MJO
Photos and story by Sgt. Paul Evans, UPAHR
[caption id="attachment_3801" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Kentucky National Guard new Recruits attached to Recruit Sustainment Program Detachment 4 in Richmond spread out while cleaning up trash at Owsley Fork Lake in Madison County Kentucky on Oct. 23."]
Berea, Ky. (November 01, 2010)— With the sun shining down on Owsley Fork Lake in Madison County, 64 Soldiers from Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP) Detachment 4 in Richmond laced up their boots to help ‘Guard the Environment.’ The lake cleanup event that took place was part of a nationwide environmental awareness effort involving 339 RSP units and 7 Kentucky units intended to engage the National Guard in local environmental concerns.
“This is an excellent opportunity to teach young Soldiers to be positive stewards of the environment and give something back to the community in a big way,” said Sgt. Robert Foushee of the 2/75
th Recruiting and Retention Command, who helped supervise Owsley Fork Lake cleanup activities
Berea Mayor Steven Connelly added to the effort by allocating city resources to special trash pickup. Owsley Fork Lake, which lies near the border of Madison and Jackson counties, serves as the Berea city water reservoir, providing drinking water to its residents.
While most of the Soldiers in RSP Detachment 4 are new recruits from the Madison County area, Detachment 4 covers the northeast section of Kentucky, ranging from Madison County to Greenup County in the north and Pike County in the East.
[caption id="attachment_3802" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Pvt. 2nd Class Allen Cornett of Morehead, Ky., a future member of Charlie Company 1 Battalion 376th Security & Support Aviation, deposits trash into his bag at Owsley Fork Lake in Madison County Kentucky on Oct. 23, 2010. The lake cleanup event was part of a nationwide environmental awareness effort intended to engage the National Guard in local environmental concerns."]
The “Guard the Environment” project is a grass roots effort aimed at showcasing members of the National Guard volunteering in environmentally-friendly activities that give back to local communities. In doing so, it acknowledges the growing movement in America towards being “green” and the values of young recruits who are concerned about their environment while building stronger ties with local communities such as Berea.