GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Billy Shoemaker traded the comfort of his home in southern Louisiana, where Monday’s forecast was cloudy and 74 degrees, for ice and snow 900 miles to the north — but he's not complaining.
"We enjoy being up here. We were proud to get the call. We were able to show up with 250 guys," said Shoemaker, who is among the hundreds of out-of-state crews helping local utility workers restore power to West Michigan.
"The wives know what they're marrying when they marry a lineman," Shoemaker continued. "A lineman, he's going to have to go off sometimes and work. It's just like marrying a military man. At some point in time, he's going to have to fulfill the call of duty. And that's what we do."
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