Crusader

by Michael Silver

NEW ORLEANS -- When Deuce McAllister and I saw the semi out the window, midway through an improbable, emotional journey from Jackson, Mississippi, into the wake of a horrific storm, neither of us gave it a second glance. The New Orleans Saints' standout running back and I were in the back of a green Chevy Astro van, being driven toward the submerged Crescent City by three Salvation Army rescue workers who had just moved us through a military roadblock. The two of us were quiet and contemplative, reeling from two days' worth of chilling conversations with battered Hurricane Katrina survivors, and bracing ourselves for the disturbing images we were sure to witness.

Our driver, Maj. Mark Woodcock, gestured toward the truck. "You see what it's hauling?" he asked. We looked back at the semi and simultaneously gasped. "Yeah," Woodcock said. "Those are coffins."

In the immediate aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, McAllister and I experienced a dizzying gamut of emotions that, 10 years later, remain vivid and indelible: fear, anguish, helplessness, anger, sadness, confusion, empathy, bewilderment. Later that day, I would become the first outside sports journalist -- and one of the first outside journalists, period -- to venture into New Orleans following Katrina. As the minivan transported us to Louis Armstrong International Airport, then to the Superdome and finally into the heart of a brutalized city, a Sports Illustrated writer and a football star with whom he was previously unacquainted forged an implicit and intense bond. In the process, McAllister and I gained insight into just how terrifying the experience had been for those who endured it, and how maddening it was that it had taken so long for help to arrive. And, against all logic, we came to view the sport responsible for placing us there in an entirely new light.

Marching Back: After The Storm | NFL.com

This is a very powerful read. I kept choking up.

W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.

Rugby Saint II

Maybe next time they are told to leave they will. I may be one of the last to leave............but I leave.

On a side note I believe that Katrina washed away the sins of New Orleans.

foreverfan

I lived Katrina and forgot about it. Nothing to be celebrated. I'm bored waiting for the game.

RailBoss

Hard to believe it's been ten years. For some reason I was reminded of Katrina by a few "Charm City" Raven Fans at the pre-season game. As you can probably guess not in a good way.