Event Analysis 01NOV12 - Sandy Defense

     In this Event Analysis I decided to write about something amazing. Specifically doing something amazing... I was called upon by my unit (29th Infantry Division Company C) to assist with natural disaster defense within the Baltimore Area. This was a great excitement to me because this is more or less what I signed up for. I signed with the intentions to help and make a larger difference and be something that was bigger than myself.

     In the coming days of the storm, I was assigned to prepare and place the vehicles in a convoy formation so that if the need arises, we would be able to quickly deploy. The movement was quick and rapid, much quicker than I have ever seen people in my unit move. I knew this was a very serious affair because the NCO's were yelling a battle rhythm for things to get done quickly and efficiently. Nobody was messing around today. I was assigned to the fourth vehicle in the convoy. After we had aligned the HMMWV's to the 1SG's standard, we were brought into the classroom where we were briefed upon what our duties were to be. Our unit was assigned to crowd control and casualty evacuation. After these two hard and rainy workdays, we were released back to our homes and instructed to take care unless we are called for duty. Luckily, we did not get hit all too bad by the storm and we had to move the vehicles back into there positions in the motor pool but the work, motivation and determination shown by my unit in the time of need was amazing to me. We were in the rain, men and women, working on vehicles and not one person complained, everyone worked as a team, and we kept a very high tempo of work. I was proud of my unit for really stepping up.

     This story is very similar to the themes of the story  "Serving up Hope" by Stephanie Shapiro is about a Baltimore family that used their culinary prowess to assist there community. They were very selfless in there giving to the community and that is similar to what we were doing during our hurricane prevention. We gave up our safety and gave our time to make sure that people were safe during the storm and to minimize the loss of human life.

     The duty of protecting others in the military is also very consistent with the Jesuit Values because we are being selfless in our service and always looking to help others in their time of need, such is true with the Jesuits. We also value and see the use in teamwork and we try to utilize it at all times to complete any given task and to look after each other. The military is a community or a brotherhood as described in most all military movies and documentaries and the values that the military follows are very similar to the brotherhood and values that the Jesuits hold dear.