Photo By Sgt. Michael Ito | Pfc. Nathan Kemple, a finance clerk for Marine Forces Reserve and an Austin, Texas...... read more read more
Subscribe
NEW ORLEANS – The strongest hurricane system to affect the region to date hit Southeast Louisiana on August 29, 2005. The storm surge and subsequent failure of flood and disaster prevention mechanisms left the New Orleans metropolitan area under as much as 20 feet of seawater in some places, contaminated by more than seven million gallons of oil, bacteria, sewage and heavy metals, as well as pesticides and other toxic chemicals. When the waters finally receded, the green treeline and garden systems of New Orleans had been decimated.
More than 100,000 trees had been lost, said Connie Uddo, executive director for Hike for KaTREEna, a non-profit organization dedicated to replanting trees lost during Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans also lost thousands of personal and community garden projects, as well as up to 80 percent of its ground plants, she said.
After the hurricane, lifetime New Orleans resident and Hike for KaTREEna founder Monique Pilie hiked 2,175 miles on the Appalachian Trail, raising money and vowing to plant a tree for every mile on her trek, giving the organization its namesake.
Since the April 2006 trip, Hike for KaTREEna, or “H4K” for short, has planted more than 12,600 trees and is stronger than ever, said Uddo.
“We have partnered with thousands of people to replant New Orleans,” she said. “And we’re always looking for new volunteers.”
Uddo found a few more volunteers in military service members during NOLA Navy Week, April 16-22. The weeklong event served as a kickoff to a three-year celebration commemorating the War of 1812 and the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The event drew hundreds of Marines, sailors and soldiers here from several nations. The Marine Corps’ role in the event reinforces its naval character, showcases the Navy-Marine Corps team and highlights the military’s enduring relationship with the city of New Orleans.
The Marines of Marine Forces Reserve strived to fulfill that role, as they sent dozens of Marines to help Uddo and the rest of Hike for KaTREEna replant a park on New Orleans’ Lakeshore Drive, a road that spans a large portion of Lake Ponchartrain’s coastline in New Orleans.
“We’re here to help out the community,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph D’Ambrosio, Aviation Logistics Division inspector, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve. “This is an area that hasn’t been refurbished since Katrina. The facilities and buildings are extremely dilapidated, and people don’t really want to come out here anymore.”
But the Marines and H4K came to change that, said Uddo.
“Our plan is to plant more than 100 trees and replace every picnic table and bench in a two-mile span along this coast,” she said. “If anyone is able to accomplish a task like this, it’s the United States military.”
The Marines weren’t acting alone, though. They were joined by sailors from the U.S., Canadian and British navies, as well as a corporate group.
“It has been incredibly gratifying to come down here and help out the community while we’re here,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Liberte Carrier, a marine engineer stationed on Her Honorable Majesty’s Canadian Ship St. John. “Opportunities like this are why I joined the navy.”
Carrier says he finds a sense of inspiration in projects like Hike for KaTREEna.
“It’s a real pleasure working with the Marines,” he said. “We’re both from North America, but there’s a real difference in cultures from the United States to Canada.”
This type of interaction is exactly what NOLA Navy Week is all about, said Cmdr. Bill Holiman, command chaplain for USS Wasp, and community relations head for NOLA Navy Week.
“One of our primary missions,” said Holiman, “was to get servicemembers, civilians, sailors, soldiers, Marines, Canadians, Americans, French and British all together and allow them to work and interact with people they never would’ve had the chance to interact with.”
Getting face time with people you don’t normally get to meet is important, said D’Ambrosio.
“You get to know people outside of the Marine Corps,” he said. “It’s so important for Marines to get a perspective outside their own, to get out from behind your desk and shake things up.”
The Marines, along with Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 and foreign sailors, dug in deep, Uddo said. With their help, H4K managed to complete their project, planting 106 trees and replacing 46 benches and 57 picnic tables.
“New Orleans is one of the great American cities,” she said. “It fills me and my volunteers’ hearts with hope when we see the military come in and accomplish so much. What may not feel like a lot of work to a Marine gives a tremendous amount of energy and hope to someone from the local community.”
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2012 09:36 |
| Story ID: | 87727 |
| Location: | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NOLA Navy Week brings military and community together, by SGT Michael Ito, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
