Anthony Hudson's Most Rewarding Mission is Mississippi Relief Efforts

Auburn, Ala – October 31, 2005 -

In addition to being a district conservationist with NRCS, Anthony Hudson is also a Captain in the National Guard.  His unit was called up to help with Hurricane Katrina relief.

In his everyday life, CPT Anthony Hudson is the district conservationist in the NRCS field office in Jasper, Alabama. Anthony is a member of the Alabama Army National Guard and has recently rotated from Company Command and is now the Logistic Officer for the 279th Signal Battalion in Huntsville, Alabama. Anthony and his staff were responsible for: planning convoys, synchronizing maintenance and maintenance support for the unit, coordinating with higher headquarters to ensure that troops within the battalion receive fuel, food, water, clothing, ammunition and all other supplies need to sustain themselves while deployed. He also served as the battalion safety officer in which he investigates accidents involving military and civilian vehicles.

Anthony was deployed to assist in relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His unit provided communication to other units that were at the Ocean Springs, Mississippi, headquarters. The unit also worked with the Air Force to provide telephone service and internet access to troops that were deployed to other parts of the region.  They assisted in the humanitarian efforts as well as provided security for some of the local neighborhoods.

Anthony, a 1994 graduate of Alabama A&M University at Normal, Alabama, has been in the military for 16 years and has been deployed to Desert Storm and Shield in 1990-91 and has participated in several other military missions and exercises during his military career. Hudson says, “The Katrina aftermath was the most rewarding mission I have been on thus far. There is nothing like helping the people in your own country after a natural disaster the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina.” Anthony said the pictures and film footage that we see on television do not give the devastation in the Gulf Coast justice. “It is worse once you see it in person,” Hudson says. “The hurricane victims will need our assistance and prayers for an extended period of time until they are able to get back to some type of normality.”