Times like these make me grateful that I'm a fierce independent and think both parties are at least somewhat out of touch with reality. Glad to see we have a moderator ... thanks to junkmasterq for taking on the job.
As I posted before Katrina came ashore, we were activated Sunday night (28Aug2005) and have been providing communications support for the brave heroic folks on the ground in NOL and across the Gulf Coast. If you could monitor the military, FEMA, etc frequencies, you would have your chest swell up a bit as you hear the actual happenings in the disaster area. The current crop of young Americans are a blessing. Then there are the miscreants (sp) who are just the opposite.
I've managed to find a new hero ... General Honore. One of the most level headed, honest, candid men America has produced in recent years. Isn't it wonderful that we always seem to have someone like him come along.
The new technologies are proving to be a mixed blessing. Communications have not been what many expected. Cel service was one of the first victims. Satelite services just require too much electricity for prolonged operations. In the afteraction analysis, we may find that we still need a pool of radio operators who can use CW (Morse Code) to communicate. Some of us old geezers were the only ones who could penetrate propogation and other obstacles and could get messages thru faster than the newer modes of emission.
We still have S&R (Search and Rescue) operations going on. Recovery is just starting and folks, nobody knows what that will produce, but it seems safe to expect it may well be the greatest natural catastrophy in recorded US history. We've had many of the S&R personnel report that they were marking houses and other points containing dead. Many of those voices have not been strong and steady, but they keep on keeping on. God Bless them.
I would like to encourage everyone of us to contribute as best we can. On those rare occassions when I have been able to watch TV reporting, there are some of the saddest stories I have ever seen. I've had tears in my eyes while handling many of the messages both into and out of the effected areas. Even being 'in the loop' we still have several friends and acquaintences not yet accounted for. All of our known family evacuated ahead of the disaster.
I have another hour until I go back on, so time to grab a bite and thank God for strong coffee ... lol.
AI
