Fort Carson troops working long days in Puerto Rico
But over a month after a powerful hurricane swept the island, many places lack electricity and thousands of residents are relying on
"It's a new normal," said Col.
Kent's troops have become some of the Army's most skilled at hurricane relief. They already had helped
Now, most roads are open and power is back on for much of the island. But thousands of Puerto Ricans are still suffering.
"There are still pockets on the islands that are affected by the hurricane," Kent said.
The Trump administration faced a storm of criticism for the government's response to the
"They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort," Trump wrote on Twitter.
Kent said he's watched the
"What we have seen is a lot of new growth and a lot of stabilization across the island," he said.
Kent's forces are headquartered at the former
"Our mission is to support (the
Getting the mission accomplished has involved problems from dealing with debris-tangled roads to gaining trust from local leaders who oversee the distribution of supplies.
"What we have learned here is that you have to prepared to work through a lot of friction," Kent said. "There are a lot of things that come into play that create friction on the ground."
His troops have put in long days, especially his water purification troops who have worked 18 hours a day to distribute more than 400,000 gallons of water to communities.
"We have established water distribution points across the island," he said.
The soldiers started their mission living in abandoned buildings. Some of them have now moved into newly-reopened hotels. But it's still a spartan life, with four soldiers billeted in every room.
Long days and low-rent accommodations haven't dampened morale, Kent said.
"The soldiers are very engaged and very motivated," he said.
"This is a mission unlike other missions. This is a mission of the spirit and a mission of the heart."
Kent said he's satisfied that
"When we first got here four weeks ago, every leaf on every tree was stripped and every branch was broken," he said. "Today a lot of that greenery is coming back. That's very symbolic."
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