The Louisiana Army National Guard is sending 500 troops to Haiti to aid in the earthquake relief effort and help children of the island.For this particular mission, the bulk of LANG’s focus will be engineering projects, including rebuilding schools to allow Haitian children to move from the tents currently being used for classrooms, according to a news release from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s office.The mission will be based in the vicinity of Gonaives, Haiti, which is approximately 95 miles north of Port au Prince, the release said.The operation is headed by Maj. Gen. Bennett Landreneau, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, and is scheduled to start in May and end in September.The group organizing the mission is New Horizons, which utilizes military units and personnel to help communities and individuals with humanitarian needs.The release said Louisiana is lending its support with the international aid it received during Hurricane Katrina in mind.”Louisiana received so much support from across the country and around the world after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and we stand ready to lend that same assistance to other parts of the world in their time of need,” Jindal said in the release.The mission is an excellent training opportunity for all soldiers and airmen as well as a humanitarian effort, Maj. Gen. Landreneau said.”This is a great opportunity for LANG to step up and assist the people of Haiti.”Russell Case, an LSU student and one-year member of the LANG whose platoon wasn’t deployed, spoke highly of the operation.”Although my unit was not shipped out, what I have heard from other people in the Guard is that we are pretty much the most helpful group over there,” Case said. Jindal said his dispatched guardsmen will be prepared for the challenge after the experiences of rebuilding Louisiana following the state’s own crises.”These brave men and women know firsthand the type of hard work and perseverance it takes to recover from a disaster, and I know they will serve the people of Haiti well in helping them get back on their feet as quickly as possible,” Jindal said.—-Contact Andrew Hanson at [email protected].