Less than two days ago, Cody Overton was just getting off work in Duluth when he received a phone call to pack his bags.
In less than 12 hours, he transformed from a father of two who works as a correctional officer at the Pine County Jail to a soldier of Troop C, 1st Squadron, 94th Cavalry based out of Cloquet.
“I got the call from my sergeant, he didn't have any details, but he told me to pack my bags,” the 21-year-old told The Journal Friday as he tied a bag of sand at Kerry Park.
Overton and more than 100 other soldiers arrived in International Falls Thursday evening after activated by Gov. Mark Dayton, who declared a state of emergency in Borderland. Koochiching is among 35 Minnesota counties included in the declaration.
Sgt. First Class Troy Smith said when the governor activated the National Guard, troops were given a 12-hour notice to pack their bags and report to the Cloquet Armory.
“Activation for us was in support of the local emergency management,” Smith said of the flooding along area lakes and rivers. “Two days ago, these guys were in their personal lives with their kids, jobs, and school and within 12 hours they were in the armory and they're here now, ready to work.”
During the next few days, Smith said 108 soldiers will report to wherever they are needed.
“If they need us filling sandbags, we'll do that, if they need us on the line, we'll go there,” he said. “We've got the equipment and the personnel to address the various amounts of needs. We are ready to help this community – our neighbors. It's what we do.”
