Free Republic

NEW ORLEANS (NNS) -- Operating initially out of a pierside warehouse and then the parish Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at a nearby oil refinery, corpsmen from USS Shreveport (LPD 12) conducted immunizations for more than a thousand local and federal relief workers in September. Six hospital corpsmen worked in daily shifts to provide Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and tetanus shots to Marines, National Guardsmen, sheriffs, firemen and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel. Some evacuees and media members also benefited from the free inoculation service. Relief workers are particularly vulnerable to illness and disease because of potential exposure to blood,...

CHALMETTE, La. (NNS) -- Sailors from USS Shreveport (LPD 12) are restoring Chalmette High School’s football stadium for use as an auxiliary community gathering area. Chalmette is located just a few miles west of New Orleans in St. Bernard Parish, La. “After only a few days on the job, they’ve already got the place looking better. The whole track’s been cleaned,” said Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class William Antrican. Observing the ongoing work at the stadium, Rear Adm. Joseph Kilkenny, commander of the Joint Force Maritime Component Command supporting Joint Task Force Katrina, commended Sailors for their progress. He added...