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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsLocal newsAlaskan Guardsmen Join Contingent in V.I. Providing Hurricane Aid

Alaskan Guardsmen Join Contingent in V.I. Providing Hurricane Aid

Members of the Alaska National Guard’s Joint Operations Center, led by Col. Kimberely DeRouen, finalize details for the deployment of more than 50 Guardsmen from Alaska to St. Croix to provide operational and sustainment support in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Marisa Lindsay)
Members of the Alaska National Guard’s Joint Operations Center, led by Col. Kimberely DeRouen, finalize details for the deployment to St. Croix.(Alaska Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Marisa Lindsay)

More than 50 members of the Alaska Army National Guard are deploying to St. Croix to provide operational and sustainment support in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

The 297th Forward Support Company received word of their impending support of the humanitarian mission last week and were ready to depart within 72 hours.

“We received the mission on Wednesday, and by Saturday had a full roster of personnel with bags packed and ready to serve,” said Capt. Danny Canlas, commander of the 297th Forward Support Company. “It’s truly humbling to see so many soldiers selflessly volunteer to help those in need, leaving their families and commitments back home, to serve the greater good.”

The soldiers are traveling in teams to the U.S. Virgin Islands with small contingents departing sporadically over the next three days.

Alaska's Lt. Gov. Byron Mallot talks to Spc. Michael Notti, a paralegal specialist assigned to the 297th Infantry Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, at Ted Stevens International Airport, Anchorage before the Notti and more than 50 other Guardsmen ship out for the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Marisa Lindsay)
Alaska’s Lt. Gov. Byron Mallot talks to Spc. Michael Notti, a paralegal specialist assigned to the 297th Infantry Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, at Ted Stevens International Airport, Anchorage before the Notti and more than 50 other Guardsmen ship out for the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Marisa Lindsay)

Once the Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers touch ground, operating as a forward logistics element, the Guardsmen expect to collaborate with the Virgin Islands National Guard, National Guard units from other states and federal personnel in an effort to provide logistical relief and to help build the island’s infrastructure.

“I am honored to be able to have a direct positive impact in an area so harshly affected,” said Spc. Michael Notti, a paralegal specialist with the 297th Infantry Battalion. “At the end of the day, we want to assist our fellow Americans and ensure their well-being – that is what we strive for, that is what we signed up for.”

Hurricanes Irma and Maria, category five hurricanes with winds that reached up to 175 miles per hour, both struck St. Croix within 14 days of each other in September. Nearly one month since the storms, St. Croix’s power grid availability remains at 12 percent with collapsed infrastructure throughout the island.

The Alaska Army National Guard will continue to synchronize efforts with the Virgin Islands National Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency and are expected to turn their mission back to the VING by mid-November.

In the last two months, the Alaska National Guard airmen and soldiers have deployed to support Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria; Florida, after Hurricane Irma; and Texas during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

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