Disaster Diaries: NCO Goes Distance to Provide Assistance Published Feb. 9, 2006 By Tech Sgt Michael Duhe 403rd Wing Keesler AFB, Miss. -- His commander calls him a “quiet hero.” Tech. Sgt. Sonny Parker, a network infrastructure technician with the 403rd Communications Flight, has earned the gratitude of many for his actions in the chaotic days following Hurricane Katrina. It all began the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Biloxi area. As Sergeant Parker sat in traffic on a bridge near his Crestview, Fla. home, he began to wonder about his friends and co-workers with the 403rd. His wonder quickly turned to worry. “I had dealt with Hurricane Ivan and saw the destruction,” he said. “I just knew that all of my friends here would be in bad shape.” Sergeant Parker decided to take action. He turned around and headed home, where he loaded his truck with food, water, more than a dozen five-gallon gasoline containers, an air conditioning unit, a generator and other supplies he thought would be needed. He said goodbye to his pregnant wife and left home, bound for Biloxi. Along the way, he tried calling co-workers, with no success. Finally, he was able to get through to co-worker Senior Airman Brian Mitchell, whose Gulfport home had been flooded by seven feet of storm surge. Airman Mitchell had traveled to Mobile, Ala., and was waiting in a long line to get gasoline. Together, they got as much gasoline as possible and headed west on I-10. Sergeant Parker was shocked by what he saw as he arrived in the local area – houses ruined, cars flipped and debris everywhere. “I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” he said. “None of this had been moved by man – it was all nature.” Their first stop was Airman Mitchell’s severely damaged neighborhood. Residents were cutting trees and branches, waiting in line to get bottled water and removing ruined items from their homes. Some were even washing themselves in standing water. The two Airmen drove around and did what they could; passing out the supplies as they found people in need. Airman Mitchell’s diesel generator flooded, but Sergeant Parker, who runs a pressure washing business, was able to take it apart, clean the fuel lines and get it back running. They gave it to a local family who had a freezer full of seafood that hadn’t yet spoiled. Another neighbor spelled out “Water” in the front yard using sections of their home’s ruined gutters. Sergeant Parker and Airman Mitchell provided them with bottled water and juice drink packs for the family’s children. Meanwhile, communications on base were rendered virtually useless by Katrina. Maj. Brian Bell, commander of the 403rd Comm Flight, was on temporary duty in Washington, D.C., and was very concerned about the well being of his troops. However, he was unable to get through to any of them. Finally, he reached Sergeant Parker through the walkie-talkie feature of their cell phones and learned he had returned to the Biloxi area. Sergeant Parker then went to work, tracking down information on his co-workers and serving as a critical communications link for commander and co-workers alike. “Sergeant Parker was able to tell me about the status of many of the people in comm whom I had no contact with, or didn’t know their whereabouts or how they were affected by the storm,” Maj. Bell said. But Sergeant Parker didn’t stop there. After contacting a co-worker, he would then check on the co-worker’s home and relay the information back to them. That was a challenge in itself, he said, because many street signs had been swept away and streetlights were not working. Tech. Sgt. Boyd Huff, information knowledge manager, had evacuated to Little Rock AFB, Ark., and wondered about his home and the status of his girlfriend’s family, who had stayed behind in D’Iberville. His girlfriend’s mother is diabetic, causing them additional concern. Sergeant Parker checked in on them and found them to be okay. Sergeant Huff’s home took in about an inch of water, but otherwise seemed to be okay as well. He relayed the information back to Sergeant Huff. “He went out of his way to check on my girlfriend’s family,” Sergeant Huff said. “It relieved a lot of stress knowing that they were okay and my house was okay.” Sergeant Parker also helped several comm members get their homes back in order following the storm, including pulling up wet carpet in Sergeant Huff’s home to help prevent the growth of mold. Others were relieved to hear from Sergeant Parker as well. “It was nice getting the ‘ground truth,’” said co-worker Tech. Sgt. Gregory Garcia, whose home had been checked on by Sergeant Parker. “There were a lot of conflicting reports in the media about the damage.” Sergeant Parker temporarily moved in with Airman Mitchell. Together, they continued to track down the whereabouts of co-workers and distribute supplies to those in need. Soon, the supplies disappeared into the hands of those who needed them. Sergeant Parker made the three-and-a-half hour drive back to Florida for another load of supplies, and returned with a pressure washer as well. He continued to distribute supplies and chemically pressure washed the homes of several members of the Wing to prevent mold growth. In the coming weeks, he would make about four more trips, loaded with other much-needed supplies, such as sheetrock. Airman Mitchell said Sergeant Parker was happy to be here to help, despite being shocked by the devastation. For his part, Sgt. Parker doesn’t believe that what he did was heroic. “It was tough, but it was something I felt I had to do,” he said. “I was glad to be able to help out.”