MARINE BRINGS RELIEF SUPPLIES ALONG IN VISIT HOME

When Steve and Traci Hamblin were home last month from his Marine base in California, the couple was overwhelmed by the first-hand view of the devastating floods.

Upon returning to El Toro, Calif., they vowed to do something to help flood victims.

"We were home for her class reunion in Jackson and when we flew in over St. Louis and saw all the flood waters, it just really affected us," Steve said Tuesday. "Just being here for a couple days, we decided we wanted to do something."

Hamblin knew he would be returning to his home town of Cape Girardeau for leave in August. He decided he would get a few of his buddies on the base to help him fill a car with items to help flood victims.

"I planned to fill a car with as much stuff as I could, and bring it with me," he said. "But after I talked to a few people on the base, it wasn't long before I knew I wasn't going to have room in a car."

With his 2-year-old daughter, Kaleigh, riding shotgun, Hamblin arrived in Cape Girardeau Sunday with a pickup truck load of cleaning supplies, toiletries and clothes.

"There are a whole lot more clothes in California," he said. "We were only able to bring about a third of all the stuff we got from the base."

Hamblin said he plans to hold a garage sale when he goes back to El Toro and send the proceeds to the Red Cross and Salvation Army for flood relief efforts in Cape Girardeau.

He's stationed at the Marine Air Corps Base, VMFAT 101 fighter attack squadron, where he's a sergeant. A Cape Girardeau native, Hamblin has been stationed at El Toro for three years.

He guessed that one of the reasons his fellow marines responded to his plea is because they were familiar with the disaster through family, friends and media reports.

"We just had an outstanding response from the base," Hamblin said. "I think everyone wanted to do something to help.

"There's something on the news every night about the floods, and almost everybody on the base has friends or family back here."

"I think most of them felt like we did: Traci and I just wanted to do something. We're from here, and we've got a lot of friends from here."

Hamblin said he will return to El Toro soon after Labor Day. He said the Salvation Army and Red Cross were happy to get the supplies.

And the people at the Heartland Cares Distribution Center encouraged him to "stick around" after he dropped off his load.

"They were glad to get the stuff, but they asked me if I would stay a while," Hamblin said. "I helped unload another truck for them."