In response to the tornadoes that hit the Dallas/Fort Worth area earlier this week, TR Region 6 is deploying teams to Cleburne, TX for recovery operations. TR has currently dispatched a four man recon team to identify resources and coordinate with local authorities.

The mission is expected to run through next week, with volunteers focusing on damage assessments, debris clearing, and expedient home repair.

Stay tuned to the blog for more info.

Volunteers within 250 miles of Cleburne, TX are requested to register availability in OrgAction.

DO NOT SELF DEPLOY.

Volunteers should check OrgAction for further updates.

DO NOT SELF-DEPLOY

UPDATE: 5/16/13,11:35am PST

Region 6 has been placed on standby. All volunteers within 150 miles of Cleburne, TX should register availability in OrgAction ASAP.

Team Rubicon mourns the loss of a veteran, volunteer, and brother. Neil Landsberg, a former Combat Controller in the United States Air Force, was an active Region 3 team member. As an Air Force Special Operator, Neil completed multiple overseas combat deployments. When he took off the uniform he volunteered at Walter Reed and served as a role model for many TR volunteers around the Washington, DC area. Neil is remembered by his teammates and fellow volunteers as a “total stud”.

This is why it makes it all the more difficult to announce that Neil took his own life last week. He leaves behind many friends at Team Rubicon who will carry on his name and spirit through service.

Neil reminds us that we must be vigilant and aware of the burden being carried by many of our fellow veterans. If you or a loved one needs help, please do not hesitate to reach out to your peers or the Veteran’s Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1

In lieu of the flat screens, clean lines, and industrial interiors sported by most operations centers, the cramped Coachmen charmed TR volunteers with its yellow linoleum floors, faux-wood paneling, and flowering vines etched into its mirrored surfaces.

Although daytime temperatures in the RV soared past the 90-degree mark, the team didn’t miss a beat. They were determined to provide a rapid response to the extensive flooding that damaged or destroyed more than 200 homes in the small riverside community.

Quickly, they transformed the Coachmen into a fully-functioning ICP. Within 48 hours, they had mapped districts of need, completed 237 structure assessments, taken 116 work orders, and begun managing volunteers. Palantir’s live tracking system went hot, and the team prioritized jobs for support. Veterans flew and drove in from around the country, swarming toward the damage to do good. Spontaneous volunteers gathered, and the ops team managed them too.

By the time Day 6 dawned, nearly half the work orders had been completed. Flooded basements had been emptied and mucked out, damaged homes were gutted down to the studs, and personal effects had been recovered. One home at a time, with the help to Team Rubicon and a little rented Coachmen, the citizens of Marseilles, IL, were regaining normal.

By Lydia Davey, Operation: Prairie Dog volunteer and USMC veteran

Photos by Team Rubicon

On May 18th, we’re co-hosting the second annual Run as One, and we want you to join us.

What:

This is the second annual Run As One, a 5k run established in 2012 around the one-year anniversary of the passing of Clay Hunt, a founding member of Team Rubicon and a wounded Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. Clay was a leading national voice in the veteran space, advocating on behalf of veterans to seek help for PTSD, which he suffered from.

Why:

In late March, 2011, Clay—suffering from a lack of purpose and community in his life—killed himself while alone in his apartment in Houston, TX. Run As One was established to show positive unity and community through activity, all while celebrating Clay’s life of service.

We are using this year’s Run As One as an opportunity to launch our new partnership with Team RWB, a veteran organization focused on building community and healthy mental, physical, and emotional transition through physical fitness.

When and Where:

May 18th, 2013, across the country; check OrgAction for info on your local Run as One.

So come out and Run as One. Afterward, join us for food and beverages as we talk about who came in first, who came in last, and who looked the worst on the home stretch. Also, you’ll get to freshen up your TR wardrobe with some free shirts.

See you May 18th!

TR volunteers from Region 5, Region 7, Region 9, and Region 10 came together on Operation: Prairie Dog and got down and dirty.

Over the course of the operation, TR accomplished over 300 damage assessments and completed 130+ work orders on homes and structures affected by the flood waters. TR also repaired the Middle Eastern Conflicts Memorial Wall in town, an important monument for many.

We owe a tremendous thanks to the people of Marseilles, who welcomed with open arms into their community. Every morning, the American Legion would make sure the field teams had a hot breakfast and a cold drink for the long afternoons. We can’t thank you enough, Marseilles.

Help us do some laundry! http://bit.ly/12bG6Ta

0700

Wake up.  Crawl into yesterday’s muddy pants and fresh TR t-shirt (maybe).

0800

Arrive at pancake breakfast at American Legion.

0900

Check in at FOB.

Finish complimentary coffee.

Get assignments.  Roll out.

0930 – 1200

Work your tail off.

Gut houses.

Clean up Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall site.

Make homeowners smile and instill hope.

Get dirty.

Crack jokes.

1200 – 1230

Eat sandwiches and Little Debbie Swiss Rolls.

Talk some smack.

 1230 – 1600

Gut more homes.

Get muddier.

Get your stink on (more so).

More jokes cracked.

More work orders completed.

More grateful homeowners.

1600

Debrief.

Fatigue sets in…

So does sense of accomplishment.

1600 – 1700

Gather at Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall.

Pause.

Reflect.

Honor.

1700 – 1800

Eat home-cooked fried chicken, green beans, and discount cola at American Legion.

1815

Stop at store to pick up some beer

1830 – 2000

Gather in parking lot of ‘barracks’ – in this case, the gracious hosts of Skydive Chicago.

Some shower.  Some just use wet wipes.

Gather.

Drink beer.

Crack jokes.

Watch sunset over landing strip.

Talk about the day.

Debate who gutted more homes.

2000 – 2030

Clean ‘barracks’ in whirlwind group effort.

2030 – 2100

Call home (or text, in some cases).

Prep cots for new arrivals from Denver.

2100

Drink some more beer.

More good conversation.

Gaze at stars.

Rinse and repeat.

Please help us repeat more days like this on Operation: Prairie Dog.  100% of your donation goes to our teams in the field.  http://bit.ly/12bG6Ta

This is my third deployment with Team Rubicon, and each time I volunteer, I feel so honored to be working alongside people who have the same vision and goals as I do. It seems no matter how difficult the job is, we come together as a whole to accomplish that goal. We think and move as one; we don’t know the word “can’t” – it’s not in our vocabulary because we can’t fathom the thought of defeat.  Today was no different. Yes, we looked and smelled like we just crawled out of the sewer, but we wore the dirt and sweat like a badge of honor. This, my friend, is just another day in the wonderful life of a Team Rubicon volunteer.