My Friend Kenny B, Part 2
Hello NOLA.
I am out of the city for a couple of days and I just wanted to say a few things about what I have been through. First, I want to thank all the people who helped me in so many ways from the outside. It was a bit surreal being there and getting words of encouragement , messages of gasoline drops and offers of food or any supplies I could find in some of your houses was very reassuring and comforting. And the coordination and information provided by Candy was invaluable. I wish I could have done more for all the requests I received, but as you can imagine I got extremely busy and was restricted to uptown.
I feel like I did some good, but honestly, I am consumed by an overwhelming feeling of guilt. There were people I couldn't get to, or couldn't convince to get in the boat. I honestly wish at times that I had never gone in. One person asked me if I enjoyed what I was doing. I can assure you that seeing dead Americans floating in the streets of New Orleans was not enjoyable. The hardest pill for me to swallow was the paint marks on all the brick houses in New Orleans East. The marks are permanent. They signify that the house has been searched, how many dead or alive and they say to me, "Goodbye". The devastation is total and final. New Orleans East will not be saved. It was so lonely and dark. I couldn't help but cry.
Please understand, no house was entered Uptown unless it was deemed absolutely necessary based on the information we had. Believe me, the National Guard is full of honest, hard working and caring people who do their best to protect life and property. These kids are professionals and it was recorded if there was an open door and patrols were increased past houses that were not secured. Several times we found people so incapacitated by starvation, that there was no possible way they could answer the door. Often, we found no one. There was no other alternative, but if you are still upset about your door, sue me.
I wish I could have done more. Every day, we would have to acquire new boats, shuffle troops to the deep areas where the boats were parked, search for looters and survivors and un-do all of this before 5PM. It was hard, dangerous and occasionally rewarding work. If there was a dog barking, there was a 50/50 chance there were people inside who were hiding for one reason or another. We took with us every living creature that would come in the boat. The dogs were the easiest, but sometimes we would find houses full of people, all wanting to leave. The despair on their faces was unforgettable as they had to leave their home and many times you could witness the soldiers trying to hide their own tears.
I drew my weapon twice, (I sleep with it), had one man pull a gun on me, captured looters, delivered water, begged and pleaded people to come with me, almost punched a jerk of a pro golfer, hotwired and sank countless boats and drove at over 40 MPH down Claiborne in a 24 foot Skeeter getting a sick man to a doctor. This was no vacation. It was hard, depressing work. One of the boats I used carried over 400 people to safety.
So many tough decisions had to be made. I can't tell you how many times I had to leave people behind. Dehydration and starvation makes you crazy and some people believed that if they leave their house that they would never see it again. Mostly, they were right. Every dog I hear howling will die. Every desperate cat or kitten crying for help will cry no more. It hurt me beyond comprehension to leave behind any living being that wanted to or needed to get in the boat. I was told not to use force, and even though I don't answer to those people, I would not rule out forcibly removing someone to safe ground. That never had to happen.
I morn for your losses. I cry for the people we couldn't save. And I miss the city I once knew and loved. I wish I could have done more. We were failed by our government and for several days, my American Flag flew upside down.
Please believe me, that most of the people working on the boats, and most of the people carrying M-16's are there to help. We needed the Army here 25 years ago. They are sad for us. They care about us and our houses and many have expressed moving here. They truly want to help. I would do anything for them. And when you return home, I hope you thank them. They are doing the work our police force was untrained, unpaid and unable to do. These guys truly are America's best and they are all here because they volunteered to be here.
I hope you find your family. I hope you come home. I hope all is well with you and your home. And I hope you can forgive me for any thing that I might have done to infringe on your privacy, your property or any insult you might have taken from my words or actions. I was only trying to save lives. I only wanted to help.
Kenny Bellau
Civilian Intelligence Liaison to the U.S. Army
Herring Gas Racing Team
www.herring-cycling.com
I am out of the city for a couple of days and I just wanted to say a few things about what I have been through. First, I want to thank all the people who helped me in so many ways from the outside. It was a bit surreal being there and getting words of encouragement , messages of gasoline drops and offers of food or any supplies I could find in some of your houses was very reassuring and comforting. And the coordination and information provided by Candy was invaluable. I wish I could have done more for all the requests I received, but as you can imagine I got extremely busy and was restricted to uptown.
I feel like I did some good, but honestly, I am consumed by an overwhelming feeling of guilt. There were people I couldn't get to, or couldn't convince to get in the boat. I honestly wish at times that I had never gone in. One person asked me if I enjoyed what I was doing. I can assure you that seeing dead Americans floating in the streets of New Orleans was not enjoyable. The hardest pill for me to swallow was the paint marks on all the brick houses in New Orleans East. The marks are permanent. They signify that the house has been searched, how many dead or alive and they say to me, "Goodbye". The devastation is total and final. New Orleans East will not be saved. It was so lonely and dark. I couldn't help but cry.
Please understand, no house was entered Uptown unless it was deemed absolutely necessary based on the information we had. Believe me, the National Guard is full of honest, hard working and caring people who do their best to protect life and property. These kids are professionals and it was recorded if there was an open door and patrols were increased past houses that were not secured. Several times we found people so incapacitated by starvation, that there was no possible way they could answer the door. Often, we found no one. There was no other alternative, but if you are still upset about your door, sue me.
I wish I could have done more. Every day, we would have to acquire new boats, shuffle troops to the deep areas where the boats were parked, search for looters and survivors and un-do all of this before 5PM. It was hard, dangerous and occasionally rewarding work. If there was a dog barking, there was a 50/50 chance there were people inside who were hiding for one reason or another. We took with us every living creature that would come in the boat. The dogs were the easiest, but sometimes we would find houses full of people, all wanting to leave. The despair on their faces was unforgettable as they had to leave their home and many times you could witness the soldiers trying to hide their own tears.
I drew my weapon twice, (I sleep with it), had one man pull a gun on me, captured looters, delivered water, begged and pleaded people to come with me, almost punched a jerk of a pro golfer, hotwired and sank countless boats and drove at over 40 MPH down Claiborne in a 24 foot Skeeter getting a sick man to a doctor. This was no vacation. It was hard, depressing work. One of the boats I used carried over 400 people to safety.
So many tough decisions had to be made. I can't tell you how many times I had to leave people behind. Dehydration and starvation makes you crazy and some people believed that if they leave their house that they would never see it again. Mostly, they were right. Every dog I hear howling will die. Every desperate cat or kitten crying for help will cry no more. It hurt me beyond comprehension to leave behind any living being that wanted to or needed to get in the boat. I was told not to use force, and even though I don't answer to those people, I would not rule out forcibly removing someone to safe ground. That never had to happen.
I morn for your losses. I cry for the people we couldn't save. And I miss the city I once knew and loved. I wish I could have done more. We were failed by our government and for several days, my American Flag flew upside down.
Please believe me, that most of the people working on the boats, and most of the people carrying M-16's are there to help. We needed the Army here 25 years ago. They are sad for us. They care about us and our houses and many have expressed moving here. They truly want to help. I would do anything for them. And when you return home, I hope you thank them. They are doing the work our police force was untrained, unpaid and unable to do. These guys truly are America's best and they are all here because they volunteered to be here.
I hope you find your family. I hope you come home. I hope all is well with you and your home. And I hope you can forgive me for any thing that I might have done to infringe on your privacy, your property or any insult you might have taken from my words or actions. I was only trying to save lives. I only wanted to help.
Kenny Bellau
Civilian Intelligence Liaison to the U.S. Army
Herring Gas Racing Team
www.herring-cycling.com
posted by Gary Z at
6:25 AM
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