Joplin aftermath--'Not just another day in our lives' Published July 20, 2011 By Tech. Sgt. Gerald Sonnenberg 932nd Airlift Wing Scott Air Force Base, Ill -- Much of the nation gasped when they saw the devastation of tornado ravaged Joplin, Mo., on May 22. No one knew then that the storm would become the deadliest single tornado in documented history. Since that day, thousands of individuals have come together from several states and hundreds of communities to help search debris and try to make a difference. Several of them volunteered for a day from the 932nd Airlift Wing at Scott AFB, Ill., including four members of the 932nd Mission Support Group. Tech. Sgts. Brittany Paus, Joshuah McMullen and Jason Gouchenouer, are members of the 932nd Security Forces Squadron, and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Shaffer is NCOIC of the Commander's Support Staff. Sergeant Paus organized the group, and on May 25, three days after the catastrophe, the four took leave from their duties and traveled together for several hours to southwest Missouri. After they arrived, they found their way to Joplin Fire Station #3 on East 3rd Street in north Joplin, away from the devastation. There, they gathered with a variety of men, women and children from all walks of life, and many different areas of the region to volunteer, according to Sergeant McMullen. "We felt we had something to offer and that we could help someone else," said Sergeant McMullen. "We boarded a bus which was noisy with people talking until we came over a hill entering the destruction zone. Then there was silence." He described the landscape as "utter devastation." The consensus among the four volunteers was that it looked like the concussion blast from a nuclear bomb had just flattened one third of the city of 50,000 people. They arrived in an area in the eastern portion of the destruction zone. Sergeant Gouchenouer was elevated to team leader of the nearly 50 volunteers on the bus. "I was taller than everything," he said describing what was left in the area. "We took our directions from local authorities. We were given 1,000 square meters to search, and I divided everyone into four search teams." The area the teams were searching is primarily an industrial park around East 20th street. However, what the team was finding wasn't just construction materials and office furniture. According to the group, they were finding things that didn't belong in that area. "We found medical equipment and supplies from St. John's Hospital, school report cards, pots and pans, clothing and other things. The most difficult items we came across were photos," said Sergeant Shaffer, who still speaks about it with emotion in her voice. She described two photos in particular. "One was a little girl, about 3-years-old, in her bedroom. She was smiling and holding a teddy bear. The other was a young woman smiling and holding a rose." Sergeant Shaffer said she had been following news stories about three missing kids "religiously" to see how they turned out. "None of the three I followed survived," she said. The teams gave any personal items they found to the Red Cross. "We had to try and keep ourselves somewhat emotionally detached," said Sergeant McMullen. "It was hard to do." "We were also relieved we didn't find any human remains," said Sergeant Paus, who went on to describe the "sense of community" in Joplin. "It was like nothing I've experienced before. It was amazing. Restaurants were putting together food and water for the volunteers. People brought grills on wheels to cook on across the street," she said. After a long day, the group boarded the bus back to the fire house. In the mean time, Sergeant Paus was able to locate a hotel about 30 miles southwest of Joplin in Miami, Okla., for them to spend the night. "I know of others from the base who also volunteered, including Tech. Sgt. Justin Erwin and Master Sgt. Chad Welch from the 932nd AW, as well as security forces members from the 375th Air Mobility Wing and a civilian friend," said Sergeant Paus. The team enthusiastically agreed that they would go again, and they urge others to help when people are in need. "I felt it was our moral obligation to help, and the experience was worth it," explained Sergeant Paus. "It was just one day in our lifetime, and you hope that if it happened to you, someone would be there to help you pick up the pieces."