Courtesy photo by Lance Bennett as posted on Facebook.

 

Commentary by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com

 

Having a lineman in the family we are keenly aware of what it means for these folks to be called to serve on mutual aid crews out-of-state away from their families, for days, sometimes weeks at a time, working long hours often in dangerous weather conditions. With that in mind, the Bennetts would like to express our appreciation to a State Electric Corporation crew out of Boston, Massachusetts which restored power to relatives in Windham, Connecticut.  

 

Due to the effects of the recent storm which brought high winds and heavy rain that caused downed tree limbs and downed electrical lines, our Windham relatives were without electrical power for four days. Thankfully, they had water, a fireplace for warmth and a battery-operated radio to listen to the World Series. Nonetheless, as anyone who has been without power knows,  even a few hours can feel like life in an alternate universe – let alone the misery of being without power for days.

 

The arrival of this approximate 8-man crew from Boston was a sight for sore eyes I’m told. They are said to have worked diligently and provided cordial and accurate communication for the neighborhood. Since a transformer had to be replaced they left briefly to pick up needed apparatus but returned, as promised, in a timely manner to get the job done.

 

Their ‘drop the r’ Boston accents brought back memories of our Uncle Dick Kaine, who coincidently before his passing several years ago, had been a chief electrician for Boston Con Edison. Now is that coincidence or did the spirit of Uncle Dick send his Boston colleagues to the rescue? We wonder… 

 

W.W. II Seabee recruitment poster (Wikipedia).

 

Readers who follow newsandviewsjb may remember that for Veterans Day observances – coming up on November 11 – I have highlighted family members who served in the military. I want to make note that Uncle Dick – who was married to my father’s sister, my Aunt June – served as a U.S. Navy Seabee during World War II. Online sources explain Seabees were construction battalions for the Civil Engineering Corps, recruited by the United States Navy. They were “skilled construction workers” needed to build naval bases in “theatres of war.”  Some 325,000 Seabees were recruited says Wikipedia. Our Uncle Dick was one of them.

 

Although the role of Seabees was initially to be construction, as my older brother said was told to him, that changed as a result of the circumstances of war. Eventually he said, Seabees often worked “with a rifle slung over one shoulder and an equipment belt slung over the other.”

 

 

So, the Bennetts are sending along an enormous “thank you” to the State Electric Corp. crew for their obvious “strong American work ethic”, a job well-done, and for the reminiscing they stirred of our Uncle Dick Kaine.

 

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Should you lose power here are a few tips published by our in-state utility:

  • If you must drive – never drive over downed power lines
  • Treat all non-working traffic lights as stop signs
  • Once power is restored, power-up slowly turning on one item at time to avoid a power surge