Hurricane Isaac brings thousands of National Guard troops

Hurricane Isaac brings thousands of National Guard troops to the region
Published: Tuesday, August 28, 2012
By Paul Purpura
The Times-Picayune

Hours before Hurricane Isaac's full effects were to be felt in New Orleans Tuesday, Army National Guard Capt. Mark Castillon and his soldiers rolled up on a burglary scene in the Bywater neighborhood. Several New Orleans police officers converged on the shotgun home in the 1000 block of Independence Street, and they already had a suspect in custody, a middle-aged with a lengthy rap sheet.

And in a scene reminiscent of the months following Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, the police officers and a detective searched the house accompanied by a soldier who carried an M-4 assault rifle, as other armed soldiers stood nearby on St. Claude Avenue beside their Humvees.

"We have a familiar relationship with NOPD," said Castillon, a Harahan resident who commands Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery Regiment, a storied unit known as the Washington Artillery at Jackson Barracks. "We're both serving the community as best as we can during this emergency. This is what we're here for, to assist the community."
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