FORT CARSON, Colo. (May29, 2013) -- Many people spent the Memorial Day weekend barbecuing and spending time with Family, but 11 Soldiers with Rear Detachment, 4th Engineer Battalion, spent it giving all the help they could give to those in need.
The week prior, while talking about what everyone was doing for Memorial Day, the Soldiers, decided to go to Moore, Okla., to help with the recovery efforts following the May 20 tornado.
"We knew that we had the four-day weekend with Memorial Day and that it would be enough time to actually provide help to the people that needed it," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Holland. "We thought, 'Why not help?' We left (May 23) after work and arrived at 2 a.m. (May 24)."
Many of the Fort Carson volunteers believe that their dedication to service applies at home as well as fighting in the nation's wars.
"The major reason we went down there is because we wanted to help our fellow Americans," said 1st Lt. Chad Baker, future operations officer in charge, Rear Detachment, 4th Eng. Bn. "We wanted to take the time to do something for the people of (Oklahoma). We wanted to help our people."
When they arrived in Moore, they saw the true devastation the tornado caused.
"When we got down there it was horrific," Baker said. "The houses were just leveled to the ground. When we saw Briarwood Elementary School, which was devastated by the tornado, it was a very somber experience."
The first day there they helped unload a moving truck, large SUV and the back of a pickup truck filled with donations from the Fort Carson community, from clothes and food to vacuums, said Baker. They also unloaded other trucks, which were loaded with supplies from across the country, to stock warehouse distribution centers.
Over the next couple of days they were able to help people by moving debris in and around their homes.
"We helped pull out washers and dryers and anything else destroyed in people's houses," said Spc. Nathan Stevens. "The debris was moved out into the street where it was cleared out by backhoes."
The consensus among the group was that they wished that they could stay longer.
"All day Staff Sgt. Holland and I said how we wished we could be helping more again today," remarked Stevens.
The 11 Soldiers agreed that it was well worth the expense to help those in need.
"It was priceless to see people's faces as we helped them," Baker said. "We were inspired by the people, and their strength to continue through these trying times."
Other Soldiers making the trip from Joint Task Force Carson were Sgts. Chris Stanberry, Andrew Cutsforth and Jermichael Wilson, and Spcs. Justin Haines, Aaron Franqui, Jonathan Nuzzi, Justin Salmons and Isaac Mendoza.
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