the-ground operations, I am confident that my troops will get the job done quickly and efficiently," said 1st Lt. James T. Gabler of Metairie, La., officer in charge of sling operations.

The 2225th assisted in placing the sandbags and recovering the sling cables used to haul the large sandbags.