Photo By Sgt. Tashera Pravato | South Carolina National Guardsman Sgt. Cory Winstead, 174th MAC, conducts preventative...... read more read more
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MANNING, S.C.— South Carolina National Guardsmen from the 122nd and 178th Engineer Battalions conducted preventative maintenance checks and services on their vehicles and packed up their belongings November 17 at McCrady Training Center in Eastover, South Carolina, just in time for Thanksgiving.
The Guardsmen spent 45 days repairing roads that were destroyed by historic flooding that affected South Carolina during the month of October.
“I’m happy to have been able to help people in my state,” said Sgt. Zachary Reynolds, a Soldier in the 174th Mobility Augmentation Company. “What we did here, repairing roads and dams, is meaningful.”
Reynolds also responded to flood damage in his civilian job at The University of South Carolina-Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C., where he has served as the facilities manager for six years. There, Reynolds also repaired infrastructure in the form of wooden bridges damaged by flood waters.
“I am glad that I got to help out at my job but people needed me more as a Guardsman. The repairs I’m doing here are vital to our state’s recovery,” said Reynolds. “The guys I work with are like my brothers but I am happy to be getting home for Thanksgiving.”
Sgt. Cory Wintstead, also 174th Mobility Augmentation Company, is one of those brothers who has been working to further his state’s recovery.
“We are vital to the recovery and my way of helping is being the best at my job,” said Winstead. “Everyone here has been bringing their A-game.”
All of the Soldiers agreed that Winstead was extremely skilled at operating the Skid Steer, a piece of equipment that was essential to most of their missions. It is a multipurpose tool that can spread gravel, move pallets of materials and transport large sandbags like the ones used to slow rushing waters at the Riverfront Canal in Columbia, South Carolina.
“I love operating the Skid Steer. It is a jack-of-all-trades and enabled us to complete repairs that returned a sense of normalcy to people’s lives. I love being able to do that but I am excited that it’s our turn now,” Winstead said with a smile.
All of the Guardsmen had a hand in the missions that were completed. Now that they are finished, the Guardsmen will be headed home just in time for Thanksgiving.
Pfc. Anthony Passerini, 174th Mobility Augmentation Company, is excited to get home to his 2-year-old daughter, who is eagerly waiting for him to come play with her.
“She’s handling my being gone pretty well because I’ve been in the Guard since she was born,” said Passerini. “I get to call her everyday and she tells me that she loves me. That’s what keeps me going. I can’t wait to go home and give my baby a hug.”
| Date Taken: | 11.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2015 11:11 |
| Story ID: | 182858 |
| Location: | MANNING, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 135 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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