Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.

By Science and Technology
Contributor profile | More stories

Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

Face of Defense: Soldier Deploys With Red Cross After Hometown Crisis

Friday, December 29, 2017 11:41

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

By Steven Stover, 780th Military Intelligence Brigade (Cyber)

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md., Dec. 29, 2017 — When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 it caused widespread destruction that continues to impact the U.S. territory’s more than 3 million people.

For one soldier, the opportunity to make a difference in the place he calls home was a calling he could not ignore.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Rafael Ortiz, a cybersecurity noncommissioned officer with the 781st Military Intelligence Battalion here and a newly minted Red Cross team leader, used his personal leave time to cover his 21-day deployment to Puerto Rico with the Red Cross to assist others during this humanitarian crisis.

Volunteers for Humanitarian Mission

“My family — parents, grandmother, sister, uncles, aunts — live in Puerto Rico. Immediately after the hurricane, a lot of people were doing fundraisers. I felt that I could be more useful by going myself as volunteer,” Ortiz said. “So I sent a lot of applications to different organizations to become a volunteer to go to Puerto Rico. The Red Cross was the first one that responded to my application. I went through an interview process, then a deployment briefing, and finally I received my assignment.”

When Ortiz arrived in Puerto Rico on Oct. 13, his initial responsibility was reunification. His job was to assist the people living outside Puerto Rico to reconnect with their family members on the island.

Ortiz asked to be moved to a section called bulk distribution because he wanted to be close to the people.

“For 16 consecutive days I was the team lead of a group that went out with a truck to distribute food, water, hand sanitizer, tarps, and other items to different municipalities,” he said. “We visited 13 municipalities — sometimes more than once.”

Ortiz said while his Red Cross team had a direct impact on over 18,000 people, it wasn’t enough. He wanted to do more.

“I saw a little bit of everything. I saw people with no power, water, food, jobs, home … I saw others in better conditions. [Today] most of the island is in bad shape, especially the inside of it. In the mountains the situation is bad,” Ortiz said. “One of the things that I will never forget is when we ran out of items at the distribution site. I had to tell about 400 people that we didn’t have any more food and water. It broke my heart. It happened almost everywhere we went. Some people left crying.”

Helping People in Need

Ortiz recalled his visits to the municipalities of Utuado and Aguas Buenas.

“Utuado was the worst-affected area. After I went there the first time, I asked to be sent again,” Ortiz said. “The need in Utuado is big. During my third time there, people immediately knew who I was. They were so happy to see us back.

“The second memory is the visit to an orphanage in Aguas Buenas,” he continued. “We had some food and water left, so I asked the local police if they knew of a place where what we had was needed. They took us to an orphanage and we left everything there. Those kids marked my life.”

The people of Puerto Rico are grateful for the help and have a good attitude, Ortiz said.

“The people were smiling and thankful for the assistance,” he said. “They understand it will take hard work and a long time for things to get back to normal. However, they take one day at a time. The best way to describe the people there is with one word: resilience.”

Source: http://military-online.blogspot.com/2017/12/face-of-defense-soldier-deploys-with.html

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!

Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!

HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.

Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.

MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)

Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!

Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.

Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).

Comments

Online:
Visits:	1,603,561,005
Stories:	8,150,578