Poplar Bluff National Guard goes to Louisiana to aid in hurricane recovery

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Approximately 200 members of the Poplar Bluff-based 205th Military Police Battalion have been sent to the Gulf Coast to help with evacuation orders issued before Hurricane Gustav made landfall Monday.

Gov. Matt Blunt issued mobilization orders Saturday, with a total of 1,300 Missouri soldiers responding, according to Unit Public Affairs Representative Alexandria West.

The 205th Guard members left Sunday from the Poplar Bluff National Guard Armory. They were expected to arrive today at Fort Polk, La., near Alexandria, La.

The battalion will lead a task force of National Guard members in the areas affected by Gustav, West said, and remain on duty until they are released by the governor and local civil authorities.

Soldiers are prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at them, said Sgt. Jerry Hosentfeld, 35, of Poplar Bluff, as his unit prepared for the trip Saturday. In the National Guard for 13 years, September marks the 1-year anniversary of Hosentfeld's return from deployment to Iraq.

"We're getting the vehicles lined up and making sure communication is operational," he explained, of Saturday's duties.

It is unknown at this time how long soldiers will remain on the Gulf Coast. While Hurricane Gustav is spent, sparing New Orleans any major damage, Hurricane Hanna is expected to make landfall in the U.S. by weekend, and guard members may also be needed to help with further evacuations and storm recovery.

Second Lt. Jaimie Inman, of Springfield, Mo., said both she and her family are anxious to know when the group will return. This will be the first time Inman, who has been in the guard eight years, has been away from her 4-month-old daughter.

Lt. John Breeden, stationed in Poplar Bluff since last year, said soldiers will likely be used to control access to affected areas.

The magnitude of this disaster is different from others the 205th has responded to recently, he said, including flooding in Piedmont, Mo., and northeastern Missouri earlier this year.

"Where we had a couple of thousand people working then, to the best of my knowledge, there will probably be 10,000 soldiers around the nation on standby for this," Breeden said. "It may be a large area we have to take care of, with all that coastline and then as the storm moves inland."

Some of those responding now also aided in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts three years ago, according to West.

In the three-year period since Katrina, the Missouri National Guard has been mobilized for emergency duty 13 times, West said.

The Missouri Guard's hurricane response includes: an aviation maintenance team from Springfield; the 7th Civil Support Team, located at Fort Leonard Wood; the 1221st Transportation Company in Dexter, Portageville and Sikeston; and Company A, 311th Brigade Support Battalion in Nevada and Lamar.

The battalion includes several units including the 1137th Military Police Company, in Kennett, and its detachments in Doniphan and Jackson; the 1138th Military Police Company and its detachment in Springfield; and the 1175th Military Police Company (rear), in St. Clair, and its detachment at Jefferson Barracks.

On Monday, the 203rd Engineer Battalion and Forward Support Company, in Joplin;

1141st Engineer Company, in Kansas City; 294th Engineer Company, in Carthage and Anderson; 220th Engineer Company, in Festus; 880th Haul Team, in Perryville; 311th Brigade Support Battalion, in Lexington and the 548th Transportation Company, in Trenton, will be joining the troops currently in Louisiana.