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New Hampshire National Guard - Winter 2011 - Keep Trees

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Grassroots<br />

diplomacy<br />

with El Salvador


The Honorable John H. Lynch<br />

Governor of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong><br />

Major General William Reddel III<br />

Adjutant General of the<br />

N.H. <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

Brigadier General Craig Bennett<br />

Commander of the N.H. Army <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

Brigadier General Carolyn Protzmann<br />

Commander of the N.H. Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

Major Greg Heilshorn<br />

State Public Affairs Officer, N.H. <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

First Sergeant Michael Daigle<br />

Deputy State Public Affairs Officer,<br />

N.H. <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

Captain Sue Lamb<br />

Public Affairs Officer, 157th Air Refueling Wing,<br />

N.H. Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

STAFF<br />

114th Public Affairs Detachment,<br />

N.H. Army <strong>Guard</strong>, and<br />

157th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office<br />

and Communications Squadron,<br />

N.H. Air <strong>Guard</strong><br />

Bob Ulin<br />

Publisher<br />

Marie Lundstrom<br />

Editor<br />

Gloria Schein<br />

Graphic Artist<br />

Chris Kersbergen<br />

Darrell George<br />

Advertising Sales<br />

Toll Free: (866) 562-9300 • Fax: (907) 562-9311<br />

Web: www.AQPpublishing.com<br />

The <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine is a<br />

quarterly, joint publication for the soldiers and airmen<br />

serving in the N.H. <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, as well as their families<br />

and retirees. It is posted to the World Wide Web at<br />

https://www.nh.ngb.army.mil.<br />

The <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine is a<br />

commercial enterprise publication produced in partnership<br />

with the State Public Affairs Office, <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong><br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, 1 Minuteman Way, Concord, NH 03301;<br />

and AQP Publishing Inc., 8537 Corbin Drive, Anchorage,<br />

AK 99507.<br />

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made<br />

available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to<br />

race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin,<br />

age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation,<br />

or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or<br />

patron. A confirmed violation of this policy of equal<br />

opportunity by an advertiser shall result in the refusal to<br />

print advertising from that source.<br />

Views and opinions expressed herein are not<br />

necessarily the official views of the departments of the<br />

Army and Air Force, or the State of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong>. All<br />

photos are the property of the N.H. <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> unless<br />

otherwise credited. Circulation: 3,000<br />

How to reach us: We welcome letters to the editor.<br />

They must include the writer’s full name and mailing<br />

address.<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine<br />

Wearestrongerandwiser................ 2<br />

Agoodstand-in ........................ 3<br />

54th Troop Command hones<br />

marksmanship.......................... 5<br />

Dunkelberger makes general,<br />

assistant to USAF chief nurse. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7<br />

Dispensing with the particulars . . . . . . . . . . . 7<br />

Performing with steady aplomb . . . . . . . . . . . 8<br />

QuestforGermangold................. 11<br />

Salvadoran partnership<br />

continuestoevolve..................... 12<br />

Morethanwilling...................... 14<br />

MEDEVAC crew receives<br />

prestigiousaward...................... 15<br />

Onetoughmudder..................... 17<br />

Jumping on the back of a speeding train. . . 19<br />

Backonsolidground................... 20<br />

Army Promotions & Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . 23<br />

Air Promotions & Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24<br />

Submissions: We encourage story and photo<br />

submissions. Please send articles and photos with<br />

cutlines to:<br />

On the cover: State<br />

Command Sgt. Maj. John<br />

Nanof visits with a group<br />

of students during a<br />

break in classes from the<br />

San Jose Villanueva<br />

school in El Salvador on<br />

Feb. 15, <strong>2011</strong>. The school<br />

has established a longterm<br />

relationship with<br />

Bow High School in<br />

Bow, N.H. through the<br />

NHNG State Partnership<br />

Program with El<br />

Salvador. Photo courtesy of<br />

Maj. Brian Fernandes, NHARNG<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />

NHNG Website: https://www.nh.ngb.army.mil<br />

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/<strong>New</strong>-<strong>Hampshire</strong>-<strong>National</strong>-<strong>Guard</strong>/101586059766<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine<br />

State Public Affairs Office, N.H. <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

1 Minuteman Way • Concord, NH 03301<br />

(603) 225-1340<br />

3<br />

12<br />

20<br />

1


We are stronger and wiser<br />

By Maj. Gen. William Reddel III, Adjutant General of the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

On Dec. 13, <strong>2011</strong>, our <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> celebrated 375 years<br />

of dedicated service to our individual states and nation. From<br />

King Philip’s War in 1675 to the current struggle in Afghanistan,<br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>smen have fought bravely in every major<br />

American conflict.<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>smen Sgt. Ian James of Pittsfield and Master<br />

Sgt. Marc Gagnon of Manchester join N.H. Gov. John Lynch to cut a birthday<br />

cake during a ceremony Dec. 13 at the Statehouse in Concord to celebrate the<br />

375th anniversary of the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>. Photo by 1st Sgt. Mike Daigle, Deputy PAO<br />

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR<br />

2<br />

At home, they have responded to crises, saving lives,<br />

protecting property, and giving a much-needed sense of comfort<br />

to their fellow citizens.<br />

The <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> as a militia for selfdefense<br />

can be traced back to 1623 and the first settlements near<br />

the mouth of the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth.<br />

Since 9/11, more than 2,000 <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>smen<br />

have deployed overseas in support of combat and peacekeeping<br />

missions under Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and <strong>New</strong><br />

Dawn. Collectively, they account for a Silver Star, several Bronze<br />

Stars and Army Commendation Medals with Valor Devices,<br />

more than 100 Combat Infantry and Combat Action Badges,<br />

and more than 100 Purple Hearts.<br />

Four have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Sgt. Jeremiah Holmes,<br />

Spc. Alan Burgess, Sgt. David Stelmat and Cpl. Scott Dimond<br />

were killed in action.<br />

Domestically, N.H. citizen soldiers and airmen have mobilized<br />

under Operation Noble Eagle, aided the victims of floods<br />

and ice storms, and rescued lost hikers in the White Mountains.<br />

They have stood up a Civil Support Team that has responded to<br />

chemical and biological emergencies, and developed a proficiency<br />

for nation-building establishing a model State Partnership<br />

Program with the Central American country of El Salvador.<br />

The last 10 years of our history have been the most dynamic<br />

on record, forever changing the way we operate. We are stronger<br />

and wiser. We have a greater appreciation of who we are and<br />

what we stand for. The connection to our communities has grown<br />

deeper, and we are as committed to the ideals of our state and<br />

nation as the first minutemen were nearly four centuries ago.<br />

Our legacy continues to grow richer thanks to your selfless<br />

service and the support and sacrifice of your families, employers<br />

and communities. You are of the One Percent a free society has<br />

always depended on. ❖<br />

From right, Sgt. Robert McKay and Pvt. Derek Champagne of the 237th Military Police Company, <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Army <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, speak with a Litchfield, N.H.,<br />

resident during a health and wellness check Nov. 2. More than 80 percent of the town was without power as a result of the Halloween nor’easter.<br />

Photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Hughes, 114th PAD<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>


A GOOD<br />

STAND-IN<br />

Story and photos by Maj. Greg Heilshorn,<br />

State PAO<br />

If Santa ever needs a stand-in, chances<br />

are Gil Colon will be on his short list.<br />

For nearly three decades, the <strong>New</strong><br />

<strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> warrant officer<br />

has volunteered to support a charity that<br />

collects toys for thousands of disadvantaged<br />

boys and girls. Fittingly coined<br />

“Operation Santa Claus,” the program is<br />

the annual holiday cause of the State<br />

Employees Association of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong>.<br />

Each December, the SEA partners with<br />

the <strong>Guard</strong> to distribute donated gifts to<br />

11 locations across the Granite state.<br />

Colon, of Rochester, started as a<br />

driver and worked his way up to state<br />

coordinator, overseeing an effort that has<br />

swelled to include more than 100 citizen<br />

soldiers and airmen.<br />

“I love this,” said Colon, during what<br />

would be his last Operation Santa Claus<br />

on Dec. 13. Colon retired from the<br />

military at the end of the month. “It’s one<br />

of the nicest things we do as an organization.<br />

People see us helping for storms and<br />

disaster relief, but when we can go back<br />

into our communities like this, it really<br />

gets to the heart of who we are and why<br />

we are here.”<br />

Over the years, Colon has taken a<br />

postman-like approach to his responsibilities,<br />

ensuring the N.H. <strong>Guard</strong> lives up<br />

to its national creed of “Always Ready.<br />

Always There.”<br />

“Through all kinds of weather, snow<br />

and ice storms and bitter cold, we never<br />

lost a package and always got the toys<br />

there on time,” he said.<br />

Jane Lyman, a longtime civilian<br />

volunteer from Silver Lake, said the N.H.<br />

<strong>Guard</strong> has been crucial to the success of<br />

the program, which started in 1961.<br />

“Without the <strong>Guard</strong>, I don’t know how<br />

we would get all these gifts to where they<br />

need to go,” she said. “Every child needs<br />

to have a Christmas.”<br />

They are children who have lost their<br />

parents to illnesses or accidents, according<br />

to the SEA. Some have been abandoned<br />

or have been removed from abusive<br />

homes. Other children have both parents,<br />

but their families have been overwhelmed<br />

by job loss, foreclosure and homelessness.<br />

Lyman’s fondest memory is of a 15year-old<br />

boy who had lost his parents and<br />

was being taken care of by his grand-<br />

Chief Warrant Officer Gil Colon displays a citation from Gov. John Lynch, who recognized his many years of<br />

involvement with Operation Santa Claus on Dec. 13 in Concord.<br />

mother. “He wanted nothing for himself<br />

and everything for his grandmother,” she<br />

said. “We got as many things as we could<br />

think of in a box for his grandmother and<br />

then filled another box for him.”<br />

Another volunteer, Dianne Blodgett of<br />

Concord, recalled a 3-year-old asking for<br />

a blanket rather than a toy, and another<br />

child “who just wanted chocolate milk.”<br />

“I wish I could be there on Christmas<br />

Day to see them open their presents,”<br />

Blodgett said.<br />

At an otherwise nondescript state warehouse<br />

near the Greyhound bus station in<br />

Concord, about 50 N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>smen<br />

loaded toys and bikes into a small convoy<br />

of Army trucks. Maj. Gen. William Reddel,<br />

the Adjutant General of the N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>,<br />

along with the deputy adjutant, Brig. Gen.<br />

Carolyn Protzmann, joined soldiers and<br />

airmen to form a green and tan bucket<br />

brigade. Gov. John Lynch was on hand as<br />

well to thank everyone for their support.<br />

“It’s good to help out with all the<br />

different locations,” said Staff Sgt. Michael<br />

Morris of Berwick, Maine, an active duty<br />

aircraft mechanic with the 64th Air<br />

Refueling Squadron at Pease Air <strong>National</strong><br />

<strong>Guard</strong> Base.<br />

Sgt. Jason Burpee of Hooksett, a<br />

soldier with the 3643rd Brigade Support<br />

Battalion, said, “I grew up in a thrifty<br />

household. I grew up not knowing what it<br />

was like to not always get what you<br />

wanted.”<br />

Both were first-time volunteers,<br />

something Colon likes to see as he bids<br />

farewell to a mission he helped build,<br />

one toy at a time.<br />

“Others will step up,” Colon said,<br />

moments after Lynch presented him with<br />

a citation for his years of service with<br />

Operation Santa Claus. “It’s what we do.<br />

It’s what we are best at.” ❖<br />

A bucket brigade of N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>smen load toys at a<br />

warehouse in Concord on Dec.13 in support of<br />

Operation Santa Claus.<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine 3


54th Troop Command hones marksmanship<br />

By Spc. Margaret Taylor, 114th PAD<br />

On one range, a Humvee-mounted MK-19 belched rounds<br />

into the still, foggy morning air. Not far away, the new M-320<br />

grenade launcher debuted by spewing orange chalk-filled rounds<br />

at targets downrange. And at another site nearby, M-240B and<br />

M-249 machine guns chattered side by side, toppling targets up<br />

and down a tree-lined hillside.<br />

These were only some of the weapons various units in the<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Army <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> brought to the ranges<br />

at Fort Devens, Mass., for their annual weapons qualification<br />

on Oct. 1-3.<br />

In attendance were about 370 soldiers from the 54th Troop<br />

Command, including the 237th Military Police Company,<br />

160th Engineers Detachment, C Company, 3/172nd Infantry<br />

Battalion (Mountain), C Company, 2/238th Aviation Regiment<br />

(MEDEVAC), 169th Aviation, and the 114th Public Affairs<br />

Detachment. These soldiers had an opportunity to train on<br />

handguns, rifles, grenade launchers and a variety of crew-served<br />

weapons.<br />

“There have been plenty of rounds<br />

and plenty of range time.<br />

We have had a lot of trigger time,<br />

and as infantrymen that’s what we need.”<br />

– Staff Sgt. Derek Downey<br />

“The goal of the weekend was to hone soldiers’ perishable<br />

skills,” said 1st Sgt. Robert Rogers, first sergeant of the 237th<br />

MP Company. “Its purpose was also to introduce them to new<br />

equipment and work out the kinks.”<br />

While weapons proficiency was a major logistical objective,<br />

the weekend brought about several other triumphs as well. For<br />

example, Mountain Company soldiers, were able to train on the<br />

M-320, a brand new weapon system that will replace the M-203<br />

grenade launcher.<br />

The new weapon is no longer attached to soldiers’ M-4 rifles,<br />

and is much more versatile as an independent weapon, soldiers<br />

said. During its training, the company was able to qualify 21<br />

soldiers on the new weapon, despite their first time firing it.<br />

“They pick it up really quick,” said Staff Sgt. Derek Downey,<br />

Mountain Company, 3rd platoon sergeant. “There have been<br />

plenty of rounds and plenty of range time. We have had a lot of<br />

trigger time, and as infantrymen that’s what we need.”<br />

Qualifications began almost as soon as units arrived at Fort<br />

Devens and lasted through the afternoon and into early evening.<br />

Once darkness fell, soldiers engaged in a night-fire exercise,<br />

shooting targets lit only by intermittent strobes. The following<br />

day afforded many soldiers the opportunity to cross-train.<br />

“There was a good mix of skills,” said Maj. Melinda Morin,<br />

executive officer for the 54th TC, who played a key role in<br />

organizing the weekend. “The diversity of the troops gathered<br />

here was fantastic.”<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine<br />

Staff Sgt. Peter Miner, a squad leader with the 237th MP Company, demonstrates<br />

a technique for dislodging jammed ammunition from an MK 19 grenade launcher<br />

at Fort Devens, Mass., Oct. 2. Photo by Spc. Courtney Selig, 114th PAD<br />

The firing line also brought together units from different<br />

states and services. The Rhode Island Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>’s<br />

143rd Airlift Wing Security Force shared a range with Mountain<br />

Company, and both welcomed any soldier or airman who wished<br />

to train on their M-240B or M-249 machine guns.<br />

Camaraderie was a natural by-product of the weekend<br />

training.<br />

“He’s got my back, and I’ve got his,” said Spc. Jeff Flanagan<br />

of his assistant gunner, Pvt. Joe Green, after they qualified on<br />

the M-240B. “It’s as simple as that.” ❖<br />

5


RAMP UP<br />

From left, Maj. Heidi Lelke, Lt. Col. Michael Blair and Tech. Sgt. Richard Blais, a tanker crew with the 157th Air Refueling Wing, consult their flight manual during a<br />

weekend exercise Oct. 22, <strong>2011</strong>, at Pease Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Base. Photo by Staff Sgt. Curtis J. Lenz, 157th ARW PA<br />

6<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>


Dunkelberger makes general, assistant to<br />

USAF chief nurse<br />

Col. Gretchen Dunkelberger of Eliot,<br />

Maine, has been selected to serve as the<br />

Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>’s assistant to the U.S.<br />

Air Force chief nurse and for promotion<br />

to the rank of brigadier general.<br />

The former commander of the 157th<br />

Medical Group at Pease Air <strong>National</strong><br />

<strong>Guard</strong> Base in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> will be<br />

responsible for advising Maj. Gen.<br />

Kimberly Siniscalchi on all programs and<br />

policies related to recruitment, training,<br />

utilization, deployment, and retention of<br />

the nearly 3,000 commissioned and<br />

enlisted nursing personnel in the Air<br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>.<br />

Dunkelberger most recently served as<br />

the Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> assistant to the<br />

commander, 59th Medical Wing, Wilford<br />

Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force<br />

Base, Texas. She is currently leading two<br />

exploratory teams dealing with national<br />

access to health care for the Air Reserve<br />

Component and psychological health<br />

within the Reserve Component (both<br />

AFRES and ANG).<br />

She earned a bachelor of science<br />

degree in nursing from the University<br />

of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> in 1983 and joined<br />

the U.S. Air Force in October of the<br />

same year. ❖<br />

Dispensing with the particulars<br />

By Fallon Reed, Strategic <strong>National</strong> Stockpile Coordinator, <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Department of Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management<br />

The <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Air <strong>Guard</strong>, in<br />

conjunction with the Departments of<br />

Safety, Health and Human Services, conducted<br />

the 2nd annual State Emergency<br />

Responder and Volunteer Point of<br />

Dispensing, or SERV POD, exercise<br />

at Pease Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

Base on Nov. 5.<br />

The exercise was held<br />

during the <strong>Guard</strong>’s drill<br />

weekend and provided<br />

seasonal influenza vaccine<br />

to more than 500 airmen in<br />

less than two hours.<br />

SERV PODs are<br />

designed to vaccinate or<br />

provide prophylaxis to statelevel<br />

emergency responders,<br />

mission critical personnel<br />

and their families in the first<br />

few hours of a public health<br />

emergency requiring mass<br />

prophylaxis.<br />

SERV PODs would be<br />

utilized to ensure that<br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, state police,<br />

state EOC staff and others<br />

would be able to continue<br />

with their response efforts<br />

and ensure that their health<br />

is not at risk during the<br />

event. There are two SERV<br />

PODs identified with<br />

physical locations in the<br />

state, and a third “mobile” unit capable<br />

of responding to any place in <strong>New</strong><br />

<strong>Hampshire</strong>. The Pease site is staffed and<br />

managed by the 157th Medical Group.<br />

The exercise also provided the opportunity<br />

to use the state’s new Inventory<br />

Management and Patient Tracking system<br />

or IRMS. Utilizing the system in a controlled<br />

environment such as the SERV<br />

POD exercise allows for the system to be<br />

tested and to ensure that it will work<br />

appropriately during an emergency. ❖<br />

Capt. Paul Marcus gives a shot to an airman at the 2nd annual State Emergency Responder and Volunteer Point of<br />

Dispensing, or SERV POD, exercise at Pease Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Base on Nov. 5. Courtesy photo<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine 7


Performing with steady aplomb Within 90 minutes, the <strong>New</strong> England<br />

Story and photos by Spc. Margaret Taylor,<br />

114th PAD<br />

At first, there wasn’t much to look at<br />

– a pile of concrete rubble here, a bunch<br />

of white trucks with white trailers there,<br />

and a big black tarp covering a strip of<br />

ground in the middle. Several dozen<br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>smen, their bright orange<br />

vests in stark contrast to the bleak October<br />

landscape, waited for a signal.<br />

Then, at a word, a hailstorm of activity<br />

broke out. Citizen soldiers and airmen<br />

from <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong>, Maine and Rhode<br />

Island emptied out the trailers and transformed<br />

the bleak field into something<br />

out of the next apocalyptic movie, sans<br />

zombies. Within a half hour, several white<br />

and yellow decontamination tents – most<br />

set aside for victims but a few for rescuers<br />

8<br />

as well – had been set up around the black<br />

tarp. Then, while some service members<br />

ran water hoses from portable generators<br />

and water sources to the tents, others<br />

began donning their white hazardous<br />

material suits.<br />

Once validated,<br />

the <strong>New</strong> England CERFP<br />

will be capable of<br />

responding to an emergency<br />

anywhere in the region –<br />

even across the nation,<br />

if necessary –<br />

in less than eight hours.<br />

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear<br />

Enhanced Response Force Package<br />

(CERFP), comprising 200 <strong>Guard</strong>smen,<br />

was ready to tackle whatever hazmat<br />

catastrophe might come.<br />

As part of a five-day training exercise<br />

culminating in a federal validation, the<br />

<strong>New</strong> England CERFP put on a public<br />

display of its capabilities for state and<br />

regional military leaders at the <strong>New</strong><br />

<strong>Hampshire</strong> Fire Academy in Concord<br />

Oct. 26. The exhibition involved setting<br />

up decontamination and medical units,<br />

and working through a disaster-relief<br />

scenario with about 100 “victims.”<br />

The purpose of the training was to<br />

acquire certification, to practice with units<br />

from other states and to hone emergency<br />

response skills, said Capt. Darrell Davis<br />

Soldiers with the Search and Extraction team, 861st Engineer Company, Rhode Island <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, prepare to move a victim away from a disaster site during a<br />

training exercise at the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Fire Academy in Concord, N.H., Oct. 26.<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>


Airmen from the 143rd Medical Group, Rhode Island Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, help a victim move from a gurney to the start of the decontamination line during a training<br />

exercise at the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Fire Academy in Concord, Oct. 26<br />

of <strong>New</strong>castle, the commander of the<br />

NHNG’s team.<br />

Many soldiers in C Company, 172nd<br />

Infantry Regiment (Mountain), for<br />

example, are EMTs or firefighters in their<br />

civilian jobs, Davis said. Participation in<br />

the CERFP permits these soldiers to<br />

broaden their working knowledge as well<br />

as share it with teammates who come from<br />

different areas of expertise.<br />

“It’s great for unit cohesion,” said Sgt.<br />

Shannon Kulakowski of Epping, the noncommissioned<br />

officer in charge of the<br />

NHNG team. “With us helping out in hazmat<br />

cases, it frees up local first responders<br />

so they can keep doing their jobs.”<br />

Once validated, the <strong>New</strong> England<br />

CERFP will be capable of responding to<br />

an emergency anywhere in the region –<br />

even across the nation, if necessary – in<br />

less than eight hours.<br />

Not long after the decontamination<br />

area was established, soldiers from<br />

861st Engineer Company, 56th Troop<br />

Command, Rhode Island Army <strong>National</strong><br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine<br />

<strong>Guard</strong>, began their search and extraction<br />

mission, combing through the rubble – in<br />

the scenario, the site of a bomb blast – for<br />

survivors. Those victims able to walk were<br />

quickly moved from the hot zone, or the<br />

source of the incident and contaminated<br />

area around it, into the first tent (the<br />

warm zone) to begin decontamination.<br />

Hazmat-suited soldiers from the<br />

NHNG processed the victims one by one,<br />

helping them remove their contaminated<br />

clothing, wash off any residual toxins and<br />

move across the black tarp to the critical<br />

or noncritical care medical tents (the cold<br />

zone) for additional treatment.<br />

Next door, civil engineers from the<br />

143rd Airlift Wing, R.I. Air <strong>National</strong><br />

<strong>Guard</strong>, performed the same operation,<br />

only with victims who were unable to walk.<br />

They were transported from the hot zone<br />

in gurneys, through triage and onto a<br />

conveyor-belt system through the warm<br />

zone. Once out of the warm zone, the<br />

victims were wheeled to the cold zone<br />

tents manned by members of the 157th<br />

Staff Sgt. Abel Emanuelli of Derry, N.H., an infantryman<br />

with C Company, 172nd Infantry Regiment<br />

(Mountain), <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Army <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>,<br />

helps a victim through the decontamination line<br />

during a training exercise at the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong><br />

Fire Academy in Concord, Oct. 26.<br />

Medical Group, N.H. Air <strong>National</strong><br />

<strong>Guard</strong>. In an actual situation, injured<br />

victims would have been transported from<br />

there to local civilian medical facilities. ❖<br />

9


Quest for German<br />

GOLD<br />

Story and photo by Spc. Margaret Taylor, 114th PAD<br />

“You can do it!” “Come on,<br />

Taylor!” “You’re almost there!”<br />

The cheers of the soldiers I’d<br />

just met the day before carried<br />

me over the finish line with a few<br />

minutes to spare. I took a few<br />

more wobbly steps and gratefully<br />

dropped the 35-pound pack I’d<br />

been carrying for the last 7.5<br />

miles. I was the last to finish, and<br />

I didn’t expect the welcoming party.<br />

Twelve soldiers from various units in the <strong>New</strong><br />

<strong>Hampshire</strong> Army <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, two from the 157th<br />

Airlift Wing, N.H. Air <strong>Guard</strong>, and I spent much of<br />

Oct. 13-14 striving for the German Armed Force<br />

Military Proficiency Badge at the University of <strong>New</strong><br />

<strong>Hampshire</strong> in Durham and at Pease Air <strong>National</strong><br />

<strong>Guard</strong> Base in Portsmouth. This award is one of the<br />

few foreign badges U.S. service members are allowed<br />

to earn and wear, and the process to gain it is arduous,<br />

to say the least. But receiving an award is not the sole<br />

benefit of the event.<br />

“It definitely boosts morale,” said Sgt. 1st Class<br />

Sage Ladieu, an attrition and retention NCO from<br />

Center Barnstead and assistant facilitator of the<br />

event.<br />

Retired Maj. Robert Sanders of Kennebunkport,<br />

Maine, and a senior military science instructor for<br />

UNH Army ROTC, and the event’s primary facilitator,<br />

learned of the badge during one of his several tours of<br />

duty overseas when he was stationed in Germany. He<br />

competed in the event during that tour and was<br />

awarded a badge.<br />

Not many soldiers get a chance nowadays to earn<br />

a foreign award, Sanders said. Providing his cadets<br />

with an opportunity to experience the event, maybe<br />

earn a badge and put their soldier skills, agility,<br />

endurance and strength to the test was something he<br />

really wanted to do.<br />

After receiving the necessary certification from<br />

German headquarters in the winter of 2010, Sanders<br />

was able to set up the first competition in <strong>New</strong><br />

<strong>Hampshire</strong> in May <strong>2011</strong> for his cadets. This piqued<br />

such an interest that he sponsored another one later<br />

in May, opening it to <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>smen.<br />

The next German badge qualification event is<br />

scheduled for spring 2012. ❖<br />

Master Sgt. Lore Ford competes in the swim portion of the German<br />

Armed Forces Military Proficiency Badge test Oct 13-14, <strong>2011</strong>, at the<br />

University of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong>.<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine 11


Salvadoran partnership continues to evolve<br />

Maj. Gen. Mark Sears, the deputy commander for mobility and reserve affairs at U.S. Southern Command, makes a point during a conversation with Brig. Gen. Jamie<br />

Parada, the vice chief of the Salvadoran Joint General Staff, and Col. Carlos Mena of the Salvadoran Air Force, at Pease Air <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Base, <strong>New</strong>ington,<br />

Aug. 13, <strong>2011</strong>. Photo by Capt. Rob Burnham, NHNG PA<br />

By Capt. Robert Burnham, NHNG PA<br />

A delegation of El Salvador’s military<br />

high command met with <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong><br />

<strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> leadership last August to<br />

discuss disaster preparedness during a<br />

weeklong visit to the Granite State.<br />

“We have a domestic response mission,<br />

and we need to enhance our techniques in<br />

responding for the future,” said Brig. Gen.<br />

Jamie Parada, the vice chief of the<br />

Salvadoran military’s Joint General Staff.<br />

Discussions also focused on the future<br />

of the military’s 12-year-old relationship<br />

with the N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>, established in 2000<br />

under the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>’s State<br />

Partnership Program, which now touts<br />

more than 60 such partnerships between<br />

state <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>s and countries in<br />

Eastern Europe, Africa, and Central and<br />

South America. The two parties agreed to<br />

incorporate more disaster response-related<br />

training into their program, which averages<br />

10 to 15 exchanges or events annually.<br />

In January, a contingent of senior leaders<br />

from the N.H. <strong>Guard</strong> were scheduled to<br />

travel to El Salvador, a five-hour flight<br />

12<br />

Brig. Gen. Craig Bennett, commander of the N.H. Army <strong>Guard</strong>, shows Brig. Gen. Jamie Parada, the vice<br />

chief of the Salvadoran Joint General Staff, a photo of a group of N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>smen pushing a Salvadoran<br />

bus that was stuck in mud during a 2006 medical readiness exercise in Francisco Gotera, El Salvador.<br />

The photo is from a book entitled “Why We Serve,” which Bennett presented to Parada as a gift during<br />

an August <strong>2011</strong> senior military visit. Looking on is Maj. Gen. William Reddel III, the Adjutant General of<br />

the N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>. Photo by Capt. Rob Burnham, NHNG PA<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>


from Boston. The visit was to coincide<br />

with a Salvadoran air show and the<br />

delivery of computers and musical instruments<br />

donated by the University of <strong>New</strong><br />

<strong>Hampshire</strong> ROTC program and students<br />

from Bow High School.<br />

“Our program continues to evolve into<br />

a mutually beneficial partnership,” said<br />

Maj. Gen. William Reddel III, the<br />

Adjutant General of the N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>. “We<br />

are building lasting relationships founded<br />

in a friendly, professional exchange of<br />

expertise in military, civic, business and<br />

educational arenas. We have established<br />

partnerships with our militaries, university<br />

and primary school systems, law enforcement<br />

agencies, search and rescue teams,<br />

and chambers of commerce.”<br />

At the national level, the partnership<br />

gives <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> a prominent role in<br />

nation-building and overall global stability,<br />

Reddel added. El Salvador was the only<br />

country in the Western Hemisphere outside<br />

of the United States to commit troops<br />

in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.<br />

“We believe our partnership played a<br />

role in the country’s decision to support<br />

Mari Carmen Aponte, U.S. Ambassador to El<br />

Salvador, enjoys a conversation with Derek<br />

DeAngelis, a Bow High School humanities teacher,<br />

during a N.H. <strong>Guard</strong> military and civic leader visit to<br />

El Salvador in February <strong>2011</strong>, which included an<br />

office call with Ambassador Aponte at the U.S.<br />

Embassy in San Salvador. The Bow, N.H. school<br />

shares a partnership with a Salvadoran school in<br />

the town of San Jose Villanueva.<br />

Photo courtesy of Maj. Brian Fernandes, NHARNG<br />

Brig. Gen. Craig Bennett, commander of the N.H. Army <strong>Guard</strong>, salutes a Salvadoran cavalry soldier during a<br />

February <strong>2011</strong> N.H. <strong>Guard</strong> leader visit to El Salvador. Photo courtesy of Maj. Brian Fernandes, NHARNG<br />

our commander in chief as well as support<br />

NATO operations in Afghanistan,” said<br />

Reddel. “Our civil-military nature makes<br />

our state and <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> uniquely<br />

qualified to effect a positive impact on<br />

nations with burgeoning democracies like<br />

El Salvador.”<br />

At the individual level, the state is<br />

developing a more diplomatically astute,<br />

globally aware citizen, he added.<br />

The smallest country in Central<br />

America, El Salvador experiences frequent<br />

earthquakes and tremors as well as<br />

hurricanes and tropical storms that often<br />

have devastating effects on the population<br />

and land. The Salvadoran military,<br />

because of its size and capability, has<br />

proved well-suited to respond to natural<br />

disasters, playing a prominent role in<br />

the aftermaths of Hurricane Mitch in<br />

1998, the earthquakes of 2001; and the<br />

eruption of Santa Ana volcano in 2005,<br />

which coincided with a devastating<br />

tropical storm and earthquake that<br />

produced landslides. ❖<br />

A student from San Jose Villanueva, El Salvador,<br />

smiles for a photographer during a break at his<br />

school, Feb. 15, <strong>2011</strong>. The school shares a partnership<br />

with the Bow High School through the N.H.<br />

<strong>Guard</strong>’s State Partnership Program with El<br />

Salvador. Photo courtesy of Maj. Brian Fernandes, NHARNG<br />

IN THE VALLEY OF HAMMOCKS<br />

Tucked between the southern borders of Guatemala and Honduras, El Salvador is home to nearly 7 million people. A fault line running<br />

down the center of the country connects 22 volcanoes, four of which have been active in the last 50 years. More than 1 million people<br />

reside in the capital city of San Salvador, which was originally nicknamed “El Valle de las Hamacas” or “The Valley of the Hammocks”<br />

by Spanish explorers because of the frequent seismic activity.<br />

From 1980 to 1992, a civil war cost the lives of 75,000 people. The country has struggled since then to build a stable economic base<br />

amid crime, corruption and gang violence.<br />

An estimated 1.5 to 2 million Salvadorans live in the United States and send remittances home – accounting for about 17 percent of<br />

the country’s gross domestic product.<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine 13


MORE THAN<br />

WILLING<br />

14<br />

Five questions for Senior Airman<br />

Ryan Weeks, 22, of the 157th Logistics<br />

Readiness Squadron, N.H. Air <strong>National</strong><br />

<strong>Guard</strong>. The Milan resident was selected<br />

as part of the color guard for the official<br />

ceremony marking the end of the United<br />

States military mission in Iraq held in<br />

Baghdad on Dec. 15. The 157th’s Airman<br />

of the Year for <strong>2011</strong>, Weeks was among<br />

the last N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>smen serving in Iraq.<br />

He was interviewed via email by Maj.<br />

Greg Heilshorn, State PAO.<br />

How were you selected to be a part of the<br />

color guard?<br />

A base-wide email was sent out in<br />

search of an Air Force individual between<br />

the heights of 5’11 and 6’1 who would be<br />

staying in Iraq until “end of mission” and<br />

was interested in representing the Air<br />

Force on the Joint Service Color <strong>Guard</strong><br />

team. I was hesitant at first because I had<br />

zero color guard experience up to that<br />

point, but I decided to go for it. After a<br />

couple days of practice, they determined<br />

that I was the right fit for the team.<br />

How did it feel to be a part of such a<br />

historic ceremony?<br />

It was a tremendous honor. We knew<br />

how important this was to the United<br />

States and especially to the families of<br />

those individuals who made the ultimate<br />

sacrifice. We wanted to guarantee that<br />

the ceremony was flawless.<br />

What’s your mission in Iraq?<br />

I arrived in Iraq in late October for a<br />

short notice tasking to assist with the surge<br />

of troops and equipment leaving the<br />

country. I am in the 447th Expeditionary<br />

Logistics Readiness Squadron. I’m<br />

currently on my third overseas assignment.<br />

The first was an involuntary at Al Asad,<br />

Iraq. The second was Bagram, Afghanistan.<br />

I volunteered for the second and third<br />

deployments.<br />

What are your duties at Pease?<br />

I am a traditional <strong>Guard</strong>sman at the<br />

157th Logistics Readiness Squadron.<br />

When I’m not on active duty orders or on<br />

drill status I attend the University of <strong>New</strong><br />

<strong>Hampshire</strong> as a full-time student.<br />

Why did you join the military?<br />

I was raised in a very proud family<br />

who has the military embedded in their<br />

roots. My brother is a former Marine who<br />

served in Fallujah, Iraq, at the height of<br />

the war in 2006. My father is a retired<br />

Navy veteran who served several tours in<br />

Vietnam. My grandfather served along<br />

with his brothers and the list goes on.<br />

When it came my time, I was more than<br />

willing to serve my country. ❖<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>


MEDEVAC crew receives prestigious award<br />

From left, Capt. Pete Cartmell, commander, F Company, 1/169th MEDEVAC Detachment, N.H. Army <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>; former NHARNG Chief Warrant Officer Zachary<br />

Lane of Bridgeport, W. Va; James Osborne, a rescued hiker; Staff Sgt. Matthew Stohrer of Lebanon, Penn., and a UH-60 aircrew member standardization instructor,<br />

Eastern Army Aviation Training Site, Pennsylvania ARNG; and Sgt. 1st Class Allan Robinson of Litchfield, N.H., quality control/test assurance, 195th Regiment,<br />

NHARNG, pose with Osborne, whose life they saved during a search and rescue mission in February 2008. Photo by Spc. Margaret Taylor, 114th PAD<br />

An aircrew from the 238th MEDEVAC<br />

Company, N.H. Army <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>,<br />

received the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Congressional<br />

Law Enforcement Award on Oct. 23 at the<br />

N.H. Police Standards and Training Facility<br />

in Concord.<br />

Capt. Peter Cartmell, retired Chief<br />

Warrant Officer Zachary Lane, Staff Sgt.<br />

Matthew Stoher and Sgt. 1st Class Alan<br />

Robinson were honored along with N.H.<br />

Fish and Game by <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong>’s<br />

congressional delegation for its search and<br />

rescue of two lost hikers on Franconia<br />

Ridge on Feb. 11, 2008.<br />

“With winds gusting up to 65 knots and<br />

freezing fog causing ice buildup on the<br />

blades, it was the most extreme mission for<br />

a N.H. Army <strong>Guard</strong> search and rescue<br />

crew in the last 20 years,” said Col. Frank<br />

Leith, the state Army aviation officer at<br />

the time, in a story for the spring 2008<br />

edition of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong><br />

Magazine.<br />

It was one of three separate rescue<br />

operations performed by the 238th in a<br />

span of nine days under fierce weather<br />

conditions.<br />

Cartmell received the award for the<br />

second time. ❖<br />

Capt. Pete Cartmell, commander, F Company, 1/169th MEDEVAC Detachment, N.H. Army <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, is<br />

congratulated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen for receiving the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Congressional Law Enforcement<br />

Award at the N.H. Police Standards and Training facility in Concord, N.H., Oct. 23. Cartmell and three other<br />

members of his former UH-60 Black Hawk crew, C Company, 3-238th Aviation Regiment, received the award<br />

for their participation in a search and rescue mission in February 2008, which saved the life of a lost hiker.<br />

Photo by Spc. Margaret Taylor, 114th PAD<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine 15


Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sandra M. Palumbo, U.S. Navy - Bahrain, November 6, 2007<br />

99% of Americans have seen combat on TV.<br />

1% of Americans have seen combat in Iraq or Afghanistan.<br />

We know where you’re coming from.<br />

We’ve got your back. Join the online community<br />

at IAVA.org


One tough mudder<br />

By Tech. Sgt. Angela Stebbins, 157th ARW Public Affairs<br />

This past Mother’s Day was far from the norm for Tech. Sgt.<br />

Melinda Fuller, a mother of three children and non-destructive<br />

inspection shop unit training manager from the 157th Air<br />

Refueling Wing maintenance group.<br />

While most moms would simply want to relax on Mother’s<br />

Day, relaxing was not what Fuller had in mind.<br />

This year, Fuller spent Mother’s Day with those she refers to<br />

as her extended family – other members of the 157th ARW. She<br />

and four other <strong>Guard</strong>smen from Pease participated in the Tough<br />

Mudder Competition at Mount Snow in Vermont. The event was<br />

designed by British Special Forces, and is said by many sports<br />

race and endurance critics to be one of the hardest one-day<br />

endurance competitions in the world, with courses typically<br />

between 7 and 12 miles.<br />

The organization boasts that this competition tests all-around<br />

toughness, fitness, strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie<br />

– all in one place and in one day. The contest Fuller competed<br />

in is composed of 10 miles of steep ascents, descents and obstacle<br />

courses that could vie with some of the best military training<br />

facilities in the world. This competition also raises money for<br />

the Wounded Warrior Project, raising more than $600,000 in<br />

2010 alone.<br />

“Six months ago, my team members and I started training.<br />

We ranged in age, gender, fitness levels, body types, heights and<br />

weights. The motivating factors for each of us may have been a<br />

bit different, but ‘bettering our physical fitness’ was a common<br />

goal,” Fuller said.<br />

“Our team from Pease was made up of Tech. Sgt. Keith<br />

Brocato, Tech. Sgt. Hope Townes, 2nd Lt. Jeff Hill, Staff Sgt.<br />

Sean Avery, and myself, (along with some friends and family<br />

members),” Fuller said. “We made a Tough Mudder team pledge,<br />

sang the national anthem with great pride and ran across the<br />

starting line. The ‘race’ that we knew would test our physical and<br />

mental strength took longer than any of us had anticipated – 4.5<br />

hours. At 37 years old, I can say that the ‘race’ was grueling and<br />

filled with physical and mental challenges that I had not expected.<br />

Members of the 157th Air Refueling Wing take on the “Tough Mudder”<br />

competition on Mother’s Day. Picturedfrom left, 2ndLt. Jeff Hill, Tech. Sgt.<br />

Hope Townes, Staff Sgt. Melinda Fuller and Staff Sgt. Sean Avery.<br />

Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Fuller<br />

We were faced with vertical climbs and steep descents, kneedeep<br />

mud, icy and rocky terrain and 35-degree water that we<br />

had to swim across.<br />

“It was immediately apparent that this 10-mile course was<br />

going to be tough and could not be done with an ‘every man for<br />

himself’ attitude. We all quickly put the word ‘race’ out of our<br />

minds and replaced it with ‘challenge,’ as we knew the only way<br />

any of us would cross the finish line was if we crossed it together,”<br />

she said.<br />

On average, only 78 percent of the participants finish a<br />

Tough Mudder event; however, every one of our unit members<br />

finished! ❖<br />

PLYING THEIR<br />

TRADE<br />

N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>smen from the 157th Civil Engineer<br />

Squadron, 260th Air Traffic Control Squadron,<br />

andDetachment 2, 160th Engineer Company,<br />

build an internal support structure during<br />

renovations to the NATO school administration<br />

building in Oberammergau, Germany,<br />

Aug. 16, <strong>2011</strong>.<br />

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Aaron Vezeau, 157th ARW PA<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine 17


SALUTING OUR 14TH PRESIDENT<br />

Maj. Gen. William Reddel III, the Adjutant General of the N.H. <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, salutes a flag held by the Governor’s Horse <strong>Guard</strong> during a ceremony Nov. 22, <strong>2011</strong>, at<br />

Old North Cemetery in Concord to honor the 207th birthday of Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States. Photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Hughes, 114th PAD<br />

18<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>


Jumping on the back of a speeding train<br />

By Krista Graham<br />

This morning Tom came in from<br />

walking our dog. As he knelt down to take<br />

off its leash, he complained, “All you do<br />

is sniff around. You don’t accomplish<br />

your mission!”<br />

Tom has been home for several weeks<br />

now. Aside from the fact that he speaks<br />

largely in military terms or acronyms and<br />

still measures time on a 24-hour clock, he<br />

finally seems to be settling in. But it has<br />

taken a while.<br />

The first several days he was home,<br />

he described it as feeling like “waking up<br />

from a coma.” Like Rip Van Winkle, he<br />

had opened his eyes one day to find himself<br />

in a home that had moved on without<br />

him. The structure of the house was the<br />

same, but the walls and carpets were<br />

different.<br />

The children had also changed. One<br />

had become a teenager, and another was<br />

now old enough to drive. One had turned<br />

20, and another had joined the Marines.<br />

The neighborhood was also different.<br />

Two houses had sold, and new families<br />

had moved in. Our extended family had<br />

grown. A niece had been born, and a<br />

brother-in-law married. So many changes<br />

in such a short time!<br />

After about a week of wandering<br />

around in this waking dream, I heard Tom<br />

say to a friend, “You know what it feels<br />

like being home?” I expected to hear the<br />

coma metaphor again but was surprised<br />

to hear him say, “It is like jumping on to<br />

the back of a speeding train!” After a year<br />

of military consistency with a predictable<br />

routine and clearly defined mission, he<br />

found himself plunged into the world of<br />

work schedules and car pools and lessons<br />

and sleepovers and errands. Our “normal”<br />

family routine is sheer chaos and mayhem<br />

compared to what he’s been used to.<br />

From my point of view, it is good to<br />

have him home. I had grown a bit weary<br />

of being on my own. Certain things were<br />

really starting to get old. Little things,<br />

“And best of all,<br />

when my 15 year old<br />

comes to me and says,<br />

‘Mom, will you take me out driving?’<br />

I can reply with a smile,<br />

‘Go ask your father!’”<br />

–Krista Graham<br />

Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Graham is welcomed home by NHARNG Command Chief Warrant Officer<br />

William Harville at Manchester airport on Aug. 29. Photo by Spc. Courtney Selig, 114th PAD<br />

like having to walk from one side of my<br />

bed to the other to make it each morning<br />

or never being able to pass off a tough<br />

decision by saying, “Go ask your father!”<br />

Still, it hasn’t been all roses since<br />

Tom reentered our world. First of all, he<br />

returned with far more than he left with.<br />

I knew we were in trouble when, prior to<br />

his return, I started receiving large boxes<br />

mailed from Kuwait addressed from Tom<br />

to Tom. As the time of his arrival got<br />

closer, the boxes got bigger. Some were<br />

large flat squares. Others were giant<br />

plastic foot lockers. Every few days, I had<br />

to drive to the post office to pick up a<br />

package too large to deliver. I heaped<br />

these containers up in the corner of our<br />

spare room. Several times visitors asked<br />

me, “What’s in all those boxes?” My answer<br />

was always the same: “I don’t know, and<br />

I don’t want to know.”<br />

When the unpacking process began<br />

about five days after Tom got home, I<br />

quickly learned that unnecessary stuff<br />

shipped home by a soldier is not to be<br />

called “junk.” The correct term is “artifacts.”<br />

Needless to say, we were up to our<br />

necks in artifacts for several days. Just<br />

when I was about ready to check into a<br />

hotel, Tom miraculously made it all disappear.<br />

I am not asking where it ended<br />

up. What I don’t know can’t irritate me.<br />

Before Tom left, we attended an<br />

Army-sponsored pre-deployment workshop.<br />

We were challenged with the fact<br />

that statistically families either break down<br />

or grow stronger as a result of deployment<br />

separation. We were told that we<br />

either had to actively work to strengthen<br />

relationships, or they would naturally<br />

erode under the strain. We decided that<br />

we wanted to be one of the families who<br />

came out of this year better than we went<br />

in. We certainly didn’t do everything in<br />

top-notch style. Tom left many emails<br />

from home unanswered, and I served<br />

more frozen dinners on paper plates than<br />

I’d like to admit. But overall, looking<br />

back on where we were a year ago and<br />

where we are now, I think we can say,<br />

“Mission Accomplished.”<br />

And best of all, when my 15 year old<br />

comes to me and says, “Mom, will you<br />

take me out driving?” I can reply with a<br />

smile, “Go ask your father!” ❖<br />

Krista’s husband, Chief Warrant Officer<br />

Tom Graham, deployed with the 197th<br />

Fires Brigade as the brigade historian and<br />

a contracting specialist. During his<br />

deployment, Krista wrote a blog from the<br />

perspective of a wife and mother. This was<br />

her last installment.<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine 19


Back on solid ground<br />

In the late summer, early fall of<br />

<strong>2011</strong> the 197th Fires Brigade and<br />

Detachment 18, Operational Support<br />

Airlift, returned from deployments in<br />

support of Operations <strong>New</strong> Dawn and<br />

Enduring Freedom. The homecomings<br />

marked the completion of the largest<br />

mobilization of N.H. <strong>Guard</strong>smen<br />

at any one time since World War II.<br />

20<br />

Maj. Gen. William Reddel III, Adjutant General for the<br />

state of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong>, along with other members of<br />

the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>, greet returning<br />

soldiers from the 197th Fires Brigade, Aug. 16, in<br />

Manchester.<br />

Master Sgt. Thomas Pratt of HHB, 197th Brigade embraces his family during a welcome home<br />

reception at the Manchester armory on Aug. 29, <strong>2011</strong>. Pratt was among the last of 750 brigade<br />

soldiers to redeploy after serving in Kuwait in support of Operation <strong>New</strong> Dawn.<br />

Photo by Spc. Courtney Selig, 114th PAD<br />

From left, Col. Peter Corey, commander of the 197th Fires Brigade, and Command Sgt. Maj.<br />

Thomas Considine unfurl the unit colors during a welcome home reception at the Manchester<br />

armory on Aug. 29, <strong>2011</strong>. The soldiers returned from a yearlong deployment in support of<br />

Operation <strong>New</strong> Dawn. Photo by Spc. Courtney Selig, 114th PAD<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>


Maj. Gen. William Reddel III, Adjutant General for the<br />

state of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong>, and Gov. John Lynch,<br />

governor of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong>, pose for a photo with<br />

Isaiah Cross, 7, and Esther Cross, 4, at the<br />

Operational Support Airlift Detachment 18, welcome<br />

home ceremony, Sept. 22, at the Army Aviation<br />

Support Facility.<br />

Maj. Brian Fisher of the 197th Fires Brigade hugs his<br />

son during a welcome home ceremony at the<br />

Manchester armory on Aug. 19, <strong>2011</strong>. The soldiers<br />

returned from a yearlong deployment in support of<br />

Operation <strong>New</strong> Dawn. Photo by Spc. Courtney Selig, 114th PAD<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine<br />

All seven members of Operational Support Airlift Detachment 18<br />

return home to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> after their yearlong deployment<br />

to Afghanistan to fly surveillance and intelligence-gathering<br />

missions from bases in Bagram and Kandahar. Detachment 18<br />

was welcomed by friends and family at the Army Aviation<br />

Support Facility, Concord, N.H., on Sept. 22.<br />

Chief Warrant Officer 4 George Munson of Operational Support Airlift Detachment 18 is welcomed home by<br />

his family at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Concord, Sept. 13. Det. 18 deployed to Afghanistan in<br />

support of Operation Enduring Freedom flying surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions from<br />

Bagram and Kandahar. Photo by Spc. Courtney Selig, 114th PAD<br />

21


BALANCING ACT<br />

Chief Warrant Officer Joe Bledsoe of Joint Force<br />

Headquarters traverses a rope bridge during the unit’s<br />

August <strong>2011</strong> drill weekend. The river crossing was part<br />

of training to emphasize soldier proficiency, physical<br />

fitness and team building. Photo by Spc. Karin Leach, 114th PAD<br />

22<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>


Army Promotions & Awards<br />

Private Second Class<br />

Kenneth Brown<br />

Ryan Peterson<br />

Nicholas Theberge<br />

Spencer Dayton<br />

Jesse Therrien<br />

Kyle Simard<br />

Private First Class<br />

Richard Rivenburgh<br />

Joseph Green<br />

Elijah Hawkins<br />

Anthony Govostes<br />

Lydia Whitmore<br />

Bradford Colburn<br />

Benjamin Nicholl<br />

Joshua Calawa<br />

Specialist<br />

Nicholas Daley<br />

Farnon Dix<br />

Thomas Tetreault III<br />

Sean Yamamoto<br />

Sergeant<br />

Nicholas Miller<br />

Brandon Cabrera<br />

Dustin Glidden<br />

Sara McPherson<br />

Diane Cammarata<br />

Gavin Cafarellistrablizky<br />

James Berry<br />

Vivan Duong<br />

Kory Orfant<br />

Sergeant First Class<br />

Joanne Desruisseaux<br />

Luis Cepeda<br />

Michelle Lowes<br />

Joseph Phinney<br />

Clinton Range<br />

Kent Johnson<br />

Chief Warrant Officer 2<br />

Robert Norton<br />

William Fish III<br />

Michael Fletcher<br />

Athena Petrin<br />

David Voight<br />

Chief Warrant Officer 3<br />

Thomas Graham II<br />

First Lieutenant<br />

Mark Dupuis<br />

Captain<br />

Travis Ostrem<br />

Lieutenant Colonel<br />

Roy Hunter IV<br />

William Lemaire<br />

John Logsdon<br />

<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> / <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine 23


24<br />

Air<br />

Promotions<br />

& Awards<br />

Airman 1st Class<br />

Liza Roy, 157 Student Flight<br />

Senior Airman<br />

Eric Moulton, 260 ATC<br />

Justin Evans, 157 CMF<br />

Sean Wood, 157 LRS<br />

Staff Sergeant<br />

Jennifer Frisina, 157 MXS<br />

Russell Georgio, 157 MXG<br />

Tedd Hadley, 157 MXG<br />

Marc Fillion, 157 MDG<br />

Alan Roma, 157 CES<br />

Raymond Miller, 260 ATC<br />

Technical Sergeant<br />

Gary Thomas, 260 ATC<br />

Christopher Philibotte, 260 ATC<br />

Glen Meyers, 157 MXG<br />

William Davenport, 157 MDG<br />

Michael Hutchins, 260 ATC<br />

Master Sergeant<br />

Jason Veziris, 157 OG<br />

Robert Stewart, 260 ATC<br />

UPLIFTING TRAINING<br />

From left, Sgt.1st Class Jeffrey Garand of <strong>New</strong>fields, detachment training NCO for the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> Army<br />

<strong>Guard</strong>’s 54th Troop Command, and Sgt. Rodney Anderson of Exeter, crew chief for Company C, 3rd Battalion,<br />

238th Aviation Regiment (MEDEVAC), participate in hoist training Oct. 12. The soldiers use the training to<br />

practice using the hoists which can lift up to 600 pounds of personnel or equipment during state or national<br />

emergencies. Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Michael Noel, NHARNG<br />

<strong>New</strong> <strong>Hampshire</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Magazine / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong>

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