[StBernard] National Guardsmen, 'real heroes' of the spill, try new technique to suck up oil

[Westley Annis]

National Guardsmen, 'real heroes' of the spill, try new technique to suck up
oil 

by Paul Murphy / Eyewitness News

wwltv.com

Posted on June 9, 2010 at 6:11 PM

Updated today at 6:11 PM 


GRAND TERRE ISLAND, La. -- Gov. Bobby Jindal on Wednesday took reporters out
to east Grand Terre Island, not far from Grand Isle. This is where a
dredging operation is now underway to build sand barriers to catch the oil
leaking into the Gulf from BP's wrecked wellhead.

So far crews have built three miles of barriers here 6 feet high.

"If that barrier wasn't there, the oil would be free to come across the
island, through the gaps into Barataria Bay," Jindal said.

The governor now has the go ahead to build these sand berms along 40 miles
of barrier islands. The governor also got his first look at a prototype,
vacuum barges designed and operated by the Louisiana National Guard.

The barges are equipped with huge pumps that are connected to tubes that can
collect oil up to a mile out.

"This is Cajun ingenuity. This is south Louisianians at our best to fight
and protect out way of life," Jindal said.

This is only one mission for the National Guard in the fight to keep oil out
of sensitive inland marshes. 1100 citizen soldiers are now on duty deploying
sandbags, Hesco baskets and other coastal barriers.

Louisiana's adjutant general said this mission is personal for his men and
women.

"They live here in this state. They know this area. They have family here.
They have a very close personal interest in doing everything they can," said
MG Bennett Landreneau, Louisiana's adjutant general.

Specialist Gerald Beck is with an engineering company from Pineville, near
Alexandria.

"I'm glad to be down here with the oil clean-up and helping my state," Beck
said. "That's one thing I love. That's why I wear the uniform."

Jindal called the National Guard the real heroes of the oil spill response.

"We would absolutely not be making the progress we've made today if it
hadn't been for guardsmen laying out tiger dams, Hesco baskets, deploying
these suction pumps on these barges, out there everyday, helping us fight
this oil spill," Jindal said.

There are also National Guard troops from Florida, Illinois, Mississippi,
Missouri and Nebraska helping out along the Louisiana coast.

Right now there are only three vacuum barges now working along the coast.
Jindal wants BP to commercially produce about 200 barges.