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Frustration, boredom for Pa. troops on Gulf Coast

Sep- 8-2005 » Filed Under: 56th SBCT

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By Timothy McNulty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

ALEXANDRIA, La. -- Frustration set in among 2,300 Pennsylvania Army National Guard troops yesterday as they spent another day far from New Orleans, doing essentially nothing to aid hurricane victims.

Leaders of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team were told their troops may not be deployed until tomorrow at the earliest, and even then might be broken into tiny four- or five-soldier squads, providing security to utility workers and doing other small-scale work far away from areas most devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

"It's bad. It's frustrating," said Lt. Col. Jerry Miller, leader of the brigade's 112th Infantry Regiment. "There's got to be a story in this frustration.

"We can't keep the bottle corked like this. It's a crime," he said.

Pennsylvania troops, who traveled overnight in buses and in three-day heavy equipment convoys to reach the region, spent the day doing busy work again yesterday at a military airstrip in central Louisiana, four hours northwest of New Orleans, distant from major hurricane damage. Soldiers were left to recheck their equipment and vehicles, do ad hoc training exercises and a lot of nothing while they waited around their barracks. [...]

Related:
Guard unit awaits orders to help out - The Patriot News


Comments For "Frustration, boredom for Pa. troops on Gulf Coast":

Goes to show how informed the leadership is, 17 miles north is a town of 2000 named Pollock. They are attempting to care for 24000 refugees with no help because the media and government assistance people stay away not wanting to help. Try Airbase Road of Hwy 165.

Posted by: happyloyd [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 8, 2005 11:48 AM

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