Letter: Marines to the rescue

We write to commend seven Marines for their selfless and Herculean service in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, Sgt. John Moutos and six Marines who accompanied him were seeking primarily to assist homes encumbered with trees. He had landscaping experience and they all had determination and drive to tackle the toughest removal tasks by collectively putting their considerable muscle to it — which they did for us, asking for nothing in return. Five hours later, the yard was cleared of three fallen trees, two touching on the house and one in our yard, and numerous tree boughs. This was hard work we could not have done on our own. They then left to assist other households in need.

These Marines deserve our praise. In addition to Sgt. Moutos, the Marines who helped us were lance corporals Jaye Hockett, William Medley, Julian Perez, Alexis Rodriquez, Nathan Wright, and Pfc. Josh Lowery. We are deeply grateful to them for their selfless service to us. We also thank John and Debbie Clements for their thoughtfulness in clearing our driveway before we returned home, and thank Michael Robey who worked with the Marines to help save our roof and clear the land.

Sgt. Moutos believes in a charitable humanity that builds community through mutual assistance. The virtue that belief unleashes was evident in the acts of all these kind and helpful people. We flourish in the community they built. We sincerely thank them all.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Letter: Marines to the rescue."