OPERA CARP

The Comal River runs thru New Braunfels Tx and due to its beauty, many fine homes were built on its banks in the early years.

About 1973, the good Lord decided it was time to clean up the banks of the gentle flowing Comal River by allowing it to rain and rain and rain some more.

The river became a raging torrent, rose about 30 feet above its normal level and proceeded to inundate/destroy the million dollar homes along its path.

Enter the Wright City boy Trooper assigned to flood rescue duty. I spent a week there wading through muddy water up to my waist while slapping off the rattlesnakes, rats, cats, dogs, varmits and vermin that were either floating by or hanging from trees.

My main duty was to go from house to house to "rescue" occupants or recover bodies.

As I entered and searched the houses you have to picture that they were the finest in the area and lavishly furnished. With this picture in your mind, now imagine that in each house there was now about 3 inches of mud and up to two feet of water. I remember going in one house that had a grand piano in the living room with a huge chandelier over it and a school of carp swimming under it as if in anticipation of some grand opera virtuoso. I went in a house that had a huge high dollar leather chair with the biggest cottonmouth water moccasin on earth coiled on it. And the stink of all was atrocious. Imagine rotting fish, wet dogs, and molded everything all rolled into one?

And who ever said that Troopers don't get to do "exciting" stuff?