Hannah Wattnem
Staff Writer

When catastrophe hit Washington state, Lou Wilcox was one of the first to be called into action to start recovering and rebuilding the communities surrounding Mt. St. Helens.

Within 12 hours of the eruption Mr. Lou Wilcox arrived on scene with his six-member National Guard squad. Along with five other combat engineers, Wilcox was called into action by the governor’s orders.

The squad was on a mission, determined to swiftly help the local government secure the area around the mountain, to keep all other citizens out of harm’s way. Once the security perimeter was set up they were to go in to recovery mode, finding and collecting carcasses of dead livestock from the surrounding rural farms. Wilcox said, “I am an animal person, so seeing, hundreds of dead, mangled, and burned cattle was very hard.” Wilcox recalls seeing one baby calf, “You could see the terror in her face, not even knowing what was going on.”

“When we came to an unsearched area, it almost resembled pictures I have seen from the bombings of Hiroshima, it was complete devastation,” remarks Wilcox. He said the most shocking aspect when he first arrived was the absolute nothingness for miles around, all you could see was an unending sea of lifeless grey ash.

Wilcox’s squad did find one survivor, a young man who was injured. They had to call in a helicopter to medically evacuate him. On the other hand, some scenes the squad would witness were tremendously horrific. With misty eyes Mr. Wilcox recalls one recovery search; “We found a car, inside was a family, all huddled together. It was too late, and completely heart wrenching.”

Wilcox said that one of the phenomenal parts of this recovery was how all of the state’s law enforcement, military, and disaster response teams came together to help the community get back on its feet. Not only were Washington’s response teams working to rebuild this community, but also many volunteers all the way from Oregon, California. The squad’s mission was incredibly tolling, both physically and mentally. Wilcox said, “Most of the guys in my squad were very young. I myself was only 19 years old, seeing so many dead carcasses everyday was hard.”

There were some risks the squad had to face when they went into this recovery mission. For one, they were walking on up-to 3 feet of ash as well as through fields of fallen timber. Because of all the ash in the air the men had to wear medical masks to keep from inhaling it. Even while wearing the masks some of the finer ash slipped through. “Each breath we took felt like it was burning our lungs,” remarked Wilcox.

Even though the National Guard kept the squad physically fit, this recovery required an incredible amount of endurance. Each day they had to push past extreme fatigue, cumulating stress, and the ever-daunting pressure of time. After two emotionally and physically exhausting weeks, the squad was finally sent home.

Wilcox said, “Even though it was hard, I’m glad I was part of this rescue. That is why I joined the National Guard in the first place because that’s what they are all about, helping people,” he continued, “Looking back now I am glad the National Guard exists, and I am honored to have been a part of it.”