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Hi all

 

All I can say is WOW, What an experience!!!

 

I got a call sunday June 27th, 2010 late evening that we were going to be deployed to McAllen, TX area (in the Rio Grande Valley) for Operation Alex Hurricane.  Finally received my order's on line appr 2200pm (10:00 pm).

 

Got some sleep and met my BN (Batallion) in San Marcus, TX checkpoint.  When we depart from an area, we meet at a check point to make sure all are convoying together closely and no one is lost in the shuffle.

 

Got to Edenburg, TX Monday afternoon (which is real close to McAllen area).  We were put up in Unversity of Texas-Pan American College.  The appr 200 males were placed in the gym as well as another room packed in like sardines sleeping on cots.  Us females were placed in the dance studio where we had a good amount of room with appr 20 females,  not crowded.  Great advantage of being a female, not many of us ha!!!

 

We stayed there Monday thru Wednesday afternoon--the college fed us 3 hot meals a day.  The rest of the time we stayed in uniform justs waiting getting the word when we were to move fast where the Generals would inform us to evacuate to.  We did get some decent sleep these two days.  Wednesday June 30th, got word appr 1400pm (2:00 pm) to head out to Brownsville, TX where the hurricane statues was moving closer to this area for us to receive evacuees.  We convoyed and let me tell you it was a chore.  It poured down buckes the whole hour it took for us to arrive there.  Part of my BN was placed in a Primary High School for deployment status and My first sergeant and 3 of us first time deployement troop's went to Pace High School in Brownsville.  We arrived at Pace and was met by the principal of the school.  When we got in the building the electricity went off right away so they had some back up generators.  He then proceeded to show us where feeding, sleeping quarters, check-in, etc... was going to be so we would be familiar with the status.  We did see a mouse in the female quarters and when I was on duty wed night from 1am to 7am females stated that they heard it going up and down the walls in our room.  I sure was glad I was not in the room at the time as I probably would have screemed as I do not like them.  We set up the point of check and then it took us appr 3 hours to get the computers on line.  We had 4 police with us as all times and they were so helpful.  I stayed up until 2200pm (10:00pm) Wed doing things, got 3 hours of sleep, back on duty 1-7am Thursday July 1st, got 3 more hours of sleep and then got word we were going back to Edenburg.  My first sergeant and us 3 stayed back at Pace HS and waited for someone to pick up the pallets which had supplies for the evacuees, needless to say we were still there until 1600pm (4:00pm).  Then we headed back to Edenburg where we had supper and got settled for the night. We also got checked out on July 1st, started at 2000pm (8:00pm) and it took 2 1/2 hours with all of us troops.  We were so tired that when I layed my head to sleep it did not take any time at all for my eyes to close.  Friday July 2nd headed back home.

 

I really all-in-all enjoyed it tremendously helping those that needed it even though it took a lot of time and effort to be on our feet.  I will be looking forward to the next one (if one arises).

 

Jean