Nevada troops to take school supplies to Haiti

When Pfc. Craig Kenison, 24, departs for Haiti today, he'll be taking a piece of Carson City with him.

Eagle Valley Middle School teacher Stacee Cress and her students collected school supplies to send to children in Haiti who suffered a massive earthquake in January.

Kenison, a private first class with the Nevada Army National Guard, will join about 100 soldiers from Nevada units on a two-week mission to Haiti to assist with humanitarian and security efforts.

Kenison picked up several boxes of books, paper, markers, pencils and other supplies from the class last week, and sorted through them this week to determine what could be taken over.

"We'll take what the mission dictates as far as weight for the plane," Kenison said. "We'll try to take the most valuable items."

Kenison, a 2004 Carson High School graduate, joined the National Guard about a year and a half ago.

"I always wanted to join the Army," he said. "I was working construction when the economy failed. I joined the National Guard and went to school."

He is studying criminal justice in hopes of becoming a police officer.

His unit will provide security for doctors, engineers and other civil workers as they assist Haiti in recovery efforts.

This will be his first oversees mission in the guard.

"I'm excited," he said. "Any chance I get to help, I'm always willing."

The 485th Military Police Company in Reno is set to send about 90 of its soldiers. They will be joined by about 10 soldiers from the 72nd Military Police Company headquartered in Las Vegas, about 15 soldiers from the 609th Engineer Company from Fallon, and about a half dozen soldiers from the 593rd Transportation Company in Reno.

The soldiers are a portion of the 500 National Guardsmen set to assist in humanitarian assistance projects in Haiti through September.