Nebraska troops begin Gustav response
Doane College student Kris Rodysill of Lincoln hopes to earn his bachelor’s degree in accounting next December, but he had scant free time Sunday for study.
Also known as Staff Sgt. Rodysill, he spent the day handling unit requests for chain saws, food and supplies as one of the 966 Nebraska National Guard troops deployed to Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav.
“Just gonna have to play catch up a little bit,” Rodysill said by telephone.
Of the 966 troops, 155 are students, said Lt. Col. Bob Vrana, a public affairs officer for the Guard.
“We’re definitely concerned about getting our students back in school,” he said. “This can have a real impact on their studies.”
The Nebraska Guard make up a fourth of the out-of-state response to Gustav. The total force, including 7,000 soldiers from Louisiana, add up to 11,327 troops, said Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow, the public affairs officer for Camp Beauregard, where the Nebraska Guard soldiers are stationed.
Sunday afternoon, less than half of Nebraska’s troops were on missions away from the base.
A group of about 20 from Nebraska used chain saws to remove debris near Alexandria, La.
About 50 Nebraska troops were sent to towns around Baton Rouge, La., for security work, and more than 300 others were handing out supplies and food in northern and central parts of the state.
Vrana said Nebraska troops will work in about 40 parishes, which are similar to counties, over the next several days.
Specialist Jessica Annis, a chaplain’s assistant and graduate student, said she was feeling surprisingly less stress than she had expected.
“I’m really happily surprised,” she said by cell phone.
Annis of Omaha is working on two masters degrees online, in adult education from Central Michigan University and in theology from Liberty University.
Even though her courses are online, she said, being away from home in the third week of classes is definitely an imposition. “More so with my theology degree because I’m supposed to take part in discussion boards,” she said.
“I brought my schoolbooks down with me,” Annis said.
Nebraska’s Guard troops are from both the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. They left in the middle of last week, scheduled for a two-week deployment, but many anticipate it could be extended by the arrival of Hurricane Ike, expected to hit the Southeast soon.
Sunday, Ike was a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds.
“People around here are hoping that it’s not a reverse of Katrina/Rita, where the second one is worse than the first,” Vrana said.
Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7306 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.
Also known as Staff Sgt. Rodysill, he spent the day handling unit requests for chain saws, food and supplies as one of the 966 Nebraska National Guard troops deployed to Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav.
“Just gonna have to play catch up a little bit,” Rodysill said by telephone.
Of the 966 troops, 155 are students, said Lt. Col. Bob Vrana, a public affairs officer for the Guard.
“We’re definitely concerned about getting our students back in school,” he said. “This can have a real impact on their studies.”
The Nebraska Guard make up a fourth of the out-of-state response to Gustav. The total force, including 7,000 soldiers from Louisiana, add up to 11,327 troops, said Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow, the public affairs officer for Camp Beauregard, where the Nebraska Guard soldiers are stationed.
Sunday afternoon, less than half of Nebraska’s troops were on missions away from the base.
A group of about 20 from Nebraska used chain saws to remove debris near Alexandria, La.
About 50 Nebraska troops were sent to towns around Baton Rouge, La., for security work, and more than 300 others were handing out supplies and food in northern and central parts of the state.
Vrana said Nebraska troops will work in about 40 parishes, which are similar to counties, over the next several days.
Specialist Jessica Annis, a chaplain’s assistant and graduate student, said she was feeling surprisingly less stress than she had expected.
“I’m really happily surprised,” she said by cell phone.
Annis of Omaha is working on two masters degrees online, in adult education from Central Michigan University and in theology from Liberty University.
Even though her courses are online, she said, being away from home in the third week of classes is definitely an imposition. “More so with my theology degree because I’m supposed to take part in discussion boards,” she said.
“I brought my schoolbooks down with me,” Annis said.
Nebraska’s Guard troops are from both the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. They left in the middle of last week, scheduled for a two-week deployment, but many anticipate it could be extended by the arrival of Hurricane Ike, expected to hit the Southeast soon.
Sunday, Ike was a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds.
“People around here are hoping that it’s not a reverse of Katrina/Rita, where the second one is worse than the first,” Vrana said.
Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7306 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.
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