BOSTON (WHDH) — Three Massachusetts state troopers returned home after volunteering with the hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
The three troopers all have family in Puerto Rico and one, Lt. Carmelo Ayuso, was born there.
“It was a way for me to contribute and help my countrymen,” said Ayuso. “It’s one thing to hear what happened and it’s one thing to look at pictures at what happened. But it’s another thing to go down there.”
The troopers joined other volunteers in working 12 hours a day, providing relief for local police departments and delivering water and other supplies. They lived on the ship the T.S. Kennedy while volunteering.
“I couldn’t believe the amount of appreciation that the people of Puerto Rico showed us,” said Trooper Eugene Lawrence. He shared a letter that a woman gave him while he was serving there: “I want to thank you for coming to help us. Seeing you here gives me hope and the feeling that everything will be OK and better.”
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