Two siblings were able to reunite earlier this month and help each other support recovery efforts in the wake of the destruction caused by Supertyphoon Yutu on Saipan.
Specialist Vanessa Sally, a combat medic, from the Guam Army National Guard’s 1st-294th Infantry Regiment’s Headquarters Headquarters Company, was part of a group of Guam Guard Soldiers that volunteered to respond and help the people of Saipan.
Born and raised on Saipan, Sally said she was glad to be back home and will help out any way she can to restore the beautify back to the island. “It’s a good feeling to know that the Guam Guard is making a difference for the people of Saipan,” she said.
Since she is a combat medic, Sally was assigned to take care of soldiers that reported to Commonwealth Health Clinic, on Saipan, for sick call or other medical needs.
She was extremely excited to know that she would be working with her sister, Shana Sally, a registered nurse in the Pediatrics department at Saipan’s CHC. The sisters have not seen each other since Vanessa and their two younger sisters, Angelica, 17, and Katelyn, 6, relocated to Guam on September 2015, shortly after Typhoon Soudelor hit Saipan.
“I’m grateful to the Guam Guard for helping with recovery efforts and for bringing my sister back to our home island again. My coworkers and I were working overtime during and after the typhoon treating many people who were injured. It was vital that the Guam Guard came to help clear the main roads to allow emergency and police vehicles to respond to calls of distress from the people of Saipan,” said Shana.
Sally is following in her sister’s footsteps and pursuing a degree in nursing and/or biology at the Guam Community College.