{"id":295449,"date":"2024-10-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=295449"},"modified":"2024-10-07T15:05:01","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T15:05:01","slug":"national-guard-soldier-helps-neighbors-through-helene-relief-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=295449","title":{"rendered":"National Guard Soldier helps neighbors through Helene relief efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Garcia, a tank commander assigned to Bravo Company, 1-118th Infantry Regiment, Armored Brigade Combat Team, distributes water and supplies in Gaffney, South Carolina, Oct. 2, 2024. More than 900 Soldiers and Airmen have been activated statewide to provide critical support to impacted communities. The South Carolina National Guard continues to respond to disaster relief requests for assistance from federal, local, and state agencies.
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GAFFNEY, S.C. \u2014 When Tropical Storm Helene hit South Carolina, it brought widespread damage and left communities like Gaffney grappling with power outages, flooding and a shortage of basic necessities. Amid the chaos, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Garcia, a Gaffney resident himself, stepped in to serve his neighbors in a unique capacity \u2014 both as a protector and a community member.<\/p>\n

On Oct. 2, 2024, Garcia found himself distributing water and supplies to Gaffney residents, many of whom he grew up with. \u201cIt feels good,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cI enjoy helping the community where I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia is an Army tank commander in Bravo Company, 1-118th Infantry Regiment, Armored Brigade Combat Team. He has been in the military for 13 years, starting with five years on active duty before transitioning to the National Guard. The Guard was an ideal fit for him, allowing him to continue serving his state and nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joined the National Guard because I wanted to continue being a Soldier and serve the country,\u201d Garcia explained. \u201cBut it\u2019s also about being there for my community. When I see people in need, it gives me a sense of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Garcia, a tank commander assigned to Bravo Company, 1-118th Infantry Regiment, Armored Brigade Combat Team, distributes water and supplies in Gaffney, South Carolina, Oct. 2, 2024. More than 900 Soldiers and Airmen have been activated statewide to provide critical support to impacted communities. The South Carolina National Guard continues to respond to disaster relief requests for assistance from federal, local, and state agencies.
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\n U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Garcia, a tank commander assigned to Bravo Company, 1-118th Infantry Regiment, Armored Brigade Combat Team, distributes water and supplies in Gaffney, South Carolina, Oct. 2, 2024. More than 900 Soldiers and Airmen have been activated statewide to provide critical support to impacted communities. The South Carolina National Guard continues to respond to disaster relief requests for assistance from federal, local, and state agencies.
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On the ground, Garcia and his fellow Guard members handed out water and food rations to those affected by the storm.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to see that people are grateful,\u201d Garcia said, noting how a simple gesture \u2014 providing essential supplies \u2014 had a profound impact on the community\u2019s morale. \u201cSeeing people\u2019s smiles and gratitude in a time of need is the best part.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Garcia, serving in this capacity is personal. Beyond the uniform, he is a proud member of his local church and sees his service as an extension of his faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a Christian and a godly man,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing able to provide for others, especially those who can\u2019t leave their homes, fills my heart with joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia mentioned how local churches had partnered with the National Guard the day before to ensure that homebound residents received food and water.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was awesome to see that people have the heart to put others before their own needs,\u201d he said, clearly moved by the community\u2019s collective effort.<\/p>\n

For this 13-year military veteran, the opportunity to give back to the town where he grew up is something he doesn\u2019t take for granted. Garcia plans to continue serving his full 20 years in the National Guard, but on days like this, the pride he feels for both his uniform and his hometown is on full display.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelping out here in Gaffney just means more,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cIt\u2019s home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Links<\/h5>\n

Official Website of the National Guard<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard (@TheNationalGuard) | Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard (@USNationalGuard) | X<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard (@us.nationalguard) | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Garcia, a tank commander assigned to Bravo Company, 1-118th Infantry Regiment, Armored Brigade Combat Team, distributes water and supplies in Gaffney, South Carolina, Oct. 2, 2024. More than 900 Soldiers and Airmen have been activated statewide to provide critical support to impacted communities. The South Carolina National Guard continues to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295451,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-295449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=295449"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":295455,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295449\/revisions\/295455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/295451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=295449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=295449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=295449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}