Leader Feeds Battalion in Helene Aftermath

FORT STEWART, Ga. - The first sergeant for the 51st Chemical Company (Hazard Response) came through for the Soldiers in his battalion after Hurricane Helene shut down power at their barracks on Fort Stewart, Georgia.

1st Sgt. Christopher J. Noseworthy, the senior enlisted leader for the 51st Chemical Company, broke out his grill and provided hot meals to the Soldiers in the 83rd Chemical Battalion who live in the barracks.

"The power at our house was out for about 10 hours at the time and we didn't have any way to cook food for ourselves," said Noseworthy. "Power was out in multiple areas on and off post, which included the Warrior Restaurant's ability to serve, and we already had our personal grill in the work area from a previous event."

"Our company is known for taking care of one another and I wanted to make sure the barracks Soldiers at least had a hot meal and were doing okay," said Noseworthy.

Noseworthy and his wife Katie cooked more than 30 hamburgers and 50 hot dogs for Soldiers in his battalion.

"My wife Katie supported the cause throughout, didn't even think twice when I asked her if she wanted to go grill and hangout at the barracks for a few hours," said Noseworthy. "All she asked was what items we needed to go get."

Noseworthy said the power and water are still off for some of his Soldiers on Fort Stewart.

As a result of the powerful hurricane, several trees and power lines were knocked over and street lights were destroyed by wind while gas stations ran out of fuel for generators and stores were closed or will have limited supplies for days to come.

"With over 16 years in the Army, I've never seen anything like this," said Noseworthy, a native of Phoenix who has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. "I am just appreciative that we only caught the outskirts of the main storm itself and can only imagine what the other areas are enduring."

The Fort Stewart, Georgia-based 51st Chemical Company is part of the 83rd Chemical Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military's premier deployable and multifunctional CBRNE command.

Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 16 bases in 19 states to confront and defeat the world's most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.

U.S. Army Hazard Response companies like the 51st Chemical Company conduct Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance, surveillance and decontamination operations with conventional and special forces around the world and provide support to civil authorities across the nation.

From serving in the quick response force with the 2nd Infantry Division in Iraq to honing his leadership skills as a 1st sergeant and drill sergeant on Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Noseworthy said he always works to make sure that his deeds match his words.

Noseworthy said his Soldiers appreciated the effort that he and his wife put into providing them with hot meals when the power was out.

"They loved it, thanked us and seemed very appreciative for the food, and you could tell that they genuinely felt cared for not just as Soldiers, but as people," said Noseworthy. "I am a true believer that if you take care of your personnel at any level, they will in turn take care of you when the time comes and that we can accomplish anything as a team."

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