Lindsay France/University Photography

A group of Cornell ROTC cadets honed their building skills for upcoming trips to Broome County to help with Operation Flood Recovery. From left: Neal Nisargand '07, Army; Veronica Kennedy '10, Navy; Caroline Griffes '07, Army; Matt Seymour '10, Navy; Bailey Suzuki '10, Navy; Mark Weisenborn '08, Army; and Phil Caruso '08, Air Force. Copyright © Cornell University.

A squad of eight Cornell ROTC cadets participated in an unusual drill at Barton Hall on Monday, Oct. 2, honing carpentry skills by assembling part of a virtual indoor artillery range. The practice will pay off when the cadets join other Cornell ROTC volunteers for Operation Flood Recovery, one of two working trips to Broome County to help rebuild homes destroyed by the floods that swept through the Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley last June. An estimated 800 homes were destroyed, and another 300 were damaged by the Susquehanna River's record high floodwaters in Broome County alone.

On Oct. 7 and 21, about 50 cadets and student and civilian volunteers from Cornell and the Ithaca area will connect with the Conklin Presbyterian Flood Relief Volunteer Center in Conklin, N.Y., where some of the worst property damage occurred.

Army ROTC has taken the lead in the flood relief effort, but the cadets are from all branches of the armed services. ROTC has been a tradition at Cornell since its inception under the Morrill Land Grant Act in 1868, which required land-grant universities to provide instruction in military science. While beyond the normal call of duty, the trip to Conklin is in keeping with the best traditions of ROTC and, as an outreach effort, is more than welcome.

"We're just thrilled to get their help," said Lorna Kinsman, a volunteer with a group from Conklin Presbyterian Church. "With summer ending, kids have gone back to school and there's been a decline in volunteers, so this is just wonderful."

Cadets and other volunteers will be dispatched to various sites, said Kinsman. Based on experience, volunteers will be assigned to rebuilding or cleanup tasks.

More Cornell and Ithaca community volunteers, especially those with carpentry, masonry and plumbing skills, are sorely needed. For more information, e-mail armyrotc@cornell.edu, call (607) 255-4006, stop by the Army ROTC office in Barton or contact the Conklin Presbyterian Flood Relief Volunteer Center at (607) 372-8542.