Anyone who tells you they (the Guard, the Reserves, and other branches of the military) have not been doing anything until the last day or two is a liar and a fool.
One of the guys in our squad has been flying NON STOP for about THREE DAYS already with his ENTIRE UNIT of C-130's out of Florida's Duke Field. As soon as the storm abated enough for them to get flying clearance, they were up.
That's a unit that does covert insertion, resupply, and recovery, along with air to air refueling of helicopters as their normal operational assignment.
However, they evacuated Duke Field at 7AM last Saturday, and began setting up for the relief effort as soon as the field was evacuated. They've been flying into and out of wrecked fields since the storm died out. They brought their own air traffic control, and their own security forces. They have Forward Air Controllers on the ground directing helicopters. They have been flying in supplies for the victims, and fuel for the choppers, NON STOP since the storm died out. The choppers are flying NON STOP. The pilots of the choppers are pushing so hard they are landing on fumes at the end of every flight.
I have friends and family in the Guard and the Reserves who are risking life and limb about 20 out of every 24 hours running rescue and relief operations around the clock. I've heard about all of the Bravo Sierra about nothing being done that I'm going to silently listen to. I'm beginning to get REAL sick of it.
These guys will run this relief and rescue operation until it is no longer needed, at whatever cost to them happens to occur. They'll be away from their families and homes, even though some of them are from the areas hit. When it is all over with, they'll be rewarded with a deployment to the Middle East, and since that deployment will be postponed due to this effort, they'll likely be over there for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, missing all of those holidays with their families as well.
So, if anyone tells you nothing was being done, you tell them that the 8th Special OPSSO Black Birds, AFSOD-A-N, flying MC-130E Combat Talons, have been on the job since the storm abated enough that they were cleared to fly, and they'll be there, flying maximum effort, until the job is done. And that's just ONE unit, one of many, that are on the job, and HAVE BEEN on the job, for days.
