Five years after Hurricane Katrina<br>Looking back, heading forward Published Aug. 25, 2010 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Katrina was five years ago -- get over it! Similar sentiments have surfaced these past few weeks as Keesler and the Mississippi Gulf Coast prepare for the five-year anniversary of the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history. But if you were at Keesler in Katrina's aftermath, it's hard to look forward without all the memories flooding back. Every Keesler person who experienced Hurricane Katrina has a different story. Every individual who was on the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, has a different vantage point. Some lost homes, others lost work places, many lost the culture and way of life they cherished. Take Adrien Augustine, for example. The retired chief master sergeant was Keesler's military personnel flight chief when he loaded up his two children and evacuated to Shreveport, La. Once the hurricane had passed, he got a phone call from his neighbor in the St. Martin community telling him there was no need to come home -- he no longer had a home. "I didn't care that much about the house itself -- it was the sentimental things that can't be replaced," Mr. Augustine pointed out. "The things that belonged to my late wife that I was saving for our daughter, the shadow box and keepsakes from my retirement, were all crushed under mud and debris." He remembers the day he called his insurance company and when the woman asked him what his losses were, he said, "Everything!" as tears rolled down his cheeks. "The hardest part for me was not just losing our home, but losing that sense of control, that ability to provide for my family," he said. Many homes were destroyed in south Mississippi so rental properties were at a premium. The Augustines stayed with friends until they found a house to rent two months after the storm. To make matters worse, Mr. Augustine learned that all of his family members back in New Orleans had lost their homes, too. He rebuilt his home better than before and said, "I guess it's the cycle of life -- sometimes you just have to start all over again." Staff Sgt. Christopher Freimann, a military training leader in the 332nd Training Squadron, was a heavy equipment operator in the 81st Civil Engineer Squadron when Katrina slammed the base. "I can honestly say that I watched Keesler's destruction and transformation as it was happening, sometimes with no shield other than the equipment I was in," he recalled. "We were instructed to shelter in our shop and remain on standby for anything that came up." The civil engineering team was the only shop on base that had equipment and trucks to make it through Katrina's winds and waters if help was needed. The "dirt boys" were called out twice in the middle of the storm ---once as water surged into the 81st Security Forces Squadron building and later to check on Wolfe Hall. "When the winds finally started to die down, we were already geared up -- bulldozers, backhoes, front-end loaders ready -- and started clearing paths to high-priority buildings," Sergeant Freimann reported. "That day was probably one of the longest I've had in my military career. The base didn't look anything like it had just a few hours earlier -- no road was passable, no building untouched." Sergeant Freimann, who's been at Keesler seven years now, is proud of the way Team Keesler has rebounded from Katrina's devastation. "Every day when I come to work, I swear I notice something new that has been replaced, repaired, whatever," he observed. "It is good to see that Team Keesler pulled together as a whole to do whatever it took to get this place up and running. "I love to hear when people talk about Katrina and how they watched it on TV," he continued. "I usually laugh and say, "Boy, have I got a story for you!' I show them the video of the bobcats cleaning out the old commissary or the pictures of how high the water was, and tell them of a time when a family of engineers survived the worst natural disaster and then put all on the line to get their 'home' cleaned up and repaired. It would never have happened without the hard work and dedication of the 81st CES, 823rd RED HORSE Squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla., and others." Jim McClish was a senior master sergeant in charge of the base's munitions storage area when Katrina struck. Since then, he's retired from active duty and is the munitions accountable systems officer contract performance manager for the 81st Logistics Readiness Squadron. "The munitions storage area was decimated by Katrina, with 7 feet of water in its main munitions storage structure, as well as the office and maintenance bay building," Mr. McClish said. The building was north of Bay Breeze Golf Course, just a few feet away from Biloxi's Back Bay. "We had to ship all the munitions out to get inspected by another base," he noted. "When we got them back, we had to store them at three different locations (Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport, Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg, and Tyndall Air Force, Base, Fla.) Any maintenance or inspection on the munitions had to be done in Gulfport. "It was a major pain for almost 4½ years," Mr. McClish admitted. In January, a new munitions storage area with an office and inspection bay opened its doors. "The new buildings are just what the doctor ordered, and we're extremely pleased to have all munitions support functions back at Keesler," Mr. McClish remarked. Willa Talton, administrative assistant to the 81st Training Group commander, said, "Katrina changed our lives forever. My husband Roy and I returned to find our house destroyed internally and everything in it. As we began to repair our house, we saw how God can change the worst things in life into something good. We were blessed with the outpouring of love and kindness from relatives and friends as well as from strangers. Our daughter provided us a place to live for two years. "The year following Katrina was a very tough year -- a staph infection in my foot from working in my house, car accident, broken toe, major illness, our little dachshund died from contacting infection in our house, a brother-in-law passed away and the worst thing, my mother passed away." The Taltons were able to move back into their home in May 2007. "We were blessed with all new furnishings, and my uncle blessed us by building some of the kitchen cabinets," she noted. "Although we will never forget August 29, 2005, it's time to put Katrina in the past and move on," she declared. "No matter how dark the clouds may be, the sun will come shining through. 'He who sows with tears will reap with joy.'" Tim Dutton was on the 81st Training Wing staff serving a stint with the Keesler Honor Guard when Hurricane Katrina targeted Keesler. He and his family sheltered in Wolfe Hall. "We were up playing cards at midnight on Sept. 1, and one of my honor guard members tacked on my master sergeant stripe -- I never had a promotion ceremony," he remembered. Mr. Dutton, who retired in 2008 and moved into a civilian position with the 81st Communications Squadron, said the storm's aftermath was fast paced with long hours. "My honor guard team inspected permanent party dorms for water damage, cleaned rooms in Tyer House for temporary living quarters for wing leadership and picked up debris at the marina and across the base," he remarked. "It was tiresome and emotional for everyone, but the camaraderie and closeness were high. Wherever we came from, we endured the same roller coaster of events, one common experience -- Katrina." After a few days, off-base residents were allowed to go home and assess damage. "When we did, the roller coaster of emotions started again," Mr. Dutton pointed out. "Some had minimal damage, some more extensive, others lost everything. A few of us on the honor guard barbecued every steak, rib, pork chop and hot dog in our freezers and bought them back to share -- no sense in letting the meat go bad with no electricity." There was no power in the Dutton's neighborhood for some time, so Mr. Dutton relocated his family to Florida to stay with relatives until home repairs were completed. "Insurance didn't cover everything -- I'm still paying off the (Small Business Administration) loan," he commented. "I was so busy with my Air Force job that I missed out on (state) grant money. "When the assignment team came through, I chose to stay at Keesler -- Keesler is my home."