Miss Spirit of the Ouachita visits La. Guardsmen

By Sgt. Noshoba Davis, LANG Public Affairs Office

PINEVILLE, La. – Guardsmen from the Louisiana National Guard’s 528th Engineer Battalion received a visit from Miss Spirit of the Ouachita Molly Humphries during their drill weekend at the battalion headquarters in Monroe, Jan. 21.

Humphries is a 2017 Miss Louisiana contestant representing Monroe in the competition. She visited the battalion’s job sites and the Guardsmen working on the projects.

“I wanted to come out today and use the fact that I’m a public figure to draw attention not to myself, but to use my clout to point to the true heroes. I wanted to honor those who choose to sacrifice their lives for us every single day without complaining,” said Humphries. “I wanted to start a movement where people show gratitude, honor, and thankfulness to servicemen and women everywhere!”

Humphries visited with the 1023rd Engineer Company, who has been working on a gazebo at the 528th headquarters in Monroe, since October. The gazebo mission is to prepare the Soldiers for an upcoming humanitarian aid mission to the Dominican Republic, where they will assist the 12th Air Force with the construction of three clinics and a vocational school. Humphries also visited the 921st Engineer Company while they performed warrior tasks and battle drills at T.L. James Boy Scout Camp in Downsville.

“The Soldiers enjoyed having Miss Humphries visit. This gave the Soldiers an opportunity to speak with a public figure that represents their area,” said Capt. Joseph Barlow, commander of the 1023rd Engineer Company. “Visits like this allow us to show our communities what type of work we are capable of, and the training that we do to stay prepared to help our community.”