ARMY SGT. AIDS TORNADO VICTIMS

Army 1st Sgt. Michael Treanor poses next to his emergency response vehicle while performing equipment maintenance after the May 20, 2013, tornado response in Moore, Okla. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Bruce

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Soldier Taps Experience to Aid Tornado Victims
By Air Force Airman 1st Class Kasey Phipps
137th Air Refueling Wing

MOORE, Okla., May 28, 2013 - Oklahoma is known for its volatile weather and tornadoes, prompting state officials to dedicate countless hours toward educating and preparing its citizens for when disaster strikes.

Unpredictable events in Oklahoma are not, however, confined to weather. Its history remains shadowed by the tragedy of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing on April 19, 1995, in which 168 people lost their lives.

However, Oklahoma has gained perhaps a stronger reputation for the resilience of its people and their ability to come together as one to rebuild communities stricken by disaster.

Today, Oklahomans once again are picking up the pieces left scattered by the devastating May 20 tornado that left a 17-mile long path of destruction and resulted in 24 deaths, 10 of which were children.

Army 1st Sgt. Michael Treanor of the Oklahoma National Guard's 63rd Civil Support Team relies on his firsthand experience with tragedy to aid and comfort the tornado's survivors.

On the morning of the Murrah building bombing, Treanor's parents, LaRue and Luther Treanor, took his step-daughter, Ashley, into the Social Security Administration office for a routine appointment to settle some paperwork. After the appointment, their plan was to take Ashley to lunch and walk around the city. When the fateful blast happened, only a single glass pane separated them from the detonation.

At the time, Treanor was a member of an Army National Guard unit in Ponca City, Okla., but they had not yet been tasked to assist in recovery efforts.

"It's hard to sit on the sideline," he said. "It was one of those things where it was just like, 'There has got to be something more.' So, in 2000, when I heard about the civil support teams being created and their mission, I decided at that point it was a job I had to have at some time in my life. So I've kind of been working to get to where I am ever since then."

Now, as a safety officer for the 63rd CST, Treanor is able to get on the ground with his team members, who are trained to respond to a number of emergency scenarios, including search and rescue and the control of hazardous materials. They also have communications on the ground to track National Guardsmen and other emergency responders.

"I'm trained to be a first responder. If something happens, it's a guarantee that my team will be involved and I really take a lot of satisfaction in that," he said. "It means a lot to me."

He understands the need to help, especially those who are from his native Oklahoma. But he also understands the emotional toll disasters have on his fellow citizens.

"The loss, the pain, the confusion as to what to do -- we went through all of that," Treanor said. "You never completely forget or get over that loss; you just learn to deal with it. In doing that with our family, it's helped us to help other people. It's been a really educational experience for me."

He again witnessed the unification of Oklahomans and their overwhelming generosity in the aftermath of the May 20 tornado, even as those affected sift through the rubble to recover whatever belongings that might help return them to normalcy.

"There was a lot of professionalism and courtesy to the victims," he said. "I think every time a sad event like this happens, we learn something from it and improve on it."

As disaster and tragedy continue to befall Oklahomans, each instance provides a little more experience and strength to use the next time disaster strikes.

Oklahoma has used the recent tornado and past disasters to build a unified and unfaltering resilience to support both the physical efforts and the emotional needs left by the damage.

"When it happens again, because Oklahoma means tornadoes, we will be even better prepared to respond," Treanor said.

THE AIRMAN AND THE TORNADO

Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Tucker, a crew communication specialist with the 185th Air Refueling Squadron, steps through a space where a window once was at his home in Moore, Okla., May 22, 2013. Moore was heavily damaged following a deadly tornado that passed through central Oklahoma on May 20, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel Nelson Jr.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Oklahoma Airman Experiences Moore Tornado's Wrath

By Army Sgt. Daniel Nelson Jr.
145th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

MOORE, Okla., May 23, 2013 - The Midwest region is certainly no stranger to inclement weather, having heavy snow and ice in the winter months and severe thunderstorms and deadly tornados during the spring and summer.

However, the recent string of storms that have passed through the region have left the Oklahoma communities of Newcastle, Moore, Oklahoma City and Shawnee in tatters, displacing hundreds of families, and resulting in 26 confirmed deaths.

For many residents affected by the record EF-5 tornado that tore through the central Oklahoma landscape, the week began with an anticipation of thunderstorms and heavy rain. That all changed May 20 as a deadly tornado developed southwest of Oklahoma City. The tornado grew as it moved through southeastern Oklahoma City and across Moore.

In the wake of the destruction, first responders from across the country began to pour into Moore and Oklahoma City, including support from the Oklahoma National Guard.

For one Oklahoma Air National Guardsman, the tornado came only a month after he returned from a six-month deployment to the Middle East. Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Tucker, a crew communication specialist with the 185th Air Refueling Squadron, was at home working in his garage, getting his personal items moved back into his house after deciding to take his house off the real estate market.

"I was here right before the tornado came through," Tucker said. "I noticed that the wind had picked up quite a bit, and all of a sudden it just stopped, which I thought that was kind of odd. I walked inside in time to see Gary England announce that a tornado was heading toward the Newcastle Casino. I high-tailed it out of there."

The citizens of Oklahoma City and Moore sought cover wherever they could and braced for their lives. The tornado left a trail of destruction stretching 17 miles from Newcastle to southeast Oklahoma City.

Search-and-rescue efforts immediately began as first responders, Oklahoma National Guardsmen and citizens of surrounding communities converged on the area in hopes of finding survivors. As the nation anxiously watched, news reports shifted from severe weather coverage to rescues and how others could contribute through much-needed donations.

With entire neighborhoods having been being wiped out by the tornado's wrath, hundreds of Oklahomans were finding themselves homeless, and with only the clothes on their backs. Many of the residents started sifting through piles of debris and rubble in hopes of finding any personal items not swept away by the tornado's more than 200 mph winds. Some of the neighborhoods were unreachable other than by foot or were too dangerous to allow residents back into as first responders were faced with fires, natural gas leaks and unstable structures.

"It was a full 24 hours before I was able to get back home with the streets so littered with debris; you just couldn't get through any other way than by foot," Tucker said. "When I finally got back, I could hardly recognize my house. I was overwhelmed by the amount of damage."

Some of Tucker's fellow National Guardsmen went with him as he rummaged through a pile of debris that now stands where his house once was. With the support of his military family that includes his father, Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Tucker, public affairs sergeant for the 137th Air Refueling Wing, Brandon Tucker has begun the long process of cleaning and rebuilding.

"I was able to find a couple of pictures that could not be replaced with just money, and my pet has also safely made it through all of this with me," Brandon Tucker said.

Oklahoma City has seen the effects of deadly tornados time and again in the past, and the resiliency of its citizens will help those who were most directly affected.

Like Brandon, the many people impacted have the support of the nation, the Oklahoma National Guard and the communities in which they live as they cope with loss and rebuild their lives.