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| Hurricane Katrina Photos & Commentary How the most powerful nation in the world responded to the needs of its own citizens |
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me. - Matthew 25:40 - KJV
--
Yes, the most powerful nation in history, capable of sending humanitarian aid
anywhere in the world (see article below) within a matter of hours; a nation
armed with a variety of resources deliverable by land, air and sea, took five
days to begin delivering aid to its American citizens, citizens many of whom
pay taxes to support world relief efforts to others.
Merely one-thousand, ninety-nine miles from Washington, DC, thousands of
human beings, many not old enough to have yet learned to take care of
themselves, and some old enough to have forgotten how to take care of
themselves; waited. They sat in attics, on rooftops or in crowded drug, crime
and disease infested buildings without food, water, or toilet facilities.
They waited, among rotting corpses, often in the stench of garbage and
human waste and all manner of degradation, intensified by ninety degree
plus heat and a growing sense of abandonment. They waited, many whose
greatest crime was that of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some
ill, some injured, some grieving lost or missing relatives and friends, some
simply hungry, thirsty, and afraid; they waited, while the greatest nation in the
world considered a relief effort.
While Louisiana National Guardsmen, many from the New Orleans area,
fulfilled their sworn duty one-half world away, helping bring freedom and
dignity to those in a faraway desert land; their families suffered and waited,
and waited, and waited for help; from just one-thousand, ninety-nine miles
away.
Thank Almighty God for those policemen, firemen, medical personnel, aid
workers, friends, neighbors, and strangers who in many cases went beyond
the limits of their training, responsibility, and perceived ability, to help those
in need. Thank Almighty God for those who have given, when they thought
they had nothing to give. Thank Almighty God for those who simply prayed.
Thank Almighty God for people like you and you and you, for you stepped
forward with what you had, and what you had coming; while the government
of the greatest nation in the world took five days to “travel” one-thousand,
ninety-nine miles.
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me. - Matthew 25:40 - KJV
--
Yes, the most powerful nation in history, capable of sending humanitarian aid
anywhere in the world (see article below) within a matter of hours; a nation
armed with a variety of resources deliverable by land, air and sea, took five
days to begin delivering aid to its American citizens, citizens many of whom
pay taxes to support world relief efforts to others.
Merely one-thousand, ninety-nine miles from Washington, DC, thousands of
human beings, many not old enough to have yet learned to take care of
themselves, and some old enough to have forgotten how to take care of
themselves; waited. They sat in attics, on rooftops or in crowded drug, crime
and disease infested buildings without food, water, or toilet facilities.
They waited, among rotting corpses, often in the stench of garbage and
human waste and all manner of degradation, intensified by ninety degree
plus heat and a growing sense of abandonment. They waited, many whose
greatest crime was that of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some
ill, some injured, some grieving lost or missing relatives and friends, some
simply hungry, thirsty, and afraid; they waited, while the greatest nation in the
world considered a relief effort.
While Louisiana National Guardsmen, many from the New Orleans area,
fulfilled their sworn duty one-half world away, helping bring freedom and
dignity to those in a faraway desert land; their families suffered and waited,
and waited, and waited for help; from just one-thousand, ninety-nine miles
away.
Thank Almighty God for those policemen, firemen, medical personnel, aid
workers, friends, neighbors, and strangers who in many cases went beyond
the limits of their training, responsibility, and perceived ability, to help those
in need. Thank Almighty God for those who have given, when they thought
they had nothing to give. Thank Almighty God for those who simply prayed.
Thank Almighty God for people like you and you and you, for you stepped
forward with what you had, and what you had coming; while the government
of the greatest nation in the world took five days to “travel” one-thousand,
ninety-nine miles.
| Click on image to enlarge Photos Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com |
| View more photos by Pressing Here! |
| See the Presidential Response to Hurricane Katrina at: http://www.darlugo.com/?id=263 |
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Article by Henry Ford - You may contact the writer at henry@henryfordswebsite.com
| Yet according to the article below, we are capable of so much better! |
Airman December 2001 For original article PRESS HERE! Airmen supporting the Enduring Freedom humanitarian airdrop mission delivered twice the number of meals — about 70,000 — to Afghan refugees and made military airlift history during a mission in October. “This was the first time we’ve conducted a four-ship — four C-17s — high-altitude combat drop of humanitarian supplies,” said Col. Bob Allardice, humanitarian airdrop mission commander. Members of the 315th Operations Group from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., assisted active-duty members as the first reservists to participate in this groundbreaking humanitarian operation. The C-17s, each with a crew of about 10 airmen, flew almost 10,000 miles round trip to make the drop. “It’s significant because it takes a tremendous effort to assemble four airplanes with all the supplies in one place and to fly the great strategic distances that are flown to deliver 70,000 humanitarian daily rations,” Allardice said. The missions are flown under combat conditions from a higher altitude than ever before, making for a “very dangerous mission.” As the crews approached the drop zone, they depressurized the planes and opened the cargo doors. The pilots then pulled the aircraft nose up approximately seven degrees, and the loadmasters released the ration-filled tri-wall aerial delivery systems. Once the specialized delivery containers are slid out the back, the air blast pulls the TRIADS apart, and the humanitarian daily rations “flutter down,” said Col. James B. Roberts Jr., the group commander. In early October, aircraft flew daily out of Ramstein, Air Base, Germany, each with 42 boxes loaded with about 17,500 humanitarian daily rations. In the first few days, crews airdropped more than 140,000 of the meals to Afghan refugees. “The host wing, the 86th Airlift Wing, is supplying both tactical planners to help us plan our missions as well as riggers to work with the Army’s 5th Quartermaster Company,” Allardice said. More than 40 soldiers with the quartermaster company have teamed with airmen from Ramstein’s 37th Airlift Squadron to help assemble delivery containers and load them onto the C-17s. Operation Enduring Freedom’s war on terrorism has many facets. Allardice said for the humanitarian part of the war, his team is focused on the Department of Defense’s goal of feeding the Afghan people. “It’s always good to do this type of mission amidst the harder aspects,” Roberts said. “It lets them know [the war] isn’t directed at the Afghan people.” |
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