Serving in My Backyard

Jeremiah Kunze

Jeremiah Kunze reflects on serving neighbors and fellow residents in Quincy, MA.

In the last year, I’ve seen disaster zones in New York, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, and now in Massachusetts. It always seems like a different world when I’m volunteering on a deployment. However, this time the damage was in my backyard.

Quincy, MA is where I met my wife, had my first kiss, got my first car, graduated high school, and saw the first sonograms of my daughters. It was surreal serving in my backyard.

As a Command and General Staff member, It’s been really difficult not actually being in the field, sweating with my fellow Greyshirts. At the same time, it’s been such an amazing experience being the Incident Commander and coordinating the response. 

Many people and organizations came together and through sheer will and determination, got this operation going. This would not have been possible if it weren’t for everyone’s dedication, perseverance, and desire to do good. It was tough leaving but I have a feeling that we’ll be back soon to help even more people get back on their feet.

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