Members of the veterans organization, Team Rubicon, have been helping with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in Tennessee and North Carolina. Missy Piercy explains what drove her to join the efforts.
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00:00Today is Veterans Day, a day we honor all those who have served in the armed forces.
00:05Many veterans are continuing their service with the non-profit relief group Team Rubicon.
00:11Missy Percy is a U.S. Air Force veteran who is now incident commander
00:16with Team Rubicon. Thanks so much for joining us.
00:23All right, so Missy, you were most recently in Tennessee. Can you tell us how Team Rubicon
00:28is helping those who are still greatly impacted by Hurricane Helene?
00:33Team Rubicon currently has operations across southeastern North Carolina to Florida.
00:39We are performing chainsaw operations, tarping roofs, and mucking out homes to clear debris.
00:47And veterans are a large part of Team Rubicon. What skills and values
00:52are most important in both roles?
00:55We leverage the skills of veterans to fill roles in command and general staff and also
01:01things like chainsaw operations, heavy equipment operations.
01:07And what inspired your decision to join the Air Force and what lessons did that experience teach you?
01:15I joined the Air Force right out of high school. I just wanted to, you know, serve people.
01:23When I retired from the Air Force, I wanted to continue that service and that's when I
01:29discovered Team Rubicon and they have several core values that are the same.
01:35And of course, the camaraderie.
01:38And as a veteran, what should we all remember today and what does it mean to you to be a veteran?
01:47I'm proud to have served my country and I'm proud to still have the opportunity
01:52to help others in a different capacity while being surrounded by other veterans
01:56and first responders and awesome civilians.
02:00Well, we thank you for your service and all the veterans for today and of course,
02:04those helping with the great need across parts of Tennessee and western North Carolina.