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Heroic Hoosiers help out
Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Jeff Lowry
The Indiana National Guard isn't a taxi service,
but Guard Soldiers can transport people and animals from danger to
safety.
With the recent heavy rains across
Indiana, flood waters encroached on one
Jasper home. Three women and two dogs were trapped inside. Jasper
police officers weren't able to rescue them, so emergency
specialists called the National Guard.
"We drove the Humvee right up to their door, and
they walked right in," said Sgt. Randy Gauck, a 1313th Engineer
Company heavy equipment operator. Guack, of Greensburg, was the truck commander during the
mission to save the Jasper women.
Using a soft-top, M-998 Humvee the Guard Soldiers
were able to get past the nearly two-foot high flood waters. The
Jasper police couldn't, according to Guack and the other Soldiers on
the rescue team.
"Nobody else could (help), nobody had the vehicles
to," said Spc. Christina Rucker, a trauma specialist and combat
medic with the engineer company. In case the flood waters rise even
more the Soldiers have a five-ton truck, that can go past the
Humvee’s limit of two feet.
Having the right equipment helps, but also being
at the right place at the right time. "It's important to be around
the areas where we need to be," Gauck said.
The Soldiers were
matter-of-fact about helping the women, and said what they did is
just part of their job. "It's pretty
much what we were activated to do," Rucker, of
Indianapolis.
Rucker and Spc. Rodney Williams were in the back
of the Humvee to help the women and dogs onto it."It was pretty
cool," said Williams about the rescue mission. "I really like
helping people out when I can."
The ability and the when is the key.
"The state has enough faith in us to do our job
that needs to be done, when it needs to be done," said Williams of
Indianapolis and a heavy equipment operator with the 1313th.
The rescue mission's driver downplayed his
involvement. "It wasn't even as bad as going four-wheelin," said
Spc. Chris Fitzsimmons, a heavy equipment engineer with the engineer
company.
Fitzsimmons, of Columbus, drove through
brown, standing water to get to the house.
"They were their own little island," he said.
"Their house was on high ground, but they were surround by water and
weren't able to leave."
According to the Soldiers the women were
appreciative of the rescue efforts.
"They were very pleased and very happy to see us,"
said Williams.
The Red Cross directed evacuees to a local inn in
Jasper, according to Williams. That's where these Soldiers took them
too.
"It was door-to-door service," said Williams.
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