POST'S KIELY DOES HIS PART TO HELP HURRICANE VICTIMS

October 1, 2005

Courtesy of Roger Cleaveland

Waterbury Republican American

WATERBURY - As an outside marking back for the Post University men's soccer team, Patrick Kiely knows his main responsibility is to provide defense rather than goals and assists for the Eagles. He willingly accepts his less-prominent role and takes great pride in it.

Two weeks ago, however, Kiely received his opportunity to provide a huge assist of a very different kind, and he seized the moment.

Far from the soccer fields of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, Kiely went into action not as a member of the Post soccer team but as a member of Connecticut National Guard. The 19-year-old from Woodbury was part of a contingent of 85 troops deployed to Louisiana to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

While he admits it was disappointing to miss four soccer games as the excitement of a new season was building, Kiely welcomed his call to duty.

"Before we were actually told to go down there," Kiely said, "I saw all the other units being sent down, and I felt we should be doing our job to help those people, too."

Kiely said his unit, part of the 102nd Infantry, was stationed at an airfield in Jefferson Parish, La. and patrolled from there to New Orleans providing both assistance and security. When they weren't guarding a Wal-Mart or a Lexus dealership to prevent looting, they protected doctors from armed robbers and also went door to door asking residents if they needed any medical help, water, food or other supplies.

<*F>"We were not sure why some people shooting at the doctors or going into clinics armed with knives," Kiely said. "Our guess was that drug addicts were trying

to steal medical supplies and stuff like that. The doctors were too scared to go out by themselves so we would ride along with them and provide security."

Kiely said his experience was disheartening at times, but overall the two weeks he spent in Louisiana provided him with a sense of hope for the Gulf region.

He won't forget the downed trees, the trash strewn all over, the family pets wandering homelessly and the horrible stench that never dissipated. He was moved by the sadness etched on people's faces as they returned to find their homes devastated by the hurricane. But equally as compelling was the gratitude shown by those in despair and the determination of the people to help others in the face of their own adversity.

"When I first got down there it was discouraging," Kiely said. "But after being there a while and getting a chance to interact with the local people, we were really glad we were able to be there to help. The thing that really made things seem brighter was having people come out and thank us for coming down. They told us they felt safe with us there.

"The mood down there now seems to be one where everybody wants to help each other. Basically everywhere you went there would be smiles on people's faces when they saw you. They would come out and just start talking to us and tell us how everything was going. Some people would bring us food which was really nice because then we didn't have to eat the MREs (meals ready to eat)."

Kiely has been a member of the Connecticut National Guard since his junior year at Nonnewaug High School, the year he helped lead the Chiefs to a soccer state championship.

He felt compelled to follow in the footsteps of his father, Joseph, who was in the Marine Corps from 1966-69 and then served in the National Guard for 25 years before retiring as a major.

Patrick's older brother, Christopher, is in the Marine reserves.

"For the longest time I really wanted to join," Patrick said. "I just always looked at it as an honorable thing to do and a way to experience a lot of things. It also helps me stay disciplined. I also joined because of the educational benefits."

He is also majoring in criminal justice at Post to prepare for a career with the state police or the FBI.

Part of the reason he went to Post was it afforded him the opportunity to play college soccer and stay in state to meet his National Guard commitment. He has to serve one weekend per month and then one week during the summer for training. He still has four years left in a six-year commitment, but he expects to spend at least 20 years in the National Guard.

He also expects that sooner or later he will be called back into service, and he's prepared for whatever it is.

"It has crossed my mind a lot that I could have to go overseas, especially since hearing rumors about a possible deployment in Afghanistan in the spring," Kiely said. "It is definitely on my mind, but it is also part of the job that I signed up for."