Dan Bogojevich

TRIP TO BATON ROUGE 9/4-9/6 -2005

I received a call from my friend Andrew Palomo . He said that he was tired of watching the ongoing events in Louisiana and the way that the media and politicians were handling the on going crisis. He asked if I would accompany him, to Louisiana, with a truck load of food, water and clothing that he had purchased and accumulated. We decided to leave the following morning. So with backpacks and a cooler full of Gatorade and fruit off we went.

Driving down thru Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and finally Louisiana was very heart warming but also very challenging. During our 19 hour drive we decided to not listen to the finger pointers, fault finders, politicians, and the sensational seeking news media. Instead we focused on the true American spirit and the private individuals who had left their homes on a holiday weekend to help their fellow man. As we drove it struck me that there we were black and white, men and women, and that we were all single minded in our need to help our fellow Americans. No one at any rest area was discussing who was at fault, nor was anyone politicizing what we were doing. The only discussions that were being had were how to best help relieve the situation. It made me proud to see that no one was discussing race, religion, sex, color, these folks were there to help their neighbors. The only color you saw on this convoy route was Red, White and Blue. The true American spirit was exhibited on Interstate 57 as well as other interstates, where people were not talking but doing.

It was heart warming to see all the government, military, and civilian convoys headed south to provide the much needed assistance. Most of the people we observed driving down didn’t even stop to eat; they were eating as they drove. Everything seemed to be very well organized. Everyone that we talked to seemed anxious and focused on the mission ahead.

I was particularly impressed with the young men and women of the National Guard who were headed to New Orleans and the grizzly task of searching for the bodies that are still missing. As I watched them pass us on the road, I noticed that most of them were in their late teens or early twenties. My thoughts were that their lives would forever be changed after they complete the awesome task which awaited them. But you could see that they were proud to be American soldiers on a mission to help their countrymen. By the same token it was challenging in terms of purchasing Gas and finding a place to sleep for a few hours. It was also difficult to find places to eat, as many places were closed, this problem magnified itself the further south you went.

It also seemed very eerie to be traveling on an interstate and to not see any traffic going in the opposite direction. The only vehicles that were visible were those that had been driven as far as they could, with the gas they had, and then abandoned. The entire north bound interstate was strewn with those vehicles. One has to wonder where those people went.

At the small town of Canton Mississippi there was only one operational gas station. The line to get gas was about a mile long, which meant that you had to wait about 4 hours for your turn. The station was manned by the local police department. When we pulled up to ask about where to get in line the officer asked what we had in the truck. I stated that we had food, water, and clothing for the disaster victims. He immediately put us in the front of the line. As we were being fueled not one of the local persons complained about us getting preferential treatment. As a matter of fact some people thanked us and wished us well.

Once we entered central Mississippi it was clear that we were going into a devastated area. Most of the metal interstates signs were snapped in half. Trees which were 3 and 4 feet round were snapped in half or completely up rooted, some of the root balls were larger than a full size car. The further south we went the greater the destruction. Seeing this only made you feel more determined to get there and provide any help that you could.

It was amazing to see the diverse convoys that were headed south, there were tree trimmers, utility trucks, semis with generators, port-o-potties, tents, road clearing equiptment, all types of supply trucks, and many that, we had no idea as to what they were carrying.

We arrived in Baton Rouge and went directly to see about my wifes friend who lived in New Orleans. We found her living in a house that was owned by a friend that had relocated , and had allowed Paulette and her family to move in. She stated that they were one of the lucky ones because they had a place to go. They were living in a vacant house with 2 air mattresses and a folding card table. They hardly had any clothes and nothing to cook with. Their grammer school aged children do not have a school to go to and yet they considered themselves lucky.

We then went to the campus of LSU that was set up as a collection point for donations as well as a triage center for those injured and deceased. The field house at the Pete Maravich Center was set up as the triage center. It was amazing to watch 10 to 15 ambulances coming in at about 15 to 20 minute intervals full of injured and in some cases deceased people. In addition, the parking lot adjacent to the field house was set up as a landing zone for helicopters, bringing in even more sick and injured victims. It reminded me of a combat field hospital.

The field house was lined wall to wall with cots and most of them were occupied with injured people. They also had a morgue set up in the house. There were dozens upon dozens of volunteers some so exhausted that they huddled under trees and slept out in the open, not wanting to use up any cots. The LSU students were helping in any way they could. At the donation collection point there was a steady stream of cars and vans dropping off clothes, blankets and many other items of need. Once again people helping people without wanting any recognition

One of the uplifting things that happened was that as we were walking on the campus we noticed that, at the Agricultural building, there were a large number of people walking dogs and even cats. When we inquired we were told that these were the rescued animals and that the agricultural department started this rescue center for lost animals. All the animals looked fit and well fed. They seemed to be enjoying their romp on the campus.

We were directed to the Office of Emergency Preparedness located at the Baton Rogue airport. Upon arrival there we met the Mayor of a small town of Zachery . Her town has a population of 2500, but they have taken in another 2000 refugees. We offered to donate our truck load of water, food and clothing to 1 of her shelters. She immediately got into our truck and directed us to her town and shelter. Fortunately we arrived just as they had run out of nonperishable food. The local citizens as well as the refugees helped us unload. There was a feeling of cheer and cooperation amongst all the people present. They told me that they were happy to have each other and were overjoyed to know people around the country were willing to help. They were so hospitable that they insisted we have dinner with them, we declined, but they insisted and the gumbo was great.

We had the opportunity to talk to a number of the refugees. The stories are to numerous and sad to relate, but the prevailing feeling among these proud people is that they want to go home and rebuild their lives and families. They told me that we should not feel sorry for them, but that we should give them strength by praying for them and to continue offering help in any way we can. The confidence that these people exhibited showed a showed a strength we should all be proud of. The strength that we saw among these devastated people truly exemplifies the American (we will never accept defeat) spirit. It does ones heart good to see that in the face of monumental disaster the resolve of the American people is steadfast.

We were pretty tired on the return trip, but we once again saw how, when called upon, the American people respond to a crisis. The interstate was loaded with police and fire equipment going south to assist. What made us feel a sense of pride was that as we went under the interstate bridges, local fire departments had all their equipment lined up on the bridges and they were waving American Flags as the convoys of their peers were going by. Even though they couldn’t personally go, they showed their support to those that could. It was amazing to see the firefighters and their families on those bridges. We came home with a wonderful gift from the people of Louisiana, the memory of their tired but warm smiles and their can and will do attitude.

Dan Bogojevich

LTC (Ret) USAR