Posted on 06/08/2007 4:56:06 PM PDT by SandRat
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C., June 8, 2007 — Pfc. Casey Coco, postal clerk, Depot Post Office, performs her job and duties like any other Marine. However, her reason for joining the Marine Corps is not like most. Coco, a New Orleans native, was one of many victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
After the constant rain and loss of power forced New Orleans’ flood protection system to fail, the levees collapsed, causing 80 percent of the city to flood.
As the water continued to rise toward the rooftops, many families were stranded on top of their homes waiting for someone to come and rescue them. Coco and her family were no different.
“We were trapped on the roof,” said Coco. “No one in my family could swim, and these two men came to our roof in a boat and said, ‘We’re Marines. We’re here to save you.’”
The Marines took Coco and her family to the University of New Orleans where the water was only a few inches deep.
After being rescued from the grim situation, Coco and her family moved to Virginia. Once there, Coco tried to resume her life as normal.
“I was (attending) college at Norfolk State University,” said Coco. “I had decided college was not for me and my mom asked about joining the Marines. I was passing the recruiters office one day and (the recruiter) told me what the Corps was about,” she added. “One month later I was on my way to (recruit training).”
A friend who had been in the Marine Corps had told Coco what to expect at recruit training.
“He told me about the yellow footprints and that they would be yelling at me,” said Coco. She experienced her first tough challenge during the fourth week, when it came time for her to pass swim qualification.
“When I went to swim qualification I was terrified of the water,” said Coco. “I got in the water and I thought I had it. Once I got in the water I started panicking.
“Every time I closed my eyes I remembered being on the roof and seeing things floating in the water.”
After finally passing swim qualification, Coco wrote her mom about the pool.
“She told me never to go swimming again unless I was with an instructor,” said Coco.
With swim qualification out of the way, Coco continued her training.
“The next hardest part for me was the physical part,” said Coco. “(Recruit training) was the first time I had ever run, and people kept shouting at me ‘Come on Coco, don’t give up.’ The Marines (who rescued my family) didn’t give up on me. So, why should I?”
Coco’s diligence and hard work eventually paid off as she stood on the parade deck for graduation.
“My family was proud of me,” said Coco. “(Joining the Marine Corps) was my way of paying back the two Marines for saving me.”
Coco plans to re-enlist and has future hopes of one day becoming an officer or drill instructor.
“We were trapped on the roof,” said Coco. “No one in my family could swim, and these two men came to our roof in a boat and said, ‘We’re Marines. We’re here to save you.’”
She chose wisely.
If we circle back on her situation in ten or so years, and compare it with that of others her age in her circumstance in New Orleans, the difference will be stark.
How odd. God bless her.
Semper Fi
I wouldn't be surprised if more of them enlist in the future.
Dwellings in many cities are required to have fire-escapes.
Every dwelling in New Orleans should be required to have an inflatable lifeboat.
Exactly! I'm a volunteer with our local police and I go on ride-alongs. As you might imagine, much of our time is spent on the side of town that most of us don't see very often. Our officers tend to try to talk those young men who're going nowhere in particular into joining the Service. Our feeling about it is that if the kid joins the Army, and survives it, he'll be a man when he gets out. An "Honest-To-God" man. A productive member of society, and an important cog in the well-being of his family. Someone that everyone can be proud of.
If he stays where he's at he'll likely be in jail for much of his life because he doesn't have any positive role models in his life.
I would love to see how that young woman in the story is doing ten years down the road.
Heh. Yah. I don’t have the pic handy, but there was a great picture during the initial evac of New Orleans of a little black kid being hoisted in a basket into a CG helocopter, and the smile on his face was just beaming as he looked up to the helo crewman tending the line.
I recall forwarding that pic to friends and family with my caption “future coastie”.
Of course there’s no way to know if this is ever true.
Can’t possibly be. The federal response to Katrina was zero. There no Marines there.
Yes! My "gut feeling," too.
And I'm glad to know that a lot of those kids are far away from the negativity still being spouted by their supposed "leaders" in Louisiana.
Thanks for providing the picture!
Just to shift the subject a little, whatever happened to the 17-year-old who stole a school bus and drove 50 people out of New Orleans? I hope he has had a happy ending to that story.
Just to shift the subject a little, whatever happened to the 17-year-old who stole a school bus and drove 50 people out of New Orleans? I hope he has had a happy ending to that story.
ya-know,... I haven’t heard any more about it, hmmmmmmm......
I’m in Houston. And for the first time in 11 years the murder rate in Houston surpassed Dallas. How is the crime rate on NOLA doing ?
I'm not sure. I live in a sleepy small town in California's San Joaquin Valley. Our crime rate is pretty low I think, but that's just my impression and is not based on any factual knowledge. But we do have a crappy side of town where much of what does happen, happens. :) I never even knew that side of town existed until I started doing ride-alongs.
I used to live in a “sleepy little town in the Valley” after being born in Frisco. (Vallejo I think, USAF moves often)
I didn’t mean to direct that straight at you however your ride alongs etc got my attention. I was asking from a Law Enforcement aspect what you thought of our problem.
For the first time in 11 years Houston has surpassed Dallas in Murder rates. And the crime rate in NOLA has gone down. Now that NOLA is getting some of their evacuees back the citizens of NOLA are pleading with the evacuees to stay in Houston.
Houston has been trashed however I must say I forgot to mention one thing. The young lady that this article was written about is to be commended and saluted.
Re- the kid who stole the school bus and drove people out of the flood zone.
That kid was arrested about a year (six months?) later for selling heroin in New Orleans. Sorry. I’m not making this up. I wish I was.
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