Posted on 09/16/2005 4:34:15 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT POLK, La. (Army News Service, Sept. 16, 2005) -- Not since the end of the Civil War have U.S. Soldiers returned home from war to such devastation and massive rebuilding. After a one-year combat tour in Iraq, Soldiers from the 256th Brigade Combat Team, Louisiana Army National Guard, started arriving at the England Industrial Airpark in Alexandria Sept. 9.
Among the first wave of returning Soldiers was Staff Sgt. Scott Andras, assigned to the 141st Field Artillery.
Andras and his wife of 18 months Heather, own a home in New Orleans.
“We live two blocks off of St. Charles Avenue, on Broadway, in New Orleans. It’s probably 2,000 meters from the Mississippi River,” said Andras.
Heather and her family in New Orleans had kept a watchful eye on Katrina through the days prior to her arrival, she said, listening to the meteorologists who repeatedly stated that the hurricane was going to turn north and miss the Big Easy.
“We kept hearing the storm was going to turn to the north and then it didn’t,” said Heather. She and other family members evacuated New Orleans Aug. 28, the day before Katrina made landfall.
In Iraq at Camp Justice, Andras, along with other members of the 256th, were preparing to return home while also keeping an eye on hurricane.
“We were watching CNN, the Weather Channel, the Internet –– anything we could to get news on the storm,” he said.
In Iraq, the day the storm made landfall, Andras overheard a news anchor say New Orleans had “dodged a bullet again,” referring to the slight eastern jog Katrina took, seemingly sparing the city. Excited and relieved, he called his wife.
“It was four in the morning here when he called and told me this and I thought, OK, everything is going to be fine, but we just kept watching the news,” she said.
Yet, when the levees collapsed, much of New Orleans rapidly filled with water. The Andras, one in Lake Charles and one in Iraq, like thousands of evacuees, were left to wonder what had happened to their homes.
On Sept. 12, Scott and Heather found that their 90-year-old, two-story home in New Orleans had not flooded, although the brick chimney had collapsed, allowing water to invade their home.
“We’re pretty lucky. The only real damage we had was the collapse of the chimney. This did cause some roof damage and ceiling damage inside,” he said.
On Sept. 9, three days prior, the day he returned, the Andras found a temporary, two-bedroom home at their disposal in the Fort Polk Timber Ridge housing area.
“We’re fortunate to be here. Coming back I didn’t expect the Army to find us a house. They really didn’t have to. I expected to go to a hotel room with my wife and 13 other people,” said Andras.
Heather said she was not aware of the assistance they would be offered until she came to welcome her husband home from Iraq. It was Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, the adjutant general for the Louisiana National Guard, who told her that day, “There’s a lot we can do for you and a lot is going to happen.”
“The Family Readiness Center (at Fort Polk) was super nice. They gave us donated items, personal items. They way they handled our return could not have been better. They had stations set up to help us in every way, chaplains, finance, lodging. They tried to give us anything we needed to help. They even brought us here to the house. Even the maintenance man here said that if we need anything, 24 hours a day, to call him. Everyone has been very supportive,” said Andras.
“It really made us all feel good to have the support. The Army has done a lot to help us. They have bent over backwards. I did not expect this much,” said Heather.
They are not certain how long they will reside in Timber Ridge, although Andras said he expects to learn more in the coming days. Both New Orleans natives said they look forward to returning to their home as soon as possible.
“There’s no electricity, no water and right now it’s unsafe to be there. The mayor has been talking about environmental concerns. I want to go back, but when it’s safe,” said Heather.
“It’s going to be hard to go back into that area and settle again. It’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be unique to see which way the city will go,” he said.
“I’m definitely happy to be home. You could have put me in a hotel room –– or a tent, as long as I have my wife I’m good to go. It’s better than Iraq. I’m glad to be home,” said Andras.
(Editor's note: Andrew Thomas ia a Guardian staff writer)
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