1140th ends storm duty

The 500 members of the 1140th Engineer Battalion based in Cape Girardeau were sent to the Gulf Coast more than a month ago to help clean up the Himalayan mounds of debris left behind by Hurricane Katrina. Now the soldiers have returned to families grateful to have them home.

The 1140th worked hard. Nineteen schools, four public facilities (libraries, sheriff's offices and museums) and two hospitals benefited from their toil. In New Orleans they delivered 210 loads of fill to raise a levee.

After 18 days in New Orleans, the battalion drove through Hurricane Rita to help out at Lake Charles, La., west of Baton Rouge.

The 1140th was called back to duty only six months after returning from a one-year tour of duty in Iraq. What would America do without these neighbors of ours who put their lives on hold for the good of their country?