MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- One month after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, destroyed homes and billions of dollars worth of damage still remain. In light of this, a group of volunteers from Parris Island recently traveled to Long Beach, Miss., in coordination with the City of Beaufort and the United Way of Beaufort, in order to help clean up some of the storm-ravaged houses and deliver some much-needed supplies to the residents. The seven Marines and one civilian volunteered to help after learning that the United Way was putting together a trip to provide relief efforts. “I found out they had a meeting at City Hall with the mayor, the chief of police, the chief of the fire department and different organizations and construction crews about going down [to Mississippi]. They wanted team names for everybody, so I said I would take the Marines from Parris Island, so we would be the Parris Island Team,” said 1st Sgt. Brian Foster, company first sergeant for Recruit Processing Company, who helped gather the volunteers. When they arrived in Mississippi, the Parris Island Team was put to work unloading two trucks full of supplies such as clothing, diapers and food. Afterward, the teams were assigned to different sectors of the city and put to work clearing out debris and cutting down trees that had fallen into the yards. “The first day we were able to [clear] out seven houses,” said Foster, a Demopolis, Ala., native. “The second day we were able to clear ten of the yards.”Foster said the condition of the area was unlike anything he had ever seen. “From the beach to four blocks back, it was total destruction – there was nothing there,” he explained. “It was junk stuck in the trees. The devastation was indescribable.”“It’s a totally different experience from what you see on TV,” added Cpl. Irvintz Fulcher, service record book noncommissioned officer for RPC. “When you’re actually there, the devastation is a lot worse than what they show on TV. [I saw] brick buildings get blown out and tractor trailors stacked up on top of each other like toys.”Private First Class Nicholas Crist, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of identification cards for the Recruit Administration Center, volunteered because he “just wanted to find a way to help out,” he said. With all that the residents of Long Beach had been through, the volunteers said they were surprised to find them in such high spirits. “Everybody still had smiles on their faces after what happened, so that was motivating,” said Crist, a native of Tupelo, Miss.Many of the residents even offered food and money to the volunteers in return for their hard work, but the only thing they would accept was water and a few moist towels to keep them cool while working in the heat, said Fulcher. “They were offering to do anything, cook us lunch, wanting to donate chain saws, wanting to give us money – I even had one offer his house key for us,” added Foster. “These are people who have been through so much. They were without power for three weeks. With everything they had been through, they were still willing to give to us.”Many of the residents were amazed to find a group of volunteers offering to clear the debris out of their yard free of charge, said Greg Bird, who volunteered with the Marines. “Each person was surprised that we were doing it for free because it was intense manual labor,” said Bird, who added they oftentimes had to carry logs that weighed 80 to 100 pounds in scorching 100-plus degree heat. Bird said working with Marines was great because nobody complained or wanted to take a break – they just worked together as a team to get the job done.“These guys worked a minimum of 12 hours a day and not one guy was wanting to ask for a break or was ready to go home at the end of the day,” explained Bird. “It was like everybody was getting paid a bonus, but it was for free.”“The most rewarding part of being there was that the people there were really appreciative of the things we did,” said Fulcher.When the volunteers finished their relief work and traveled back to Parris Island on the fourth day, many of them wished they could have stayed longer, said Bird. “Every single one of us wanted to stay at least a week,” said Bird. “We helped out about eight to ten houses … but I don’t even think we scratched the surface. It’s an overwhelming amount of damage.”Even so, the volunteers were happy to have helped out, even if in a small way. “I just wanted to do my part to help out,” said Fulcher. “I saw everything on TV and I thought it would be a good thing to do to go down there and lend a hand.”