Force of Two: In Depth stories from 2 Puerto Rico volunteers on HamRadioNow

N5TGL and NS0S​

Jeremy Dougherty NS0S and Michael Smith N5TGL were part of the ARRL's Force of 50 (really 22), deploying in Puerto Rico following hurricane Maria. They tell their story in-depth in this episode of HamRadioNow:

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Apologies to anyone who finds some language in this vid clip offensive, but the "general" assessment of on site ARES management by NS0S reminded me of it.



If incident leadership was truly like that then perhaps they needed to select more of a "Force from the northern side of 50" in composure and common sense.

John, WØPV (north of 60)

 

I had read the posting on Reddit and this interview with the gentleman who wrote it, and another fellow who was in PR at the same time added some additional context. They sang praises and also offered suggestions for improvement, and criticism where they saw fit. Another pair of folks who were there were recently on a different show had nothing but praise for all involved. It was almost as if they were deliberately avoiding any negativity in their statements. I liked this segment better as it was a more believable description of the challenges faced, and accomplishments of the group in my opinion.

 

Anything on Hams and the vegas shooting?

 

LMFAO!

 

Excellent episode ! Lots of good information.

 

This is an IMPORTANT interview that Gary has brought us. It would be unfortunate if its length prevented valuable lessons from being articulated and addressed.

I do want to address the issue brought up by NS0S--Richard. This begins about 2:01:00 into the interview. Please pay attention--

1) Richard is a firefighter. He works with people daily. No hero stuff for those guys. They know their job and do it;
2) Richard volunteered his time and expertise to helping the people of the PR islands. He took the initiative and made it happened;
3) It is absurd in the highest vein to have anyone suggest that Richard was 'rogue', 'broken arrow' or any other sort of self- serving loner.
4) Organizations cannot function if the rank and file are lied to in order to have them execute mission and/or be recalled;
5) Richard deserves better than to be posed as one side of a 'he said she said who knows what to believe' scenario. The ARRL needs to step in , apologize, and move ahead with lessons learned. If not a public dispute will not make ham radio look good to anyone, with the ARRL a particular problem. The ARRL will not survive unless it poses and enables solutions. NOT make problems.

Those are my opinions. Yours may differ.

Thanks to Richard and the other 21 'Force of 50 (ARRL words)' for their time and sacrifice.

73
Chip W1YW

 

The mayor of PR was suppose to have said that anyone listening to his/her voice, we hold u responsible for the disaster. Dunno if that was fake news
or what...but if these hams showed up and got zero cooperation, then that would tend to hold true to the attitude previously reported. I think if a leader makes a statement like that,
it means there is no leader - dont expect squat from us, and thats what the hams saw.

 

There is no 'mayor' of Puerto Rico...

I don't believe that is correct: the Puerto Rican people have been grateful for any assistance rendered. I am speaking first hand and from my own pocketbook.

The issue seems to be bringing in an amorphously tasked group of outside organizations when the internal (PR) structure is fractured by logistics from absence of comms, people (stuck elsewhere with their own dire circumstances), and transport.

73
Chip W1YW

 

I agree.

There are a couple of things that motivated viewers can do. Neither is quick.

The easiest is to create an index or Table of Contents based on YouTube "Start At" links. These links are under the Share tab, and take a viewer to a specific spot in the video.

The other takes basic editing skills and tools. My videos are licensed by Creative Commons. Anyone can edit and re-use them. Someone can pull clips to make short, digestible segments. Add commentary! The news networks do this all the time. Of course this can go horribly wrong, depending on the integrity of the editor.

Why don't I do it? I'm always moving on to the next show, doing the behind the scenes front- or back-end work. I would gladly accept a volunteer or three. I've made this suggestion many times. BTW, the 'Click the Pig' contributions run $7- to $10,000/year, so paying for an editor is not feasible.

 

May be time for an independent investigation of the "Force of 50" deployment - the ARRL, Red Cross, and FEMA. All are spending donations and taxes and should be held accountable for those funds as a minimum .... not to mention the impact of an incompetent response to a natural disaster.

 

I sent (send) my donations--real stuff, not dollars thru a nonprofit--directly to ham(s) in Puerto Rico. It is expensive but fast and enables the recipients to decide how to distribute/use.

 

I think competence is not the issue; its knowledge and network. Given the circumstance, and save for some of the unsavory stuff that Jeremy(Richard) NS0S discusses, the outcomes have been positive but not optimal.

Just keep in mind that the big issues now are electricity and roofs. And WATER (potable). Cell phones are becoming less of an issue. Health epidemics --preventing them from starting--are also a major concern.

Appreciate your opinion and respect that we disagree.

73
Chip W1YW

 

What I heard was a mayor OF PR , who made the 1st official announcement, so in my book during a disaster that's potentially THE Mayor or spokesperson
or should be, at least showing some initiative , leadership and being out in front. At least thats how I see it. I like the analogy to the movie because it shows
how during a drill some people wanna "file paperwork" and dont realize that in a disaster, u may not have access to a pen , or these days a computer. U need people
who see what needs to be done, and either do it or can lead groups of people to do what it takes with whats left on hand. These days, no one is taught to think like that,
the smart phone should be able to do everything, and it just dont work that way.

Also , the world is in a big depression, mentally and financially, yet these systems we fall back on were put in place when u at least had a reliable system with people who could more or less execute sound reason and judgement on a decent basis. Not so cut and dry these days, not at all. Under those conditions, people are not motivated or much hopeful to help fellow mankind especially when their own situation is deteriorating.

Boils down to manpower and resources, and u can have the resources but not the manpower or interest to do anything. Contrary to that saying "just do it" not always that simple.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/27/us/puerto-rico-aid-problem/index.html

It also takes money with manpower and resources at some point, because at some point u need to pay for fuel like it says in the video.

 

Just another example of the mindset and operational philosophies in Newington that are being exposed more and more often. SE Division Director election anyone? Approval of the SE Vice-Directors EMCOMM-1 initiative, then backdooring him 2 months later?

The using of miltary TV/Movies terms now so popular, "Going Rogue", "Broken Arrow",.......how manly and authoritive they must feel.

Appearances and photo ops certainly seem the high priority for the league. Make it look good, keep it under control of a small few, and avoid transparency at all costs. The opportunity for change and growth we had over 2 years ago were lost.

They don't have the membership of even a quarter of the licensed operators. Gee, maybe the other +-75 percent are smarter than I've been.

"The ARRL will not survive unless it poses and enables solutions. NOT make problems." Amen Brother!