PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Standing in the tattered remains of the Hiram W. Sperry Armory, Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment stand in formation as they conclude their mission during the relief effort for Hurricane Michael on October 19, 2018.
“I don’t know how you guys did it,” said Cpt. Thomas Vollmar, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment, to the formation of Soldiers. “Your families were all affected, but somehow you kept a clear head and accomplished the mission.”
On Tuesday morning, October 9, 2018, while a handful of county officials issued mandatory evacuation orders, approximately 80 Soldiers reported to Hiram W. Sperry Armory to prepare for the impending hurricane relief missions following Hurricane Michael, which at the time was still a Category 3 storm.
“We had about 80 report on ground the day before [the storm],” said Vollamr.
As the Soldiers prepared, Hurricane Michael gained strength. By Tuesday night, Hurricane Michael was a Category 4, the strongest hurricane to hit the Panhandle and the forth-strongest storm to ever hit the United States. The last storm to directly impact the area was Hurricane Eloise, a Category 3 storm which made landfall in 1975.
“This was a historic storm,” said Lt. Col. Jason Hunt, commander of 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment. “Historic storm but a historic response too. You guys were the tip of the spear, rode it out and immediately started serving the community.”
With sustained winds peaking at 155mph and a central eye pressure of 919 mbar, Hurricane Michael slammed into Mexico Beach, Fla., displacing thousands of residents across affected areas.
The Soldiers who live in the immediate area were granted a 24-hour pass to assess the damage to their homes, said Vollmar. Fourteen of those Soldiers had lost everything in the storm, so they were released from duty to tend to what is left of their property.
“This is the troop that suffered the most losses here in Panama City,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Paul J. McGarr, command sergeant major of 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment. “You guys are resilient and I am very proud of you.”
Even the armory where the squadron has called home for the past 55 years submitted to Hurricane Michael’s fury.
“Our armory here took a pretty big hit,” said Vollmar. “Our roof was made of concrete and there are chunks of that concrete that actually broke up due to the wind and rain and actually blew clear across the parking lot landing about a quarter mile down the road.”
“Our armory was destroyed,” said McGarr. “But, we are going to keep riding on.”
As the impact of the storm was assessed and the damage became clear, troop morale quickly became a concern.
“It is hard to even fathom coming in and responding to a community that has been so devastated,” said Hunt. “You shared in that devastation and were able to put it aside and do what the National Guard asked you.”
“[The day of the storm] was probably the lowest moment in troop morale,” said Vollmar. “Soldiers driving through that, seeing the damage to their home town. We have Soldiers that have lived here their entire lives couldn’t even recognize their streets.”
Throughout it all, the Soldiers of 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment kept the promise they made to the citizens of Florida and continued the mission.
We intentionally split our forces, said Vollmar. We sent a platoon of Soldiers to the shelter at Rutherford High School to show presence, but also, if the Soldiers that stayed in the armory were cut off, we would still be able to respond to the community by way of the Soldiers at the shelter.
In total, the squadron was able to complete 22 missions issued by the Bay County Emergency Operations Center and begin the recovery efforts on their armory all while attempting to piece together the shattered fragments that they once called home.
“I hope that you walk away with a deeper sense of appreciation. I hate to say it but sometimes it takes a natural disaster like this for us to appreciate the little things in life, to appreciate what we have,” said Vollmar to his Soldiers during a formation. “I know a lot of you lost a lot but don’t pity yourselves over what you’ve lost. Instead, appreciate everything you do have and everyone you have.”