Scott Air Force Base, Ill -- Three 932nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron members went to tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., to volunteer their time and talents. The three days they were there searching and working--they won't soon forget.
For Staff Sgt. Jason Garner, an experienced paramedic and civilian firefighter, the destruction was beyond words.
"The scene was sheer amazement. The city looked like Hiroshima," he said. Sergeant Garner was joined by Tech. Sgt. Melissa Calabrese and
Staff Sgt. Bradley Diecker. They wanted to get to Joplin as soon they heard the news.
The 932nd AES team was in civilian status as they took military leave to volunteer for the Joplin recovery. They drove their own vehicles t
here and made contact with the Joplin Fire Department for work assignments.
When they weren't working, the 932nd AES airmen lived out of their cars at a truck stop near Joplin. The owner let the volunteer
Airmen use restrooms and showers. Although Sergeant Garner brought a few MREs along, he didn't need them.
"Food and water was available at the staging area and practically anywhere
we worked," he said. The Salvation Army, American Red Cross
and local volunteers passed out burgers, sandwiches and cold water. The truly remarkable part, Sergeant Garner
said, was the tornado survivors' spirit.
"People who lost everything, were still grateful they had survived and that volunteers were there to help," he said.
Because of their medical training, the AES trio was assigned to search and recovery teams. T
he ten-man teams included a logger (to cut and remove large debris) and trained sniffer dogs to locate victims.
After one shift, Sergeant Calabrese found herself covered with wood ticks. Her legs alone w had about 80 ticks.
"We were searching near a wooded area, and I must have stepped in a colony," she said after nearly 15 minutes, with
Sergeant Garner's help, each tick was safely removed. The AES volunteers searched large swaths of debris and destruction. There were
downed power lines, broken natural gas lines and pungent odors, Calabrese added.
Searchers were outfitted with gloves, hard hats, steel-toe boots, courtesy of the Joplin Fire Department. Recovery
work following a natural disaster can be grim. Even for Sergeant Garner and his AES teammates, who have
extensive medical experience. "We did recover human tissue and such," but your training kicks in and you focus on the task, he said.
The AES members went to Joplin for the opportunity to make help their fellow man in need. For Sergeant Garner, he
wanted the rare chance to assist fellow Missouri residents. "We're trained for global response, so it was rewarding to help out at home," he said.
For Sergeant Diecker it was a rare chance to be part of a historic humanitarian response. "I was at a loss for words
at the devastation I saw. No amount of training could prepare you for a disaster like this.
" Despite Joplin's human and material losses, Sergeant Diecker said, the American trait of helping your neighbor was strong as ever.