Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs

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Wisconsin Guard helicopters part of northern wildfire suppression efforts

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:25:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard helicopters part of northern wildfire suppression efforts

May 22, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

The Wisconsin National Guard was part of an international effort last week to extinguish northern Wisconsin's largest wildfire in 33 years.

Two Black Hawk helicopters from the Madison, Wis.-based Army Aviation Support Facility #2 spent several hours May 15 using sling-loaded "buckets" to scoop water from nearby lakes and douse hot spots with precision.

"We had two hotspots that jumped [May 15] and that can start another fire," explained John Gozdzialski of the state Department of Natural Resources' Forestry Division. "Between the Canadian tankers and the Black Hawks, we could target them and do exact pinpointed drops. What we didn't want was anything to escape this perimeter containment. Having those air attack resources in place and in operation was phenomenal, because we would have been using some of our ground attack folks to get in here and try to clean this up. That was the primary benefit of the Black Hawks."

According to the DNR, 39 fire departments were involved in battling the wildfire, including assets from Minnesota, the Canadian province of Ontario and the Lac Courtre Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. The blaze scorched nearly 8,000 acres - approximately 12.5 square miles - and destroyed 47 structures, including 17 residences. The DNR reported that 77 structures in the fire zone were saved.

"The Wisconsin National Guard had a small piece to play here, and we're proud to play it," Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, said during a May 16 press conference at the Gordon Town Hall. "To me it shows the leadership of the DNR - they reached out to us last year and we helped train Black Hawk crews for exactly this eventuality, when the National Guard would be needed to assist. It certainly paid dividends."

Larry Glodoski, the DNR incident commander during the Douglas County wildfire, said a bureau specialist from the DNR's Forest Protection Bureau proposed training Wisconsin National Guard Black Hawk crews in firefighting last year. The training also involved the Fort McCoy, Wis., fire department and land management office.

"Last year's training was the second live burn fire training that we have conducted over the last number of years," said Lt. Col. Stephen Watkins, one of the Black Hawk pilots who helped fight the fire May 15. "The smoke in a real fire has the potential to significantly obscure the flight crew's ability to perform accurate water drops, so training in that environment allows the flight crews to develop tactics, techniques and procedures to minimize the impact of the smoke."

Glodoski said the training proved successful.

"We used them and it turned out like we hoped it would," Glodoski said. "They were trained, they adapted - they were able to use the training quite a bit [May 15] and they did quite a bit of good."

"This is what the country expects of the National Guard," Dunbar added. "In a very short time we can assist where necessary."

The Black Hawk helicopters traveled two hours from Madison to Douglas County, which borders Minnesota and the Lake Superior shoreline, and combined for approximately 60 bucket drops - an estimated 35,000 gallons of water.

Fire bucket operations are a coordinated effort between the firefighters on the ground, aircraft pilots and Black Hawk crew chiefs, Watkins explained. The ground crews identify areas in need of accurate dousing, and radio that information to a DNR pilot who in turn relays the location to the Black Hawk pilots. The helicopter crew determines a flight path that accounts for the aircraft's speed, the wind's effect on the aircraft and the 660 gallons of water that will drop from the bucket, the height of the fire, as well as obstacles in the flight path and the bucket which is tethered 90 feet below the aircraft.

Gov. Scott Walker, who was on hand with Dunbar and other state officials May 16 to view the fire damage and thank those involved in the firefighting effort, noted that if the Wisconsin National Guard hadn't helped clear tree debris from a summer windstorm two years ago, this fire could have easily been much worse.

"Every time we ask, like the flip of a switch, they're there," Walker said. "It's even more remarkable when I think over the past two years I have been to multiple, multiple [sendoff ceremonies]. These are men and women who put on the uniform and go to places like Afghanistan and Iraq, and then at the flip of a switch they come and help when something like this happens."

Watkins recalled how the Wisconsin Army National Guard used to provide UH-1 helicopters with medical crews for major summer holidays in the days before air ambulances were available in Wisconsin - a program called "Friend in the Sky." He has flown response missions to tornado-damaged sites in Wisconsin and also helped airlift residents to safety in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

"Taking part in real world support missions is extremely rewarding and humbling," Watkins said. "I take great pride in having Wisconsin Army National Guard helicopters ready to go 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support the governor, adjutant general and citizens of the state."

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New commander to mold Wisconsin's Iron Brigade

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:45:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: New commander to mold Wisconsin's Iron Brigade

May 21, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

The Wisconsin Army National Guard's Milwaukee-based 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade bid farewell to one commander and welcomed a new one in a May 19 change of command ceremony at the historic Richards Street Armory.

Col. Jeffrey J. Liethen, who commanded the 157th's headquarters during its recent deployment to Kosovo, formally relinquished command to newly appointed commander Col. John W. Schroeder. State Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley J. Shields also passed responsibility to Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph R. Rosemore Jr., who will now take over as the brigade's top enlisted Soldier.

Liethen, who is simultaneously retiring from the military after 35 years of service, held a variety of command and staff positions over the course of a military career that began in 1978, which culminated in him taking command of the 157th in 2010. When his unit deployed forces to Kosovo in 2011, Liethen became commander of a multinational battle group that consisted of aviation, cavalry, infantry, and support units from the U.S. and nine other countries.

Addressing the 157th for the final time as commander, Liethen thanked the Soldiers with whom he had served throughout his career, as well as his wife.

"Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I would like to thank my lovely bride, Julia, for holding down the fort while I was off gallivanting on high adventure for a couple of recent years," he said.

"The last couple of months there have been a lot of people coming up to me and asking me, 'How do you feel after 35 years of wearing the uniform and finally having to hang up the boots?' Well, feelings vary from day to day, but right now at this very instant, I feel like I want to do an end zone dance and a flying chest bump."

Senior leaders of the Wisconsin National Guard heaped praises on the retiring Soldier.

Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, the assistant adjutant general for Army, said the National Guard knew Liethen was the right man to lead the maneuver enhancement brigade in Kosovo.

"Like any good officer and any good leader, you want to make sure that you send the right leader, at the right time, with the right Soldiers," Anderson said. "And Col. Liethen was absolutely the right leader. With his experience, what he has done over the past 35 years, we knew with absolute confidence that the maneuver enhancement brigade headquarters going to the Balkans was going to be absolutely the most successful that it could be."

Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, the state's adjutant general, presented Liethen with the Legion of Merit in recognition of his long and distinguished military career.

Meanwhile, Schroeder assumed command of the 1,900-Soldier brigade, which traces its lineage and history back to the famed Black Hats of the Iron Brigade in the Civil War.

"Col. Liethen, as you pass this flag, you've done a wonderful job preparing this unit, and when, in fact, called to go into a combat zone, did a magnificent job with this headquarters," said Dunbar. "And to Col. Schroeder, I not only expect you to maintain the legacy that is so extraordinary in this unit, but I expect you to put your own stamp on it. To bring your industry, your thrift, your professionalism, and put the mark of Col. Schroeder on this organization and continue to expand the greatness that is the 157th."

Invoking the unit's storied history in past conflicts, the incoming commander looked ahead to the future and pointed out that the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade continues to answer the call as two of its subordinate units, the 229th Engineer Company, and Battery B of the 121st Field Artillery, are currently serving in Afghanistan.

The brigade is also prepping to mobilize two additional units for service in Afghanistan in the next year.

"My vision for this brigade is to be the absolute best organization we can be while taking care of Soldiers, families, and their employers," Schroeder said in his first remarks as commander. "We'll make everything we do a team effort, and we'll draw on the experience and skills of every Soldier in the Iron Brigade."

The brigade's top enlisted leadership also changed during the ceremony as Shields transferred responsibility to Rosemore. Shields, who took over as the top enlisted noncommissioned officer in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, was the brigade's first and only command sergeant major until Rosemore took the post.

Shields helped guide the brigade, which formed out of the 57th Field Artillery Brigade five years ago, as it worked to build a maneuver enhancement brigade with very little guidance or doctrine on which to base its construction.

Maneuver enhancement brigades were a new concept to the Army at the time.

Calling it a "distinct honor" to serve with the brigade, Shields recalled memories of his service with the brigade.

Shields recalled many memories of his service in the brigade at the Richards Street, Oak Creek, Racine, and Kenosha armories.

"Many friends have been made, and we went through so much together," he said.

With that, a new chapter in the long history of Wisconsin's Iron Brigade began.

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Wisconsin Guard Soldiers sweep regional Best Warrior contest

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:10:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard Soldiers sweep regional Best Warrior contest

May 17, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

For the second time in three years, the Wisconsin Army National Guard is sending two Soldiers to contend for the honor of being named Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for the entire Army National Guard.

Sgt. Edward Schmitt, of Lake Mills, Wis., a member of the 54th Civil Support Team, and Spc. Brandon Byrne, of Oak Creek, Wis., a member of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, each won the Region IV Best Warrior Competition which concluded May 16 at Marseilles Training Center in Marseilles, Ill. They will advance to the National Guard Best Warrior Competition July 21-25 at Camp Robinson, North Little Rock, Ark.

Schmitt and Byrne competed against the best Soldiers from Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota and Indiana.

Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Shields, the senior enlisted advisor for the Wisconsin Army National Guard, congratulated the Soldiers on their achievement.

"This was a competition of the best of the best, and their accomplishment is tremendous," Shields said. "It speaks volumes for the enlisted and NCO corps in the state of Wisconsin."

The winners of the National Guard Best Warrior Competition will advance to the U.S. Army Best Warrior Competition.

The Wisconsin Army National Guard has recent experience competing at the national level. In 2011 Sgt. Steven Dahl and Sgt. Brandon Swanson - both of the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry - vied for the crown at the National Guard Best Warrior Competition. Pfc. Randy Fendryk of Battery C, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery, competed for the National Guard's Soldier of the Year honors in 2010. Spc. John Wiernasz of the 950th Engineer Company also vied for the Soldier of the Year crown in the 2009 National Guard Best Warrior Competition.

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Guard officer relishes service in Nicaragua

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:20:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Guard officer relishes service in Nicaragua

May 15, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

Growing up as the daughter of missionaries gave Capt. Kathrine Berberich a perspective on the world that is foreign to most Americans. It also made her a perfect fit to head Wisconsin's State Partnership Program with Nicaragua.

Though she was born in Minneapolis, Berberich moved with her parents to Venezuela at a young age. Her family moved frequently to new missionary fields.

"As a missionary kid, I grew up close to people," Berberich said. "I went to the open markets and lived in very humble homes. I am not surprised by the cultural differences that are shocking to most."

She is now in the middle of a two-and-a-half-year tour in Nicaragua, where she works at the U.S. Embassy.

Berberich has no problem fitting in with the locals. Her father was a native Venezuelan, and she speaks fluent Spanish.

"The best compliments I get are when someone asks me what part of Nicaragua I am from," she said. "I always say Esteli, because that is the region where most of the Miss Nicaraguas are from."

Her role in Nicaragua is diverse. She is officially the bilateral affairs officer, which means she coordinates partner nation participation in events hosted by U.S. Southern Command. In addition, she manages the budget for the embassy's security office.

As a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, she also coordinates Wisconsin's partnership program with Nicaragua. She and Capt. Orrin Viner, also a Wisconsin Army National Guard officer, plan events that benefit the mutual interests of the United States and Nicaragua. The duo coordinates the Wisconsin Military Engagement Team's missions to Nicaragua. That team has worked with Nicaraguan civil defense officials on natural disaster mitigation and relief.

When the military engagement team or a state partnership program envoy visits Nicaragua, Berberich is responsible for the planning, logistics, and facilitation of the group's day-to-day operations in the country.

Prior to her current assignment, Berberich was the facility manager at the Wisconsin Military Academy at Fort McCoy, Wis. She also served in the rear detachment of the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade when that unit deployed to Kosovo last year. When the Nicaragua opportunity opened, the Guard's leadership immediately pegged her as a good fit.

In addition to all of her military duties, Berberich also has a family in tow. The opportunity to expose them to a different culture was a key factor in her accepting the position.

"The main reason I took this assignment was to give my children a similar childhood experience to mine," she said. "I wanted them to know there is more life in the world than suburbia Wisconsin. I wanted them to know that life is wonderfully complicated in a country that is very poor. I also wanted them to set themselves apart from their cohort by speaking Spanish and experiencing a different culture."

Her two children, Monte, 17, and Peyton, 8, accompanied Berberich and her husband, Kurt, to the Central American nation for the duration of her tour there.

"It depends on the day," she said when asked how her family has enjoyed the experience. "It is so much easier for me here because of my upbringing, my appearance, and my language skills. They miss the snow and just being free to go to other kids' houses or ride their bikes."

Berberich and her family will remain in Nicaragua through 2014.

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Wisconsin Guard officer honored for diversity efforts

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard officer honored for diversity efforts

May 14, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

The Wisconsin National Guard's commitment to diversity was on display at the 2013 Greater Madison Federal Agency Association awards May 9, when an officer was recognized for his work developing multi-cultural initiatives for the organization.

Capt. Ronald Adams, who previously served as the Wisconsin National Guard's Equal Opportunity Employment Manager, won the association's equal employment opportunity, diversity, and outreach award.

"It's a privilege to get the award," Adams said after the ceremony that honored other federal employees from the Madison area as well. "You do things just because it is the right thing to do. You don't do it for awards, but when you're recognized it's always appreciated."

Adams said others deserved recognition as well, so he felt especially honored to receive the award.

In his role as the Wisconsin National Guard's equal opportunity employment manager, he mentored and educated Wisconsin National Guardsmen on the various programs available to them.

He also chaired the Greater Madison Federal Agency Association's multi-cultural committee, where he worked to develop programs that cultivated the various customs, music and culinary delicacies of federal employees in the Madison area.

In that role, Adams was responsible for finding interesting speakers and coordinating multi-cultural outreach activities for the association.

Currently serving as the association's vice president, Adams will take over as president of the association in June, when he will become the second Guardsman to lead the organization. Air National Guard Brig. Gen. John McCoy served a previous term as the organization's leader.

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Wisconsin National Guard publication recognized at DoD ceremony

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin National Guard publication recognized at DoD ceremony

May 10, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard's Public Affairs Office were on hand to receive a Department of Defense award for @ease Express during a Communicators of Excellence Awards program May 10 at the Defense Information School here.

The annual ceremony recognizes the work of military public affairs professionals from all five branches. Seventy-eight awards were presented in such categories as graphic artist, photography, videography, print, broadcast and visual information production.

"What you do is an absolutely great honor, for you and for those people who get to see your work," said Ray Shepherd, director of the Defense Media Activity located at Fort Meade.

Shepherd observed that the recipients gathered at the ceremony were uniquely situated to tell the military's story because of their knowledge and understanding of the military. Civilian media coverage is often presented from an outsider's point of view, he said.

"You have the pleasure of telling the story from the inside," Shepherd said. "You provide a window."

Maj. Paul Rickert, Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office director, agreed.

"Our job is to bring transparency to a very large organization that speaks differently, dresses differently and whose job is very different from most civilian organizations," Rickert said. "It's important for the public to know what we do in their service, and it's equally important for Wisconsin National Guard members to know what their brothers and sisters in arms are doing for the state and nation. That's the vitally important role of @ease."

@ease Express was recognized with a Thomas Jefferson Award as the best Web-Based Publication category in all of the Department of Defense - its second such award in the past four years. To be considered at that level, @ease was singled out as the best in category in the National Guard Bureau's Media Contest, and then the U.S. Army's Keith L. Ware Awards.

The Thomas Jefferson Awards were established in 1968 to recognize military and civilian employee print and broadcast journalists for outstanding achievements in furthering the objectives of the Department of Defense. @Ease Express was one of two National Guard winners in the Thomas Jefferson Awards for 2012.

"This really was a gathering of the best of the best in military public affairs professionals," said Vaughn Larson, @ease editor. "Some of these people are repeat winners - one Airman was named military photographer of the year for a record seventh time, and deservedly so. It was inspiring to see their collected work, and an honor for @ease to be counted among them."

Rickert said the gallery of winners was impressive.

"It was very interesting to see what different public affairs offices produce based on the scope of their mission," Rickert said. "A lot of the work that was recognized is very forward-looking and cutting edge."

Shepherd urged the winners to share their expertise.

"You didn't get here by yourself," Shepherd said. "You got interested in what you do because of someone else. You will provide the inspiration for the people who will be sitting here next year."

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Guard honors Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:20:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Guard honors Military Spouse Appreciation Day

May 10, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

The Wisconsin National Guard recognized Military Spouse Appreciation Day during a May 10 homecoming ceremony for the 97th Agribusiness Development Team.

Gov. Scott Walker used the venue to issue a proclamation in honor of the day, as he highlighted the importance of military families during an address to family and friends attending the ceremony.

"Special thanks again, as we always do at both deployments and welcome homes, but to our family members," the governor said shortly after the 97th's 11 Soldiers and Airmen returned to Wisconsin from Afghanistan.

"It's Military Spouse Appreciation Day across the State of Wisconsin, and we thought what better place to do it than when we have our families back together," he said.

The Friday before Mother's Day is Military Spouse Appreciation Day nationwide each year.

In his own proclamation, President Barack Obama called military spouses "the core of our Armed Forces," while urging all to take note of their contributions and sacrifices.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, the adjutant general of Wisconsin, wrote, "America's military has an outstanding legacy of service, sacrifice, and victory. The foundation of this legacy is the military spouse, who supports his or her Soldier, Airman, Sailor, Marine, or Coast Guardsman through thick and thin."

During the homecoming ceremony, Dunbar again acknowledged the importance of families in the success of the National Guard.

"I want to thank the families," he said. "I don't care if it is a year, or four months, or four hours, that was time your loved ones were overseas in harm's way. I know it was difficult. I know it was not easy."

"The difficulty of carrying the load for you and your Soldier, you took all that on, and worried about them full-time," he added.

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11-member Guard team returns from Afghanistan

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:20:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: 11-member Guard team returns from Afghanistan

May 10, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

The Wisconsin National Guard's 97th Agribusiness Development Team [ADT] returned to their families in a May 10 homecoming ceremony in Madison, Wis.

The 11-member unit made up of Soldiers and Airmen returned to Wisconsin after four months serving in Afghanistan.

Originally mobilized in January to help Afghanistan's Kunar Province establish a sustainable agricultural infrastructure, the unit's mission changed almost as soon as they arrived. As part of the overall American drawdown in Afghanistan, the U.S. military is in the process of transferring more security responsibilities to their Afghan counterparts, and as a result, the unit's role shifted from agriculture to prepping the province for the withdrawal of the allied provincial reconstruction team.

The unit was originally slated to spend an entire year in Afghanistan, but the unit left its mark nonetheless.

"To the 97th ADT, I can't be anymore proud of what we did downrange given the time that we had," ADT commander Capt. Craig Giese said during the homecoming ceremony. "Basically, once we hit ground, we could have just rolled up and did absolutely nothing. We knew once we got there that our time was more than likely going to be short, but I'm very proud of our Soldiers and Airmen for what they accomplished."

Though the unit's agricultural mission was cut short, it still helped Kunar name a leader for its Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock. It also worked to coordinate veterinary vaccination schedules and continued facilitating a relationship between Kunar's Said Jamaluddin University and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

The ADT also found success in teaching hands-on classes on fruit-drying, beekeeping, and mini root cellars.

"A difficult mission, so what did the Army do? They reached out to the Wisconsin Army National Guard right here in Wisconsin, because they had a hard job to do," said Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, Wisconsin's Adjutant General. "It wasn't an easy job, so they chose just a handful of the very best. And you went over there, and even though they gave you a path and deviated from it immediately, the constant of your professionalism was on display."

That professionalism manifested itself in the form of flexibility. Ultimately, most of the unit's 11 members were integrated into the provincial reconstruction team and forward operating base staff duty positions.

As a result, the ADT returned to the Badger State with 11 Army Commendation Medals and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

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Wisconsin Guard Airmen to train with Polish Air Force

Wed, 8 May 2013 15:45:00 CDT

Contact: Lt. Col. June Dykstra
Office: 608-245-4339 or Cell: 608-234-1842

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard Airmen to train with Polish Air Force

May 8, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

More than 90 men and women from the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 115th Fighter Wing will depart Madison this week to train alongside their military counterparts in Poland.

In addition to the unit's F-16 aircraft, deploying Airmen - consisting of pilots, maintainers and support personnel - will spend more than two weeks at Lask Air Base, where they will embed with members of the Polish Air Force for joint training exercise Av-Det Rotation 13-2.

The 115th Fighter Wing's participation will mark the first rotation of fighter aircraft hosted by the U.S. Air Force Aviation Detachment in Poland. Activated in November of 2012, the detachment supports joint training through the periodic rotation of U.S. aircraft, while promoting partnership and air interoperability with Polish forces.

With more than 20 years of flying and maintaining F-16 fighter jets, members of the 115th Fighter Wing bring with them a high degree of knowledge and experience on the very aircraft most recently added to Poland's inventory. In return, the Wisconsin Airmen will benefit from the opportunity to share information and tactics with their Polish counterparts, while performing valuable joint training scenarios in a unique geographic location.

Participating members of the Madison-based unit will depart from Dane County Regional Airport mid-week, followed by a rare night launch of their F-16 aircraft early Friday morning. Once deployed, each 115th Fighter Wing Airman will assume an integral role in the exercise - participating as "total force" partners under U.S. European Command, while helping to further mutual cooperation with a vital NATO ally.

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Wisconsin helicopter crew chief plays on Army beach volleyball team

Tue, 7 May 2013 14:45:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin helicopter crew chief plays on Army beach volleyball team

May 7, 2013
By By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

A member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard competed among the military's best beach volleyball players at the 2013 Armed Forces Volleyball Championships from May 2-6 at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

One of just four players representing the Army, Spc. Shandra Pulver, a UH-60 Black Hawk crew chief from Verona, Wis., and her teammate, Capt. Jen Rayburn, of Chicago, advanced to the tournament quarterfinals before falling to a team from the Navy.

But being one of the few selected for the Army's two two-person teams was no small accomplishment. Pulver endured a three-week trial camp and tryout that included 42 beach volleyball players hailing from the active Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

She also overcame a broken ankle that had sidelined her since January.

"I was nervous about my tryout. I broke my ankle in January, and I had to really push hard," she said. "It was not fully healed. It was probably about 80 percent healed by the time I got here."

A passion for volleyball runs in her veins though, and she ultimately emerged as one of the top four players in the Army.

"I train probably two-and-a-half hours a day doing yoga, swimming, running, even crossfit," Pulver said of her training regimen. "The majority of it is actually touching the ball and being around the volleyball world.

"It's a passion, and you just have to want it. You go out and watch, and you study it all the time."

An all-conference indoor volleyball player out of Wisconsin Heights High School in Black Earth, Wis., Pulver also played collegiate volleyball at Madison Area Technical College. In addition to serving in the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 147th Aviation Battalion, she also coaches the girls junior varsity volleyball team at Madison La Follette High School. When she isn't playing among the military's best, she is playing in local co-ed leagues and tournaments to keep her skills sharp.

Pulver is no stranger to the Armed Forces Volleyball Championship. She played for the Army's indoor volleyball team in 2004 and 2005 after learning about the Army's athletic program during her 2003 deployment to Kuwait. She recently returned from a deployment to Kosovo and learned that the military was adding a beach volleyball tournament to its slate in 2012. Unable to play while deployed, Pulver returned and made one of the two teams in 2013.

Her Army teammates went on to win the 2013 tournament as did an Army men's team in their respective competitions.

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Retirees inducted into Wisconsin Army National Guard Hall of Honor

Mon, 6 May 2013 16:25:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Retirees inducted into Wisconsin Army National Guard Hall of Honor

May 6, 2013
By Capt. Joy Staab
Wisconsin National Guard

Retired Sgt. Maj. Gary Hans of Jefferson, Wis., and retired Brig. Gen. Bruce Schrimpf, a longtime Milwaukee resident now living in Cedarburg, Wis., were inducted into the Wisconsin Army National Guard Hall of Honor during an induction ceremony on Sunday (May 5) in Madison.

Induction into the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Hall of Honor is one of the National Guard's highest honors for devotion to duty and exceptional contributions to the organization. The award is also designed to promote esprit de corps through remembrance of Wisconsin's elite military heritage.

"What a great day for the Wisconsin Army National Guard," exclaimed the Deputy Adjutant General for Army, Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson. "Over the last 12 years we've had the pleasure of inducting 49 members into the Hall of Honor - 48 Soldiers and one Airman. And today we have the honor of inducting numbers 50 and 51. I don't think there could be two finer Soldiers from the Wisconsin Army National Guard to welcome into the Hall of Honor."

Schrimpf, who joined the Wisconsin National Guard in 1969 and spent the majority of his career as a judge advocate, was truly humbled to receive his induction into the Hall of Honor.

"To say that I'm overwhelmed is not quite right," Schrimpf remarked during his acceptance speech. "It's a wonderful thing to be part of this. I feel humbled, because these [other inductees] have done such remarkable things for the Guard."

Following the ceremony, Shrimpf said he believes his most significant contribution to the organization was caring.

"Care for people, care about what you're doing, care about the people you're affecting or not affecting," he said. "Just care and the rest comes."

Hans, who joined the National Guard in 1970 and advanced through the enlisted ranks during his 34-year career, said it's hard to pinpoint one particular contribution.

"You spend your entire career in the military, but you never think that any one thing that you did in your career is making an impact on anything or anyone," Hans said. "But, I think when you start accumulating everything and looking at the big picture of what you did, you look back and realize you did get quite a bit accomplished."

Anderson closed his comments by recognizing the important roles that family members play in the success of a Soldier's career.

"Service of our Soldiers could not be possible without the love and support of their families and loved ones," Anderson said.

Bruce Schrimpf enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 1969, and was commissioned in 1979. He began his officer's career as a trial and defense lawyer, serving as an assistant and staff judge advocate at company and battalion levels and as judge advocate in the 32nd Infantry Brigade headquarters, and as staff judge advocate with State Area Command from 1992 until 2002. In this latter position, Schrimpf argued and won several cases important to preserving the adjutant general's ability to rely on federal regulations concerning personnel matters. He was instrumental in the transformation of State Area Command to Joint Force Headquarters, and played an integral role in updating the Wisconsin Code of Military Justice. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2001. He joined Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in 1996, and continues to serve as a regional ombudsman. His military awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two leaf clusters, and the Wisconsin National Guard Emergency Service Ribbon with numeral 2.

Gary Hans joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 1970 and served 34 years, retiring as a sergeant major. After attending a school on the new TOW system, Hans developed a training plan to qualify all 60 TOW teams in the 2nd Battalion, 128th Infantry during annual training in 1980, achieving a 97 percent qualification rate. He was instrumental to his battalion's participation in the REFORGER exercises of 1986 and 1988. As the Wisconsin Army National Guard's personnel and administration sergeant major, Hans led the initial implementation for the Enlisted Promotion System. He also provided administrative guidance in processing thousands of Soldiers for mobilization. In his present position as state coordinator for the Military Funeral Honors Program, Hans has grown the program from less than 1,200 funeral honors missions in 2004 to approximately 3,000 in 2012, managing a payroll and supplies budget of more than $1 million. Under his leadership, the Military Funeral Honors Team was awarded the Greater Madison Federal Agency Association "Employee/Team Award" in 2009. His military awards include four Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals and three Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbons.

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Wisconsin Guard gains its first female drill sergeant

Fri, 3 May 2013 07:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard gains its first female drill sergeant

May 3, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

Sgt. Kristen Baneck, of Milwaukee, not only accomplished her dream of becoming a drill sergeant April 24, but she also became the first female drill sergeant in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

"It's rewarding in itself to know that the leaders above me believe in my ability to be successful in completing one of the more challenging schools the Army has to offer," she said.

1st Sgt. Joshua Reed, her supervisor at Company A, Recruiting and Retention Battalion, said the decision was easy to make.

"She volunteered to attend, met all the prerequisites, displayed tenacity and intestinal fortitude, and repeatedly demonstrated the desire to train Soldiers at the highest levels," he said.

Baneck will put her drill sergeant skills to work with the young enlistees in the Recruit Sustainment Program, or RSP. Guard members who have not attended basic training or advanced individual training are assigned to the RSP to be trained on Army tasks, customs and traditions. This early training helps prepare recruits for boot camp and their military occupational specialty school. Once they complete their advanced training, the newly qualified Soldiers are transferred into the units they joined upon enlisting.

"As the Drill Sergeant Creed states, part of my role is 'to assist each individual in their efforts to become a highly motivated, well disciplined, physically and mentally fit Soldier, capable of defeating any enemy on today's modern battlefield,'" Baneck said. "I hope to do just that."

Baneck acknowledged that she initially made the challenging U.S. Drill Sergeant School more difficult than it needed to be.

"It took me about halfway through the course to realize that I was stressing myself out, and that, really, I already knew everything that was being taught to me," she said, adding that the course is designed to make drill sergeants manage the stress they will encounter when training raw recruits. "Essentially, the course brought be back to basics and helped me regain my focus on what it means to uphold the Army values, exemplify the Army standard and reinforce the strength of the corps of noncommissioned officers."

Baneck said she hoped that, as the Wisconsin National Guard's first female drill sergeant, she would be a great role model for future generations of women in the organization.

"I hope to show them that hard work and dedication will get the job done right," she said. "And, in turn, instill pride in self, the Army and in country."

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Baby boom awaits expectant Airmen deployed to Middle East

Thu, 2 May 2013 07:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Baby boom awaits expectant Airmen deployed to Middle East

May 2, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

By the time the 101 Airmen of the 128th Air Control Squadron return to the United States in mid-May, the unit could have as many as seven new babies to add to its family.

The unit, based at Volk Field in Camp Douglas, Wis., deployed to Southwest Asia in November 2012, where it is responsible for surveillance and air defense of allied forces in the region. It is due to return home sometime in mid-May, where a group of fathers - seven percent of its deployed force - will meet their babies for the first time.

"I've got to keep pinching myself to realize that yeah, I've got a baby on the way, because I'm not there to see the day-to-day changes and see her every day," said Master Sgt. Shane Deloughary, of Fond du Lac, Wis., when describing the changes he has seen in his wife via photos.

When the 128th deployed to Southwest Asia in November, his wife, Jennifer, was just beginning to show. The couple is expecting their second child together around the same time the unit expects to return home.

"She is due [in May], right around the time we come back," he said on a telephone call from Kuwait. "It's going to be really close. My wife wants me to try to nail down a date when we're coming back, because she is thinking about being induced early, so she can meet me up at the base."

Deloughary is not alone.

Maj. Chris Divyak, of Tomah, Wis., had his first child, a boy, on April 22, but reality has yet to set in for him. Like Deloughary, he monitored his wife's progress through Skype, e-mails, and photos she sent him along the way.

"Ultimately I've been handling it well," Divyak said from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, where he serves as the officer in charge of the 128th's night shift. "It is going to be a surprise when I get home. And you have some nights where you have a hard time falling asleep, because you're either excited or curious or wondering what it's going to be like when you get back home."

Divyak said he has used Skype and e-mail to communicate and watch his son grow on video or through e-mailed photos. Finding time to stay connected across continents and an 11-hour time difference has proven difficult at times, but his wife, Megan, has held up well, he said.

"I haven't had a child before, so I don't really know what to expect, but Megan's pretty independently strong. She's doing well with it.

"It's going to be a rude awakening when I get home," he added. "I keep saying to myself, 'The one thing I want to do is sleep in silence when I go home,' but that is not going to happen, I know. At least not for a few years yet."

Meanwhile, Airman 1st Class Jake Johnson, of La Farge, Wis., is expecting a son as well.

"I'm finding out I'm missing a lot," he wrote in an e-mail. "This is our first child together. It makes it tough some days when she's talking about it moving all the time and being active and not being there to experience things like that with her."

Johnson's son is due in early June.

Others had their babies while deployed, including Capt. John McKenna, whose son was born in November, just two weeks after arriving in the Middle East.

The same is true for Maj. Michael Western, of Waverly, Iowa. He and his wife, Kathryn, had a son in January whom he is looking forward to meeting in just a few short weeks.

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger," he wrote in an e-mail. "It has been a long haul. As sad as the initial feeling of leaving was, the anticipation of coming [home] dwarfs that."

Master Sgt. Ryan Severson, whose wife gave birth April 27, and Senior Airman Mitch Kesan rounded out the list of Airmen in the 128th expecting babies during the deployment.

Maj. Divyak said many of the pregnant wives got together for a unit baby shower to honor the additions to the 128th Air Control Squadron family.

"I have to give kudos to the 128th family support program," he said. "There have been numerous couples that are pregnant, and they threw a baby shower for anybody that could attend."

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22 tons of drugs shipped from Badger State

Wed, 1 May 2013 10:55:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: 22 tons of drugs shipped from Badger State

May 1, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

A team of Wisconsin National Guardsmen joined law enforcement officers from throughout the state to take nearly 46,000 pounds of prescription drugs off the streets of Wisconsin April 30 to an incinerator where they will be safely disposed.

The 22.8-ton concoction of expired or unused medications collected from the medicine cabinets of Wisconsinites will never end up in the wrong hands after a nationwide drug take-back initiative.

The 44 pallets loaded onto two semi-trucks headed for an incinerator in Indianapolis after a six-month statewide collection period culminated in an April 27 take-back day at local drug stores, police departments and other locations around the state. The drugs people turned in were consolidated at Wisconsin State Patrol stations around the state and shipped to the Milwaukee Drug Enforcement Agency, where they were packaged and shipped.

As a result, 45,581 pounds of Tylenol, Robitussin, vicodin, and countless other drugs will not taint Wisconsin water supplies or end up in the hands of prescription and over-the-counter drug abusers.

"People don't realize how detrimental it can be," said Wisconsin Air National Guard Master Sgt. Jim Olive, a member of the Wisconsin National Guard counterdrug program.

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise nationwide, and some teens take part in "pharm parties," for which they raid medicine cabinets and dump a random assortment of pills into a bowl and consume them together.

Were it not for collection programs, the expired prescriptions and countless over-the-counter drugs sitting in medicine cabinets around the state would be prime targets for abusers. The collection program also keeps drugs from getting dumped down drains or toilets or sent to landfills where they can contaminate water supplies.

"The importance is somewhat obvious, because of the increase in pharmaceutical use over the last several years," said James Bohn, the assistant special agent in charge at the Milwaukee DEA facility.

"Probably the most common way to get pharmaceutical drugs to abuse is from someone's medicine cabinet," he said. "It comes from relatives, or it comes from friends or a neighbor. So the fact that we can get all of these out of the medicine cabinet and get them out of harm's way hopefully helps the problem down the road."

Bohn said the program could never be as successful as it is without the support of the multiple state agencies that participate in the take-back initiative, including the National Guard.

"From its infancy, the National Guard has always been involved in the DEA's national take back program," Olive said. "We've had different levels of involvement, and it varies from state to state."

The National Guard's counterdrug program played a big role in this year's take-back initiative, including providing funding and two truck drivers from the Oshkosh, Wis.-based 1157th Transportation Company. Staff Sgt. Ben Wagner and Sgt. Robert Tunstall trucked the two trucks to Indianapolis, while Olive and Sgt. 1st Class Paul Wagner, who works with the Guard's drug control program, helped oversee the process and pack the trucks for travel.

Some 177 law enforcement agencies were involved in the collection program with approximately 190 collection sites statewide. Most law enforcement agencies have drop boxes for unwanted drugs where people can deposit them at any time. Take-back initiatives run every six months, and more than 2 million pounds of drugs have been taken out of circulation nationwide since the program's inception, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics.

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Wisconsin Guard unit helps build road through 'Taliban center of mass'

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard unit helps build road through 'Taliban center of mass'

April 30, 2013
By Sgt. Kimberly Hackbarth
4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHOJA, Afghanistan - Soldiers of Combined Task Force 4-2 (4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division), 229th Engineer Company of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, and the Afghan National Security Forces, finalized road construction on a new route in the Panjwa'i district of Afghanistan, April 4.

The 229th Engineer Company worked with Combined Task Force 4-2 on a previous road construction project, but this time they also worked with Afghan engineers in a less kinetic area, said 1st Lt. Tomm Hickey, a platoon leader with the 229th.

The physical presence of the enemy wasn't felt as much as when he and his team built a road with Company B, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, CTF 4-2, he said.

The only people near the construction were local farmers, which provided a different challenge, Hickey said.

"It was something you couldn't just brute force your way through and tactically maneuver your way through," Hickey said. "You had to look at the political and cultural side of it."

When U.S. and Afghan forces first began scoping out the area, they learned that there were issues between residents of Panjwa'i district and Dand district because the road they planned to build crossed district borders. There were no clear boundaries as to what land belonged to whom, Hickey explained.

"At the very start, it was a unique experience for me having to go to numerous shuras with the district governors and the local maliks," Hickey said.

Not only did they build a road, but they created V-ditches down the side to channel water along the road to prevent flooding and to help direct water back to the fields, said Hickey.

The 3.8-km road connects the village of Haji Baba to a village to the south, Narose.

The road also provides easier transportation to Combat Outpost Khenjakak, which is where Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment resides.

Capt. Ralph Parlin, the commander of C Company, and his Soldiers partnered with the local Afghan National Army, or ANA, to provide security for the engineers.

"The importance of this road from a security perspective is that the town here to the southwest (Narose) is very hard to get to," Parlin explained. "You can't get mounted vehicles there, so the ANA and [International Security Assistance Forces] have a hard time getting there."

The absence of security forces near the villages creates the condition for a Taliban safe haven, said Parlin.

"This road not only helps the citizens of Afghanistan north of here, but by culminating down into the village of Narose, it allows us to project combat power to that area in order to make it less suitable for (Taliban) command and control," Parlin said.

The new route ties into roads that come off of the villages of Nakhonay, Narose, and Haji Baba, to encourage locals to use it, Hickey said.

Completing the road was a common goal for both the Afghan and American engineers, Hickey said.

"We want to build a road for Afghanistan (and) for the Afghan people," Hickey explained. "This is their home that they're rebuilding, so I think we got to see it from the other side."

The month-long project was a "crawl-walk-run" pace for the Afghan engineers, Hickey said.

The project began with the American engineers providing most of the support then turned into both countries working together, and finished with the Afghans supplying the majority of work on the road construction, he said.

Watching the progress the Afghans made was a good thing, Hickey said.

"As the missions start progressing more and more toward retrograde, it's really nice to see us actually handing things over and kind of working ourselves out of a job," he said. "It's kind of nice to hand over the torch especially knowing that they're going to keep going through here and standing up their own country."

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Faith in captivity: Ex-POW inspires Wisconsin Guard Airmen with account of Medal of Honor recipient

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:52:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Faith in captivity: Ex-POW inspires Wisconsin Guard Airmen with account of Medal of Honor recipient

April 29, 2013
By Staff Sgt. Jenna Hildebrand
128th Air Refueling Wing

With his hands bound in manacles, an imprisoned Air Force pilot watched from his bamboo holding cell as North Vietnamese soldiers moved a wounded American prisoner into the cell across from his. The pilot was shocked at the man's appearance - his fingers were raw and his body was emaciated. His whole body was covered in wounds; he had been pushing through the jungle for 45 days without food. The pilot did not recognize the new prisoner.

The next morning, the guards had the pilot and his cell mate pick up the new prisoner to take him to the bathroom. The withered man looked over at his fellow prisoner and said, "Aren't you Guy Gruters?"

"Yeah, who are you?" Gruters responded.

"Lance Sijan."

Oh no. Not Lance... not Lance, thought Gruters.

Air Force veteran and Vietnam War prisoner of war, retired Capt. Guy Gruters, spoke of his tragic yet inspiring experience in captivity to Airmen and civilians assembled in Sijan Hall at the 128th Air Refueling Wing April 25.

Gruters told the audience - which also included members of the 128th's Community Council and distinguished guests such as Gov. Scott Walker; Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, and Janine Sijan Rozina, Capt. Sijan's sister - that he and Sijan were in the same squadron at the Air Force Academy for three years. Sijan, a Milwaukee native, was solid as a rock at 210 pounds and had played football for the academy.

"To see him hurt so bad was really difficult," Gruters recalled. "They would torture him and we would scream in our cells to get them to lay off him, and they'd come beat us."

Gruters continued to specify the harsh treatment they received where they were moved to at Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi. Their manacles were on 24 hours a day. They were beat constantly on their wounds. They were only allowed to wash themselves once a week. Parasites, malnutrition and heat rash deteriorated the prisoners' health.

Though Sijan's wounds and health worsened, Gruters said he was always asking what the escape plan was and what he could do to help.

"He was always ready to escape," Gruters said. "We'd always come up with plans just so Lance was satisfied."

Sijan succumbed to the harsh treatment, and died of pneumonia on Jan. 22, 1968.

"Lance's leadership of resistance was perfect," Gruters said. "He fought them until he died. His story was spread throughout the camps over and over again and I think that's what was responsible for a lot of the resistance in the camps."

In the more than five years Gruters spent in captivity, he and his fellow prisoners devised a way to communicate to keep their faith alive. The tap code, which is now taught in military intelligence schools, is based off of the alphabet in a grid system. One person would kneel on the floor to ensure the guards were nowhere nearby while two would tap on the wall to send messages back and forth.

"We did texting," Gruters said. "You know how all the kids do texting now. Every night we tapped GNGBU - good night, God bless you."

The punishment for communicating was three days and three nights of torture, but the prisoners communicated for hours using the tap code to raise their morale and hold on to their faith.

"The North Vietnamese couldn't conceive of how we did this," said Gruters.

Gruters told his audience that he had the best leadership in that prison camp. The higher-ranking officers often took the brunt of the beatings for their men. They encouraged subtle resistance and mandated that they take part in church services within their cells. Their primary order was to return with honor.

After Gruters and 590 POWs were released during Operation Homecoming in 1973, Gruters was instrumental to Sijan being awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1976.

Gruters' message to the Milwaukee audience was that leadership and teamwork will prevail. Communication was a key component in the prisoners' survival and in Gruters' presentation.

After much applause, Walker stood up and thanked Gruters for his great contribution and commitment to his country and his faith. Then he addressed the audience.

"Freedom - it's a simple word," Walker said. "It's endowed by our creator. Defined by our constitution more than 225 years ago, but it's defended by men and women like you."

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Military kids enlist for Take Your Child to Work Day

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Military kids enlist for Take Your Child to Work Day

April 26, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guarde

More than 120 military children took part in "Take Your Child to Work Day" April 25 at Wisconsin's Joint Force Headquarters and the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wis.

The annual visit to the Wisconsin National Guard facilities came as the military concluded a month that honored the service and sacrifice of military children.

Dubbed the "Month of the Military Child," April is set aside as a time to pay tribute to the children behind each Soldier and Airman. The month's observance gave special meaning to the day.

"I think it is important for the military to also have the same opportunities as the private sector with Take Your Child to Work Day mostly because military children face unique situations, and it's helpful for the kids to see what their parents go through, to see the daily life that they live, and just be integrated into that aspect," said Shawna Wyman, the child and youth program coordinator for the Wisconsin National Guard.

Wyman called the day a, "huge success."

"From what I've heard from the kids so far, they all seem to be enjoying it," she said during the day's events. "It's what makes my job what it is."

The day began with a bang as the children watched from the flight line as F-16 Falcons from the 115th Fighter Wing took off from Madison's Truax Field.

"Probably going and seeing the F-16s fly off," said Kade Ellingworth, 11, of Lodi, Wis., when asked what his favorite part of the day was. "That's the first time I've ever seen any jets fly off like that, and sometimes it's just fun to see new things."

Kade's uncle, Sgt. 1st Class Nick Sosa, of the 54th Civil Support Team, brought him to Madison for the day.

The children also toured a Wisconsin Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and the Truax Field fire station before visiting with Air National Guard security forces personnel, who allowed them to try on tactical equipment and hold the same weapons used by Soldiers and Airmen.

The security forces visit was 10-year-old Mitchell Hahn's favorite part of the day.

"I want to be in some type of military. I don't care if it's Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Army," he said. "But my main goal is to be in security forces, because you would get to wear stuff like night vision goggles, and gas masks, and all this armor, and you'd get to go on missions and all that."

Mitchell's mother, Kim, a master sergeant in the 115th Fighter Wing, brings her son to the event each year.

Following the security forces visit, each group met with representatives from the 115th's explosive ordnance disposal team and got to meet "LaFonda" - the unit's robot. They also donned the team's equipment and learned about some of the explosive devices the team has disarmed in the past.

After a lunch in the 115th "chow hall," a full afternoon slate of activities concluded with a physical training, or, "PT," session.

Throughout the day, the children got to see the kind of gear that pilots wear and an F-16 up close, but as 11-year-old Kade said, the best part of the day was the time spent with loved ones.

"I just like hanging out with him," he said of his uncle.

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Wisconsin Soldiers nearing return from Afghanistan

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Soldiers nearing return from Afghanistan

April 25, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guarde

After deploying to Afghanistan's Kunar Province in February, the Wisconsin National Guard's 97th Agribusiness Development Team [ADT] is only weeks away from returning to U.S. soil.

The unit, which replaced Wisconsin's first agribusiness team - the 82nd ADT - worked as part of the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team to establish a sustainable agricultural infrastructure that can sustain the province once U.S. forces leave the country.

Signs of the eventual American withdrawal are beginning to emerge as the U.S. military transitions more security responsibilities to their Afghan counterparts. In Kunar, the 97th ADT is being sent home months ahead of schedule, and the provincial reconstruction team it served is also entering its final days on mission, according to a post on the ADT's Facebook page.

The deployment was an exercise in flexibility for the members of the ADT, said Capt. Bill Barthen, the officer in charge of the unit's agricultural team.

Barthen, a native of Superior, Wis., who recently moved to La Crosse, Wis., said the mission for which they trained differed greatly from the role the ADT played once it arrived in Afghanistan. Much of the 11-member team was integrated into staff duty positions within the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Originally, the 97th ADT was sent to Afghanistan to increase the province's agricultural productivity, improve farmer access to key services, linking farmers with markets and trade corridors, rehabilitating watersheds, improving irrigation, and improving links between local farmers and government. The ADT's efforts were ultimately focused on closing the provincial reconstruction team's operations in Kunar, but the unit also continued the work of its Wisconsin predecessors in facilitating agricultural improvements in the province.

Specifically, the 97th focused on providing oversight and mentoring for some of the province's district and provincial level leaders in Kunar's Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock. The ADT played a key role in transitioning the directorate from an interim director to a permanent director, Barthen said.

He also said the team worked hard to enable district extension agents to be the most technically proficient advisors to local farmers that they could be. Specifically, the 97th worked to coordinate veterinary vaccination schedules for farmers.

"Our biggest hit was Staff Sgt. Ross Templeton's hands-on classes with fruit-drying, beekeeping, and mini root cellars," Barthen wrote in an e-mail from Afghanistan. Templeton constructed a fruit dryer and taught more than 50 people how to use it.

The agribusiness team will soon re-deploy to Camp Atterbury, Ind., where it will demobilize before returning to the Badger State.

Though his unit's mission changed, Barthen was proud of the way the ADT persevered.

"I am most proud of junior noncommissioned officers leading the way and taking professional initiative with little and sometimes no guidance," he wrote.

As the unit begins the process of returning home to civilian life, Barthen said he was looking forward to reconnecting with his wife.

"For me, I am most looking forward to seeing my wife in our recently purchased home in La Crosse," he said. "I have several family members who've been dealing with health issues, so I will be anxious to see how each of them are doing. Also, one of my dogs dealt with cancer the entire time I've been gone, so I am hoping she makes it so I can see her again."

The unit originally mobilized in January with 11 Soldiers and Airmen.

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State reps tour academy for at-risk teens

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: State reps tour academy for at-risk teens

April 24, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

A pair of Wisconsin state legislators from Milwaukee got a first-hand look at the Wisconsin National Guard's Challenge Academy at Fort McCoy, Wis., during an April 22 site visit.

Rep. Evan Goyke and Rep. LaTonya Johnson, who represent Wisconsin's 17th and 18th Assembly districts respectively, visited the academy to learn more about how the program was re-shaping the lives of at-risk young people.

"I was so impressed by the young women we talked to at lunch and just their attitudes and their plans after the academy is over and just their overall outlook on life," Johnson said after the visit concluded. "It spoke volumes, because they were really here because they were serious about taking control of their lives."

The representatives heard a presentation on the Challenge Academy before having lunch in the dining facility with the cadets. They then toured the academy's living and academic areas.

"I see it not only placing a value on academics, which they are, but just changing the kids' view and feel about their lives," Johnson said. "If you can change a youth's values and how they see themselves and how they see their lives, you can have a huge impact."

The Challenge Academy, which first opened its doors in 1998, aims to re-shape the lives of at at-risk youths between the age of 16 and 18 using a structured, quasi-military environment and a quality staff of teachers and counselors to help build cadets' academics, discipline, integrity, character, and ultimately, their self-respect.

The five-and-a-half-month-long course incorporates physical fitness, job skills, leadership, health, hygiene, nutrition, coping skills, and civil service into its curriculum in hopes of turning out young men and women with a renewed sense of self worth.

Enduring through the Challenge Academy is no easy task, however.

Before he arrived at the Challenge Academy, Casetin Fillbach, 17, of Orfordville, Wis., said he was a heavy drinker and a cigarette smoker. Asked how his time at the Challenge Academy has changed him, he said, "I'm not coming to school hung over drunk every morning. I actually have control of my mind. I've got oxygen flowing in my lungs, and I don't have breathing problems. We run here a lot."

He and approximately 100 other cadets are in the midst of their Challenge Academy experience. The current class will graduate in a June 14 ceremony at Mauston High School in Mauston, Wis.

Fellow cadet Preston Weaver, of Milwaukee, is turning his life around as well.

"Before I came here, I was smoking pot, not going to school, not attending, drinking, and partying," he said.

Eventually, he fell far enough behind in his credits that graduating from high school with a diploma was in jeopardy. After a family member - and former Challenge Academy graduate - recommended that he get his life back on track, Weaver enrolled.

"Now I don't want to do the stuff I was doing before," he said. "I'm actually setting goals and plans for my life like going to college and getting scholarships and helping out as much as I can with my family."

Specifically, he said, he has learned discipline and integrity, which he described as "the steps to becoming a man."

Weaver admitted that he wanted to quit when he first arrived - a feeling that many cadets share. But the positives at the end are worth the sacrifices these cadets make.

"It very systematically targets kids, young people, that would otherwise fall through the cracks," said Goyke, who was visiting the Challenge Academy for the first time. "It takes the self-motivation to volunteer. So we're dealing with a population that desires a better life, a better education, and more discipline.

"They don't like where they are in life, and this is a way out," he continued. "So that purpose is so laudable and important that this kid would go from someone that society may throw away, to someone who would become an incredibly important and productive member of our community."

Goyke also highlighted the economic return on investment the Challenge Academy provides. Every dollar spent on the program results in a return of $2.66 to the community, or a 166 percent return on investment, according to a 2012 study published by the Rand Corporation.

"Beyond the economics, just the moral value of taking someone who desires more for themselves and giving them that opportunity," Goyke said. "It's a win-win on both the economics and moral side."

Since its inception, the Challenge Academy has graduated more than 2,500 students, more than 2,200 of which earned a high school equivalency diploma in the process.

Upon graduation from the resident phase of the Challenge Academy, cadets move on to the post-residential phase, during which they maintain regular contact with a trained mentor to help guide them as they transition back to civilian life.

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Guard crowns Soldier of year

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:15:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Guard crowns Soldier of year

April 22, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

FORT MCCOY, Wis. - After a tiring three-day competition, the Wisconsin Army National Guard announced its 2013 State Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Sunday, April 21.

Spc. Brandon Byrne of Oak Creek, Wis., with Company B, 257th Brigade Support Battalion, won State Soldier of the Year and Sgt. Edward Schmitt of Lake Mills, Wis., with the 54th Civil Support Team, 64th Troop Command, won State Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Both Soldiers will move on to represent Wisconsin May 13-16 in Marseilles, Ill., for the regional competition.

"It was an intense competition, and everyone did really well," Schmitt said. "I found it surprising that even though we're competing, everyone still looks out for each other. For example, I didn't have a lamp for one event, but then another Soldier gave me an extra one they had, which just shows that even though we're competing, we're still all in this together."

The competition consisted of a series of events to include a physical fitness test, a combatives tournament, pistol and rifle qualification, day and night land navigation, a written exam, warrior tasks, an obstacle course, and an appearance before a uniform inspection board. The competition concluded with a 10-mile road march.

On the final day, Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Shields, command sergeant major of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, held an award ceremony for all of the competitors, sponsors and support staff. He expressed how impressed he was by everyone.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you that sit before me here today," Shields said. "The effort put forth by everyone was phenomenal, and it takes a special kind of Soldier to be able to raise their hand to volunteer for an event like this."

The weather throughout the competition was a mix of rain, snow, and sun that was constantly changing, but still the competitors pushed on through it all.

When asked what could possibly prepare Soldiers for dealing with events and conditions like those experienced during this event, Spc. Byrne said that Soldiers should be prepared for anything.

"The best way to prepare for something like this is to work both your body and mind," Byrne said. "Work out, study hard, but most of all get in the mindset of never giving up. That's what kept me going."

Both winners have a slot reserved at the Army's air assault school, provided they meet the pre-requisites, and the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team offered to host each winner as an honored guest at one of their home games. They will throw-out the first pitch, have front row tickets for them and their families and will be featured throughout the game.

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Wisconsin Guard members compete for Soldier of the Year honors

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:45:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard members compete for Soldier of the Year honors

April 16, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

At 5 a.m. today (April 19), 13 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers representing four brigades and the state Recruiting and Retention Battalion began their day with push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run - the first three events in a demanding three-day gauntlet that will test their abilities in hand-to-hand combat skills, marksmanship, physical fitness and endurance, land navigation, Soldier skills and military bearing. The grueling schedule will also test each competitor's composure.

These Soldiers are competing for the prestige of being the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Soldier of the Year and Noncomissioned Officer of the Year. Winners will advance to compete against National Guard Soldiers from six others states at the regional event next month in Illinois.

The Wisconsin Army National Guard has enjoyed success in recent years, sending competitors to the National Guard Bureau's Best Warrior Competition in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The competition at Fort McCoy is not open to the public, but check out photos from each day of the competition on the Wisconsin National Guard Flickr site. Video footage will also be posted on the Wisconsin National Guard YouTube channel.

Soldier of the Year competitors include: Spc. Theodore Ball (Rice Lake, Wis.), Company B, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, and Spc. Brandon Byrne (Oak Creek, Wis.), Company B, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry (32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team); Spc. Michael Brand (Milwaukee), Company B, 257th Brigade Support Battalion, and Sgt. Jon Peterson (Woodbury, Minn.), Detachment 1, 950th Engineer Clearance Company (157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade); and Sgt. Lindsey Lauritsen (La Crosse, Wis.), Wisconsin Medical Detachment (64th Troop Command).

Noncommissioned Officer of the Year competitors include: Sgt. Angel Powell (Marshfield, Wis.), Battery A, 120th Field Artillery, and Sgt. Matthew Ward (Menomonie, Wis.), Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry (32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team); Sgt. John Smith (Whitewater, Wis.), Company B, 257th Brigade Support Battalion, and Sgt. Jason Zimple (Woodbury, Minn.), Detachment 1, 950th Engineer Company (157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade); Sgt. Brandon Frederick (Madison, Wis.), 112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and Sgt. Edward Schmitt (Lake Mills, Wis.), 54th Civil Support Team (64th Troop Command); Staff Sgt. Stanley Grandt (Onalaska, Wis.), Detachment 3, Company A (Recruiting and Retention Battalion); and Staff Sgt. Geoffrey Smith (Appleton, Wis.), 426th Regional Training Institute.

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Boston attack underscores Guard training exercise's significance

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:45:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Boston attack underscores Guard training exercise's significance

April 16, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

Just hours before multiple explosions rocked the Boston Marathon, a Wisconsin National Guard team stared down their own bomb scenario in a training event at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wis.

The parallels were palpable. The training scenario and the day's events underscored the grim reality and significance of preparing for similar situations as the 54th Civil Support Team (CST) aided civilian law enforcement and emergency agencies in eliminating a notional bomb threat.

The CST, which provides support to state agencies at large-scale sporting events and other high-profile gatherings in Wisconsin, spent April 15 responding to a suspicious piece of luggage flagged by the Transportation Security Administration at the Madison airport. It was a situation for which the CST was well-equipped.

As the exercise unfolded, the Dane County Sheriff was alerted to the suspicious piece of luggage, which prompted a response from the law enforcement agency's explosive ordnance disposal team and ultimately a call to the CST, the National Guard's full-time response force for emergencies or terrorist events involving weapons of mass destruction, toxic chemicals, or natural disasters.

Within the training exercise, the CST was dispatched to inspect the luggage for chemical, biological, or radiological components. The device, which was corralled by a Dane County Sheriff's Department's robot, tested positive for a radioactive substance. The substance was detected by CST chemical monitors attached to the robot.

"Every operation we do, we involve another agency just because we need to get out there and work with our partners," said Staff Sgt. Dustin McCormick, a team chief responsible for inspecting the device for chemical elements. "The CST is designed to be put into a situation in which we compliment the state's assets. We don't go in and take over."

The training - conducted jointly with representatives from the sheriff's department, the FBI, the Madison Fire Department, the TSA and the airport - offered a real-life application of the CST's skills and a chance to work directly with the civilian counterparts with whom they would respond to a disaster. It also allowed the opportunity for the civilian agencies to better understand the CST's capabilities and what services they can offer.

"It was a new experience working with the airport and TSA," Lt. Col. David W. May, the CST commander, said after the exercise. "We've had a relationship with TSA for a long time but actually doing an exercise is not something we do very often. So it was kind of an old partner in the bomb squad and new partners with TSA and the airport. Being here at the airport was great, because it is a real, live, significant piece of infrastructure."

May said establishing and maintaining relationships with civilian disaster response agencies is one of the most critical objectives his team faces.

"Interagency operations are a relationship business, and now that we've had this opportunity to work with the airport and TSA, they know what they're getting when they ask for us," he said. "And they know what we're capable of."

The 22-man CST, made up of both Army and Air National Guardsmen, has the capability to analyze almost any chemical substance in its mobile lab, said Capt. Brandy Malachowski, a medical operations officer who helped planned the April 15 exercise. It consists of four sections - operations, administration and logistics, communications, and medical and analytical.

The highly trained unit, which receives classes from the Department of Homeland Security, federal emergency management agencies, and traditional military schools, conducts monthly training exercises in different parts of the state using vastly different scenarios to prepare for the unthinkable.

Just moments before the first blast reverberated through Boston, the CST discussed with law enforcement the role it plays at large sporting events like Green Bay Packers football games, NASCAR races, and other large-scale, high-profile events in Wisconsin. The CST is often pre-staged at those events to help mitigate risks and assist civilian authorities.

As the exercise concluded, the explosions that tore through the crowds assembled at the finish line of the marathon killed three people and wounded more than 100 others, giving the day's scenario and the CST's mission a renewed significance, as National Guardsmen responded immediately.

"There are two CSTs that are engaged out there in the response," May said April 16 after reflecting on the previous day's events. "In fact, one of the first images that I saw was the Massachusetts CST was actually right there."

"I think it validates our training," he said of the events in Boston. "We train to these worst-case scenarios in preparation for a day like yesterday, of course, hoping that it never happens. It just drives home the importance of continuing not only to drive home the relationships but then the practice of working through these awful scenarios."

"It just goes to show how hard it is to control these large events," he added. "We support events in the state that have tens of thousands of people or more at them, and you can't clear and then secure every bit of real estate. But you can increase the surety a little bit. From a tactical standpoint, it is just daunting to be absolutely ready for everything."

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Wisconsin public affairs nets top honor for online magazine

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:45:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin public affairs nets top honor for online magazine

April 15, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

The Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office claimed the top prize for best web-based publication in the Department of Defense-wide Thomas Jefferson Awards.

The Wisconsin National Guard's official publication, @ease Express, garnered the first place award for the second time. It won the same award in 2009.

Only one other National Guard entity claimed a prize in the annual awards contest, which names winners in a variety of print, broadcast, and web-based categories.

A news article written by staff member Vaughn R. Larson was also entered in the Thomas Jefferson Awards after it took the top prize in the Army's Keith L. Ware competition for best news article. The story, which detailed a memorial service for the namesake of Volk Field Air National Guard base at Camp Williams, Wis., did not place among the award winners from the combined services.

Maj. Paul Rickert, Wisconsin's director of public affairs, hailed the announcement as a testament to the talent within Wisconsin.

"Much of what we do in the military requires working in teams, and putting together an award-winning magazine takes a phenomenal team," he said. "Wisconsin's public affairs professionals always strive for excellence when communicating the stories of the Wisconsin National Guard, and I know I speak for the team when I say we are grateful and humbled by this recognition of that effort."

Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, the adjutant general of Wisconsin, was excited by the news as well.

"@ease is clearly my favorite magazine, and it's wonderful to see our public affairs team recognized by DoD," he said. "To be so recognized twice in a four-year span speaks volumes not only of the quality of our public affairs professionals in the Wisconsin National Guard, but the great things our Soldiers and Airmen are doing that generate those stories."

Established in 1968, the Thomas Jefferson Awards recognize military and civilian employee print and broadcast journalists for outstanding achievements in furthering the objectives of the Department of Defense internal information program. The contest is held annually at the Defense Information School at Fort George G. Meade, Md.

To win, entries must make an important contribution to the internal information objectives of the armed forces and must meet the highest standards of production, execution and professional excellence.

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Airmen aid technical skills competition, recruit future

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Airmen aid technical skills competition, recruit future

April 12, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

Recruiters from the Wisconsin Air National Guard recruited the next generation of Airmen and judged entries in the annual SkillsUSA competition April 11 in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

The 12 recruiters helped judge the competition at the Chula Vista Resort and manned a recruiting booth aimed at finding future airmen with interests in science, technology, engineering and mathematical fields, also known as STEM.

The Air National Guard has long partnered with SkillsUSA, a program for high school and technical college students interested in fields ranging from hairstyling, masonry, and computer programming, to small-engine repair and robotics. First-place finishers at each state's competition move on to national competition in Kansas City, Mo.

Representatives from the Milwaukee-based 128th Air Refueling Wing, the Madison, Wis.-based 115th Fighter Wing, and the 128th Air Control Squadron, based at Volk Field in Camp Douglas, Wis., filled a variety of roles during the competition, but most judged student projects.

Tech. Sgt. Ryan Russell, and Senior Airman Melissa Mussa, both of the 128th Air Refueling Wing, judged the Robo Rescue Challenge, in which students constructed robots with cameras.

"It's just awesome being able to see them and how much they do," said Mussa, a heating and air conditioning specialist in the Air Guard. "I couldn't do this when I was a kid. It's awesome that they can."

"This is really cool, because this almost exactly mirrors what the 115th's explosive ordnance disposal team does," explained Master Sgt. Zach Brewer. "If you look at the little robots they have, they all have cameras on them. They almost look like a miniature version of 'LaFonda,' the robot that the 115th EOD team has."

The similarities illustrated why the Air National Guard recruits these types of events.

"This is a recruitment opportunity to reach a great number of STEM type students who are in great demand for the Air Guard," Brewer, the state's recruiting and retention superintendant, wrote in an e-mail.

Brewer said that while the event usually only generates a few recruiting leads, it helps plant the seed that the Air Guard offers opportunities for students interested in STEM fields. It also connects the recruiters with high school teachers and administrators who can then direct interested students to recruiters.

"But we've had people come back after they've joined and say, 'I remember you being at SkillsUSA and seeing you guys there," said Brewer. "It's just a good way for us to be involved with the community. We're a small recruiting team, so this is a really big event for us every year."

More than anything, SkillsUSA helps kids considering STEM careers see the Air Guard as a viable option, said Tech. Sgt. Amanda Flannagan.

"A lot of people don't know about the Air National Guard and the people that come here do know," she said. "It really helps get the word out."

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Online story, video and photos

Wisconsin National Guard officer returns to Best Ranger competition

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:15:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin National Guard officer returns to Best Ranger competition

April 11, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

1st Lt. Nicholas Plocar of Howards Grove, Wis., a member of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, is looking to improve on last year's sixth-place finish in the 2013 Best Ranger Competition which begins tomorrow (April 12) at Fort Benning, Ga.

Plocar was one of seven Army National Guard Soldiers last year to take part in a grueling 60-hour competition. The contest featured road marches of 15.5 miles and 14.8 miles, the Army's toughest obstacle course known as the Darby Queen, urban operations, night land navigation, water confidence course, jumping out of a helicopter and swimming to shore, and skill proficiency demonstrations. This year Plocar is one of only four Army National Guard competitors to take part in what is regarded as the Army Ranger Olympics.

Plocar, an endurance athlete who regularly competes in running and triathlon events, said the Best Ranger Competition is one of the most physically demanding events the Army has to offer.

"I enjoy seeing what my body is capable of and pushing myself to the limit," he explained. "Everyone likes to see where they stack up against everyone else, and what better group to compare my abilities against than the top 100 Rangers?

"I was always taught that it is easier to lead by example," Plocar continued. "This experience helps my Guard career by showing my Soldiers that anything is possible, and that we all need to be leaders and physically fit."

Preparation for this event is a year-long process, Plocar said. However, he and the other three National Guard competitors have been engaged in a 10-week dedicated training program at Fort Benning, working on road marches, running, biking, swimming, obstacle courses and Ranger skills. He said the competition requires strategy as well as stamina.

"You have to know when to push yourself and when to conserve energy," Plocar said. "Little mistakes in this competition can take you from first to 10th in just one event."

He is part of Team 49 with 1st Lt. Travis Cornwall of the Georgia Army National Guard, who also competed last year and placed seventh overall. National Guard Soldiers 1st Lt. Jose Luis Moreno and Sgt. Erich Friedlein make up Team 50. Plocar said he hoped their combined experience will serve them well this year.

"Participating in this event is a great honor, and there are many people who make this possible," Plocar said. "[We] have had great support from our families, friends, our parent units and most of all the National Guard. They have given us an opportunity to represent the National Guard, and we are going to perform to the best of our abilities. We are very lucky to have this chance."

The 30th Annual Best Ranger Competition will be held April 12-15.

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Two retired Guard members to enter Army Guard Hall of Honor

Tue, 9 Apr 2013 10:15:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Two retired Guard members to enter Army Guard Hall of Honor

April 9, 2013

Two outstanding former Guard Soldiers have been selected to enter the prestigious Wisconsin Army National Guard Hall of Honor.

A special committee of current and past Guard Soldiers selected retired Brig. Gen. Bruce Schrimpf of Cedarburg, Wis., and retired Sgt. Maj. Gary Hans of Jefferson, Wis., to receive one of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's highest honors for exceptional achievement and devotion to duty.

They join the ranks of 50 individuals previously inducted into the Hall of Honor.

Bruce Schrimpf enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 1969, and received his commission in 1979. He began his officer's career as a trial and defense lawyer, serving as an assistant and staff judge advocate at company and battalion levels and as judge advocate in the 32nd Infantry Brigade headquarters, and as staff judge advocate with State Area Command from 1992 until 2002. In this latter position, Schrimpf argued and won several cases important to preserving the adjutant general's ability to rely on federal regulations concerning personnel matters. He was instrumental in the transformation of State Area Command to Joint Force Headquarters, and played an integral role in updating the Wisconsin Code of Military Justice. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2001. He joined Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in 1996, and continues to serve as a regional ombudsman. His military awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two leaf clusters, and the Wisconsin National Guard Emergency Service Ribbon with numeral 2.

Gary Hans joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 1980 and served 34 years, retiring as a sergeant major. After attending a school on the new TOW system, Hans developed a training plan to qualify all 60 TOW teams in the 2nd Battalion, 128th Infantry during annual training in 1980, achieving a 97 percent qualification rate. He was instrumental to his battalion's participation in the REFORGER exercises of 1986 and 1988. As the Wisconsin Army National Guard's personnel and administration sergeant major, Hans led the initial implementation for the Enlisted Promotion System. He also provided administrative guidance in processing thousands of Soldiers for mobilization. In his present position as state coordinator for the Military Funeral Honors Program, Hans has grown the program from less than 1,200 funeral honors missions in 2004 to approximately 3,000 in 2012, managing a payroll and supplies budget of more than $1 million. Under his leadership, the Military Funeral Honors Team was awarded the Greater Madison Federal Agency Association "Employee/Team Award" in 2009. His military awards include three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals and three Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbons.

A public induction ceremony will be held May 5 at 1 p.m. in Witmer Hall, Joint Force Headquarters in Madison, Wis.

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Wisconsin WWII veteran awarded French Legion of Honor

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 14:45:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin WWII veteran awarded French Legion of Honor

April 8, 2013
By Tech Sgt. Sarah Franzen
Wisconsin National Guard

Nearly seven decades after flying his final combat mission in the European Theater of Operations, retired Lt. Col. Edward Tyre of Brookfield, Wis., received France's highest military decoration - the French Legion of Honor - during an April 6 ceremony at the Executive Residence.

"When Lt. Col. Tyre graduated high school in 1942, our nation was still reeling from the deadly attack at Pearl Harbor and Europe was under Nazi rule," said Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin. "Evil was threatening to extinguish freedom and it was difficult to imagine reversing the fortunes of the Third Reich and the Japanese Empire. However, men like Lt. Col. Tyre - who comprise our greatest generation - answered the call and saved the world."

Tyre, now 88, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Deployed to the European Theater in 1944 with the 17th Bomb Group, he flew 50 combat missions from October 1944 to April 1945. Those missions included fierce fighting over the Poe Valley in northern Italy as well as northern France and Germany, where his group encountered German jet fighters.

"There were losses - freedom does not come free," Dunbar remarked. "Fortunately, men like Lt. Col. Tyre and the 17th Bomb Group were willing to fly ever into danger, and fight and win."

Paul Graham, general consul of France in Chicago, presented the Legion of Honor to Tyre.

"You wanted France to be free, and you fought to liberate its people," Graham said. "What higher deed exists than yours?"

Tyre - already the recipient of the Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters, European Theater Campaign Medal with four battle stars and a distinguished unit citation - expressed much gratitude upon receiving the Legion of Honor.

"I'm just sorry most of my comrades are gone, either lost in battles for France during the war or age having taken its toll," Tyre said. "I accept this award with humility and pride, in all our names."

Tyre's family and friends gave him a standing ovation.

The Legion of Honor - the equivalent to the U.S. Medal of Honor - was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and is divided into five degrees, of which Tyre received the Chevalier, or Knight. In recent years the French government has been awarding the Legion of Honor to American World War II veterans who helped liberate France. To be eligible, recipients must have fought in at least one of the four main campaigns to liberate France - Normandy, Provence, Ardennes or Northern France.

Tyre served in the Air Force Reserve following World War II, and retired in 1972 with 26 years of commissioned service. He joins a distinct group of Legion of Honor recipients that includes Gen. Douglas MacArthur, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

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State patrol presented with flag flown in Iraq

Fri, 5 Apr 2013 12:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: 'Top Shirt' in Wisconsin Air Guard is also tops in nation

April 4, 2013

An American flag that once flew over a Wisconsin Army National Guard gun truck on the battlefields of Iraq is now displayed proudly at the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy at Fort McCoy, Wis.

Staff Sergeant Bruce Wozniak, an 18-year veteran of the Wisconsin State Patrol and a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, deployed to Iraq in 2008 as a member of the 105th Cavalry Squadron. He presented the flag to the academy in an April 3 ceremony at Fort McCoy.

It is often customary for units to fly the flag above combat outposts or forward operating bases in honor of a civilian or organization back home. Units then send the flags home and present them to the individual or organization for display and remembrance.

When Wozniak - a Stanley, Wis., native - deployed to Iraq in 2008, he planned to fly Old Glory in honor of his employer, the Wisconsin State Patrol, but rather than a flag that flew above a base, he presented one that flew in combat.

His unit often flew American flags on their vehicles as they patrolled Iraq's dusty roads during their deployment, so he chose to present one of those flags as a symbol of his appreciation for his employer.

The State Patrol Academy finally received that token of appreciation when Wozniak presented the folded flag in a shadow box along with a certificate and photos from the deployment.

Wozniak credited the State Patrol with making him a leader and for supporting his military service as an employer through multiple deployments and absences.

"They made me a better instructor than what I was in the Army, so I just wanted to give them a little recognition," he said after presenting the flag. "They have a flag here that was flown over the capitol in Washington D.C. I saw that when I was here, and I remembered that over there, so I had one done for them."

"It was a great honor to do it, because they've done so much for me here that I was trying to return the favor a little bit and show them what they meant to me," he added. "They really respect the military greatly. They always have, so I'm just trying to return the honor that they've given to the Guard. They've always been very supportive of everything we do."

Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Stephen Fitzgerald called receiving the flag "an honor," as he highlighted the strong relationship his agency has with the Wisconsin National Guard.

"Over the years when we've had disasters where we've really had some serious things that have happened in our state, the National Guard has always been there to supplement our people," Fitzgerald said.

Displaying the flag at the academy will serve as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices borne by both military and law enforcement, he said.

"I know the sacrifices the military people make every day," the superintendent said. "I know the sacrifice that law enforcement officers make every day, so to be honored by someone of that caliber is always an emotional event for me personally. I'm always proud to be part of any of these ceremonies, because it just pays tribute to the people that deserve it."

The shadow box will be on display in the foyer of the state patrol academy.

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'Top Shirt' in Wisconsin Air Guard is also tops in nation

Thu, 4 Apr 2013 14:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: 'Top Shirt' in Wisconsin Air Guard is also tops in nation

April 3, 2013

A senior noncommissioned officer with 11 years in the 128th Air Refueling Wing has been named the First Sergeant of the Year for the entire Air National Guard.

Senior Master Sgt. Mike Schmaling of New London, Wis., is a first sergeant assigned to the Headquarters of the Milwaukee-based 128th Air Refueling Wing. Unlike the Army or Marines, in the Air Force, first sergeant is a duty title rather than a rank.

"It's very humbling," Schmaling said. "It was definitely not expected. I think it's a reflection of my family, my friends and the people I'm surrounded with that support me, and that I work with. It shows that Wisconsin is a contender, a quiet competitor."

In 2010, Senior Master Sgt. Jessica Maple of the 128th Air Control Squadron was named the top senior noncommissioned officer in the entire Air National Guard.

"There are 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia that could submit one nominee for the first sergeant award," explained Command Chief Master Sgt. Gregory Cullen, the top enlisted Airman in the Wisconsin Air National Guard. "Most first sergeants are your top-notch, cream-of-the-crop people - Senior Master Sgt. Schmaling was selected as the best of the best for 2013."

Schmaling is the first assigned Wing First Sergeant in the 128th Air Refueling Wing's history, and supervises seven group or squadron first sergeants in addition to his own first sergeant duties for 60 headquarters and 120 operations personnel. He has served as the first sergeant for 80 Airmen for a joint training mission with the 115th Fighter Wing and U.S. Marine Corps pilots last year at Naval Air Station Key West, and also for more than 150 people assigned to a joint task force supporting a National Science Foundation mission in Antarctica.

A military communications cabling systems craftsman, Schmaling installed the structured cabling network for the Wisconsin Air National Guard's STARBASE program in Milwaukee. He is also the first and only 128th Air Refueling Wing first sergeant to attain Community College of the Air Force professional manager certification.

After being named the Wisconsin Air National Guard's First Sergeant of the Year for 2012, Schmaling's nomination packet was reviewed by a small group of command chiefs from across the Air National Guard. Nominees were examined for primary job leadership and technical ability, self-improvement and community involvement. Other factors, such as physical fitness and accomplishments beyond the scope of their job, were also considered.

Cullen said Schmaling possessed a high degree of integrity and character, essential traits to be an effective first sergeant.

"He's a very self-motivated individual and committed to helping his commander, the enlisted force and the state, any way he can," Cullen said. "I couldn't be happier for Mike. He deserves the recognition for his dedication to duty."

Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, agreed.

"I am very proud of Senior Master Sgt. Schmaling," Dunbar said. "His selection as the Air National Guard First Sergeant of the Year is exceptional, especially when you consider the quality of today's Air National Guard. It's a privilege to serve with leaders like Mike."

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Badger State officers take talents north of border for joint training

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Badger State officers take talents north of border for joint training

March 28, 2013

A group of Wisconsin Army National Guard officers spent nearly two weeks in late February and early March in Canada participating in a major military exercise.

The five officers that travelled to Edmonton, Alberta, for an exercise dubbed "Canadian Resolve" were the latest in a line of reciprocal exchanges between the Canadian military and the Wisconsin National Guard.

The group - which consisted of Col. David Monk, Lt. Col. Gerald Eastman, Maj. James Sandomierski, Maj. Michael Yount, and Maj. Max Brosig - left for Edmonton Feb. 19 and returned March 4. What they did in the interim provided them with a fresh perspective and aided the Canadians in their quest to train with foreign soldiers.

"It was a great opportunity," said Brosig, who coordinated the exercise's air assault operations. "Anytime you have the ability to work with another country or another service it validates some of the practices that you have in your organization. But you also learn and have some good takeaways from working with them as well."

While Brosig worked with the Canadian 408th Tactical Helicopter Squadron, the remainder of the Wisconsin contingent acted as the staff of an American Stryker brigade combat team. As a result of previous joint training between Wisconsin and Canada's 38th Brigade, the Canadian military asked the Wisconsin Guardsmen to participate as an element of the division-level operation.

The collaboration between Wisconsin and the 38th Brigade started in 2012 when the two began conducting combined training events as part of a larger Army National Guard initiative to improve interoperability and build relationships with Canadian reserve component units.

The 38th Brigade, based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, spent several drill weekends in Wisconsin in 2012. Soldiers from the unit also participated in a Warfighter exercise organized by Wisconsin's 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team last spring at Fort McCoy, Wis., and they plan to augment another 32nd Brigade exercise in July.

Gaining experience working with international forces is an invaluable experience for both sides said Monk, who acted as the American brigade commander in Canadian Resolve.

"This was an excellent opportunity for all to work in a multinational joint operational environment," he wrote. "The Wisconsin National Guard contingent presented a cooperative, professional image at all times. All of the Wisconsin National Guard participants felt they had learned important lessons about staff planning and cultural differences in communication and process."

Capt. Orrin Viner, who heads up Wisconsin's State Partnership Program and oversees the state's military relationship with Canada, said one Canadian training exercise planner told him he wanted the American representatives to "Show up in funny colored camouflage, talk funny, and cause confusion. We'll learn from that."

"The value of joint exercises of this scope goes beyond the tactics and strategic level learning that participants gain," Viner said. "The greatest returns are in learning how we differ from our allies, what they do better, and how we can better communicate jointly."

Though both nations speak English, communication and cultural barriers remain. Working through those barriers can only be taught in real, collaborative environments.

As for their contributions to the exercise, the Wisconsin Army National Guardsmen played the part of a brigade staff and went through the planning and decision-making process with their Canadian allies. They ultimately each earned a commander's coin from the Canadian brigadier general serving as the exercise's division commander.

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Wisconsin Guard Public Affairs vies for Department of Defense honors

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:10:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard Public Affairs vies for Department of Defense honors

March 27, 2013

The Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office is competing against the best public affairs professionals in the Department of Defense for a shot at two Thomas Jefferson Awards.

@ease Express, the Wisconsin National Guard's web-based official publication, placed first in its category in the Army-wide Keith L. Ware Public Affairs Competition, finishing ahead of 12 active component and Army Reserve entries. @ease Express is now the Army entry for the Department of Defense-wide Thomas Jefferson Awards Program - a contest the Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office won in 2009.

A news article written by staff member Vaughn R. Larson also finished first among a field of 18 entries in the Keith L. Ware competition. The story detailed the memorial service for the namesake of Volk Field Air National Guard base at Camp Williams, Wis. The article will be judged against the top news articles submitted by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office had four entries advance from the National Guard Bureau Media Contest to the Keith L. Ware competition. In addition, Wisconsin Air National Guard Airmen public affairs professionals earned 11 top awards in the National Guard Bureau Media Contest, including first-place finishes for Senior Airman Andrea Liechti of the 115th Fighter Wing in the Outstanding New Writer category, and Tech. Sgt. James Michaels of the 128th Air Refueling Wing in the Military Broadcast Journalist of the Year category. Liechti and Michaels advanced to the Air Force Media Contest, but are not finalists in the Thomas Jefferson Awards Program.

Maj. Paul Rickert, director of the Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office, welcomed the news.

"What makes these accolades meaningful is that they come from our peers in the public affairs and journalism fields," Rickert said. "They recognize the job we are doing in telling the world about our organization."

Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, was also pleased with the results.

"It's important to remember that these are all national-level competitions," he said. "The National Guard Bureau Media Contest is the largest in the entire Department of Defense - winning there is no easy feat and is a testament to the talent and skill our public affairs Airmen and Soldiers demonstrate day in and day out. I am incredibly proud of their accomplishments, and look forward to the results from the Thomas Jefferson Awards Program."

Winners in the Department of Defense Thomas Jefferson competition are expected to be announced in April.

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Deployed Wisconsin Guard unit leaders update families via video call

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Deployed Wisconsin Guard unit leaders update families via video call

March 26, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

Morale is high after roughly two months in Afghanistan, leaders in the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Battery B, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery, reported to family members in a brief live video message Sunday (March 24).

Battery B, a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) unit, is the first National Guard field artillery unit to conduct fire support missions in Afghanistan. However, the unit is not at liberty to discuss its missions, so the video call - part of a Badger Yellow Ribbon event designed to provide benefits information and address concerns for families early in the deployment cycle - focused on more sundry details.

1st Sgt. Steve Czekala said that the unit does not need baby wipes or candy, but some Soldiers would like certain brand hygiene products not available at their operating base. "And brats," he quipped, underscoring the Wisconsin unit's passion for German fry sausage.

Capt. Matthew Mangerson, Battery B commander, reassured family members that their Soldiers are not lacking any needed items on this deployment.

"One thing's for sure - there's definitely no shortage on quantity," he said of the dining facilities in Afghanistan. "Everybody gets plenty to eat. Everything a Soldier needs is absolutely available."

Czekala took advantage of the opportunity to praise the families back in Wisconsin.

"Deployments are hard," he acknowledged. "They're hard on us but I think it's especially hard on you. We don't have to deal with appliances breaking. I have a great deal of admiration for you back home to go ahead and take care of things while you're worrying about us. The guys here all do really appreciate it."

Mangerson lauded the unit's Family Readiness Group as the most active and involved he's seen in three deployments.

The video call provided Brenda Czekala her first opportunity to see her husband since the unit deployed earlier this year.

"It was a little bit hard to see him," she said. "I'm happy that they're all doing well."

"It's just nice to see them," added Robyn Lemke, wife of Sgt. 1st Class John Lemke. "[A setting like this] is very important. We've been doing a lot at the armory, just regular get-togethers. This is kind of more formal."

Another Badger Yellow Ribbon session will be held within the last two months of the deployment focusing on reunion issues.

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Opportunity is what you make of it, say female Guard members

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Opportunity is what you make of it, say female Guard members

March 25, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

Challenges are not the same as limitations, according to three Wisconsin National Guard females - two officers and one enlisted - who shared the varied experiences of their military careers as part of a Women's History Month observance March 21 in Witmer Hall at Joint Force Headquarters.

Maj. Lan Swei, deputy domestic operations training director with the Wisconsin National Guard Joint Staff, came from a family without a strong military heritage or tradition of leadership.

"I wanted to be challenged," Swei said. "I want to learn new things - I don't like to do the same thing over and over. I think that's why the military was so great for me. My goal was not only to learn, but to be a better person.

"I think growing up overseas, I was always the oddball, the outcast," Swei continued. "Learning a different language when I was young, that's challenge enough. When I joined the military, it was another adventure, another life. When I came in I didn't think there were restrictions or limitations for me to join or have a career. I really didn't see it that way."

Lt. Col. Tammy Gross, deputy personnel director in the Wisconsin National Guard Joint Staff and commander of the 641st Troop Command battalion, said she did not perceive any barriers to her career when she was commissioned a second lieutenant.

"I think maybe as I matured and was looking for mentors, that's when I realized we had some areas where we needed to grow and develop as an organization," Gross said. "I don't think there were institutional barriers - I think it was that time in history when women were choosing the military as a career option."

Master Sgt. Deborah Severson, a Family Program assistant, began her career in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, left after completing her initial contract, and later returned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard. She has served as an officer and in the enlisted ranks.

"I've always had the perception that we make our own limitations," Severson said. "I didn't ever feel that there was a ceiling or a limitation other than some of the 'female' limitations - you're maybe not accepted in a certain area because you're a female. I joined in 1979, 1980 and things were definitely different then. But I've worked in the civilian sector and it's there, too - it's not just a military thing."

Gross agreed that an individual's mindset determines how women approach challenges in their military career.

"You also have to not be afraid to see the opportunities and take advantage of the opportunities you are given," Gross said. "When I was a 20-year-old cadet I was very frustrated that [the field of] combat arms wasn't open to women - at that time I would have been up for the challenge. I'm actually surprised to see that change happening during my career ... But I'm sure there are plenty of men who feel they have met their limits, too."

Severson spoke of challenges as opportunities to excel.

"To be honest, every step of my career has been pure determination," Severson said. "Give me another obstacle - I'm going to overcome it. I think that lends itself to people succeeding in the military as well. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, it's just having that determination to make it to the next level and stick it out and overcome those challenges. And don't take 'no' for an answer."

Swei agreed, noting that even in the male-dominant maintenance field, where she began her career, she experienced no gender bias.

"I don't think gender has anything to do with that," Swei said. "To me I guess it's your personality and how you want to take a challenge. I'm not afraid of taking it and running with it, and I'm going to prove you wrong. You shouldn't shy away because it's an all-man world - that doesn't matter."

A young Soldier related one gender-specific barrier she encountered in her career. While on Full-Time National Guard orders, she became pregnant and was not allowed to extend her orders as pregnancy is considered a medical profile - Soldiers on profile are subject to certain restrictions, including special work orders.

"I thought it was really unfair because a male on FTNG orders whose wife became pregnant would not have that limitation," she said. "If I had been a single mother and I didn't have insurance from my husband, I would have come into a lot of financial hardship."

Family responsibilities can pose a significant challenge to military careers. Gross noted that, years ago, it was common for female service members to leave the service when they became pregnant, while today it is common to stay in. That was a situation she did not personally experience, Gross acknowledged.

"I made the choice of career over family," she said. "That was a hard decision but that's the one I chose, and I don't regret it."

Swei said she has no family yet - "My entire time so far has been my career," she said.

Severson had no children when she joined the military, but now has two stepdaughters who maintain a relationship with their biological mother.

"I find myself sometimes giving the military choices higher precedence just because it's important to me," Severson admitted. "If I was the only mother, I think it would be different - I think it would be tough because it is hard to balance. I have other resources to provide that balance."

Lt. Col. Sherry Holly, with the 115th Fighter Wing's Inspector General's office, observed that many female service members seek to accomplish career benchmarks early rather than waiting for opportune moments, and often opt to leave the service if family responsibilities interfere with reaching those benchmarks.

"I don't think that we can't solve those problems, but it takes some creative maneuvering and communications to make it happen," Holly said.

"As supervisors we need to be having those conversations and making accommodations to help our employees balance their life," Gross agreed.

"Since 1980 I think there's been a huge shift in support of the family," Severson added. "There's just more awareness - the military understands how important family is."

Despite the recent opening of combat arms to women, Gross and Severson were reluctant to suggest that females had fewer opportunities 20 years ago than today.

"We say that the military is a pretty gender-neutral organization and we promote the best and the brightest - the right person for the right job at the right time," Gross said. "They have more role models, so they have an opportunity to see women in higher positions, so maybe it's more visible that they have those opportunities, but I think those opportunities were there 20 years ago."

Severson said she saw fewer females advance when she first joined.

"Maybe that was the unit I was with," she allowed. "But I think it doesn't mean there weren't the same opportunities, and maybe it just happened that those people rose to the top because of who they were, male or female."

Gross said that Army aviation opened up to females 20 years ago, paving the way for women entering combat arms units today. She recounted being challenged as a young platoon leader by "crusty Vietnam-era pilots" who wanted to see if she would be "one of the guys."

"Would I smoke cigars with them? Would I drink with them? Would I go to strip clubs with them? Where's that line?" she said.

More practical issues had to be resolved, such as sharing one tent in the field during annual training. A partition provided a bit of privacy for the female lieutenant.

"Those were all accommodations that had to be discussed," Gross recalled. "We made it through - aviation made it through."

"I feel sorry for the men in those [all-male] units," Severson said, "because when those doors open up and those women start marching through and joining those units where they're not accustomed to that, I think it's some of those males who will realize they have to change some of their thinking, adjust to some of the females joining the units."

Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, assistant adjutant general for Army, noted that senior leaders are not developed overnight, but grown over the years.

"If we want to continue the diversity of our organization, we really have to work at the junior level - our company-grade officers and our mid-grade noncommissioned officers - to give them those opportunities and also the mentorship to move on up into the leadership positions, to get the credentials and get the experiences so that they are competitive at the senior level," Anderson said. "At the end of the day we really do strive to find the best and the brightest at the right time and the right place."

Gross said that encouragement and recommendations, such as telling a mid-level noncommissioned officer they had the potential to become a unit first sergeant, may persuade females to pursue senior enlisted positions. Col. Julie Gerety, operations director with the Wisconsin National Guard Joint Staff, agreed that leaders and supervisors need to accept that females may need to leave and return. Master Sgt. Deborah DeJager, a human resources specialist with the Wisconsin National Guard, suggested that some junior female noncommissioned officers are leaving the force due to a lack of information about, or faith in, advancement opportunities.

"I truly look forward to the day that the Wisconsin National Guard has a female state command sergeant major," DeJager said. "I believe it can be done."

Severson summed up the discussion.

"I don't know about any of the other females in this room, but I personally don't feel I'm looked at as a female in this organization - I really don't," she said. "I'm looked at as a professional doing her job, and it's all based on performance and who you are, your personality."

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Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy open house in Milwaukee

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:50:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy open house in Milwaukee

March 25, 2013

Wisconsin Challenge Academy representatives will conduct an open house and informational session March 28 for potential applicants to the academy's next class, which begins July 25. The event will be held at the National Guard armory, 4108 N. Richards Street, from 5-7:30 p.m.

Challenge Academy staff members, cadets, and parents of cadets will be available to speak with teens and parents who have an interest in the academy and to assist them with the application process. At 6 p.m. Peter Blum, Challenge Academy agency liaison, will give a basic overview of the Challenge Academy, giving the audience insight and understanding of program requirements. Educators, health and social services personnel, and juvenile justice officers are also welcome to attend.

The tuition-free Challenge Academy offers "at-risk" youth the opportunity to change the direction of their lives. Challenge Academy cadets participate in the academy's eight core components: academic instruction leading to a Wisconsin High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED); job skills training; physical fitness; health, hygiene and nutrition; leadership; life-coping skills; responsible citizenship; and service to community.

The program is for male and female applicants at least 16 years, 9 months, but not yet 19 years old, who have been expelled, dropped out of high school or due to truancy, have fallen more than one year behind in credits. Applicants must not be currently charged with or previously convicted of a felony and must not be on adult parole or probation. Cadets attend voluntarily - the academy is not open to placement by court order.

For further information, contact the Challenge Academy toll free at 1-866-968-8422 or visit the academy's website.

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Wisconsin MET, Nicaragua collaborate on disaster mitigation

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin MET, Nicaragua collaborate on disaster mitigation

March 21, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

MANAGUA, NICARAGUA - The collaboration between the Wisconsin National Guard's Military Engagement Team (MET) and Nicaragua's Civil Defense continued to progress as the team traveled to Nicaragua over a one-month period Feb. 24 to March 23.

"It's the first time ever that Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers have been embedded with the Nicaraguan military and worked hand-in-hand in day-to-day operations with Nicaraguan Soldiers," said Lt. Col. Robert Buettner, MET officer in charge.

The MET's three sections, which include communications, logistics, and operations, each spent two weeks in Managua, working directly with the nation's civil defense and civilian agencies starting Feb. 24.

"Our theory is the more face-to-face time we get with [Nicaraguan counterparts], the more we're able to share information and the better this process will be," Buettner said.

Nicaragua is a country that experiences a multitude of natural disasters on a recurring basis. The Central American nation experiences floods, mudslides, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tsunamis, fires, and earthquakes. Managua is situated on 27 fault lines.

The MET's mission focuses on disaster mitigation. This is achieved by understanding the processes and structure, mutually identifying shortfalls and sharing ideas for improvements to Nicaragua's contingency plans for these natural disasters.

"[Nicaragua] does have a similar structure as [the Wisconsin National Guard] in the United States, but we do realize the limitations that we have, be it money-wise, training-wise or in material conditions," Maj. Aldo Mendieta, the civil defense first officer for plans and operations, said through a translator.

The communications team arrived Feb. 24 to focus on the civil defense's signal capabilities and information technology.

"This experience is priceless in working with other cultures and organizations," said Maj. Holmes, communications team officer in charge. "Hopefully we make a difference and increase their capabilities to respond to their citizens, and we will also gain knowledge on ways we can improve our own communication within Wisconsin."

The logistics team began their two-week collaboration effort March 2 and concentrated on response plans that supplied medical aid, food, shelter and necessary equipment to victims during natural disasters.

"I think our counterparts have a comprehensive response plan to the multitude of disasters they are prone to," said Maj. Myron Davis, logistics team officer in charge. "[The Wisconsin Guard] can take some of their best practices and incorporate them into our plans."

Sgt. 1st Class Donna Muralt, a logistics non-commissioned officer, said being part of the MET has given her the opportunity to meet new people, experience a different culture and gain a better understanding of how the Wisconsin National Guard interacts with its exchange country Nicaragua.

The operations team is currently conducting their mission having arrived March 10. The team was specifically tasked to focus on disasters for which the Nicaragua Civil Defense does not have contingency plans. These include commercial plane crashes and hazardous material spills. "I think we're doing a lot of good for the country of Nicaragua and helping them out," said Sgt. 1st Class Culley Popma, an operations non-commissioned officer. "It's not a chance of if they're going to have to deal with a natural disaster, it's just when. So hopefully we can help them be more prepared for that."

"I'm excited to assist the Nicaraguans with essentially helping them save lives and prepare for disaster response in a part of the world where disasters are a part of life," said Capt. Joshua Porter, operations team officer in charge. "It's an honor for them to allow us to help out."

The MET received a positive response from Nicaragua's civil defense authorities and civilian agencies. Through a translator, Mendieta expressed his gratitude for the MET's contributions. He spoke of warmth and openness the MET brought to the relationship.

"The strengthening of the link between the Wisconsin National Guard and Civil Defense in Nicaragua creates good expectations for us in the future and in training and exchange," he said.

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Wisconsin National Guard involved in OIF from start to finish

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:20:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin National Guard involved in OIF from start to finish

March 20, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

From back-filling stateside active component units that deployed in the buildup to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or seeking weapons of mass destruction in the early days of the ground campaign to closing down forward operating bases and turning them over to the Iraqi government, thousands of Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers and Airmen played key roles in the conflict that began 10 years ago today (March 20).

Of the more than 11,000 Wisconsin National Guard members to deploy since Sept. 11, 2001, roughly 80 percent - more than 8,800 - deployed in support of OIF. That number is based on the number of Wisconsin National Guard members included in each deployment, so Guard members who deployed more than once are counted more than once.

But supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom did not come without cost, beyond the sacrifice of time and safety. Nine of the 10 Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers who lost their lives while deployed since Sept. 11, 2001 died in Iraq - including Spc. Michelle Witmer, the first female National Guard Soldier to die in combat.

Wisconsin National Guard support for OIF began before combat operations commenced. The West Bend-based 832nd Medical Company - an air ambulance company - deployed to Fort Lewis, Wash., in January 2003 to backfill the 54th Medical Company, which was providing medical evacuation support in Iraq.

Another Army aviation unit, the Madison-based 1st Battalion, 147th Command Aviation, was ordered to active duty Jan. 26, 2003 and given six days to report to Fort McCoy, Wis. The unit deployed to Kuwait on March 22, one day after the ground campaign began in Iraq. Their mission included supporting the 75th Exploitation Task Force with finding evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, flying forensic teams to investigate mass grave sites, pipeline survey teams to inspect sabotaged oil lines, and transporting general officers and dignitaries. The 147th was familiar with the environment, having completed more than 300 missions in the region between July 2001 and August 2002.

The 229th Engineer Company, a horizontal construction unit, received its alert notice and mobilization order within minutes of each other on Feb. 4. The 829th Engineer Detachment, which had sent 12 members to Afghanistan in 2001, was mobilized Feb. 6 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Richland Center-based unit deployed to Iraq May 30. The Ashland-based 106th Engineer Detachment was also called to active duty on Feb. 6, but major combat operations in Iraq ended so quickly that the 54-member quarry team was redirected to Fort Lewis, Wash., to provide engineer support for the Army's ROTC Advanced Camp.

The 500-member 724th Engineer Battalion on March 1, 2003 became the largest Wisconsin National Guard unit mobilized since 1961. The 32nd Military Police Company of Milwaukee and Madison, and the 1158th Transportation Company in Tomah, Beloit and Black River Falls were also mobilized March 1 and called to active duty March 15.

"We expect to conduct convoy and critical site security, as well as law and order operations," said then-Capt. Scott Southworth, commander of the 32nd MP Company. "We may even get the chance to work directly with Iraqi civilian police officials."

The Wisconsin Air National Guard also was called up in the early months to support OIF, but deployments were typically shorter in duration and did not require the entire unit. About 60 members of the 128th Air Refueling Wing returned May 9-10 from an overseas deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Approximately a dozen Security Forces members of the 128th Air Refueling Wing returned May 29 from an overseas deployment supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Seventeen members of the 115th Security Forces Squadron Wing returned June 17 from an overseas deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

About 140 members of the 1158th Transportation Company began demobilizing in June, after the swift victory in Iraq reduced the need for hauling heavy military equipment in theater. The remainder of the unit found itself reassigned to stateside missions at Fort Irwin, Calif., and Fort Knox, Ky.

Spc. Michelle Witmer of the 32nd MP Company was killed April 9, 2004 during a firefight in Baghdad. She was the first Wisconsin National Guard casualty in the global war on terror and the first female combat casualty in the entire National Guard. The 32nd MP Company returned to Wisconsin in late July, after 14 months in Iraq, having suffered 23 hostile action injuries - more than any Wisconsin National Guard unit since World War II.

2004 closed on a somber note when Staff Sgt. Todd Olson of Detachment 1, Company C, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry died Dec. 27 in Tikrit, Iraq from wounds suffered Dec. 26 by an improvised explosive device in Samarra, Iraq.

Spc. Charles Kaufman of Company C, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, was killed in Baghdad June 26, 2005 by an improvised explosive device. The 1st Battalion, 120th Field Artillery and the 2nd Battalion, 128th Infantry reported for active duty in August. Both battalions mobilized at Camp Shelby, Miss., and weathered Hurricane Katrina later that month.

Spc. Michael Wendling and Sgt. Andrew Wallace, members of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, were killed Sept. 26, 2005 in Safwan, Iraq during a convoy escort mission.

Spc. Stephen Castner of Company C, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery was killed July 24, 2006 by an improvised explosive device near Tallil, Iraq on his first convoy mission. The 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery was replacing the 1st Battalion, 127th Infantry, and performed convoy escort missions during the "troop surge" in the first half of 2007.

Sgt. Ryan Jopek, serving with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, was killed Aug. 2, 2006 by an improvised explosive device in Tikrit, Iraq on his final scheduled convoy mission before the 127th returned home. Presidential candidate Barack Obama would wear a bracelet with Ryan Jopek's name during the 2008 campaign. Jopek's father, Staff Sgt. Brian Jopek, was also a Wisconsin Army National Guard member and had deployed to Mosul, Iraq in 2004-05 as a member of Detachment 1, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.

Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, then chief of the National Guard Bureau, met Sept. 1, 2006 with Mr. Stephen Castner, father of Spc. Stephen W. Castner who was killed July 24 near Tallil, Iraq. The meeting was to fulfill Blum's commitment to Mr. Castner and Gov. Jim Doyle to review the quality of training at Camp Shelby, Miss., and theater equipment. In letters home, Spc. Castner was critical of the mobilization training at Camp Shelby.

Staff Sgt. Robert Basham of the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, died April 14, 2007 in a non-combat incident in Qatar. Basham deployed to Kuwait in support of OIF with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 128th Infantry in 2005 and volunteered for another tour of duty with the Kansas Army National Guard for a mission inside Iraq.

Wisconsin National Guard units continued to deploy in support of OIF as the operation advanced to its final days. The 3,200-member 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq in 2009 - the Wisconsin National Guard's largest troop deployment since World War II - where its subordinate units were assigned all across Iraq to perform base security, detainee operations and administrative functions in Baghdad's International Zone. During this time the 32nd Brigade handled the responsible transfer of U.S. contingency bases to the Iraqi government. Meanwhile, the 732nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion processed equipment and materiel for return to the U.S. or to Afghanistan as part of the forces drawdown in Iraq.

Sgt. 1st Class Brian Naseman, of the 108th Forward Support Company, died May 21, 2009 in Taji, Iraq from injuries sustained in a non-combat incident while deployed with the 32nd Brigade. He would be the Wisconsin National Guard's last OIF fatality.

The 724th Engineer Battalion deployed to Iraq in 2010 where it would inherit a growing engineering mission as Task Force badger during the responsible force reduction there. That drawdown would send 23 Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers home early in July 2010.

The 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation would also gain an increasing mission load when it deployed to Iraq in late summer 2010. On Sept. 1, 2010, Operation Iraq Freedom officially became Operation New Dawn, signaling the end of combat operations by U.S. forces in Iraq. Later that year, approximately 30 Soldiers from three West Bend-based aviation units would mobilize for the Wisconsin National Guard's final Iraq deployment in 2011.

Governor-Elect Scott Walker addressed members of Task Force Badger in Iraq Jan. 1, 2011 via satellite link during halftime of the Rose Bowl. The unit returned to Wisconsin Feb. 18.

The 30 Soldiers from three West Bend-based aviation units returned to Wisconsin Nov. 19, 2011, following a nine-month deployment conducting medevac missions in northern Iraq - and closing down military bases in the process.

"We were the last ones out of northern Iraq," said Staff Sgt. Craig Hoffman of Beaver Dam, Wis., a flight medic. "We actually shut off the lights."

"We got out of there and did something that's never been done before - closing down Iraq," said Capt. Randall Ramm, officer in charge.

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Wisconsin resilience course goes solo

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:40:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin resilience course goes solo

March 19, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

The Wisconsin Army National Guard concluded its first master resilience trainer [MRT] course without the aid of external primary instructors March 14 at the Wisconsin Military Academy on Fort McCoy, Wis.

Going solo in teaching the course for the first time, Wisconsin's Guard became the only Reserve Component organization in the nation to certify MRTs on its own. It is only the second to do so Army-wide.

Now dubbed the National Guard Master Resilience Training Center, Wisconsin's 426th Regiment Regional Training Institute [RTI] began running MRT courses in summer 2011 at the Wisconsin Military Academy, but the course's primary instructor always came from the University of Pennsylvania, where the Army's resilience program was first developed. Though Wisconsin MRTs ran much of the course, the university's primary instructor was always there to oversee the program.

Now Wisconsin is on its own, becoming only the second self-sufficient course in the nation. The only other solo MRT course is at Fort Jackson, S.C., where the active duty course is headquartered.

The opportunity came about as a result of Maj. Sylvia Lopez's completion of the MRT level four primary instructor course in January. She is the only member of the National Guard certified to teach the course.

"It's just a sense of accomplishment," said Lopez, who served as the inaugural course's primary instructor. "I guess that is the best way to describe it, because we've worked really hard to get to this place. Everybody has sacrificed so much to get to this point, and we believe in the mission." "We believe in what we do," she said. "We see how MRT transforms lives, and how it affects so many people."

Lopez immediately credited the hard work of her team at the 426th. There were 20 Guardsmen on orders to run the course, which began March 4. It was the 20th iteration of the MRT course at Fort McCoy, which has now trained nearly 1,100 students from the National Guard, Reserve, active duty and family program civilians.

The 426th is in the process of training additional primary instructors from Wisconsin.

"I couldn't be more proud of her," Lt. Col. Andrew Ratzlaff, the commander of the second battalion, 426th RTI, said of Lopez. "The bigger point is she got to where she is at through the hard work and efforts of that entire staff up there. So there is a reason why she is there, and that's because of the teamwork of everyone."

Arriving at this point was an accomplishment several years in the making for the 426th. In 2009, Lopez and a handful of other officers were asked to attend the Army's new training program aimed at building the resilience of its force through positive thinking.

"The National Guard Bureau sees the fact that soldiers are coming back with issues they need to deal with, and while this is not a suicide prevention program, it does help soldiers avoid negative situations and how to think their way out of it rather than act their way out of it," said Ratzlaff.

There were no National Guard slots for the course, however. Guardsmen who wanted to take the course had to get an active duty slot at either Fort Jackson or at the University of Pennsylvania. When Lopez and others like Capt. Kristin Boustany returned from the first course, they became believers, and the idea to start the first National Guard resilience course was born.

Wisconsin began to build a staff and add MRTs.

"They're a great group," said Lopez. "They are really living the skills.

"They epitomize the skills, and that's why we're here."

Wisconsin has taken a leadership role in the Army's overall resilience training initiative. Having the first solo National Guard MRT course only cemented its reputation. Instructors from Wisconsin not only teach at the Wisconsin Military Academy, but they have also travelled to other states and most major Army installations to teach their techniques.

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ESGR honors employer for support of Wisconsin Guard spouse

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: ESGR honors employer for support of Wisconsin Guard spouse

March 15, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most.

When Racheale Ward's husband Blair, a major with the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, was preparing to deploy to Kosovo in 2011, she informed her supervisors at Security Health Plan in Marshfield.

"It was immediately, 'what can we do to help support you?' knowing she had a young child at home," said Ginger Wolf, then one of Racheale's supervisors. They reduced her work schedule from 40 to 32 hours per week, allowing her more time to manage duties at home. "Our human resources department made it very easy for us to work with her to do that."

"It really was the employer effort - we're just instruments of the employer," added Chris Bruni, another of Racheale's supervisors at the time. "We work for a great employer that really recognizes the service of our military and the needs of the families that are staying behind."

"Throughout the year they were so supportive," Racheale said of her supervisors. "My husband mentioned the Patriot award when he returned from Kosovo and I jumped at the chance - I wanted to do something to thank them for supporting me, and they were pleasantly surprised."

And so, Wolf and Bruni received "My Boss is a Patriot" awards from the Wisconsin Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) at the company headquarters Thursday (March 14).

"It's really humbling for me," Bruni said of the award. "We don't feel we've done anything. Blair's the one who's done everything, and Racheale taking care of the family at home. They're the ones that have put forth the effort."

Racheale said that the support she received from her employers made that effort much easier.

"At the time Jocelyn was two-and-a-half years old - I had concerns because our family members live between two and three hours away," Racheale said. "I had concerns because working five days a week and adjusting to be a good mom, I didn't know how I would do that.

"I had a full day to really take care of things, household matters, regroup and be a good mom," she continued. "It allowed me the time to take care of things I probably would not have been able to take care of - doing the grocery shopping for the week, paying the bills, taking care of appointments."

Her husband Blair said the prospect of being away from his family was an "indescribable feeling."

"We had a 2-1/2-year-old daughter and she seemed to take most of our time when it was the three of us," Blair said. "When Racheale told me that her employer was going to reduce her work schedule, that gave me significant peace of mind - not just when she told me but throughout my deployment because I was better able to focus on my mission versus thinking about what was going on back home."

Brig. Gen. Scott Legwold, director of the Wisconsin National Guard's Joint Staff, explained that employer support is essential to keeping the Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve - which account for one-half of the U.S. Army - ready.

"We represent the citizenry of the nation," Legwold said. "When Congress calls, when the president calls, we go on your behalf and we go execute the nation's will wherever it's required."

According to Tim Flatley, an employer support specialist with the Wisconsin ESGR, the "My Boss is a Patriot" award was expanded in 2011 to include employers of military spouses. Six of the 68 ESGR Patriot awards presented so far this year have been to military spouse employers, and last year accounted for 12 of the 216 Patriot awards.

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Guard member donates wayward Purple Heart to local VFW

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Guard member donates wayward Purple Heart to local VFW

March 14, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

A Sun Prairie, Wis., Veterans of Foreign Wars post got a priceless piece of history Feb. 28 thanks to a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

The Klubertanz-Trapp VFW Post 9362 received the Purple Heart awarded to one of its namesakes after Sgt. 1st Class Alan Foss donated the medal, which he purchased at a garage sale in the late 1990s.

Foss, a retiree records manager in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, purchased the medal for $3 at a garage sale in Walworth County. Engraved with the name, "Otto A. Trapp," Foss began researching the medal. It sat in his basement in the interim, and even survived a tornado that partially destroyed his house in 2005.

His search ultimately proved fruitless until February 2013, when a chance conversation with a fellow Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs employee led him to the Sun Prairie VFW post bearing Trapp's name.

When Foss called the VFW post Feb. 26, its commander, Ralph Brandenburg, could not believe what he was hearing. Foss dropped off the medal two days later, and the VFW post could not have been happier.

"To have this, this is like a miracle happening out of the sky," Brandenburg said. "Where has it been for this many years? All of a sudden it's like a boomerang, and it's coming back to us."

According to a certificate furnished to Foss, Otto A. Trapp, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, was killed near France over the Mediterranean Sea on Aug. 24, 1944. He was a member of the 441st squadron, 320th Bomb Group, and he had participated in the Normandy invasion just a few months before his passing.

Foss's research suggested that Trapp, originally of Sun Prairie, served as a crew chief on a B-26 Marauder. His body was never recovered, but a gravestone commemorates his legacy at an American military cemetery in France. Sun Prairie's VFW post was founded in 1947, but it never had anything to commemorate Trapp until now, nearly 70 years after his death.

"Being that he is one of the namesakes of the post, it means a lot to have it here," said former VFW Post 9362 commander Phil Gerg.

But Gerg said he hoped Trapp's family would someday have the medal.

But tracking down family members has proven a tall task for both Foss and the VFW. Foss made several phone calls when he first acquired the medal, but he found no success linking up with a member of the Trapp family. Trapp had no known children, and his parents have long since passed away. Foss also had no way of knowing whether Trapp had any siblings.

The VFW is planning to have a ceremony at the post to commemorate the return of Trapp's Purple Heart, though a date has not yet been set. The post hopes to find a member of the Trapp family with knowledge of Otto and his medal and invite them to that ceremony.

"Really what we want to do is donate it to the VFW for display, so everyone can enjoy it," Foss said.

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Gov. Walker, cabinet secretaries sign statements of support for the Guard and Reserve

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:20:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Gov. Walker, cabinet secretaries sign statements of support for the Guard and Reserve

March 13, 2013

Gov. Scott Walker and his cabinet secretaries signed employer statements of support for the National Guard and Reserve in a March 11 ceremony at the state capitol in Madison, Wis.

Walker and his cabinet joined Dick Vallin, chair of the Wisconsin Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) in signing the documents that pledge support for hiring members of the National Guard and Reserve. Wisconsin became the first state to have its governor and cabinet sign the documents.

The formal statements of support pledge employers to recognize and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA) and effectively manage employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve. Employers who sign a statement of support also promise to appreciate the values, leadership and unique skills service members bring to the workforce and encourage the hiring of Guardsmen, Reservists, and veterans.

Gov. Walker and his cabinet secretaries each posted a framed statement of support of in their offices following the ceremony.

But the governor said signing the statement of support was about much more than simply hanging it on the wall.

"This is not just about signing something that goes up on a wall," Gov. Walker said. "This is in line with our employers. It is us, together, recognizing that we will go out of our way to support our service members."

"Today, supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation's National Guard and Reserve units," said Vallin. "I am asking all Wisconsin employers to review and amend their current human resources policies to ensure compliance with USERRA."

With Walker and his cabinet pledging their support to the National Guard and Reserve, Wisconsin sends a clear message that it supports its citizen Soldiers and Airmen, Vallin said.

"By signing the Statement of Support, Governor Walker will be sending a clear message to the employees throughout state government that while they are serving their country they do not have to worry about their civilian jobs," he said.

Established in 1972, ESGR is a Department of Defense agency dedicated to gaining and maintaining employer support for members of the National Guard and Reserve. The organization recognizes outstanding support, increases awareness of the law, and resolves conflicts through informal mediation.

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Madison-based Air Guard unit returns from deployment

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:00:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Madison-based Air Guard unit returns from deployment

March 12, 2013

The Wisconsin Air National Guard's 115th Fighter Wing welcomed home some of its fellow Airmen following a two-month deployment to Africa on Monday (March 11).

The Airmen returned to a packed hanger at Truax Field in Madison, Wis., where they were welcomed by Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin Air National Guard's top leadership, friends, and loved ones.

"This is an outstanding group of Airmen," said Lt. Col. Brian Parker, the deployed detachment commander. "We met 100 percent of our taskings and executed our mission flawlessly."

Parker presented Walker with a Wisconsin flag that had flown over the deployment camp and in an F-16 on a combat support mission, as a thank-you to the governor for his support.

All told, the 115th Fighter Wing flew more than 550 hours, completed more than 275 sorties and participated in more than 25 sorties with French air-to-air and air-to-ground fighter integration. Col. Jeffrey Wiegand, the 115th Fighter Wing commander, thanked both the fighter wing members for their hard work and their families for their continued support.

"I'm very proud of the men and women of the fighter wing," Wiegand said. "Welcome home - enjoy your well-deserved time off."

"There is no finer unit for a mission like this than for the men and women of the Wisconsin National Guard," Walker said. "You continue the legacy of those great Americans that came from Wisconsin that knew when duty called, you answer that call."

Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, thanked the families of the just-returned Airmen for their support - "I know firsthand how difficult it can be to say good-bye to your loved ones, whether it's for a day or a couple of months like this deployment," he said - and noted that troop support comes from beyond the family nucleus.

"I want to ask the Airmen, when you go back to your job, please - on my behalf, on your behalf, on behalf of the Air National Guard - thank your employer," Dunbar said. "Because just like your families, without the support of your employers the National Guard just could not do what it does so well for our nation."

While 60 days may not be considered a long deployment to some, many families present couldn't wait to welcome home their loved ones.

"I've done this many times before," said Joy Seibel, whose husband Master Sgt. Peter Seibel has deployed four times previously. This deployment was more difficult for their children, however.

"This is the first time they've been able to understand it," Joy explained.

This is the fourth Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) deployment in the last seven years for the 115th Fighter Wing. The unit previously deployed to Iraq in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

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Online story and video

Sequester leads to Army tuition assistance freeze

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:55:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Sequester leads to Army tuition assistance freeze

March 11, 2013

Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers affected by the decision to suspend the Army Tuition Assistance program effective March 8 have other options available to them to continue their college classes.

The Army Tuition Assistance program provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs that support a Soldier's professional and personal self-development goals. The program was suspended March 8 in response to the combined effects of a possible year-long continuing resolution and sequestration, and affects active-duty Soldiers as well as National Guard and Reserve Soldiers.

While Soldiers will not be allowed to submit new tuition assistance requests, courses in which Soldiers are currently enrolled will still be funded.

Capt. Dustin Cebula, education services officer with the Wisconsin National Guard, said that Soldiers can continue to access the federal GI Bill or other Veterans Administration education benefits such as the Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP), federal grants or state education benefits to offset the cost of future courses if the suspension is not lifted before the start of new classes.

"Fortunately, Wisconsin has exceptional existing state tuition programs such as the Wisconsin National Guard Tuition Grant and the Wisconsin GI Bill that Soldiers can normally use in lieu of federal tuition assistance," Cebula said. "That is why Wisconsin has one of the lowest usage totals for federal tuition assistance in the region."

Cebula said that for the current fiscal year, the Wisconsin Army National Guard has approved federal tuition assistance funding for 286 classes, though he did not have information on how many students that entails. The primary users of the Army Tuition Assistance program, he said, are Soldiers who take online classes from out-of-state schools.

Sgt. Kevin Campbell, a crew chief with Company A, 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment, is one of those Soldiers. To date he has completed seven online classes from the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and is halfway through two more classes. He is considering an associate's degree en route to a bachelor's of aeronautical science degree.

"It's geared toward my field and fits my timeline better," said Campbell, who works as a federal technician with the 147th and in the past worked in civilian aircraft maintenance. "They're a very military-friendly university as well."

Campbell said the news about the tuition assistance suspension is disappointing - "This benefit is only for people currently serving," he noted - but is prepared to look at other funding options. He said he wants to avoid taking a break from college.

It is not known at this time when the Army Tuition Assistance program will be reinstated, or if any changes to the program are planned.

Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers with questions about the suspension of the Army Tuition Assistance program can contact Cebula at 608-242-3447 or visit www.goarmyed.com for updated information.

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Video

Guard security team helping transition in Afghanistan

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:10:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Guard security team helping transition in Afghanistan

March 8, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

After arriving in Afghanistan earlier this year, 16 Wisconsin Guardsmen are already helping to transition responsibility for the nation's security back to Afghan hands.

The Wisconsin National Guard's 104th Security Force Advise and Assist Team (SFAAT) deployed to Afghanistan as a key element of the U.S. military's overall exit strategy for Afghanistan. The strategy depends on establishing an Afghan government, military and police force capable of standing on its own after U.S. forces leave the country in 2014.

Working from a remote outpost within an Afghan border police base, the SFAAT has so far adjusted well to life in Afghanistan, according to Lt. Col. David Larson, the unit's commander.

"Our day-to-day varies, but we have established a good battle rhythm and all are adjusting well to it," he wrote in an e-mail from Afghanistan. "Our team has really come together, and already many have established life-long bonds."

Larson said the SFAAT travels frequently throughout the region in which it operates - conducting weekly logistics runs to acquire food, water, supplies and mail from home. The unit has also worked heavily in the Afghan border regions, assisting its Afghan counterparts in improving border security.

"We interact with our Afghan counterparts daily, and have established a great rapport with them," Larson wrote. "Our mission is to advise and assist the regional border police to improve their capability for self-sustained operations in order to control and secure the region."

The significance of the unit's duties is not lost on the commander, who recognizes the importance of transitioning the security mission to the Afghans.

"This is an important piece of the overall national strategy of turning over security responsibility to the Afghan forces with the drawdown and withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan by 2014," the Baraboo, Wis., native wrote. "It is a consistent theme here of assessing the Afghans' status and readiness to operate independently."

Formed last year out of an all-volunteer group, the 104th trained at Camp Shelby, Miss., and Fort Polk, La., before deploying to Afghanistan in January.

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Employment assistance leaders meet in Wisconsin

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:00:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Employment assistance leaders meet in Wisconsin

March 7, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

Midwestern military employment assistance leaders met at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Madison, Wis., March 7 to share strategies aimed at increasing employment for members of the National Guard and Reserve.

Representatives from employment programs in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin participated in the employment summit, where they discussed best practices to get more service members hired.

Unemployment within the ranks of the Reserve Component of the U.S. military has gotten the attention of the highest levels of the military and at the White House. Unemployment is a readiness issue, according to Frank O'Laughlin, the marketing and operations director for the National Guard Bureau. The issue affects resilience, retention, and ultimately a service member's ability to deploy as an effective member of the military.

"If we can help them with their civilian side of the house and keeping them healthy over there, then they're going to be healthy on the military side of the house and we're going to have fewer issues with our Soldiers," O'Laughlin said before the summit began.

Capt. Joseph Ledger, the Wisconsin Employment Resource Connection (WERC) program manager, agreed. He said unemployed service members are often not mission ready because of the stress unemployment can put on relationships.

"The people I talk to in [a traditional National Guard] status, their employment affects their relationships with their spouse, their family, their kids, and it can really lead to an at-risk service member," he said.

According to Ledger, nine percent of Wisconsin's Army National Guard force and seven percent of the Air National Guard is unemployed.

"That is just the unemployed," said Ledger. "That is not the underemployed or individuals that have two or three jobs that they're working just to make ends meet."

For Soldiers and Airmen returning from deployment, unemployment is as high as 25 to 30 percent.

With stakes so high, the employment assistance leaders gathered to collaborate and share ideas to reduce those numbers. Each state shared about their individual programs while also discussing how to work with employers and across state lines to ensure every service member is prepared to enter the market for a job.

They also discussed the importance of addressing a growing skills gap nationwide, in which employment shortages are projected in skilled manufacturing, information technology, and medical fields. Strategies for working with employers to train service members to fill those jobs was a key point of the discussion.

Ledger and WERC organized the summit, which is the first regional summit of its kind on employment assistance. Individual states have collaborated with other states, but never in a regional summit with multiple states. Ledger had high expectations as the conference began.

"I'm hoping people come and are open about different programs," Ledger said. "I hope we all leave with lessons learned, so we can better our states. Obviously every state is different. What works in Wisconsin might not work in Iowa, which might not work in Michigan."

"There is not a cookie cutter answer for each one of the states," added O'Laughlin. "Each state is going to be different, but there are some best practices."

Lt. Col. Tim Franklin, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program director for Illinois, hoped summits like the one held in Madison could continue in the future.

"The big value is that there is no one right way, but if each of us can take away something that we like from the other states that they're doing to bring to our state, that'll help us do a better job of finding jobs for our Guard members and their families," he said.

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97th Agribusiness Team engaged in dynamic mission

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:00:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: 97th Agribusiness Team engaged in dynamic mission

March 6, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

The members of the Wisconsin National Guard's 97th Agribusiness Development Team have already reached a couple of milestones in their deployment to Kunar Province, Afghanistan - they have taken the place of Wisconsin's first agribusiness team, the 82nd ADT, and they have been officially authorized to wear 101st Airborne combat patches signifying at least 30 straight days in country.

Capt. Bill Barthen, officer in charge of the 97th ADT - which functions as part of the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team - said the team has transitioned well.

"The 82nd ADT did a great job showing us exactly how they did missions," Barthen said in a March 1 e-mail. "Each ag team member walked their replacement through project development, the mission request, how to conduct key leader engagements, and how to complete closing reports following missions."

Those missions involve talking with provincial officials with the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (DAIL) as well as district extension agents regarding best practices for sustainable and profitable farming, as well as how to apply for funding from Afghanistan's national government.

Barthen said the best part of the deployment for him thus far has been interacting with representatives of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

"I enjoy hearing their personal goals for the families - personal, professional and educational," Barthen said. "Overall, Afghans are quite similar to us. They have similar goals like having a happy, healthy family with a good education, good employment and safety where they live, work and go to school."

Continuing changes in the overall scope of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan may translate into different mission expectations for the 97th ADT. Barthen said he is concerned about how these dynamics may impact the mission the 97th was sent to accomplish - increasing agricultural productivity by improving farmer access to key services, linking farmers with markets and trade corridors, rehabilitating watersheds and improving irrigation, and increasing Afghan farmer confidence in their government by improving delivery of DAIL services to rural farmers and herders. He said that provincial agencies are seeing success in requesting and receiving funding for specific projects from national government agencies.

"Our team is motivated to get out and work," Barthen said. "As long as we are over here, we'll be pushing for the opportunity to get out with the people and make sure there is continuity in projects and sustainability in areas we work."

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Online story, video and photos

Guard, civil agencies fly together for joint training

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:30:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Guard, civil agencies fly together for joint training

By Sgt. Megan Burnham and Sgt. Tyler Lasure
112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
March 4, 2013

Wisconsin National Guard aviators and medics, along with civilian emergency management agencies, participated in a joint training natural disaster exercise spanning all of southeastern Wisconsin.

For the first time in five years, civilian agencies and National Guard aviation units worked together in a joint exercise March 2 to react to a mass flooding scenario that tested the Guard's medical evacuation capabilities.

The exercise, dubbed Operation Aerial Badger, combined an array of Wisconsin medical and aviation units to include elements of the 248th Aviation Support Battalion, 112th Aviation, 135th Aviation, 238th Aviation, 135th Medical Company, and cadets from the Civil Air Patrol. Civilian emergency management agencies included area hospitals and a Fond du Lac, Wis.-based Flight for Life crew from Air Methods, Inc.

"Working with Air Methods and Civil Air Patrol also helps us with our state emergency mission for the Governor," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mike Knuppel, 112th Aviation commander. "We get to know their capabilities, they get to know our capabilities, and so hopefully together we can support the state emergency mission."

One of the scenarios, conducted at the Flight for Life facility in Fond du Lac, involved Sgt. Philip Stalewski, a new flight medic with the 112th Aviation, assessing the numerous injuries on a mannequin victim and providing the necessary medical aid.

"This is great to do this kind of integrated training with the flight unit having only just recently joined the flight facility myself," Stalewski said. "This is a great way to remember my basics, where I am coming from, and just not forget [the basics] as I move on and learn new and more exciting, high-speed things."

This scenario also required Stalewski to call for aerial support to have the victim transported to a nearby hospital. A flight operation crew of the 112th Aviation received the call and dispatched a UH-72 Lakota helicopter, the newest medical evacuation aircraft supporting the Wisconsin National Guard.

Sgt. 1st Class Michael Barrera, 112th Aviation senior medic, served as the non-commissioned officer in charge for the exercise.

"I wanted to ensure that the ground medic on scene was going to be able to apply all of his skills needed," he said. "(Stalewski) was able to perform outstanding. He did a great job, was able to stabilize and take care of what needed to happen."

The training also provided an opportunity for the Soldiers to interact with the Fond du Lac Flight for Life crew to learn how they operate and become familiar with each other's equipment. If an actual domestic disaster occurred, the two entities would work together to keep Wisconsin citizens safe.

"I think the best part, and the most unexpected part, of this training that I'm taking is actually the civilian input from the Flight for Life folks here," commented Stalewski. "They have a lot of great things to say, and [I've learned] a lot in the last few hours here."

Meanwhile in Oconomowoc, Soldiers of the 135th Medical Company conducted mass casualty evacuation training at Battle Creek Airfield. This training scenario allowed for Soldiers to practice evacuating injured persons by air.

The training allowed Soldiers to experience what evacuees feel as they are transferred by helicopter. In the scenario, Soldiers acted as simulated casualties and experienced what it's like to be a patient.

"(In the exercise) I was going into hypothermia, so we got treated and put onto the chopper and got to take an awesome ride," said Spc. Tamara Eng, a medic with the 135th.

Getting the opportunity to conduct realistic training is important for all Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers, and in particular, Soldiers charged with providing life-saving care to wounded Soldiers.

While all the medics in the unit are well-versed in combat procedures, providing medical care in peacetime operations has its own special requirements. Soldiers normally learn procedures for air medical evacuation requests in a combat environment. During peacetime, or natural disasters, the requirements differ, requiring Soldiers to adapt to the unique situation presented to them.

Many Soldiers train with individuals in their own unit, but rarely with other units. For operations requiring good communications between two units - like medics and the aviation support they need to get the Soldier to medical treatment facilities, joint exercises like the one conducted March 2 are vital.

"The Soldiers need to have realistic training," said 1st Lt. Angela Becker-Bradley. "This is something they wanted and needed, especially working with sister units. I hope they got a good hands-on feel for what should be happening and what their jobs are."

Throughout the frigid morning Soldiers trained on treating casualties, providing triage care, transporting casualties, requesting air evacuation, setting up a landing zone for air evacuation, and preparing and loading casualties for air evacuation.

"I have never had any opportunity to work with a helicopter before," said Spc. Mike Glime, a medic with the 135th. "That is something that if you are deployed you will be doing and that is something that all medics should have the chance to do."

The training reinforced the Guard's readiness to respond to emergencies statewide in partnership with civilian authorities.

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Video

Gov. Walker promotes new general officer in Wisconsin Army Guard

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:00:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Gov. Walker promotes new general officer in Wisconsin Army Guard

By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs
March 1, 2013

The Wisconsin Army National Guard's assistant adjutant general for readiness and training was formally promoted to the rank of brigadier general during a Thursday (Feb. 28) ceremony in the Senate Chamber of the state capitol.

Moments after Brig. Gen. Mark Michie's children Brandon and Alex fastened his one-star shoulder boards to his uniform, Gov. Scott Walker administered the oath of office before a gathering of family, friends and senior Wisconsin National Guard colleagues.

Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, noted that Michie's career as a traditional National Guard Soldier - part-time as opposed to full-time - is an example of the Wisconsin National Guard's diversity.

"We don't worry about if you're full-time with us or not, we worry about your contribution in uniform, and we select the best officers to rise to this rank," Dunbar said.

"In our culture we value exceptional teams," Dunbar continued. "Here in Wisconsin we've got the Green Bay Packers, with the greatest tradition of winning NFL championships and a number of Super Bowl rings. We talk sometimes about the quarterback Bart Starr, Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers and who is the best, and what you find over time is sooner or later someone has to retire and someone comes up to take their spot. What an honor it is to take a leading role in a great team. It's one thing to play in the NFL - it's something even better to play with the Green Bay Packers ... To be an officer in the Army National Guard is great, but to be a general officer in the Army National Guard with our traditions, with our Soldiers who've done so much, really is exceptional."

Walker agreed, calling the Wisconsin National Guard "not only one of the finest National Guards in the country but part of one of the finest entities in the world.

"Today we're adding to the ranks someone who has already been an accomplished leader and now, in a moment, will be a brigadier general, taking that next leadership step forward," Walker continued. "He's adding to his title - he's been a Hodag, a Pointer, a builder and a Soldier, and today he affirms yet again his leadership as a Citizen Soldier and as a leader for our state and for our country."

Walker was referring to Michie's time with Wisconsin Army National Guard engineer units in the Rhinelander area - famous for the mythical beast called a "Hodag" - as well as his time in the Reserve Officer Training Course at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Michie also is the owner and president of Lakeland Overhead Door Corp. in Minocqua, Wis. He took a two-year leave from running his business to work as domestic operations director for the Wisconsin National Guard Joint Staff.

Michie, a resident of Harshaw, Wis., thanked Walker and Dunbar for their trust and confidence, and said he looked forward to this new opportunity. In his new role, he will assist Dunbar and Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, assistant adjutant general for Army, in providing an Army National Guard capable of meeting state and federal missions. He will be responsible for the training and readiness of all Wisconsin Army National Guard units, and will serve as needed as a liaison between the Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, state and local officials and associations.

"I hope to continue to give back to an organization that has given me so much," Michie said. He explained how, as a young captain, he began working for a Korean War veteran who spent a year as a prisoner of war. Michie ended up buying the business from his employer, but also gained an appreciation for the sacrifice others have made.

"I have to serve for guys like him and for all those that went before me that have given us the freedom that we have today in the greatest country in the world," Michie said. "I look at all that I've been given, the opportunities I've been given - to own a business, to put this uniform on and serve - it's incredible that a guy from a less-than-middle-income family could go to college on his own, serve his country, own his own business ... only in America.

"I'm proud to serve with such fine, dedicated officers and Soldiers that we have here in the Wisconsin National Guard," Michie continued. "It's unequaled anywhere in this country. To be able to serve with you at this level is truly an honor, and it's a great challenge. I hope I can live up to the challenge and make a difference."

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Wisconsin National Guard names Order of St. Barbara honorees

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:07:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin National Guard names Order of St. Barbara honorees

February 28, 2013

Eleven Wisconsin Army National Guard artillerymen and five others were honored at the Feb. 23 St. Barbara's celebration in Wisconsin Rapids.

Col. Kenneth Koon, Wisconsin Army National Guard chief of staff, and Col. (Ret.) David Gapinski were inducted into the Ancient Order of St. Barbara, the more distinguished of the two levels of the Military Society of St. Barbara. The Ancient Order is reserved for those whose careers have embodied the spirit, dignity and sense of sacrifice and commitment epitomized by St. Barbara.

Nine Soldiers became members of the Honorable Order of St. Barbara, including Maj. Paul Gellerup, Capt. Harvey Hubbard, 1st Sgt. Mike Seefeld, Master Sgt. Derek Crowley, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Bowen, Sgt. 1st Class John Hensley, Sgt. 1st Class Brian Schumacher, Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Buenning and Staff Sgt. Mark Turkiewicz. The Honorable Order of St. Barbara recognizes the highest standards of integrity, moral character, professional competence and selflessness, and promotion of the field artillery.

Five women were inducted into the Artillery Order of Molly Pitcher, which recognizes those who have voluntarily contributed significantly to the improvement of the field artillery community. They are Melissa Grawvunder, Lisa Fickel, Theresa Klemme, Joyce Turkiewicz and Heidi Leahy.

St. Barbara is the patron saint of artillery and an early Christian martyr. Legend holds that her father, a wealthy Roman aristocrat, tortured and executed Barbara for her conversion to Christianity, and was struck down by lightning in divine retribution. She became regarded as a patron saint for protection against thunderstorms, fires and sudden death, and later as the patron saint for early artillerymen who served on unreliable cannons.

Molly Pitcher is the nickname generally attributed to Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, who is believed to have replaced her injured husband, Revolutionary War artilleryman William Hays, swabbing and loading a cannon during the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. The nickname refers to what would have been her normal duty during battles - bringing pitchers of water to cannoneers.

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Academy for struggling teens now accepting applications

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:50:00 CST

Contact: Pete Blum
(608) 343-1937

NEWS: Academy for struggling teens now accepting applications

February 26, 2013

An alternative program for "at-risk" youth, the Wisconsin Challenge Academy is now accepting applications for its next class of cadets entering on July 25. If highly motivated and committed to turning their life around, the Academy located at Fort McCoy, Wis., offers teens at risk of not graduating high school the opportunity to earn their High School Equivalency Diploma, replace negative habits with positive ones, and develop the life skills necessary to be successful responsible citizens.

To qualify for this program - which is no cost to families - applicants, both male and female, must be at least 16 years and nine months old but not yet 19, have dropped out of school, been expelled, or become at least a year behind in credits. Candidates must not have been convicted of a felony and cannot be on adult parole or probation at time of entry.

"I do not believe in bad kids - I am a true believer that there are just children who make bad choices, said Barbara Bronston, parent of a Challenge Academy graduate. "The Academy provided the means to turn those choices around and gave my son the confidence to follow through with them. This program is amazing and I would highly recommend it to anyone."

For someone who has the desire to get his or her life back on the right path, the Challenge Academy may be a step in the right direction. Call the Admissions Department toll-free at (866) 968-8422 or (608) 269-4605 for an application, or visit the Challenge Academy's website.

On-site media tours and interviews about the Challenge Academy program can be arranged by calling Pete Blum, agency liaison, at (608) 343-1937.

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Agribusiness development team returns to Wisconsin

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:10:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Agribusiness development team returns to Wisconsin

By 1st Lt. Joseph Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard
February 22, 2013

The final 13 members of the 82nd Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) reunited with their families during a homecoming ceremony in Madison, Wis., Feb. 22.

The ADT returned to the Armed Forces Reserve Center after a yearlong mobilization to Afghanistan on a mission rife with changes.

The unit originally consisted of 58 Wisconsin Soldiers and Airmen, but a host of mission changes resulted in 35 returning home in September. The 13 that stayed behind remained in Afghanistan until their return to the United States on Feb. 17. After several days of de-mobilization training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., the unit returned to the Badger State where their families eagerly awaited.

Brenda Sessler, of Milton, Wis., jokingly said she was looking forward to having her son, Staff Sgt. Dylan Sessler, shovel the driveway when he got home. More importantly, she looked forward to the normalcy his return would provide.

"It's great. I'm very proud of him and all of the Soldiers and what they've accomplished, but it's nice to have them home."

Anna Oehler, one of the unit's family readiness group leaders and wife of officer in charge Maj. Fred Oehler, shared her enthusiasm for the 82nd ADT's return home by saying, "Anytime Soldiers come home it's a wonderful wonderful time. Families are excited. Having Soldiers, especially someone who has been gone for a year, it's wonderful."

The homecoming will be especially sweet for Sgt. Rodney Hillskotter, of Weyauwega, Wis. One of his triplet brothers remains hospitalized after a heart transplant operation in December. "We're going right from here to there, and hopefully we'll have a good family reunion there," his father, Doug, said before the ADT arrived.

With their families waiting, the unit finally arrived back to Madison where senior National Guard leaders and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch greeted them.

"It is a humbling experience to be able to say thank you to those who have represented Wisconsin so well halfway across the world," Kleefisch said during her remarks to the Soldiers.

"Your mission changed many times while you were in Afghanistan," she added. "Thank you so much for representing Wisconsin while being agile, being nimble, being flexible, and incredibly brave. I am so proud that you are Wisconsinites, and I am prouder still that you are home safe and sound."

In his own message to the returning unit, deputy adjutant general for Army, Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, said, "Thank you for your service, for what you have done really in demonstrating the true capability of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, demonstrating the adaptability and the flexibility as you transitioned from one mission, to another mission, to another mission throughout the course of the last 12 months while you've been deployed."

Anderson was quick to thank the families for their sacrifices throughout the deployment. Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, the state's adjutant general shared a similar sentiment, calling families the "strength of the National Guard."

"The strength of the National Guard is our communities and our families, and you are part of our extended family," he said. "I am so grateful to you. Thank you for all that you do."

"There is something miraculous about going overseas, serving this country in uniform, and you fly back to the United States, that door opens, and you walk back onto your homeland," Dunbar said. "You can just smell the freedom. There is something incredibly special about the men and women in uniform who go overseas to difficult places and do the job for our nation."

While overseas, the 82nd ADT endured several mission changes. When they first arrived to Afghanistan last spring, their primary objective was to connect Afghan farmers with local government and build demonstration farms. But eventually most of the 58-member team was sent home, leaving the final 13 members to continue the work of building the agricultural infrastructure of Afghanistan's Kunar Province at the provincial level.

By the end, the unit had conducted more than 200 combat patrols and made more than 500 engagements with key local leaders in 13 of Kunar's 15 districts. They also supported more than 40 medical evacuations on their forward operating base and managed more than $12 million worth of construction projects.

The unit's members collectively earned five Bronze Star Medals, nine Army Commendation Medals - including one for valor - eight Navy Achievement Medals and one Purple Heart.

"Welcome back and thank you for just an outstanding job," state Command Sgt. Maj. Brad Shields told the returning Soldiers. "There were a lot of challenges in the mission. You showed your professionalism by the way you adjusted and adapted and made Wisconsin proud by your professional service while you were in Afghanistan."

Waiting to greet Master Sgt. Kenton Bauer, of Sparta, Wis., were his wife, Heidi, and his three-year-old daughter.

"It feels rather surreal," Heidi Bauer said upon reuniting with her husband. "I've been kind of numb for the past year."

"This is great being home," Master Sgt. Bauer said. "It doesn't seem real yet, because the whole time that we were going through the de-mobilization process was on Camp Atterbury, and you walked around other people wearing uniforms. Other than eating lunch today, this is our first chance to be outside of somebody's fence."

Addressing his Soldiers for the final time, officer in charge Maj. Fred Oehler said, "It's been a pleasure and honor serving with you over this last year."

Wisconsin's 97th ADT recently replaced the 82nd in Afghanistan, where they will continue to build the agricultural infrastructure in Kunar.

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Wisconsin Soldiers, Airmen among National Guard media contest winners

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:30:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Soldiers, Airmen among National Guard media contest winners

February 22, 2013

Wisconsin National Guard public affairs professionals garnered a total of 16 top awards in this year's National Guard Media Contest.

Wisconsin Air National Guard Airmen earned 11 awards for work published in 2012, including the top spots for Outstanding New Writer and Broadcast Journalist of the Year.

Senior Airman Andrea Liechti of the 115th Fighter Wing took first place in the Outstanding New Writer category, followed by second-place winner Staff Sgt. Jenna Hildebrand of the 128th Air Refueling Wing. Tech. Sgt. James Michaels of the 128th Air Refueling Wing took first in the Military Broadcast Journalist of the Year.

Michaels also earned three second-place awards in the Television Spot Production, Television News Report and Television Sports Report. He received a third-place award in the Video Documentary category.

2nd. Lt. Nathan Wallin garnered two second-place awards, in the Illustrative Photography and Military Photographer of the Year categories. He placed third in the Sports category.

Staff Sgt. Christopher Wenzel of the 128th Air Refueling Wing earned a second-place award in the Outstanding News Broadcaster category.

The Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office received two first-place awards - for the web-based publication @ease Express, and for the command blog WisGuard Live. The Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office also took first place in those two categories last year.

Vaughn R. Larson took first place in the news article category for a story about the memorial service at Volk Field, and second place in the human interest feature article category for an article on 32nd Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Rafael Conde, who fled communist Cuba as a child.

1st Lt. Joe Trovato of the 112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment was awarded second place in the news feature article category for his story about a Vietnam prisoner of war's inspiring message to Wisconsin National Guard senior leaders.

Maj. Paul Rickert, director of the Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office, was pleased with the results.

"I was told when I came into this job in January that we had some great talent on board," Rickert said. "These awards certainly bear that out."

Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, noted that the awards reflect more than the talent of the individuals behind the bylines.

"Certainly you need good people to properly convey the story of the Wisconsin National Guard, but you also need good stories to tell," Dunbar said. "We are very fortunate that in our formation we have gifted story makers as well as story tellers."

First-place winners in the Air National Guard contest will advance to the Air Force Public Affairs competition. The top two award winners from the Army National Guard will advance to compete in the Army's Keith L. Ware contest.

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Wisconsin Guard artillerymen train deploying California unit

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:55:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard artillerymen train deploying California unit

February 20, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joseph Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

Artillerymen from the California Army National Guard spent two weeks braving freezing temperatures here to learn from a group of Wisconsin Soldiers. The training represented a rare opportunity for Wisconsin instructors to train a battery heading off on a deployment.

About a dozen Soldiers from the Wisconsin National Guard's 1st Battalion, 426th RTI, Field Artillery and the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team's 1st Battalion 120th Field Artillery trained about 45 members of the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Battery B, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery. During the first two weeks of February the California Soldiers got hands-on experience with the M777 howitzer, the weapons system they will use in Afghanistan.

While training individual artillerymen in their military occupation specialty is routine for the 426th, it has been three years since the RTI trained a unit - and even longer since the RTI hosted one at Fort McCoy.

"This is the first time we've actually trained up a whole unit going on a deployment, so it's a bit of a big deal for us," said 426th instructor Sgt. 1st Class George McConville. "And we know it's a big deal for them, because they're going to be shooting it downrange [on deployment]."

The California Soldiers are slated to deploy to Afghanistan in June. The 143rd was traditionally trained to fire the M119 howitzer, which shoots a 105-mm round, but in Afghanistan they will use the M777, which fires a 155-mm round.

The RTI offers one of the few M777 training opportunities within the National Guard. After a bit of networking between officers from each state, the California Guardsmen were on their way to Wisconsin, where they spent 15 days learning about the M777 and how it differed from the M119s with which they were familiar. The training culminated with a Feb. 12 live-fire exercise.

"It's good learning more artillery pieces to make us more proficient at our job," said Sgt. Michael Bones of Bakersfield, Calif. "What I'm taking from this is a lot of good training. It's good preparedness for our impending mission, but I'm trying to get acclimated [to the weather]," he added with a laugh.

Pvt. Sam Mabanta, of Fresno, Calif., said even though he is a snowboarder, he had never been in such cold temperatures. He also said the unit previously considered a 60-degree day to be a cold day in the field.

"It's a good time though," he said. "I'm a big fan of cold weather. Some of these guys don't like it, but I love it.

"It's been good training. The [426th RTI] staff is phenomenal, and we just can't wait to shoot these rounds," Mabanta continued. "It's a great experience because being in Afghanistan with the cold weather and all, this will train us to acclimate to the weather and the conditions."

Just as training the artillery battery was a milestone for the 426th instructors, the California unit's mission is a milestone for the California National Guard.

"This will be the first time in their history going into combat actually firing field artillery, and it will be the first time that the California National Guard has fired artillery since the Korean War," explained Sgt. 1st Class Todd Hunt, a platoon sergeant in the unit. "So these guys are actually making history, and they are extremely stoked about it."

Like many National Guard field artillery units, their recent deployment missions have included convoy security, route clearance, quick reaction force, and detainee operations missions.

About a dozen Soldiers from Wisconsin's 1st Battalion, 426th RTI, Field Artillery, and the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team's 1st Battalion 120th Field Artillery served as the instructors for the training. The extra instruction time for them has been invaluable.

"Having all the instructors here is great because it's an additional couple of weeks where they're on the howitzers," McConville said. "And seeing them instructing a whole unit gives them more confidence for when they teach their courses. It just verifies all the confidence we have in them as instructors."

Maj. Dale Swanson, the officer in charge of the training, highlighted the personal and professional relationships that facilitated the training and described the two-week course as a "win-win for everybody."

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Wisconsin Guard unit safely back in US from Afghanistan

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 13:00:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard unit safely back in US from Afghanistan

February 18, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joseph Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

Wisconsin's 82nd Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) arrived safely back in the United States early Feb. 17.

The 13-member team flew into Indianapolis after a year-long deployment to Afghanistan. Along the way, the ADT saw its mission change, resulting in a majority of the original 58-member team returning to Wisconsin last September. But now, the entire team has returned.

"It's been a long year, but it's great to be home," said Master Sgt. John Dietzler, an ADT member from Green Bay, Wis. "I can't wait to get with the family."

Dietzler said he is looking forward to reuniting with his wife and two sons and eventually getting back to his job with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

He and the rest of the 82nd ADT returned to the U.S. after a year away from home. Now all that stands between them and their return to Wisconsin is several days of demobilization training at Camp Atterbury, Ind.

"I'm very excited," said Cottage Grove, Wis., resident Maj. Sarah Bammel shortly after de-boarding the plane in Indianapolis. "I'll be even more excited once I see my husband."

Sgt. Rodney Hillskotter, of Weyauwega, Wis., said he is looking forward to wearing civilian clothes and relaxing for awhile.

A combat medic and a civilian paramedic, Hillskotter described his time in Afghanistan as a chance to broaden his horizons.

"I don't think there's any deployment that could have been a better learning experience for me," he said. "I got to do more things within the medical field and outside of it."

Most members of the 82nd ADT expanded their experience and learned the value of flexibility and adaptability on a deployment rife with changes.

When the original Wisconsin National Guard 58 Soldiers and Airmen deployed last February, the unit's primary objective was to connect Afghan farmers with local government and build demonstration farms to facilitate training events. Then, a slew of mission changes altered those plans, and most of the once-semiautonomous unit was sent home, leaving only 13 Guardsmen to continue the work of building the agricultural infrastructure in Afghanistan's Kunar Province.

After the first group was sent home, the remaining 13 were rolled into the agricultural component of Kunar's provincial reconstruction team, shifting the unit's focus from the local level to the provincial level. Others were assigned to different missions altogether, but the unit remained focused and dedicated to its cause despite all the changes.

"As far as the projects and everything else that the team worked on, they had an impact on over 200,000 Afghans in the Kunar Province," said Maj. Fred Oehler, the returning unit's officer in charge. "I was real proud of them. They did an excellent job and adapted to everything. They pretty much set the standards out there.

"It's a very special group. We had a lot of good and very professional individuals," he added.

Bammel agreed.

"I had a really good time," she said. "It was a very positive deployment. I met a lot of really great Afghans, and I think we did the best we could with the mission and what we were given. So I feel pretty positive about our experience."

The ADT's noncommissioned officer in charge, Sgt. Maj. Greg Millard, lauded the ADT's flexibility as its missions evolved.

"I was just very impressed with all of them," the Tomah, Wis., native said. "I think they gave 100 percent the entire year. I was most impressed with their ability to stick through all the changes. The mission wasn't quite what we thought it would be going over. We got split up, especially once we went to the provincial reconstruction team. Just the way they adapted shows every Soldier brings a lot of skills to the table, and they definitely excelled."

Over the course of the deployment, the 82nd ADT conducted more than 200 combat patrols and made more than 500 engagements with key local leaders in 13 of Kunar's 15 districts. They also supported more than 40 medical evacuations on their forward operating base and managed more than $12 million in construction projects.

For their efforts, members of the ADT collectively earned five Bronze Star Medals, nine Army Commendation Medals - including one for valor - eight Navy Achievement Medals and one Purple Heart.

Greeting the 82nd ADT members as they got off the plane in Indianapolis were some of the state's senior Army National Guard leaders, including State Command Sgt. Maj. Brad Shields, who urged the ADT to take their de-mobilization training at Camp Atterbury seriously.

Thanking them for their service, he said, "I know you had some challenges with your mission being changed, but that's the key to success. That's how you're successful - by adjusting and adapting and making the best of situation. Be very proud of what you did. We are very proud of you in Wisconsin. Welcome home."

Wisconsin's 97th ADT recently deployed to Afghanistan to continue the work of the 82nd ADT in Kunar.

The 82nd will return to Madison, Wis. in the coming days, where they will be released from active duty.

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Wisconsin Guardsmen save woman's life

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:15:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guardsmen save woman's life

February 15, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joseph Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

Three Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers who came across an accident scene near White Sands Missile Range, N.M., saved a woman's life on Jan. 5.

The Soldiers from the Plymouth, Wis.-based Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery were mobilized to Fort Bliss, Texas, in December, in preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan. The day of the accident, they were driving to a Dona Ana, N.M., to conduct training.

According to The Fort Bliss Monitor, the Soldiers discovered the one-vehicle crash and pulled over to see how they could assist before emergency crews arrived. They found a female passenger pinned inside the vehicle with an open fracture of her right femur. The male driver was walking outside the vehicle. Two other individuals had arrived shortly before the Soldiers, called 911 and used a belt as a makeshift tourniquet until the Soldiers arrived with one of their own.

The three Wisconsin Guardsmen, Sgt. 1st Class Todd Richter, of Sheboygan, Wis., Spc. Michael Black, of Brookfield, Wis., and Spc. Joshua Aprill, of Oconto Falls, Wis., acted quickly, as Black, a combat medic, grabbed his medical aide bag from his vehicle and began treating the woman.

"It was an open fracture and bleeding pretty well. I grabbed my medical bag out of the vehicle, assessed the patient, threw a tourniquet on there," he said. "Medical evac was already en route."

As Black, a student at UW-Whitewater, treated the woman, Richter helped stabilize her head to prevent a neck injury. He also stayed in contact with emergency crews en route to the accident scene. Meanwhile, Spc. Aprill helped direct traffic and clear the road of debris so emergency vehicles could access the scene unencumbered.

"It was a surprise, to say the least," Black said. "We did what we had to do."

What they did was save the El Paso, Texas, woman's life. When crews arrived approximately 30 minutes after the accident, they were able to free the victim from the vehicle and transport her to a local hospital. According to the Monitor, the woman sustained two broken legs, four cracked ribs, and a cracked sternum.

The Monitor quoted the driver saying, "God put them in our path, because had they not been there and helped us out the way they did, I don't think she (the passenger) would be with us." The three men were each recommended for awards as a result.

Their unit deployed to Afghanistan in late January.

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Wisconsin Guard ROTC cadets take part in virtual training exercise

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:20:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard ROTC cadets take part in virtual training exercise

February 12, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

Twenty-seven young Soldiers completed their pre-combat checks and inspections as they awaited the command to move out toward their objective. The order came in short, terse statements.

"Alpha is on my left, Bravo is on my right," the squad leader said. "Move in a wedge formation - movement to contact, people. Are we ready? Let's go."

"Roger that, roger that, roger that," a team leader replied.

"Bravo, you move through first - Alpha has security," the squad leader directed. "Heads on a swivel here, let's go - it's an open area."

Even though the Soldiers were advancing through terrain at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State, in reality they were seated somewhat comfortably in two rooms on the second floor of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's University Center building. The Reserve Officers' Training Corps students - which include many Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Company A, 257th Brigade Support Battalion in Whitewater - were among a handful of ROTC cadets nationwide to engage in the Virtual Battlespace 2 training program. The realistic virtual environment includes such ambience touches as buzzing mosquitoes and the sound of helicopters approaching or departing.

"We've coordinated with the Army's Virtual Battlespace team at Fort McCoy to simulate the squad and platoon [situational training exercise] ROTC cadets go through out at Fort Lewis, Wash., at LDAC (Leadership Development and Assessment Course) each summer," explained Lt. Col. Carl Meredith, military science professor at UW-Whitewater and head of the ROTC program there. "What we've done is set up a training program for our candidates and worked with these guys, take those operation orders and the Fort Lewis terrain map model and gave it to the VBS2 guys to recreate these scenarios in a virtual context so that we could actually train when the weather is inclement and we can't get outside and train."

The VBS2 program allows cadets to develop critical leadership skills in tactical environments during the winter months, without the expense of traveling to Fort McCoy. The four 90-minute training scenarios were designed to mirror those that third-year ROTC cadets will face at Lewis-McChord this summer, right down to the same map coordinates.

"The scenarios they're using right now are really the scenarios they used last year, so they're relatively fresh," said Charlie Fischer, military science instructor at UW-Whitewater. "I had maps from last year's training area that we sent up to [the VBS2] crew, and they took the maps and built the [virtual] terrain area."

Danielle Sternberg of Green Bay, a fourth-year ROTC cadet who monitored the exercise as an observer-controller, said this type of training would have been valuable last year before she took part in LDAC.

"Overall, it's just a great learning tool, something that ROTC programs across the country haven't had the opportunity to use yet," the Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldier said. "I think it's a great alternative to being out in the snow for six hours, crawling around and everybody freezing and hungry. [Cadets] can focus more on their leadership ability while indoors in a controlled environment, and be able to see it on a screen."

One key benefit to the VBS2 program is the ability to replay the exercise to allow participants to see how they performed.

Third-year ROTC cadet Cody Rubiego of Delafield, Wis., also a Wisconsin National Guard Soldier, served as a team leader in the first scenario and was preparing to take on the role of squad leader.

"It's pretty good," he said of the virtual training. "It makes you use everything you would do in a real scenario.

"The first one was kind of a rough run because we were still getting used to the controls and everything," he continued. "I think you learn a lot from people going before you, the squad leaders, what they did and what they didn't do."

Fellow Wisconsin National Guardsman Spencer Burns, also a third-year ROTC cadet, led two teams as a squad leader in the first virtual training exercise.

"It was pretty good training," Burns said. "I don't really play video games, but from what I saw, everything was pretty real-life. We can do all of the movements - the arm and hand signals - [and] we can communicate with our headsets. It was pretty spot-on. Being the first squad to go through, we really didn't know what to expect with the equipment itself. I think as we get more fluent with it, the lanes will run more smoothly."

Burns indicated that this training would "help us be successful. Keeping that confidence in being able to lead your troops, make sure they know you have confidence in what you're doing so the mission can get done."

Meredith said that planning for the virtual training exercise began in late October, and was an extension of what his predecessor, Lt. Col. Brian Wolhaupter, sought to do by incorporating technology into cadet training.

Col. Kenneth Koon, the Wisconsin Army National Guard's chief of staff and former commander of the 426th Regional Training Institute at Fort McCoy, was impressed with the virtual training program.

"The use of simulations is always effective because it's an awful lot cheaper, particularly if it's realistic," Koon said. "This system is in pretty close proximity of what really happens on the battlefield. You can hone skills here that you wouldn't be able to do in a classroom environment before they take it outside and actually train in a live scenario. I think this is something we definitely could use, and the Guard is always looking for ways to be more effective, more efficient, at less cost."

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Wisconsin Army Guard names new top noncommissioned officer

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:15:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Army Guard names new top noncommissioned officer

February 5, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joseph Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

The Wisconsin Army National Guard welcomed its next state command sergeant major in a Feb. 9 change of responsibility ceremony in Madison, Wis. It also bid farewell to the man who had held the position since 2007.

When retiring Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper formally handed over the noncommissioned officer saber to Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Shields, it marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Wisconsin Army National Guard's long history. Shields became Wisconsin's seventh state command sergeant major, assuming responsibility from Stopper, who led the Wisconsin Army National Guard's enlisted Soldiers for the past six years.

Stopper was the state's top enlisted Soldier during a tumultuous time that saw the National Guard maintain its highest operations tempo since World War II.

The retiring command sergeant major from Baraboo, Wis., began his distinguished career in 1979 as a cavalry scout in the 105th Cavalry Squadron before ascending to the role of the state's senior enlisted advisor.

"Your energy, dedication, strategic vision, commitment, and leadership during the highest operations tempo period that the Wisconsin Army National Guard has seen since World War II has been nothing short of phenomenal," Wisconsin's assistant adjutant general for Army, Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, said at the ceremony. "And as we transition from your leadership to that of Command Sgt. Maj. Shields, it's important that our Soldiers know just how significant of an impact you have had on the Wisconsin Army National Guard."

Representatives from each of Wisconsin's major subordinate commands, the Wisconsin Air National Guard, friends and family attended the formal change of responsibility ceremony.

"You leave your post with the Wisconsin Army National Guard having achieved unprecedented levels of personnel, training, and equipment readiness and recognition as a state that will always answer the call with some of the best-led, best-equipped, best-trained, and modern and ready Soldiers the Army has to offer," Anderson continued. "In no small part, that is due to your commitment to our Soldiers, to our families, and an unwavering commitment to the standards. Your legacy will live on in the 7,500 Soldiers that will lead this great organization after we are all long retired."

Anderson, the top-ranking officer in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, called Stopper and his successor, "two of the finest, professional, noncommissioned officers I have had the honor of serving with in my 30 years in uniform."

In his 34 years of service in the National Guard, Stopper served in a variety of roles and units. He spent time in an engineer battalion, an infantry battalion, and as the command sergeant major for the Madison-based 64th Troop Command. He also served in Iraq in 2005-06.

Shields, of Menomonee Falls, Wis., has 40 years of military service to his credit. A graduate of Stevens Point Area Senior High School in Stevens Point, Wis., Shields enlisted in 1972. He entered active duty before transferring to the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 1979. During his long career, he has deployed to Korea, Iraq, and most recently to Kosovo, where he served as the command sergeant major for the Milwaukee-based 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.

Addressing Shields during the ceremony, Anderson said, "What a great opportunity to place your indelible mark on the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Like all of us, you are a product of some fantastic mentors, and I am absolutely confident in your capabilities to lead in sustaining our Army National Guard as a unit of excellence, and more to the point, our enlisted Soldiers, as members of the profession of arms. Your years of experience, training and assignments as a traditional Soldier and while deployed overseas will serve you well and this organization."

In his own remarks, Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, the state's adjutant general, said both Shields and Stopper have been invaluable assets to the National Guard.

"Not many command sergeants major have faced what George Stopper has faced in his tenure in terms of change," said Dunbar. "I assure you Brad Shields is going to face just as much change but probably different than what George faced. The constant that gets us through that is the quality of our enlisted men and women wearing the uniform. You're looking at two giants in the business of being a command sergeant major."

Speaking for the last time as the state command sergeant major, Stopper was quick to thank his family and praise their sacrifices over the years. He also thanked his team and those that mentored him along the way. Specifically, he pointed out the Army National Guard's senior noncommissioned officers.

"They are truly the heart and soul of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, and I could not have done one-tenth of what I do on a daily basis without their full commitment and support," Stopper said.

In his parting words to Wisconsin's enlisted Soldiers, he said, "For the Soldiers here today, I strongly encourage and challenge you to always set your goals high. Always aim for first place. Do what you can on a daily basis to make yourself a better leader."

After the two command sergeants major formally and symbolically exchanged the noncommissioned officer saber, Shields addressed the group from his new position of authority. He thanked Stopper for his years of service and credited him with guiding the National Guard through a difficult period.

Stressing the importance of maintaining continuity but also inviting change, Shields highlighted the significance of mentorship and leadership development within the force. He also discussed the challenges Guardsmen face in balancing civilian employment, family, and the military.

"The traditional citizen Soldier makes a tremendous commitment as a leader in our organization, balancing family, civilian employment, the National Guard, and friends," he said. "Our operational tempo over the past 11 years added to that challenge. As a traditional Guardsman since 1979, I understand those challenges, because I have lived them as well."

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Maiden flight a success for Wisconsin National Guard all-female Black Hawk crew

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:30:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Maiden flight a success for Wisconsin National Guard all-female Black Hawk crew

February 5, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

Capt. Luella Dooley-Menet's last flight as a Black Hawk medevac helicopter pilot with the Wisconsin Army National Guard was also the first such flight with an all-female crew.

"It's important to me personally to have my last flight be all females," said Dooley-Menet, who is ending her military service after 13 years. "When I first started, I was always flying only with males."

While the flight was special for Dooley-Menet, of Milwaukee, a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, she emphasized that it was not significant strategically.

"The aircraft doesn't know what gender you are," she explained. "It's one of those moments worth noting. Yay for me and yay for women, but really, we're just going to fly an aircraft. It's no big deal."

While this marks the first all-female crew for a Black Hawk medevac flight in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, it is not the organization's first female-only flight. In the 1990s Lt. Col. Tammy Gross and Col. Joane Mathews co-piloted a Cobra helicopter with the Madison-based 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment. That two-seat aircraft did not require an in-flight crew chief.

The flight was a routine 90-minute continuation training to maintain the required number of flight hours for certification. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rachel Simeth of Shiocton, Wis., shared piloting duties with Dooley-Menet.

Until now, the three aviation units based at West Bend have lacked the right combination of crewmembers to staff an all-female flight. Dooley-Menet said that crew chiefs - a maintenance section member who flies with the aircraft and troubleshoots any maintenance issues during the mission - have usually been males, until this flight.

Sgt. Cassandra Weiss of West Bend, a crew chief with Detachment 1, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 135th Forward Support, said she chose to be in aircraft maintenance because it was something she had never done before. She enjoyed the all-female flight.

"It didn't seem like a big deal at first, but then coming back [you're] thinking about who you're flying with, especially that it's Capt. Dooley-Menet's last flight," Weiss said. "It was just nice to hear another female. It was a sense of empowerment for me because I've never flown with two females before. I don't think they've had a crew chief in the back who was a female, either."

Dooley-Menet said she was told in flight school - incorrectly, she notes - that she could not fly a Black Hawk with another female pilot. To see more female helicopter pilots, and now more female crew chiefs, means that the playing field is becoming more level, she said.

Weiss agreed.

"It's nice to see that females are getting more opportunities to more jobs," Weiss said. "It's up to us now what we do [with that opportunity]."

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Guard team visits Nicaragua to plan disaster relief responses

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:50:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Guard team visits Nicaragua to plan disaster relief responses

February 4, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

MANAGUA, NICARAGUA - There's a world of difference between tornadoes and winter storms, the natural disasters typical to Wisconsin, and the earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions more common to Nicaragua. But the planning and preparation needed to respond effectively is a similar process, whether in the Dairy State or a Central American nation.

With that in mind, seven members of the Wisconsin National Guard's Military Engagement Team (MET) - representing MET's communications, logistics and operations teams - collaborated on disaster response with officials from the Nicaraguan army's civil defense authority for three days beginning Jan. 28.

"Even though they have disasters that we don't experience in Wisconsin, there is a process that takes place," said Lt. Col. Robert Buettner, the MET's officer in charge. "Hopefully we can show them better ways to operate and take what they currently have and improve their communication."

As the conference began, Capt. Joshua Porter, the officer in charge of the MET's operations section, said, "I expect to learn just as much from them as I hope they learn from us."

Armed with lessons from past experiences, the Soldiers from both nations began exchanging ideas and sharing practices. Wisconsin's Guardsmen, fresh off their activation for a major winter storm that blanketed the state with up to 20 inches of snow in December, shared the process by which they coordinated their response.

"We have a lot of similarities in how support to domestic responses works in both of our countries," Maj. Dan Statz, the Wisconsin National Guard's chief of future operations, said while briefing the Nicaraguan leadership.

The MET leadership had the opportunity to see how their Nicaraguan counterparts conduct business Jan. 31 at a neighborhood on the shores of Lake Managua plagued by annual flooding.

"In the [United States] we have the same issues with rivers and floods, and the government buys their property to be able to let them move, but if they don't want to, you can't force them to," explained Maj. Jeremy Holmes as he spoke to Nicaraguan civil defense officials.

The neighborhood they visited, situated in a low-lying area near Lake Managua, is vulnerable to flooding as lake levels rise during the rainy season, so the Nicaraguan government is evacuating families and moving them to temporary shelters. The rainy season begins in spring.

"This is not an emergency process or a short-term process. It is actually part of the government's preventive actions," Norman Sanchez, the civil defense operations director, said of the process through a translator.

Sanchez explained to the MET leadership that many of the people in the at-risk neighborhood hail from Nicaragua's rural areas. They come to urban Managua seeking a better life.

"Unfortunately they used the least adequate areas to build their homes," said Sanchez. Due to this, they are very vulnerable to threats such as the lake rising. Pretty much where we're standing is part of the lake."

He said that in the past, the government would evacuate people from this area on the north side of Managua, and temporarily relocate them, only to repeat the same process the following year. Now, the government aims to make the move permanent.

"Even though these people have property deeds, once they're moved out, this area is declared by the municipality as uninhabitable due to the high risk," Sanchez said. "The point is to try to avoid this becoming a cycle."

The Nicaraguan government, using five-ton trucks donated by the U.S. Department of Defense, was in the process of loading families and all of their belongings for evacuation when the MET arrived at the site. The Wisconsin National Guard had sent a maintenance team to the country earlier in January to instruct the Nicaraguan civil defense authorities on proper vehicle maintenance. The National Guard also donated spare parts, tires, and equipment through the state partnership program Wisconsin maintains with the country.

The visit served as a capstone for the MET leadership's three-day trip to Nicaragua, and it provided valuable insight into how the nation's civil defense operates in the event of emergencies. Working at the site were civil defense personnel and humanitarian rescue teams from the Nicaraguan army and Managua police.

"There are different agencies that are working collectively - the civilian and the military," said Maj. Myron Davis, the MET's logistics officer, who noted the similarities to how the National Guard works with civilian agencies in Wisconsin. "So anytime you have two governmental agencies working together, there is always a lot of extra coordination that needs to take place. There are communications breakdowns because of how civilians run operations compared to military."

Davis relished the opportunity to learn from the Nicaraguans as well.

"I think it's a great opportunity," he said of the developing partnership. "I think there is a good opportunity to really share lessons learned and have a good partnership going forward. I think it's a win-win for both countries."

The MET will return to Nicaragua for approximately one month in February and March. During that visit, each of its three sections will have an opportunity to work directly with their Nicaraguan counterparts in planning and preparing for natural disaster responses.

The MET's involvement in Nicaragua came about through the State Partnership Program, which aligns states in the U.S. with countries around the world. There are currently 65 global partnerships between U.S. states and foreign countries, including Wisconsin's partnership with Nicaragua. The partnership program creates a relationship in which states work with countries on a variety of levels via exchanges, shared knowledge, and resources.

Conceived in 2011, the MET began a military-to-military relationship with Nicaragua's in 2012. Members of the Nicaraguan military visited Wisconsin in July 2012, and the 10-member MET spent two weeks in Puerto Rico learning Spanish through immersion in September 2012. Their current trip - the team's first to Nicaragua - is working to build a plan for the MET's return to the country in February and March. On that trip, each section will visit for approximately two weeks and get a hands-on assessment of Nicaragua's processes and procedures for disaster response.

The relationship Wisconsin Guardsmen are building with Nicaragua extends far beyond disaster response planning though. The MET's mission here is just another piece in the growing partnership between Nicaragua, Wisconsin, and ultimately, the United States.

Speaking to the MET's leadership, Col. Edward Bonfoey, the senior defense official at the U.S. embassy in Nicaragua, said, "What you all are doing here is vitally important." He added, "That gives me hope that maybe we can take this [relationship] to the next level."

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Wisconsin National Guard unit completes its final drill

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:20:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin National Guard unit completes its final drill

January 29, 2013
By By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

Each military unit is represented by some type of banner, be it a small pennant-like guidon or a large flag. Referred to as organizational colors, they indicate what unit is at a particular location. Casing a unit's colors - that is, rolling the banner around its staff and sliding it into a canvas sheath - has traditionally signaled that the unit has successfully completed its mission.

When this ceremony is performed at a forward or contingency operating base overseas, it is a welcome harbinger of the end of a deployment and a flight home. When performed at an armory, however, it often punctuates the final chapter of a unit's history.

Such was the case Jan. 26, when the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 64th Rear Operations Center cased its colors as part of a formal ceremony during its final weekend drill before inactivation.

"It's a bittersweet day, but there's a lot of celebration going on here today," said Sgt. Maj. Curt Patrouille, the 64th ROC's senior enlisted member. "There's a great heritage, a great history to the unit."

The unit originated following the Wisconsin Army National Guard's massive reorganization in 1967, and known then as the 64th Rear Area Operations Center. In the mid-1990s the 64th RAOC became two distinct units, one of which became the 64th ROC.

A rear operations center was responsible for the administrative framework behind the front lines and oversaw the essential life support functions that supported the forward units. As the nature of combat changed from Cold War tactics to asymmetrical warfare, rear operation centers adapted how they conducted their missions. While the duties of a rear operations center are still required today, a changing military dictates that those tasks and assets migrate to other units.

"This is the only assignment I've ever had," said Sgt. Jerry Scott, the 64th ROC's administrative noncommissioned officer and a unit member since 2002. "It's nice to see all the old faces, and I'm looking forward to the new opportunities that are coming."

"If you ask a Soldier, the top thing that keeps them in the military is the camaraderie with the other troops," Patrouille continued. "So that's the hard part of it. But it's a good day to celebrate because there's a lot of great, great things this unit's been able to accomplish over the years."

The 64th ROC has deployed three times over the years to support Operation Joint Guard in Bosnia from December 1996 to September 1997, Fort Bragg, N.C., to support the global war on terrorism from September 2002 to September 2003, and as part of the Hurricane Katrina response from Sept. 1-18, 2005. Over the years, the 64th ROC has also participated in exercises in numerous states and nations including Germany, Nicaragua, Hungary, South Korea and Japan.

John Muchow, who commanded the unit in its final days as the 64th RAOC from 1990-93, was among the former unit commanders and sergeants major to attend the ceremony. He recalled two proud moments during his tenure, the first involving a surprise visit from a pair of three-star generals to the tactical operations center during an exercise in Germany.

"We discussed rear operations," Muchow said. "From then on we were well respected in the 21st [Theater Army Area Command]."

The second was connected to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Back then the 64th RAOC's scope included units such as the 1157th and 1158th Transportation Companies, the 32nd Military Police Company and Company B, 118th Medical Battalion.

"I sat the operations people down and had them look at the situation developing" in late 1990, Muchow said. "They prioritized how the units would go, if they would go. Once they got their mobilization we were down here supporting the 1158th by 1 p.m. that day. Those were exciting times. They've had plenty of exciting times since then."

Scott agreed.

"We've been fortunate to go to numerous South Dakota exercises," Scott said. "I've been to Japan three times, which is just unreal. To be able to work with them side-by-side is one of the best things ever."

Col. Darrell Feucht commanded the 64th ROC from 2002-04, when the unit deployed to Fort Bragg to augment the 18th Airborne Corps. Some unit members went to Afghanistan and others to Kuwait during that deployment.

"A lot of good people have come through this unit," Feucht said. "This unit has had missions all over the world. They've been recognized and received many accolades over the years. It's a sad day to see them go. This unit has done a lot of things during a time in our nation when we needed this type of unit."

Col. Joni Mathews, commander of the 64th Troop Command Brigade, praised the 64th ROC during the ceremony.

"Everywhere this unit went and with every mission you accomplished successfully, we would receive accolades," Mathews said, "from all over the country and from whomever you provided support to."

Lt. Col. Jacqueline Guthrie, the final commander of the 64th ROC, charged her Soldiers to carry the unit's history and the skills they learned to other units in the Wisconsin National Guard. Patrouille said the unit has spent the past several months helping its Soldiers find new homes in other units.

"Their skills are still valuable to the Wisconsin National Guard, to our state and to our nation," Guthrie said.

Patrouille thanked the Monroe community for its support over the years.

"This is one of the most welcoming communities I've ever seen," he said. "I hope the leadership in Wisconsin can fill this building with another unit so [this community] can support them in the future as well."

Guthrie said being selected to command the 64th ROC was an honor and a privilege.

"I wish we could have spent more time together and completed more missions, but I'm very proud to have served with them," she continued. "I'll carry that with me the rest of my life."

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Million Fan Salute benefits Wisconsin Army National Guard

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:00:00 CST

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Million Fan Salute benefits Wisconsin Army National Guard

January 28, 2013
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

Thanks to National Football League fans and USAA, the Wisconsin Army National Guard will be even more fit for duty.

During November's "Salute to Service" campaign hosted by the NFL and sponsored by USAA, fans were asked to visit www.millionfansalute.com to create a digital salute for the military on behalf of their favorite NFL team. The three NFL cities to tally the most salutes would earn rewards for their selected military community.

The Green Bay Packers were among the top three finishers, resulting in fitness equipment upgrades at a number of Wisconsin Army National Guard armories across the state.

"We are honored to have such a close relationship with the Green Bay Packers, and their support of our Soldiers and Airmen has been nothing short of phenomenal," said Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, assistant adjutant general for Army. "The additional recreational equipment supported by USAA directly benefits all our service members and is greatly appreciated. We thank USAA for their continued support of the National Guard."

The Detroit Lions and Houston Texans joined the Packers in the top three. The USAA will reward the Michigan National Guard with equipment upgrades at Camp Grayling's fitness center, and the Texas Air National Guard by helping construct a jogging trail at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston.

Don Clark, USAA executive director of sports sponsorships and events, congratulated all three winners.

"This program underscores that USAA and the entire NFL community actively stands behind all those who have served," Clark said.

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Wisconsin recruiter named nation's best

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:15:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin recruiter named nation's best

January 23, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

Wisconsin's top Army National Guard recruiter is now officially the best in the nation.

Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Mannel, a Wisconsin Army National Guard recruiter from New Richmond, Wis., advanced to the national competition for the National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year award in Nashville. He brought home the ultimate prize.

After advancing to regional competition, which included the top recruiters from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa and Minnesota, Mannel was named one of the nation's Expert 7, a distinction reserved for the top recruiting noncommissioned officer in each of the nation's seven recruiting regions.

When he arrived in Nashville for the Jan. 15 board, he was well-prepared.

"I felt confident, because I'd been there before, and I did the regional one. But you never know what they are going to ask you," he said. "You don't know if they're going to throw you a curveball, so I was touching up on the (noncommissioned officer) creed, the Soldier's creed and all the questions they've asked in the past and just trying to stay proficient on some questions I thought they might ask."

Mannel's wife, Jill, quizzed him on potential board questions each night before the couple went to bed, and Master Sgt. Jason Meyers, Mannel's platoon sergeant in the Eau Claire-based Detachment 1, Company A of Wisconsin's Recruiting and Retention Battalion, setup a mock board with command sergeants major from Wisconsin to help prepare him for the board he'd face in the national competition.

Meyers is an award-winning noncommissioned officer himself. He and Mannel became the first duo from the same state in recent history to win both major recruiting command awards. He was named as the region's top noncommissioned officer in charge.

Their hard work paid off in the end as Mannel cruised to victory in Nashville. He had advanced to the national competition once before in 2010 and came up short of the ultimate prize. That experience set the stage for his victorious return trip, where he became the first National Guard Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year from Wisconsin in recent memory.

"It's a big accomplishment just to know that Wisconsin can do it, and it just paid off - all the hard work over the last three or four years," Mannel said after the competition.

"We are extremely proud of his accomplishment," remarked Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, Wisconsin's deputy adjutant general for Army. "We recognize that this honor is the result of a lot of hard work on his part. His success in recruitment and seeing his new Soldiers through their training is a reflection of not only his professionalism, but the type of Soldier and noncommissioned officers we have in the Wisconsin Army National Guard."

Each competitor was judged based on their performance before a board of command sergeants major representing each recruiting region. The judges also assessed each candidate based on a review of their backgrounds, their recruiting prowess, and the total Soldier concept. Each candidate was judged on the number of recruits they signed and the number that made it through the Army's training pipeline.

Mannel was judged to be the best.

He will be formally recognized as the nation's top National Guard recruiter at an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. in April.

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Local volunteer carries cavalry association colors in inauguration parade

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:15:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Local volunteer carries cavalry association colors in inauguration parade

January 22, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

One of the only representatives of Wisconsin in Monday's inauguration parade carried a poignant symbol of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and its cavalry troopers.

Amid the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration parade was a Cottage Grove, Wis., woman on horseback flanked by two other riders. The trio carried the U.S. flag, the Wisconsin flag and the flag of Wisconsin's Light Horse Cavalry Association - the state's chapter of the United States Cavalry and Armor Association. Stetsons loaned from members of the Light Horse Cavalry Association, many of whose members hail from the ranks of the Wisconsin National Guard's 105th Cavalry Squadron, adorned their heads.

The woman at the center - Paulette Stelpflug, who, along with wounded Vietnam War veteran Ted Schluter, began the At Ease for Veterans program two years ago at Freedom Stables on Schluter's property in Deerfield, Wis. The program aims to help wounded veterans, their families, and those struggling with adjusting back to the civilian world by connecting them with horses and other veterans.

"One of the things that becomes difficult is coming home and having that tangible thing to have as a connection with family members," Stelpflug said. "We're kind of hoping to fill that or at least offer that choice. Say a returning Soldier wants to come out and work with the horses, and in the meantime, while they were deployed, their family members could come out and work with the horses. So they've got something to share that's in common."

At Ease for Veterans is an all-volunteer program, and its founders provide the equine therapy at no charge for Soldiers and veterans.

Many of her clients come to Freedom Stables trying to unwind from combat and the sense of hyper-vigilance that comes with a deployment.

"They'll just plain tell me, 'When I'm out here, I'm not always worried about where the doors are at,'" Stelpflug said. "So they'll give me mental feedback on that, which has helped me understand a little better to some extent where their thinking is from."

Their work earned the respect of the president, as Stelpflug was chosen from 3,000 applicants to ride in the inauguration parade for President Barack Obama on Jan. 21. It also attracted the attention of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Madison, Wis.-based 105th Cavalry Squadron, whose historical roots lie in horse cavalry.

Many of the unit's Soldiers are members of the Light Horse Cavalry Association of Wisconsin. Vietnam Veteran and association member Dennis Landen originally heard about the At Ease program and began discussing it with fellow Light Horse Cavalry Association members last summer, who were looking for an equestrian connection to augment their outreach programs with other volunteer organizations. After Staff Sgt. Dan Killam and 105th Cavalry Squadron commander Lt. Col. Jeff Alston visited Freedom Stables for themselves, a relationship was born.

Freedom Stables now has a partnership to work directly with the Light Horse Cavalry Association and the families of its Soldiers. A few of their horses even showed up at an association formal at Monona Terrace in Madison last fall.

"When you bring in people who genuinely love Soldiers and genuinely love the families of Soldiers and really have no other connection to the military except for that and they bring horses and want to play equine soccer ... that reinvigorates things in a way that we don't have in-house resources to do," said Killam, a member of the association and the career counselor for the 105th Cavalry Squadron.

To illustrate the relationship between the association and Freedom Stables, Stelpflug carried the organization's colors during the inauguration. The flag, a brilliant yellow with three-foot streamers representing the Wisconsin National Guard, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other affiliated organizations, was perhaps the only parade entrant from the Badger State.

"For the president of the Cav Association [Lt. Col. Alston] to say, 'we'd be honored to have you carry our colors as one of the member organizations of the Cavalry Association,' they're quite touched," Killam said of the stables carrying the flag.

"I'm hoping this is an opportunity for people to learn about Freedom Stables and what they do for my families and my Soldiers," Killam said.

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82nd ADT nearing the end in Afghanistan

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: 82nd ADT nearing the end in Afghanistan

January 17, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

With another team from the Badger State training to take its place, Wisconsin's first agribusiness development team is nearing the end of its tour in Afghanistan, leaving behind an enduring footprint.

The 13 members of the Wisconsin National Guard's 82nd Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) left the state in February 2012 along with 35 other Soldiers and Airmen that formed the original ADT. But a slew of mission changes resulted in 35 Guardsmen returning home in September while the remainder stayed in Afghanistan to continue building the agricultural infrastructure of Kunar Province.

"The main theme of our deployment has been flexibility," said Master Sgt. Kenton Bauer, the unit's agronomist.

Before the 35 Soldiers and Airmen from the original unit were sent home, the unit's focus was on connecting Afghan farmers with local government and using demonstration farms to facilitate training events. After the ADT's mission changed, the remaining 13 Soldiers became the agricultural component of Kunar's provincial reconstruction team, shifting the unit's focus from the local level to the provincial level.

"The relationships we developed with these districts has allowed an improved understanding of agriculture, fostered early stages of agribusiness, and promoted a wide-range of training that is now delivered by district extension agents, and their staff," explained Bauer, a science teacher from Sparta, Wis.

Unit personnel - many of whom have college degrees in related fields or farming experience of their own - work closely with civilians from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other entities to advance agricultural initiatives in the region.

Among the 82nd ADT's key projects - establishing an artificial insemination center for livestock and fostering a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Said Jamaluddin Afghani University. The unit has also taken on a key role in an effort to increase saffron production while slowing the region's poppy production.

Maj. Sarah Bammel, who holds a bachelors degree in meteorology and serves as the officer in charge of the agriculture section, said the unit's mission has been frustrated at times by a lack of funding for specific projects and initiatives, but the unit has found success with most of its initiatives.

According to Bammel, the ADT's members have garnered six Navy Achievement Medals, an Army Commendation Medal for valor, one Purple Heart, and 10 Combat Action or Infantryman Badges.

The stamp left by the 82nd ADT and its counterparts in the region is noticeable.

"We've moved from working mostly at the district level to mostly working at the provincial level now," said Bammel. "The Afghan National Police and the Afghan National Army have taken over the majority of the security in the province."

The Afghan government is much more active in funding agricultural projects now, Bammel said. At the beginning of the unit's deployment, most of the funding came from the coalition's provincial reconstruction team, but now it comes from the Afghan government.

An ADT medic, Sgt. Rodney Hilskotter, has learned valuable lessons about flexibility on his deployment. He served in a variety of medical roles as the unit's mission has evolved, but Hilskotter has relished the opportunities.

"While on this movement, I have earned my [noncommissioned officer] stripes, and have worked very hard to maintain my rank," he wrote in an e-mail.

Staff Sgt. Kyle Wickert, of Iron Ridge, Wis., is on his third tour and first in Afghanistan. Like others, his role changed along with the unit's mission. He spent the first two months as a squad leader for the ADT's security force. He eventually led a quick reaction force squad in Kabul before returning to Kunar Province and the ADT as a force protection non-commissioned officer. Despite the changes, he was quick to realize his unit's impact.

"Helping to rebuild, reshape, and try and put Afghanistan's best foot forward to better their country and way of life was part of being deployed to this country," he wrote. "That in itself is the greatest of all accomplishments that we did as a team."

As much as both Soldiers enjoyed the experience, they and others from the ADT are excited to come home. Wickert is looking forward to reconnecting with family and friends, hunting, fishing, and catching up on the state's sports teams again. Hilskotter shared a similar sentiment.

"I love what I do here. I love the people I work with. I love the mission. But honestly and truly, my family and my home have been calling me home for far too long," said Hilskotter. "I'll get to continue my education, spend more time with my brothers and sister, and get working towards the job I want."

The unit is expected to return home sometime next month. Wisconsin's 97th ADT is currently at Camp Atterbury, Ind., training to take their place in Kunar.

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Wisconsin agribusiness unit one step away from Afghanistan

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:50:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin agribusiness unit one step away from Afghanistan

January 11, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - The Wisconsin National Guard's 97th Agribusiness Development Team is in the final stages of its stateside training before deploying to Afghanistan's Kunar Province to mentor Afghan farmers and government leaders on better agricultural practices.

"So far I think we've gotten worthwhile training in a number of areas," said Capt. Craig Giese, commander of Wisconsin's second agribusiness unit. "A lot of it is tailored to where we are going. [There's] no doubt in my mind that once we finish training here we'll be ready to accomplish our mission downrange."

In the 12 months prior to leaving Wisconsin, the 97th ADT honed its skills on Army battle drills and warrior tasks, which in turn support the mobilization training at Camp Atterbury. Monday (Jan. 14), the unit rehearsed countermeasures for improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Last week, the unit practiced base defense tactics.

"Those are things we may have to do while we're over there," said Staff Sgt. Jason Walters, the 97th ADT's agribusiness noncommissioned officer in charge.

Sgt. Michelle Rothaug of Baraboo, Wis., is the unit's veterinary technician. She employed "outside-the-box" thinking to prepare for this deployment.

"I actually went to the zoo in Madison and talked to them specifically regarding camels as a potential different animal that I haven't necessarily worked with previously," she said. "Other than that, there isn't a whole lot of difference from what I have handled before. Large animals - typically your sheep, goats and cows, horses, donkeys - they're relatively the same and I've had experience with that."

Rothaug said she expects to work with Afghan farmers and officials on improved techniques for artificial insemination and other animal care issues.

Senior Wisconsin National Guard leaders visited the 97th ADT Monday to get an overall sense of how the unit is doing.

"It sounds like all the training is going well," said Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper. "I expect only the best from our Wisconsin Soldiers and Airmen, and it sounds like you guys are executing very well."

Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, assistant adjutant general for Army, agreed.

"Keep up the great work - I know you're going to do phenomenal work when you get over there," Anderson said. "Every Wisconsin organization that we have ever sent, whether it be Iraq or Afghanistan, has always gotten rave reviews from anyone they have worked with. I firmly believe it's because of the work ethic we take with us, but also because of the quality training we conduct in our organization back in the state and the quality individuals we have forming up our organizations."

The 97th ADT includes two Wisconsin Air National Guard staff sergeants, underscoring how the National Guard leverages the civilian expertise of its members for this unique initiative.

"Two Airmen, nine Soldiers? That sounds like fair odds," quipped Brig. Gen. Gary Ebben, assistant adjutant general for Air.

Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, expressed his pride in the unit.

"This mission you're doing is incredibly important and it's not easy," Dunbar said. "If it was easy, they'd send anybody. We didn't just send anybody - we hand-picked talented and gifted Soldiers and Airmen to go over and do this mission.

"One team, one fight, and no one does it better than the folks in this room."

Giese echoed Dunbar's sentiment.

"I think we've really grown as a team and as a cohesive unit," Giese said, "and I'm really proud of all of our team members."

The 97th ADT will replace the Wisconsin National Guard's original agribusiness unit, the 82nd ADT, as part of the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team.

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Wisconsin Guard artillery unit ready for Afghanistan mission

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:50:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin Guard artillery unit ready for Afghanistan mission

January 11, 2013
By Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

FORT BLISS, Texas - Revolutionary.

That is how Capt. Matthew Mangerson, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Battery B, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery, described the training his unit has received here in preparation for its upcoming fire support mission in Afghanistan.

"I haven't seen every training exercise in the Army, but this is pretty unique," Mangerson said. "It's neat to be a part of it."

To prepare the Plymouth, Wis.-based unit to be the first Army National Guard unit to conduct a field artillery mission in Afghanistan, active duty field artillery brigades from Fort Bliss and Joint Base Lewis-McChord have joined forces with a 1st Army training brigade and two additional National Guard units to develop a dynamic training environment. This environment has also provided training opportunities for the active duty components as well as a chance to innovate.

A recent winter storm blanketed Fort Bliss in up to five inches of snow, which curtailed some aspects of the training schedule. But Bravo leadership worked with field artillery subject matter experts from the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery from Joint Base Lewis-McChord - working from a hotel in nearby El Paso, Texas - to develop a virtual operational theater environment, using available Army online training tools.

"Adversity, which is something we've had a lot of the past several days, builds character," said Battery B 1st Sgt. Steve Czekala. "Adversity separates the wheat from the chaff. It makes you learn to adapt. Everybody knows during a time of war, you need to adapt. It actually became a valuable training tool."

Master Sgt. Adam Wallander, a master gunner and supervisor for the unit's mission liaison section, suggested that the mobilization training was nearly perfect.

"The [5th Battalion, 3rd FA] has supported us immensely and built a program for us that is to the 'T' what we're going to be doing in Afghanistan," Wallander said.

Czekala also praised the physical environment at Fort Bliss.

"The amount of real estate we have is incredible," he said - important when even the reduced range rockets used for training travel several kilometers. The unpredictable desert weather - sandstorms, snowstorms, high winds, rain, 80-degree high temperatures and 20-degree low temperatures - and mountainous backdrop also aided in training.

"There are only so many HIMARS units in the country, but I'll bet there's even a smaller percentage of them that can say they've fired rockets in 70-mph crosswinds," Mangerson said.

Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, assistant adjutant general for Army and himself a field artillery officer, was pleased with what he saw during a Jan. 6 visit to Fort Bliss.

"The unit's doing a fantastic job," Anderson said. "That's affirmed by our conversations with the active duty subject matter experts that were there to assist during the certification. Everything that the battery is doing indicates to me that the training they conducted back here at home station in preparation for their mobilization was spot on. They are going to do a fantastic job while they are deployed."

Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, was not surprised at the high level of motivation Battery B Soldiers displayed.

"Anytime a National Guard unit can deploy and do the mission they train for, the mission they sign up for, they're bound to be motivated," Dunbar said. "The National Guard has demonstrated that they can do any job the Department of Defense asks them to do and do it well, but give them an opportunity to do their core mission and watch them excel."

Czekala said that is already happening.

"We definitely have impressed that upon the active duty component that's here working with us," Czekala said. "They've been floored. When we fired an artillery table a couple of weeks ago, they said it's the best they've ever seen, ever, by a National Guard unit. This is coming from a retired HIMARS commander. That meant a lot."

Czekala said that beyond the unit's technical prowess as artillerymen, the Soldiers bring civilian skill sets to the mission from experiences as carpenters, electricians, engineers, farmers and homeowners.

"What that does is it not only validates our unit, but it validates the National Guard as a whole," Mangerson said, "and shows that ability and that value of what makes the National Guard as special as it is."

Anderson said the favorable impression Battery B has made reflects on the young leadership within the organization.

"When dealt with some difficulty or a complex issue, they were flexible enough and agile enough to come up with an innovative way to continue forward with the mission," Anderson said.

Czekala agreed.

"I know it's the first sergeant's job to beat their chest and toot their horn about the unit, but I am 100 percent convinced we will go out and do great things," he said. "We have all the key personnel in place. We're a very mature battery as far as age is concerned and as far as rank is concerned, which makes my life a lot easier. About 60 percent of the battery have deployed before."

"I know that probably any commander would tell you that when they're getting ready to go to war, but I don't know how to express it more honestly - that's exactly how I feel," Mangerson added. "There's no question in my mind that [our Soldiers are] ready to do what they need to do."

"The HIMARS world definitely knows who Bravo 121 is," Czekala said.

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Ebben assumes authority of Wisconsin Air Guard

Wed, 9 Jan 2013 10:40:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Ebben assumes authority of Wisconsin Air Guard

January 9, 2013

The man responsible for leading Wisconsin's 2,300-strong Air National Guard force for the last five years formally handed over control to his successor during a Jan. 4 ceremony at Joint Forces Headquarters in Madison, Wis.

Brig. Gen. Gary Ebben, the former commander of Volk Field in Camp Douglas, Wis., took over as the state's assistant adjutant general for air. He replaced Brig. Gen. John McCoy, who had held the post since 2008. McCoy will continue to serve as the chief of staff for air.

Speaking for the last time as the deputy adjutant general, McCoy thanked Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, the men and women of the Air National Guard, and his family for their support during his tenure as the Air National Guard's top officer.

He also expressed his confidence in Ebben.

"If you have to be replaced, this is the guy to be replaced by - Gary Ebben," McCoy said. "I truly appreciate your friendship and your support."

Walker offered words of praise for both general officers and pointed out that McCoy presided over a period of time in which the National Guard mobilized at its greatest rate since World War II.

"So that underlines exactly just how significant this timeframe of leadership has been both in the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard in terms of the tremendously well-trained, well-experienced men and women of our Wisconsin National Guard," Walker said.

Of Ebben, the governor said, "We know that just as [McCoy] has brought his talents from the 128th [Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee], we know your experience as a command pilot and working your way through the 115th [Fighter Wing in Madison] and particularly, most recently, your outstanding award-winning leadership leading Volk Field will be a great tradition followed by [McCoy's] leadership up until this point.

"And we know that on behalf of all the men and women of the Air National Guard, we're in good hands here in the State of Wisconsin."

In his own remarks, Maj. Gen. Dunbar thanked McCoy for his years of service and positive attitude.

"Not every day when you are the deputy adjutant general for air in Wisconsin is the kind of day when the sun is always shining," he said. "There are some challenges. But with Brig. Gen. McCoy, there is always a smile. Brig. Gen. McCoy's calm, steady leadership had a profound and lasting impact on the Wisconsin Air National Guard."

The adjutant general credited Ebben, a former A-10 and RC-26 pilot, with building the legacy of the 115th Fighter Wing as vice wing commander. He also commended him for his leadership while at Volk Field.

"When we choose a new leader for this National Guard, it is very, very important," Dunbar said. "It is not inconsequential. We have to choose the right person. I am confident we have done just that."

Following the formal change of authority ceremony, Ebben addressed the assembled audience of senior National Guard leaders for the first time as the deputy adjutant general for air. He thanked his family and was quick to praise McCoy for his leadership and for encouraging him to step out of his comfort zone and seek challenging positions.

"I'm greatly blessed. The Air National Guard has got some challenges. The country is recognizing some fiscal challenges," Ebben said. "Recapitalization is an issue, and these are serious issues. Some are going to be immediate issues, and there are going to be some longer term impacts, but it is a dynamic time in the Air National Guard."

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1157th returns home after Afghanistan deployment

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: 1157th returns home after Afghanistan deployment

January 18, 2013
By 1st Lt. Joe Trovato
Wisconsin National Guard

After 11 long months, the 1157th Transportation Company is back in Wisconsin.

The unit's 123 Soldiers returned to a hangar at the EAA in Oshkosh, Wis. on Jan. 18 after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan, where they were welcomed by Gov. Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Army National Guard's top leadership, and most importantly, their families.

The reunification of so many families was emotional.

"We're ecstatic. The girls are looking forward to it," Andria Weber said of her husband, Staff Sgt. David Weber's, return home. "We've been waiting for months and the last few days have seemed the longest I think, because we know that he's so close but not quite home."

The couple from Oshkosh have two daughters - one just over a year old and the other three.

Maria Kloth, anxiously awaited the return of her younger brother Dylan Homer. Their family held postponed their celebration of Christmas so they could share it with Homer upon his return.

"For all of the Soldiers I'm speechless as to what they do," said Debbie Stenson as she waited for her son, Sgt. Anthony Stenson, to arrive at the EAA. "Whether you're deployed or not, the responsibilities that you carry ... I'm just proud to be an American."

William Butzlaff Sr., of Oshkosh, was also proud of what his son, William Jr., for his service. "I'm very proud of him. He went over there and represented our country and our state, and we should all be proud of all of them."

After months of anticipation, the moment finally arrived, as buses carrying the unit's 123 Soldiers arrived at the EAA. They passed through the handshakes of the governor and into the welcoming arms of their families.

Many of the Soldiers had some catching up to do.

"It's quite overwhelming. I was finally able to see my daughter. I watched her be born and two-and-a-half days later we went back to Camp Shelby, so it's very overwhelming and still very surreal," said Sgt. Adam Pearson, of Luxemburg, Wis. " I'm really looking forward to going home and being a family with my wife and my daughter and just settling down and getting back to my roots."

"It's absolutely crazy, because I've been waiting so long just to see my (three-year-old) son," said Spc. Garrett Kaehler, of Menasha, Wis.

Asked what he plans to do now that he is home for good.

"I'm going to take the kid to go get some Christmas presents and the stuff he's long overdue."

Capt. Roger Miller, a platoon leader in the 1157th highlighted the unit's accomplishments in his address. The unit, which conducted operations in northern, eastern, and central Afghanistan, provided convoy security for equipment and personnel leaving Afghanistan. All told, the unit performed 128 escort missions, and logged over 1.8 million miles on some of Afghanistan's most dangerous roads.

"No mission was too hard. No mission was too dangerous. The 1157th's dedication to mission accomplishment earned them 40 combat action badges and five purple hearts," Miller said. "Soldiers are often thanked for their service, and they're thanked for their sacrifice. Nobody's more appreciative, and nobody knows that sacrifice more acutely than our family members."

He added, "Thank you for being strong and for working hard through all the adversity. The State of Wisconsin and the American people should be real proud of you. I'm real proud of you. You earned those 12 (Army Achievement Medals), 105 Army Commendation Medals, nine Bronze Star (medals). And one new citizen."

In his remarks, Gov. Walker thanked the members of the 1157th for the dedication, representing Wisconsin, and serving the nation. He also promised the state's assistance in finding jobs for the returning Soldiers.

"There should be no man or woman coming back from serving our country on a deployment who doesn't have an opportunity for a job once you get back to Wisconsin," Walker said.

The state's adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar said, "It takes something special in our world to have enough courage and commitment to this country to put a uniform on and endure the rigor of hard training, and then when your country calls on you, to go into combat, go forth and complete that mission. You are in a rare, very select breed. I hope that you are proud of what you've accomplished. I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of what you've accomplished."

Dunbar also recognized the sacrifices of families during a deployment.

"To the families, I know a year is a long time. Your commitment is no less than your Soldier's to the defense of this country."

The 1157th first reported to Camp Shelby last February for mobilization training before arriving in Afghanistan in April. The past year's deployment was the fifth since 1990 for the unit. The unit mobilized and served overseas during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990, and it provided transportation support in 2002 to Army Special Operations Support Command and other units at Fort Bragg, N.C., for 11 months. In September 2005 the unit was ordered to active duty to support Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Louisiana, and in 2006, it deployed to Iraq where it logged more than 300,000 miles hauling fuel and other cargo.

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Wisconsin National Guard members to receive lost benefits

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 13:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Wisconsin National Guard members to receive lost benefits

January 7, 2013

Members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation were instrumental in ensuring that the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision that will compensate approximately 80 Wisconsin Army National Guard members for accrued leave that they earned but had not received.

U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind and U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl included the amendment to the defense spending bill, which corrects a government error that denied payment to approximately 575 Army National Guard troops nationwide. The entitlement is for leave earned through the Post Deployment Mobilization Respite Absence program, which awards leave based on cumulative deployment time. Some Guard Soldiers have not been reimbursed for as many as five years.

Most of the affected Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers were members of the Oshkosh-based 1157th Transportation Company. That unit is presently concluding a deployment to Afghanistan, though many of the Soldiers denied back leave pay are no longer members of the 1157th or have retired from the Wisconsin National Guard.

This legislation will mean an average payment of $5,100 to affected Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers, though the benefits owed varies by individual.

"Close to 600 of our brave Guardsmen and women, including 80 in Wisconsin, have been affected by this negligent miscalculation," Kind said when H.R. 3863 - the Fair Military Leave Act - was introduced Feb. 1, 2012. "These Soldiers have spent time overseas defending our great nation, some in multiple deployments, and have earned their leave benefits."

"This is a simple matter of giving our troops what they are clearly owed," Petri said Dec. 20. "They are putting their lives on the line overseas, and they deserve to have us fix this."

"These troops served with honor and earned extra leave time after multiple or extended deployments overseas, but a miscalculation prevented them from using that leave," Kohl said Feb. 1. "This legislation will correct the error by providing the option to cash out this unused leave time. It's the right thing to do."

Kohl advanced a similar measure in the Senate in 2011.

Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, applauded the news.

"I am extremely grateful to Representatives Petri and Kind, Sen. Kohl and our Congress for their unwavering efforts to ensure that our Soldiers received the full compensation they have earned serving our nation in combat," Dunbar said. "It's unfortunate that it has taken so long to correct this error. Although we had the support of the National Guard Bureau and the U.S. Army, sometimes you need Congress to right a wrong. We are fortunate that members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation were relentless in the fight to make this right."

The Post Deployment Mobilization Respite Absence program was introduced in August 2007 and applies to mobilizations underway on or commencing after Jan. 19, 2007. It awards additional leave days as compensation to service members who deploy before their recommended "dwell time" between mobilizations has expired.

Information for this report was provided by the offices of U.S. Rep. Tom Petri and U.S. Rep. Ron Kind.

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Guard agricultural team departs for Afghanistan mission

Fri, 4 Jan 2013 11:30:00 CDT

Contact: Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office
Office: 608-242-3050 or Cell: 608-516-1777

NEWS: Guard agricultural team departs for Afghanistan mission

January 4, 2013

Gov. Scott Walker, families, and the Wisconsin National Guard's senior leadership gathered on Jan. 3, at Joint Forces Headquarters in Madison, Wis., to bid farewell to Wisconsin's 97th Agribusiness Development Team (ADT), which will head to Afghanistan after mobilization training at Camp Atterbury, Ind.

The team, which will replace another ADT from Wisconsin currently in Afghanistan, consists of nine Soldiers and two Airmen, many of whom bring previous agricultural experience with them. Speaking to the loved ones who congregated to wish their Soldiers or Airmen well, ADT commander Capt. Craig Giese said the most difficult job on the unit's upcoming deployment belonged to the families.

"You have the hardest job dealing with the changes in the home and adapting to those changes once we all depart," he said. "My heart goes out to each and every one of you for your support to your Soldier or Airman. One thing that I have learned over the past year with all of my travel away from home is that life at home keeps going on, even in my absence. You all have a challenging job, which is just as important as our mission downrange."

Giese, of Lodi, Wis., said his number one priority is the safety of each Soldier and Airmen in his command. His team will head to Kunar Province in Afghanistan, where they will work with local farmers on a variety of initiatives including animal husbandry, artificial insemination of livestock, reforestation, and saffron production, which leaders hope will displace the Afghan poppy harvest that fuels a significant portion of the world's illicit drug trade.

The ADT, composed of Soldiers and Airmen with experience in agriculture, will work directly with Kunar Province's director of agricultural irrigation and livestock to create a sustainable agricultural infrastructure.

The state's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, praised the ADT for volunteering to take on such a complex mission, noting that the team's Soldiers and Airmen will be part of a much more significant challenge than the usual tasks associated with military service.

"To take American fighting Soldiers and Airmen and put them in a situation where they are mentoring Afghanistan's citizens and farmers and teaching them a better way of life - what an incredible challenge for these folks to be the ambassadors for our country and teach these farmers a better way in addition to the responsibility of being a Soldier or an Airman in the place where they're going," he said.

"It is exceptional. I think it's quintessentially what the National Guard is all about - citizen Soldiers, citizen Airmen answering the call and not only doing the stuff that you would expect, but taking on the difficult missions that they're going find themselves in."

Gov. Walker addressed the ADT as well, likening the ADT's mission in Afghanistan to planting strong roots for agriculture in that country.

"Certainly when you think of agriculture, we think of one of the important things for a good harvest is having deep, thick roots," the governor said. "Certainly from an agricultural standpoint in Afghanistan, you'll be helping people understand that, but in a very real sense, those roots aren't just about growing things. They're about growing a nation."

Walker touted the benefits the ADT could bring to Afghanistan's agricultural economy but focused on the larger impact of the ADT and the lasting legacy it could leave on the war-torn country.

"In a much broader sense, it's those roots of having not just agriculture as a trade and as an industry, but in a way that is positive and affirming of things that aren't related to terrorism, that aren't related to war, that aren't related to conflict, but instead related to what we would consider a more normal way of life," he told the ADT. "Those are the things that build deep roots, not just for a season, but for a lifetime.

"You provide the kind of certainty for that country so that as we withdraw, our troops are safe, are protected, and ensure that the work that has been done over many years is work that doesn't fall apart after representatives of our nation are no longer there on patrol."

The ADT departed shortly after the ceremony and headed to Camp Atterbury, Ind., for its final mobilization training. They could serve on active duty for up to one year.

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