I've been gone but now I'm back

Just walked in the door from a 5 week deployment to the Gulf Coast area doing relief work for Hurricane Katrina and the first thing I did after kissing my wifey was check this site and find some people are looking for me. Not lost or gone but been out of touch. Haven't even seen tv let alone the internet for the past 5 weeks.

I got some important business to take care of right now (wink wink)but I will be back stirring up the pot shortly.
Missed all you guys.

The past few weeks have been life changing for me to say the least. After what I have seen I am REAL thankful for what I have.

heya!

Welcome back sir! We missed you, and I personally am glad that you are healthy enough to at least do the winking stuff.


json

Willkommenes Heim Bob. Major congrats for your contribution to the relief effort. Glad to see ya back.
Dez

It is good to hear that you are ok and safe at home.

Good to hear you are safe and sound. Welcome home!
-Scott

Welcome back and I am sure you've done a heck of a job, Bobzie!

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

:lol: :lol:


regards

Taffy

Welcome back Mr. Zilla. Been wondering what you've been up to. That's got to be one heck of a heartbreaking mess where you've come from.

Hope you will be rewarded somehow for your relief efforts. A new Husaberg would be nice wouldn't it.


Log

hi bob

do you mind telling us all a bit more about what you saw and what you did?

regards

taffy

Hey Taffy
I think I am still a little bit overwhelmed by the whole ordeal and am having some trouble keeping my feelings in check right now. I saw many things that were a shock to me and I had thought I had seen it all. It ran from making me cry from sadness to crying with happiness but maybe with time and in person I will tell more.
My real task while down there was to help streamline the temporary roofing program known as blue roof. I also had to try and keep as many of the contractors as possible from ripping off the taxpayer. That was a job in and of its self. I also took it upon my self to distribute food and water in areas that I found people in need. Many of the population didn't have transportation either because of storm damage or they were just poor. Since I was out and about and had access to the supplies every morning I loaded up my vehicle and gave to whoever I came upon that needed it. The situation is far worst than the tv makes it out to be. I was in Mississippi and that is one of the poorest states in the USA. 100 miles inland there was devastation from the winds and tornados that were spawned by the storm.
I have pictures but they will never do justice to the things I saw. Even today they are finding bodies. We may never know how many really died. It seems that New Orleans is getting the most press and a lot of the effort but after being in both places in the last month I think Mississippi got the worst of it.
I really have to get back to reality and get myself in check but even this short post is letting me vent some of the feelings.
I do know that one of the contributing causes is the way the system has hidden the poor. I guess I was naive but I didn't think we had that kind of wide spread poverty in the USA. I found that in the modern south it isn't totally a race thing anymore but a class structure where the HAVES keep the HAVE NOT'S where they want them.
You guys know me pretty well by now and I am not one who really takes things too seriously but this got to me.

Very interesting to read. Please do post the photos that you have, even if it is not totally accurate. It can only help understand what really happened there.

You mean that the media are not reporting fairly on issues? It's thanks to people like you that we learn about what really goes on.

Glad you are back, Bob. I have been wondering why I have not seen you on here. I look forward to when we can sit down, and I can be educated about what is going on over there.

bobzilla;
3 cheers to you for being such a stand up guy and kind hearted man.
giving of your time and effort is a very unselfish act. did you do it as an act of humanity alone or was God part of your call?
either way,you are a better man than me.
it makes me wonder though,,,,,,
-- is this the same fellow that feed everyone spiked chili on the force ride at moab? well almost everyone, there was only one guy who was spared this gastrict potion....your room mate! so while everyone else was suffering burnt nose hairs and charred nasal passages...you were breathing ez with a little smerk on your puss.
-- is this the same fellow that showed no sympathy, compassion or concern for said room mate [friend?] when he wiped out and and broke some ribs, collarbone and punctured a lung? you had a glow of twisted justice about you and you came up with a 'special' nickname for him?
but really, your acts speak volumes.
tuts :devil: