Soldiers lend a hand to Italian partners after Vicenza floods

VICENZA, Italy - After flood waters struck Isola Vicentina, Lt. Col. Jae Marquis gathered a team of 14 Soldiers and unit family members, gathered supplies and headed out to lend a hand.

Marquis, commander of the 509th Signal Battalion, has built a strong rapport with the town - just north of Vicenza - through U.S. Army Garrison Italy's Community Alliance Program, a community relations program that partners U.S. Army units with local Italian communities.

For two days they cleared debris, distributed sandbags to protect homes and local businesses and assisted local emergency response teams in Isola Vicentina and nearby Castelnuovo.

"The volunteer opportunity, for us, was a way for us to give back to our host nation," Marquis said. "We are guests here and we need to do our part to be good visitors to the host nation and their residents."

As they began work, a call went out for volunteers in the Vicenza Military Community. Soon there were 25 Soldiers, spouses, U.S. Army civilians and local nationals on hand - not only from the 509th, but also the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Southern European Task Force-Africa.

On May 15, heavy rains caused flooding across the Vicenza area. The next morning, Isola and several other towns woke to mudslides, flooded homes and damaged roads. More rain followed in the days ahead, saturating the ground and swelling local rivers. More than 1500 people in Isola Vicentina were displaced.

Thomas Derr, a U.S. Army civilian, heard the call and hopped in his van. He didn't even stop to change the new shoes he wore, which were ruined during the cleanup. That was nothing compared to the devastation families faced in Isola due to the flood waters.

"For us it's over. For them, especially as it continues to rain, it's still going," Derr said. "For us to give back, it's really what we're all about, especially within the community."

Tizziano Volpi, an Isola Vicentina resident who has worked for the U.S. Army for 31 years, was among those who helped.

"I live in the hills, where there was no water, but I went down to help people from Isola, my friends," Volpi said.

During the May 22 Community & Leaders Information Forum, Col. Scott Horrigan, USAG Italy's commander, and Col. Chad Froelich, Chief of Staff at SETAF-AF earlier recognized all 25 volunteers and thanked them for their support.

Afterward Marquis's wife, Anastasia, said she didn't think twice as she knew how important it was to help.

"Anytime we get the opportunity to help each other and show the community what we're also here for - to get involved," she said.

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