20 Years, 20 Stories – Joe Huston: Heroics Under the Radar
Years Active: 2013-Present
“We prefer to stay under the radar,” TEXSAR (Texas Search and Rescue) volunteer Joe Huston said. “We don’t see ourselves as heroes, though there are, truthfully, a lot of heroics in the work that all the team members do. Without a doubt.”
Huston has been involved in the search-and-rescue arena for more than 25 years. He joined TEXSAR in 2013. “I first got involved in this work when I lived in The Woodlands (north of Houston) and two girls went missing. I knew immediately that this kind of work was real…it had meaning and purpose. And there aren’t many people willing to give up their time to help people in need like this. That is the only criterion actually: if someone needs help, we’re willing to step up.”
He has various certifications – all TEXSAR members are certified in various skillsets – and has handled a wide range of assignments over the years. “I remember managing the forward operating base at Jeep Weekend in 2019. We had more than 600 calls to respond to between Friday and Sunday. It is the team mentality that makes that sort of activity level workable. I think most people think of K9 work when they think of me, though.”
A lifelong dog person, Huston re-trained his hunting dog, Orion, in 2013 to search for human remains. Orion is 12 now and close to semi-retirement, meaning he would deploy when the weather conditions are not too taxing. “Orion is becoming a confirmation dog, one who confirms the work of other dogs. He has quite a reputation in the law enforcement community. He had his first find in 2017, finding a person who had been murdered 12 years before and was buried several feet deep. He loves his work. My dog is an extension of me in the field. As a hunting dog, he is a tool for the hunter, but in search/rescue/recovery work he is an extension of his handler. He is a partner.” Huston has two other dogs, one of which is certified for searching and the other will be soon.
Loving the work is a requisite for people and K9s, Huston said. There are long hours of training – substantially so for those with K9s – and the expenses are borne by the team members. It can take a toll, in many ways, too. “If your family is not all-in for you doing this sort of work, the family can fall apart from the demands.”
Whether “ground pounding” (searching for traces of a person’s presence), jumping into waters (flood or swiftwater rescues), or various other tasks, it is always a team process, Huston said. “I know and trust everyone on the team. They are skilled and committed. We can count on each other, and we’re all there for the same purpose: we’re needed.” TEXSAR members never self-deploy, though. TEXSAR responds to requests from law enforcement agencies, emergency management entities, municipalities, and similar agencies.
“No matter the mission, our goal is to accomplish the work in the most efficient, effective and safe way possible, and then go home to our lives. Oneself and teammates are the two most important elements of having a safe mission. There are not a lot of people who can do the things we do at TEXSAR, and the number of people willing to take on the challenges nowadays seems to be decreasing,” Joe said.
Learn more about TEXSAR at www.TEXSAR.org.
TEXSAR: 20 Years, 20 Stories, is a series of people-centric stories that celebrate the history of TEXSAR’s heroics and humanity as its volunteers continue their mission of ‘Texans helping Texans’ with Service above Self. The sequence of stories and profiles will come together in 2024 and 2025, celebrating the nonprofit’s 20th anniversary. To read more, click here.
