Members of the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group, perform rescue in partnership with local and state emergency first responders in the town of Rainelle, following severe weather and flooding throughout the state.
On Saturday, Dec. 3, soldiers from the Army Reserve’s 811th Ordnance Company will be recognized for their role in providing life-saving assistance to Rainelle during the historic June flooding.
Maj. Gen. Leslie (Les) J. Carroll will award the soldiers of the unit during a ceremony. Events begin at 6 p.m. at The Resort at Glade Springs, 255 Resort Drive, Daniels.
Approximately 14 Soldiers from the Army Reserve’s 811th Ordnance Company volunteered to brave flooding waters and mud slides around the city of Rainelle, stepping out of the traditional federal function of the Army Reserve to provide rescue operations, route clearance and shelter in partnership with the town of Rainelle.
Flooding reached historic proportions in the Rainelle, West Virginia area, causing massive amounts of property damage and endangering thousands of lives, prompting Mayor Andy Pendleton to request emergency assistance from the Army Reserve unit.
The Soldiers of the 811th Ordnance Company became part of a coordinated emergency response effort, stepping out of the traditional federal role of Army Reserve soldiers, using military equipment to clear debris and transport residents to safety, and housed and fed town residents that were displaced by the flooding in the area.
Forty-four counties in the West Virginia were under a declared state of emergency from the high flooding, with many receiving the worst flooding on record. Approximately 500,000 residents initially lost power, with many residents of the state left homeless, and at least 26 casualties.
The 811th Ordnance Company is an Army Reserve logistics unit headquartered in Rainelle, falling under the 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group, 310th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), 377th Theater Sustainment Command (TSC).
Carroll, the commanding general of the 377th TSC, the Army Reserve’s largest operational command with more than 35,000 Soldiers and civilian staff, operating across 35 states in the U.S., will be representing Lt. Gen. Charles D. Luckey, the commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Command, as key note speaker and award presenter for the ceremony.