Guard adding 18 to Katrina effort

Utah's military presence in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort is growing.

Today, the Utah National Guard will send an additional 18 troops to the storm-ravaged region.

The 18 servicemen of the guard's 85th Civil Support Team will depart for New Orleans this afternoon on a giant military plane loaded with supplies. They will join three team members who arrived in the storm-ravaged region last week.

The 85th Civil Support Team will assist their Louisiana National Guard counterparts by providing secure voice and data satellite communications support. They also will assess potential hazardous-material threats, advise civilian responders on appropriate response actions, and assist other state and federal assets to help save lives and mitigate property damage in the New Orleans area, Maj. Hank McIntire said.

That brings the total of Utah-based servicemen serving in the Hurricane Katrina effort to more than 50:

• 21 Utah National Guard communications specialists from the 85th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD CST) are in Louisiana assisting their counterparts, the 62nd WMD CST of the Louisiana National Guard.

• 10 communication specialists from the Utah National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters are in Louisiana setting up communications systems.

• Four chaplains from the Utah National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters are in the Gulf region providing religious support.

• One airman from Hill Air Force Base's 75th Contracting Squadron is at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport providing contracting support for FEMA, the Defense Department and other agencies.

• Three combat cameramen from the 367th Training Support Squadron at Hill are in the Gulf region filming the devastation.

• 13 security forces members from Hill's 75th Air Base Wing are in San Antonio, Texas, patrolling and providing security for more than 2,500 Hurricane Katrina victims currently living at Kelly U.S.A.

"Our Air Force is answering many calls for emergency assistance to provide assets we have available," said Col. Sharon Dunbar, commander of Hill's 75th Air Base Wing. "The dedicated men and women at Team Hill are working around the clock to assist those in need."

More than 30 Utah soldiers and airmen returned from New Orleans last week. The soldiers of the Utah National Guard's 19th Special Forces Group 1st Battalion are credited with rescuing nearly 4,400 people from the flood waters.

---

E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com