SOF

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.29.2017

Friday morning gym day and what better way to prepare for is homecoming weekend in a lot of places this week than to kick it off with Leg Day. Starting with Squats – front, dumbbell goblet, and barbell, then some lunges and after the weighted sled push. This will build up the strength and endurance to carry the rucksack. And we’ll finish the workout off with a five-mile run

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

3 x Front Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Goblet Dumbbell Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x 10 Barbell Squats

3 x 10 Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 10 Romanian Lunges

3 x Weighted sled push (heavier weight)

5-mile run

Stretch well after completion

SEAL Team, CBS’ New Drama Series Does It Right in Pilot Episode

Sometimes it is a nice thing to be pleasantly surprised. CBS’ new drama series “SEAL Team” had its debut with the pilot episode Wednesday night and from the look of the first showing, they did it right.

The good folks at CBS may have a long-term, viable hit on their hands if they can play their cards right. They’re certainly off to a good start. Why? Because it begins with a very good ensemble cast and the character development has the audience intrigued right off the bat.

David Boreanaz (does it seem like he’s been on tv forever?) is Jason Hayes, the iconic SEAL who is the unquestioned leader of the team and an operator who is struggling with the death of his best friend. He’s becoming frayed around the edges due to his deployment schedule and it has taken a toll on his home life, he’s currently separated from his wife Alana, played ably by Michaela McManus. So the writers have checked the blocks there. But it works because of Boreanaz.

Boreanaz is probably one of the most underrated actors around. One of the reasons for his longevity on the small screen is the fact that he can play the buff operator who can kick ass when he needs to while still having the ability to charm the birds out of the trees with his disarming smile (as when he makes eye contact with his daughter during her recital). He’s this generation’s, James Garner.

The character development works best when the SEAL Team is interacting with each other. I liked that they had the interaction between the SEALs and the support guys as the kind of disdain for Support or straphangers. The pilot was also free from the flag-waving politics that never find their way into the planning phases of operations except in Hollywood. Good job producers.

Hayes and his right-hand man Ray Perry played perfectly by Neil Brown Jr. are so joined at the hip that they can probably finish each other’s sentences. Perry knows Hayes probably better than his wife does, which has been a familiar refrain from every long-suffering Special Operations wife since time immortal.

Perry is the quiet, smart, badass who is not going to push the envelope but has enough juice that he can call out the boss without there being any semblance of insubordination. Perry’s home life is on much more solid ground than Hayes and he has a baby on the way.

Clay Spenser is played by Max Theiriot, he’s the 2nd generation SEAL who is being harshly judged because his father had the audacity to write a book about the SEAL Teams (now that sounds really familiar!). Spenser is trying to earn a spot on the Tier One unit run by Hayes and it is obvious from jump street that the two aren’t going to mesh right away. Spenser is brash and not a little cocky (what Special Operator isn’t?) but when he mouths off a bit too much at the “Big Chief” in the shoot house, the writers may have taken it a bit too far.

While I wasn’t a Navy SEAL, I can’t imagine the “Big Chief” tolerating that much BS. In Special Forces, he’d be sent back down the road with his tail between his legs. But the writers may be just trying to push the narrative that he’s a cocky sod, and it definitely gets the point across.

Jessica Paré plays the CIA analyst assigned to the team, Mandy Ellis. She’s focused on taking out the bad guy ISIS member in the pilot. We don’t see too much of her character in the pilot and what makes her tick. But the writers left the viewer just enough of a tease for the future. In the C-130 after the operation, Hayes and Ellis talk about what went right and wrong and she tells him that it was all in all a good day. Their eyes lingered a bit too long there…. Fodder for an upcoming tryst between the two? It would make for a compelling story line, especially with Hayes’ marriage on the rocks and the problems that it would bring with the two working so closely together.

The action sequences were good but not overdone and there was just enough of the cool guy helmet cam footage to satisfy those Call-of-Duty folks. I especially liked the footage attached to Dita, the team’s Belgian Malinois dog, no she’s not a German Shepherd.

There was a couple of groaners in the pilot but just a few. The scene at the site of the First Communion for Hayes’ daughter where everyone’s phone goes off at the same time has been overdone too many times now and inspired a “ugh, not that” response. And a few of the lines, including the “We Got This” was a bit over the top. I hope that we never talked like that back in the day. Or perhaps it was a slam at noted whistleblower/traitor Chelsea Manning who puts the hashtag #WeGotThis on every one of her Tweets. In that case…good job. We Got This!

Watching from the decidedly much smaller screen in my bedroom, it seems like the producers got the equipment and kit of the operator’s right. However, I’m sure some of our readers watching from the big IMAX screens in their home theaters will pick out a few faux pas in terms of the gear.

Coming into the pilot episode, I’ll admit I was A.) looking forward to this and B.) expecting to be disappointed. But the opposite was true. It is an above average military drama. Perhaps not as gritty as Homeland, but this is network television. But it is trying to depict the SEALs in a true light, they’re regular dudes with a very atypical vocation, And they are trying to depict the Special Operations missions in a true light, with good character development and true to life personal interactions. The characters aren’t cardboard cutouts. If the writers can keep this up….”SEAL Team” will be a hit.

Photo Courtesy: CBS

Rockets Hit Kabul Airport as Insurgents Target Defense Secretary Mattis

Insurgents fired a barrage of rockets at the Kabul International Airport on Wednesday that they claimed was targeting the plane of US Defense Secretary James Mattis. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State (ISIS) rushed to claim responsibility for the attack.

The US then responded with an airstrike at the suspected launch sites. One of the missiles fired by the US apparently malfunctioned and hit a civilian area. There were civilian casualties, however, the extent wasn’t immediately known.

In the attack by the Taliban, one civilian Afghan woman was killed and 11 others wounded before Afghan Special Forces drove them off, killing four insurgents in the resulting battle.

Speaking on the brazen attack by the insurgents, a statement by the US military admitted the missile response and the malfunction that followed.

“Tragically, one of the missiles malfunctioned, causing several casualties,” the U.S. command said. It expressed regret for having harmed civilians but did not say whether any of the casualties were killed.
“We take every precaution to avoid civilian casualties, even as the enemies of Afghanistan continue to operate in locations that deliberately put civilians at very high risk,” it added. The statement said the original Taliban attackers had fired several rounds of “high-explosive ammunition, including mortars, in the vicinity of” the Kabul airport.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack on his official Twitter account. The Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) also claimed responsibility for the attack.
The U.S. statement said the insurgents also detonated suicide vests, “endangering a great number of civilians.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a press interview stated, that the “attack on the airport is a sign of weakness, not the sign of strength” and added that to “attack a civilian airport is a criminal act, it is terrorist act and it just shows the importance of fighting these kinds of organizations in Afghanistan.”

To read the entire article from CBS News click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.28.2017

Chest and Triceps workout at the gym today before a 5-mile run. Shoot for a time below the standard of 40 minutes. Remember to stretch well before and after and to stay hydrated. Mark your progress down in your workout log book.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline press

3 x 20 Pushups (alternate sets with wide, narrow and shoulder width)

3 x 10 Kip Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

5-mile run (40-minute maximum)

Stretch well after completion

The Centralia, Missouri Massacre, September 27, 1864

The Civil War wasn’t fought in the border states like it was in Virginia. It was a no-holds-barred, no quarter given guerrilla war where the leading two Confederate commanders, William Quantrill and William “Bloody Bill” Anderson weren’t even acknowledged by the Confederates. However, these guerrilla fighters did the bloody work for the Confederacy in Missouri and they were the key players in some of the most heinous war crimes that took place during the bloodiest conflict in American history.

Unlike the war in the east which was fought with the standing armies of the North and South, the war in Missouri and Kansas was frequently conducted by quasi-military partisans including the bloody “red legs” of Kansas who likewise were not part of the Union Army but equally as bloodthirsty as their Confederate enemies.

Anderson and his men which numbered close to 400, closed in on the Missouri town of Centralia in the early morning hours of September 27 with about 80 men. Anderson’s men included the brothers Frank and Jesse James as well as Cole and Jim Younger. They would become famous after the war as outlaws in the James-Younger gang.

Some of Anderson’s men were wearing captured Federal uniforms. The guerrilla fighters of Anderson had the same basic outfit. A horse, saddle and bridle and a minimum of four Dragoon pistols. Very few guerrillas carried shotguns or carbines, opting for the firepower of several pistols which meant they didn’t have to reload often. That close-in firepower would prove itself later that day. The basic kit of the guerrilla fighter was shown in the film “The Outlaw Josey Wales” where Clint Eastwood as one of Anderson’s guerrillas carried a slew of pistols.

The Raid Begins: Anderson’s men, on horseback, entered the town at a brisk trot about 10 a.m. on the morning of the 27th. Many of them wore blue uniforms so the majority of the townspeople thought them Federal militia. They approached from the southeast and quickly took up positions in the center of town.

Anderson’s men, “the Bushwhackers” as they called themselves, pillaged the stores in town taking everything with them, including even women’s and children’s clothing. The guerrillas were distracted briefly by the discovery of a barrel of whiskey which all of the members sampled, including Anderson. The guerrillas then tried to come up with a way to transport the contents back to their base of operations, a farm outside of town.

Around 11 the stage arrived and all of the passengers were summarily robbed of anything of value. But shortly after that, the train was pulling into the station.

Anderson’s men surrounded the train and fired a fusillade of bullets into the cars getting the engineer to stop.

Among the train’s passengers were 23 unarmed Union soldiers, they were granted leave after the Battle of Atlanta and had no way of defending themselves. They were quickly rounded up and separated from the other passengers outside the train and were ordered to strip.

Anderson led a group of men into the express car and Frank James had found over $3000 which added to the loot that the guerrillas had robbed from the passengers. Turning his attention back to the soldiers Anderson approached and asked if any of them were a sergeant. Sergeant Thomas Goodwin stepped out, thinking that he was going to be executed. Goodman was removed to the back of the train and put in a position of safety. Anderson had decided that he would trade Goodman for one of his own men who was being held, prisoner. He turned to one of his men, and motioning to the rest of the soldiers, he said, “you take charge of the firing party, and, when I give the word, pour hell into them.”

The guerrillas shot down the remaining Union prisoners with their pistols and a few of the corpses were mutilated to boot. The guerrillas then set fire to the train and released it to go down the tracks on fire. They then retreated back to the farm where they began the raid.

The Union Response: At 3:00 p.m a large force of Union Infantry arrived on horseback, the 39th Missouri Infantry Volunteers, under command of Maj. Andrew V.E. Johnson. Johnson’s command had been in service only two weeks and were green. The men were armed with muskets and bayonets. None of the troops had pistols or revolvers. Something that would also come into play soon.

Despite the townspeople telling Johnson that the Confederates numbered over 400, he discounted their reports, instead, feeling their numbers were closer to the 80 that descended on the town. He left a small detachment in the town and set off for the Rebel encampment.

Anderson suckered Johnson right into a trap. Johnson’s men closely followed a small group of Confederate troops who kept a leisurely pace but just enough to keep their distance while ensuring the Union troops continued to follow. They crossed a large open field. Once Johnson’s troops entered the field, they dismounted and he had them fix bayonets.

The Slaughter: Johnson’s men began the advance and they were attempting to take the guerrillas in a frontal assault. Anderson scanned the Union troops and not seeing a revolver insight had his men stay mounted. They were going to attack.

Anderson’s horseback mounted guerrillas tore into the Union line. Of the 120 men of Johnson’s command, 108 were dead within two minutes as they fired a volley and were enveloped by the charge of the guerrillas who had a huge advantage in firepower.

The men left behind to hold the horses were quickly overtaken and shot out of their saddles Only a man or two were able to make it back into town to warn the troops that the command was wiped out.

The guerrillas returned to the town and routed the remaining Federals and chased them an additional eight miles before returning to Centralia and sacking the town again.

The next morning the townspeople went out to recover the bodies and found them stripped, mutilated and few scalped. The guerrilla losses were slight, only three dead, one mortally wounded, with three severely wounded and others with walking wounds.

The massacre at Centralia was just another bloody footnote in the border states during the Civil War. Other than in those border states, they get scant mention in many of the histories of the conflict. Anderson himself would be killed just months later.

Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia

Pat Tillman’s Widow Doesn’t Want His Name Invoked in Attempts to Divide

Marie Tillman, the widow of Army Ranger and former NFL player Pat Tillman, says that her husband’s service and death should never be used or politicized in any way that seeks to divide us as a country.

She was speaking about President Trump’s tweet where he referenced the former Arizona Cardinal Tillman and used the hashtag #StandForOurAnthem. Trump had earlier tweeted that NFL owners “should fire the SOBs” who don’t stand for the National Anthem and kneel to protest racial inequality and police brutality. As a result, instead of a handful of players, about 200 decided to take a knee during the Star Spangled Banner prior to Sunday’s NFL games.

Tillman walked away from the NFL to join the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.
“As a football player and soldier, Pat inspired countless Americans to unify,” Marie Tillman said. “It is my hope that his memory should always remind people that we must come together. Pat’s service, along with that of every man and woman’s service, should never be politicized in a way that divides us. We are too great of a country for that. Those that serve fight for the American ideals of freedom, justice and democracy. They and their families know the cost of that fight. I know the very personal costs in a way I feel acutely every day.”
“The very action of self-expression and the freedom to speak from one’s heart — no matter those views — is what Pat and so many other Americans have given their lives for. Even if they didn’t always agree with those views. It is my sincere hope that our leaders both understand and learn from the lessons of Pat’s life and death, and also those of so many other brave Americans.”

Thus far, surprisingly so, Tillman’s statement hasn’t induced a return Tweet from the President.

To read the entire article from The USA Today click here:

Photo courtesy Pat Tillman Foundation

Trump Urges Afghan President to Close Taliban Office in Qatar

President Donald Trump is urging that a Taliban diplomatic mission in Qatar be closed. He’s reported to be in talks with Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani to formally ask the government of Qatar to close the office.

The Taliban office, in Qatar, has been used as a hub for dialogue for more than six years but has failed to generate any headway. President Ghani, according to sources has not reached a final decision on the closure but is expected to agree.

The Afghan leadership sees the 36-strong informal delegation in Doha – which the Taliban calls its “political office” – as doing nothing to facilitate peace talks, merely conferring political legitimacy on a group Kabul views as no more than a tool of Pakistan.
Trump is said to be hostile to the maintenance of the Taliban office for several reasons. He portrays it as a failed initiative of his predecessor that has not led to the peace negotiations Barack Obama had hoped for. Meanwhile, the Saudi and Emirati monarchies have been pressing for its closure since its inception, seeing it as a symbol of Doha’s diplomatic prestige and US-Qatari ties.

It was this Taliban office in Doha where the Taliban secured the release of five detainees that were being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in an exchange for US serviceman Bowe Bergdahl.

The presence of this Taliban diplomatic mission has always been a thorn in the side of the Afghan government, not only because it gave the Taliban a degree of legitimacy in the diplomatic world but it left the door open for third-party governments to begin peace talks with the Taliban which the Afghan government insists, and rightfully so, that the process must go through Kabul.

The Saudis, Bahrain, Egypt, and UAE have stated for some time now that the government in Doha supports Iran and the Islamists and funds terrorism. Trump’s actions are seen as support for Saudi Arabia’s claims.

To read the entire article from The Guardian click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.27.2017

Time to head over to the gym for some shoulder and back work. As we mentioned in another post, these shoulder workouts help in rucking especially once in Selection. Be sure to log the progress down in your workout log book.

And because Wednesday is a rucking day, get the rucksack with 45-pound minimum weight ready for a 6-miler over varied terrain. Wear your second pair of boots to ensure that they’re well broken-in for the course as well. Strive to better the time that is the standard (90-minutes) and remember to hydrate throughout the march.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

6-mile Rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 90-minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

The NFL, The National Anthem, and The President Make an Explosive Mix

OP-Ed: They knew it wasn’t going to be popular with many of their fans. But many NFL players felt like they had to take a stand against what they felt was a direct slight by President Trump on Friday when he called for NFL owners “to fire the sons of bitches” who refuse to stand for the national anthem.

But it wasn’t just the players who pushed back. It was the owners of NFL teams as well. Several of them Republicans, a few like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, are considered close friends of the President. Kraft released a statement where he struck a diplomatic pose by stating “he was disappointed” by the tone of the President’s message.

And many players struck back by taking a knee during the National Anthem prior to Sunday’s NFL games. Many fans, including those here in New England, booed their players when they saw them taking a knee before the anthem and there were several shouts for the players to “Stand UP!”. Veterans, including many of our readers here at SpecialOperations.com and SOFREP.com were largely incensed at the kneeling during the anthem which the vast majority of which, took as a swipe at the flag, the country as a whole and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in our country.

The entire flap over the National Anthem began in 2016 with then San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick who refused to stand for the anthem because of the racial inequality against people of color as well as what considered police brutality. Kaepernick’s early protests were mostly ignored but then began to generate momentum around the league. He didn’t help his own cause when he came to press conference wearing a Fidel Castro t-shirt. Castro was hardly the poster child for racial equality or human rights. But the more that people pushed back against Kaepernick the more than other NFL players began to support his stand, Castro shirt notwithstanding.

I’ve seen this argument from both sides of the equation. I am a veteran of the US Army Special Forces and I too feel strongly about standing for the national anthem and nothing irks me more than people who refuse to remove their hats during it or can’t shut their pie-hole for two minutes while it is being played at sporting events I attend.

But I’ve also covered the NFL and have had media access to the New England Patriots. While I won’t tell you that I know any of the players, (that would be BS), however, from seeing many of them frequently, you can get a sense of who these guys are and what they’re all about. But I can tell you it is seeing the perspective from both sides. New England has a Navy officer (Ensign Joe Cardona who is the long-snapper for the team) and when they travel Cardona wears his uniform, so the players understand where others who may disagree are coming from.

Are they extremely well compensated? Absolutely. But one must remember that for most of them, their NFL careers are woefully short. But do they act like entitled brats that many people seem to feel? No. The vast majority are young men who know they have been blessed with a unique opportunity. The Patriots front office tries to keep their feet grounded by insisting that all players take part in a number of community events during the year. Most go well beyond the requirement, several, including team captain Devin McCourty, Jordan Richards, Matthew Slater and others try to attend every community event to give back to the people, the fans who pay their salaries. It isn’t a duty that they take lightly.

The vast majority of these young men are African-American and although they won’t admit to it perhaps publically, they are also being pulled by the African-American community to “not forget where they came from.” And the fact of the matter is the vast majority of African-Americans in this country, don’t trust this President, don’t feel he represents them or their families and they don’t feel he’s working for them.

So when President Trump sent out that tweet on Friday, not only did it hit home with the players, the SOBs comment was to most of them a personal affront. And they felt that they had to respond.

There are problems in this country, racial mistrust, inequalities, and issues among the people of color with the police that do exist. I haven’t walked in their shoes growing up so I can’t sit here and tell them how they should or shouldn’t feel. If they feel a sense of mistrust towards the police, then to them it is a truth. That is something we have to fix because to leave it alone or sweep it under the rug will mean it will only fester and grow worse.

So, when these players take a knee during the anthem, they’re answering the call from their own communities as well as what they perceive as an insult by President Trump. The one thing they aren’t trying to do is to denigrate or disrespect anything that has to do with the military. They’re aware that men and women, including many people of their own race, put their lives on the line to protect us and our way of life. There is the disconnect.

McCourty tried to explain his and his teammates’ rationale by saying,“We wanted to come together first and foremost,” McCourty said. “We hate that people are going to see it as we don’t respect the military and the men and women that are way braver than us, that go and put their life on the line every day for us to have the right to play football.

“Guys have family members – fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters that serve – and they were really conflicted about it. But we just wanted to send a message of unity and being together and not standing for the disrespect and different ways guys felt. So many different things going through a lot of guys heads and it was unique to see guys kind of come together and bond together as a group before the game, and do that.”

Brandin Cooks has relatives in the military and offered this to the media after Sunday’s game. “One statement I would just like to make is that a lot of people think we’re disrespecting the flag and the military, but my father and uncle were Marines, and I have the utmost respect for the men and women that fight for our freedom. I feel conflicted in a sense because I have no courage to do something like that, so I understand the magnitude that they’re fighting across the world for our freedom.

“The message we’re trying to send is that we want respect and unity, and there’s only so many ways that you can do it,” Cooks said. “We decided before the game that we were going to do it and I’m glad we went through with it.”

“I have nothing but respect for the flag. I love my country, but I just wanted to support my teammates,” Cassius Marsh, whose girlfriend served in the armed forces, said. “I think it’s a unifying thing in every locker room. You support your guys, you’re standing up for your teammates. “It’s not about choosing sides or anything like that,” added Marsh. “My side is people. I love the people in this country.”

Personally, I respect their right to protest, and as I’ve stated above, I haven’t walked in their shoes, so far be it from me to tell them that should or should not feel a certain way. This country has always had the right, paid for in blood, to stand up and say something that others may find uncomfortable. I also reserve the right to feel that the way they went about their protest was not the right way.

Why so many military members feel so strongly about the standing for the flag. (Wikipedia photo)

A better way? It is too late now since most people have cemented their own ideas on what has transpired, however, since the television networks rarely air the national anthem anyway, their message is getting lost to the majority of viewers. Wait until kickoff time, when the game is supposed to start. Then both teams walk out to midfield, take a knee or stand arm-in-arm and have a minute of silence for reflection, prayer etc. That message will get carried across the television screens in every home on the major networks carrying the games. Your message gets hammered home without another segment of the population feeling that now they are being disrespected. Since the message being sent by the players is “coming together”, wouldn’t this make more sense?

We live in a country where it seems we’re being pulled apart every day a little bit more. Instead of pointing fingers as to whose fault it is, which is self-defeating and only adds to the problem, we need to come together and show some mutual respect for one another. No one thinks this country is perfect, we are a beautifully flawed Republic, that still has a long way to go. But in the 241 years, we have been a beacon for others around the world to look up to and aspire to be. Having traveled around the world and visiting over 40 countries in my life thus far, there’s no place better. So I agree with McCourty, we do need to come together. And we need to listen to one another.

Photo: television screenshot

Hurricane Maria Devastation Has Puerto Rico Calling for More Relief Aid

The utter devastation suffered from Hurricane Maria on the US territory of Puerto Rico has the citizens desperate for help from federal agencies as the conditions are reaching a critical stage for many. Some of the people are feeling like the US federal government has forgotten them.

“It looks like a bomb went off,” said Monique Casablanca, 37, by phone from Ocean Park in the capital of San Juan.

“I’ve seen very little to no police presence, I’ve seen zero military presence. Nights are excruciating, there’s screaming, there’s gunshots. It’s hot, so it’s hard to sleep right now I haven’t slept in 48 hours,” said Casablanca, a rental property manager.
Federal agencies rescuing people and delivering humanitarian aid to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria faced an island that remains largely without power, running water, fuel and access to cell service on Monday, five days after the storm first made landfall.
More than 10,000 federal staff, including 700 FEMA personnel, were on the ground in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, assisting with rescue efforts, restoring power and getting badly needed supplies to parts of the islands, a FEMA spokesperson said on Monday evening.

The scenes around the island are similar, the devastating damage done by the massive storm has wreaked havoc on the Puerto Rican fragile economy. FEMA and National Guard troops assigned to relief efforts are working diligently but are overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the issue.

Many areas are still flooded, and the heat which on Monday topped 94 degrees is taking a toll on the people, especially the old and sick since no air conditioners can run without electricity being restored. Potable water is also in short supply. About 60 percent of the people have no clean water restored.

To read the entire article from NBC News, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD