1140th ordered to assist New Orleans cleanup

The National Guard armory on Independence Street, normally a quiet place on a weekday, filled Tuesday with soldiers preparing to move out. The 1140th Engineer Battalion leaves for Louisiana Thursday.

The soldiers from Cape Girardeau and the surrounding region will spend 14 to 30 days helping clear debris left by Hurricane Katrina.

The 1140th Engineer Battalion forms the largest contingent among 900 Guard soldiers and airmen going to aid in the cleanup and recovery effort. They will join 1,100 Guard soldiers sent to the Gulf Coast last week to provide security in Louisiana.

The 1137th Military Police Company from Kennett, a part of the 175th Military Police Battalion, left Friday to help with security in New Orleans.

The 1140th, along with a unit of the 203rd Engineer Battalion from Carthage and a company from the 880th Engineer Dump Company from Dexter, will number approximately 500 when it arrives at England Air Park near Alexandria, La., said Lt. Col. Robert Jones.

An advance party will leave today with the majority heading out sometime Thursday. Jones said he expects the battalion will take two days to complete the trip.

The job assigned to the battalion fits the equipment, he said. The battalion will take bulldozers to pile up debris and dump trucks to cart it off, he said.

The 1140th returned in February after more than a year in Iraq supporting the U.S.-led occupation. No one complained about that duty, Jones said, but the soldiers prefer their mission of mercy.

"It gives pride to a lot of people to be able to go down and help," Jones said.

Now that New Orleans has been largely evacuated and pumps are working to drain the city, cleaning up the mess left behind will be the major job. Exactly where the battalion will be sent to help is up to commanders in the area, he said. "We're heading off to wherever they designate," he said.

The exact time of departure hasn't been set, Jones said.