Blogger Maria Arnot: Saluting the National Guard troops who helped Vermonters

It may seem excessive that I continue to blog about the statewide recovery from the destructive floodwaters of Tropical Storm Irene. But it is absolutely astonishing that there are so many positive stories that Vermonters have been telling in the days since the storm.

And I believe that these stories need to be shared.

Since Labor Day, for example, there has been a group of well-trained National Guard soldiers being housed at the Spartan Arena in Rutland. Those troops currently are working in the Rutland Region to repair areas that were damaged and left in ruins by Irene.

The soldiers came from Virginia, West Virginia, Maine and the Carolinas. They are specially trained to rebuild roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged in natural disasters.

Castleton President Dave Wolk worked closely with Rutland Mayor Louras and with the director of the Spartan Arena in Rutland, Steve Wolf, to coordinate the operation, which spanned 15 days.

"They came in on Labor Day and were both impressed and gratified by the facility," said Wolk.

The troops stayed at the arena for free, as our guests. It offered them a place to eat and shower. Sleeping cots were set up where the rink would normally be. The school postponed activities and ice installation at the rink to allow the troops to be housed there.

In addition, Castleton assumed responsibility for the heavy equipment that accompanies the troops, and worked out a deal with the mall that allowed the equipment to remain parked overnight in the mall parking lot.

It may seem excessive that I continue to blog about the statewide recovery from the destructive floodwaters of Tropical Storm Irene. But it is absolutely astonishing that there are so many positive stories that Vermonters have been telling in the days since the storm.

And I believe that these stories need to be shared.

Since Labor Day, for example, there has been a group of well-trained National Guard soldiers being housed at the Spartan Arena in Rutland. Those troops currently are working in the Rutland Region to repair areas that were damaged and left in ruins by Irene.

The soldiers came from Virginia, West Virginia, Maine and the Carolinas. They are specially trained to rebuild roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged in natural disasters.

Castleton President Dave Wolk worked closely with Rutland Mayor Louras and with the director of the Spartan Arena in Rutland, Steve Wolf, to coordinate the operation, which spanned 15 days.

"They came in on Labor Day and were both impressed and gratified by the facility," said Wolk.

The troops stayed at the arena for free, as our guests. It offered them a place to eat and shower. Sleeping cots were set up where the rink would normally be. The school postponed activities and ice installation at the rink to allow the troops to be housed there.

In addition, Castleton assumed responsibility for the heavy equipment that accompanies the troops, and worked out a deal with the mall that allowed the equipment to remain parked overnight in the mall parking lot.

If you drove up to the Diamond Run Mall during the night recently, you likely saw some of the military's heavy-duty equipment parked in this temporary staging area.

According to Wolk, the troops also were working to repair Route 4 and Route 7 as part of their recovery and reconstruction mission here in Vermont.

Once again, we see the power of community -- this time from folks outside Vermont who arrived here to help us get back on our feet. And we see how the state's residents and leadership welcomed and gratefully accepted help from these heroes, whose tireless, selfless work will leave a lasting, positive imprint on Vermont.

Maria Arnot is a senior at Castleton State College studying communications with a concentration in journalism. She is working as a Vermont Today blogger for internship credit and can be reached at [email protected] or 607-293-8089.