Sandy 'Unsung Heros' Lauded in Letter

Editor's Note: The following open letter was submitted to Patch.

To Our Unsung Heros!
We were driving home from Pittsburgh on Route 80 yesterday, and we saw caravans of Cherry Pickers on their way back to Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, etc. I realized that these people had come all this way to help us in N.J.! Mind you — it felt like we didn't have much help at times, but seeing the number of trucks that day was a reminder that N.J. did have much help from across the country!

I decided today to thank any of the people in town working to restore our power! I chatted with a few men from Indiana in the Kings parking lot as they rested in their truck and told them how grateful I was. They admitted they were exhausted and so I gave them a 10-dollar bill and said, "Go get a cup of coffee — courtesy of the great state of New Jersey!"

Later I saw a young man in a truck from Georgia. He said he may be up North for Thanksgiving. I then passed a truck (pictured above) from Tennessee. I realized that I am truly grateful to these men/women for coming all this way to help us out. I encourage those of us who have our power-to take time to thank these unsung heros-buy them a cup of coffee or a bite of lunch — or even just honk and say "thanks"!  These are the folks who got our town up and running and I am truly grateful!

Debbie Graves,

Basking Ridge, NJ