Editor's Note: John E. Phillips, a freelance writer/photographer, is based in Birmingham, AL. His neighborhood of Altadena was one of the first hit by tornadoes at daybreak on Wednesday, April 27, 2011.
Hearing the roar of mighty truck engines and seeing white monster-sized trucks rolling into my Birmingham, AL, neighborhood on Saturday, April 30, after experiencing the worst group of tornadoes our state ever had seen on Wednesday, April 27, I got a lump in my throat. Help had arrived. As the big trucks passed my front yard, I read on the sides of their doors the words, Ameren/Missouri. The Missouri Cavalry had arrived with bucket trucks and other trucks loaded with equipment and personnel and were headed straight into the jaws of devastation before them. I waved and mouthed the words, "Thank you," although I knew they wouldn't be heard above the roar of those powerful engines.
Later on Saturday, I had an opportunity to meet and talk with the men who had left their homes and families in Missouri and traveled to Alabama to help restore power to the hundreds of thousands of people left in the dark in the wake of destruction caused by five tornadoes in Alabama - all on the same day.
Ameren employee C.R. Statler of Hillsboro, MO, who also had helped in the Birmingham region after Hurricane Opal in 1995, said, "I got the call on Wednesday evening saying that we needed to load-up and drive the 600 miles to Birmingham to hook-up transformers, pick-up downed power wires and help rebuild the power infrastructure for the hard-hit people around Birmingham. We brought 40 trucks and 83 men with us and want to help in any way we can."
Another member of the Missouri Cavalry, Brad Kerns of St. Louis, explained, "Ameren told us to pack like we would be in Alabama for 7 to 10 days. When we finish-up here in Birmingham, we'll go to Tuscaloosa, which was probably the worst-hit of any section of the state. My wife was surprised when I told her I was leaving and didn't know when I'd return. But she and my friends all said I needed to go and help these folks."
The Missouri Cavalry never slowed-down once it arrived in Birmingham and went straight to the Cahaba River to install poles, transformers and power lines to carry power across the river to residents stranded on the other side without power. The men based their big trucks in church parking lots and worked day and night, so that families could have power restored. Once my power started-up on Sunday, May 1, at mid-morning, my family thanked the Good Lord for members of the Ameren/Missouri Cavalry who came to our aid.
My neighbor across the street had had a giant oak lying across the middle of his house, and directly behind his house eight other houses and several cars had been destroyed by flying and falling trees. The smell of natural gas had wafted its way through our neighborhood the first morning. Thankfully our neighborhood survived without a fatality or anyone injured, but many months will pass before our lives return to normal.
Often during a disaster, you'll hear the cries for help and needed supplies. However, 3 or 4 months may pass before anyone hears thank-yous and gratitude expressed by those blessed by the many volunteers who come from afar to help us rebuild our communities. Your friends and neighbors in Alabama want to express heartfelt gratitude to all the volunteers and especially to the men of the Missouri Cavalry. God bless you.
JOHN E. PHILLIPS
Birmingham, AL
Editor's Note: Contact us at ogmbobw@aol.com if you are interested in getting free copies for your club or organization.
As a member of both the Gateway Chapter of Delta Waterfowl and Mississippi Valley Duck Hunters Association, I would like to thank you for the free copies of the Outdoor Guide Magazine . I have to be honest and tell you I previously received the Outdoor Guide Magazine but let my subscription expire and I had forgotten what a terrific publication it is for the outdoors enthusiasts.
The Outdoor Guide Magazine provides articles on a wide variety of topics from improving your hunting and fishing skills, new product information and outdoor activities to add enjoyment to your life. I would encourage other organizations to take advantage of your free copy offer for the Outdoor Guide Magazin e to see firsthand this quality publication.
Your readers may be interested to learn that the St. Louis Gateway Chapter of Delta Waterfowl will hold it's 2ND Annual Fund Raising Banquet on Friday evening, September 23, 2011 at the Two Hearts Banquet Center, located at 4532 South Lindbergh in Sunset Hills, MO. Doors will open at 6:30 PM.
The Gateway Chapter banquet is the primary fund raising activity to help support the waterfowl conservation work conducted by the Delta Waterfowl Foundation. Delta Waterfowl is dedicated to the future of Waterfowl and Waterfowl Hunting.
For more information on the banquet your readers may go to the Gateway Chapter web page at www.gatewaydelta.com.
Thank you again for the free copies of the Outdoor Guide Magazine, and I can assure you I will be renewing my subscription.
Tom Biggar
St. Louis, MO
Thank you Dad for taking me fishing when you really didn't have the time.
Thank you for continually straightening out the tangles and messes I always made in my line.
Thank you for showing me how to put that ole' messy worm on a hook.
Thank you for teaching me more than I could ever learn from a book.
Thank you Dad for listening to my explanation when my candy bar melted in your tackle box.
Thank you for explaining to me all about God's wonderful creation.
Thank you for not getting mad when I broke your favorite rod or lost your favorite lure.
And thank you for just putting your arms around me and hugging me when I thought I was in trouble for sure.
Thank you Dad for sitting on the river bank and listening to my dreams.
Thank you for explaining to Mom how I tore that hole in my jeans.
Thank you for carrying me to the truck when a great day had to end.
But thank you most of all Dad for being a special friend.
Larry Whiteley
Springfield, MO
I just got the latest magazine in the mail today. Wow, you really have a winner with this! I understand the world famous Jerry Mercurio was instrumental in getting the copies to club members of Mississippi Valley Duck Hunters.
I hope our members appreciate the magazine as much as I have. I will put a blurb in my president's column in the May newsletter. You can look us up at MVDHA.Com.
Art Wende
President Mississippi Valley
Duck Hunter's Association
Thank you for your time and effort to help us have another successful Fish For Sight Tournament.
We had great weather and lots of fun.
The Fish for Sight website has all of the results and photos from the event. The site, fishforsight.org has a nice story about the event with insight from the winners.
All of the money raised will go to charities.
Thanks again and we hope you can help us again in 2012.
Bill Mueller
Concord Village Lions Club
came by and signed up for a subscription at the Collinsville Fishing Show (Sent by Frank Opinion and the Gang), and you gave me a bag of soft plastic worms to try. I love these things! Can I buy them from you, or, can I buy them somewhere around town?
Absolutely love my subscription to the magazine! You folks do a wonderful job. Keep up the nice work.
Jerry Amos