When a cry for help to work the Columbia wreckage scene came out of East Texas recently, several of Grayson County’s finest answered the call.  Grayson County Deputies Rusty May and Doug Buie were the first Grayson County Officers to return from volunteer duty in Nacogdoches County and their sobering remarks remind that this was an accident scene like no other.  This was a wreck of national proportions and the searchers felt the eyes of a shocked country as America came to grips with the reality of another shuttle disaster.  Not long after pieces of the shuttle landed on sandy East Texas soil, a massive search and recovery operation began.

“Everybody knew they were there for a reason,” was how Deputy May described the professional attitude of the search crews as they went about their business of locating and recovering thousands of pieces of the Columbia from an area that is famous for its thick underbrush, woods and swamps.

Deputy Doug Buie agreed.  "As soon as we got there, we hit the ground running," Buie stated.

“These guys are our trailblazers,” Grayson County Sheriff Keith Gary said Thursday afternoon, referring to May and Buie.  “We will be rotating two different deputies into Nacogdoches every three days as they come off their regular county work schedule. Everyone should realize that this will not impact the service we provide in Grayson County because the officers will be in Nacogdoches on their days off.  This is a chance to help a fellow county which is in great need and I look at this as an opportunity to continue in the finest Texas tradition of one law enforcement agency being there for another in a time of need.”

Sheriff Gary called the Sheriff’s Office in Nacogdoches and found they were simply overwhelmed  by the amount of work facing them, so he decided to ask his men for volunteers, thinking two or three might pitch in and help.  Ten Grayson County Deputies stepped forward and offered their services on their days off.  This would mean lost money to some, because many of the deputies need part-time jobs to supplement their incomes.  It would also mean precious time away from friends and family after a series of 10-hour days. 

“I was very proud of the fact that 10 Grayson County deputy sheriffs stepped forward and volunteered their services on their days off,” Sheriff Gary remarked.  Grayson County deputy sheriffs in the Patrol Section routinely work four 10-hour days and are off three days.

What May and Buie found when they arrived was a “very well organized” operation made up of contingents from the FBI, DPS, military and law enforcement officers from a wide variety of areas.  Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerss and his 15 deputies did a remarkable job coordinating the efforts of all the agencies involved. 

Both Grayson County deputies said they worked from 7:30 a.m. until dark every day searching areas with incredibly dense vegetation.  When they left, it was raining, down to 34 degrees and there was still a lot of territory to cover.  But the volunteers keep coming, to relieve the tired and continue the search.

Grayson County deputies Rusty May (left) and Doug Buie have just returned from helping with the search in Nacogdoches County.

Grayson County Sheriff Keith Gary (center) remarked, "I was very proud of the fact that 10 Grayson County deputy sheriffs stepped forward and volunteered their services on their days off."