Massachusetts Minuteman - Fall 2010 - STATES - The National Guard

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Massachusetts Guard Photographers Play Key Role in Securing Federal Disaster Relief Funds Story by Army Sgt. 1st Class Don Veitch, 65th Press Camp Headquarters MILFORD, Mass. – Massachusetts National Guard photographers working with state and federal disaster response officials provided invaluable supporting documentation for the commonwealth’s formal request for federal emergency funding during the spring flooding in Massachusetts. Soldiers from the 65th Press Camp Headquarters, 1st Civil Support Team and the Joint Force Headquarters-Public Affairs Office accompanied representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency on preliminary damage assessment missions and provided photographic documentation of flood damage throughout the hardest hit communities. The photos are intended to be used to back up written assessments, said Bill Winn, a project specialist with FEMA. The photos could also be used for planning purposes during repair and mitigation projects, he said. The Soldiers were among the more than 1,200 Massachusetts National Guard Soldiers and Airmen called to state active duty to help combat the widespread flooding in eastern Massachusetts. The public affairs Soldiers were assigned an initial task of publicizing the efforts of the units directly involved in the assistance effort. When the waters receded, and the majority of Soldiers were deactivated, their assignment changed to the preliminary damage assessment missions. A Massachusetts Guard photographer accompanied each of the seven damage assessment teams from locations in Tewksbury and Framingham. The teams, led to the hardest hit areas by local emergency response officials, documented the flood damage with written assessments and photographs. The Massachusetts National Guard also dispatched UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to conduct aerial reconnaissance and collect damage assessment video as part of the documentation process. 18 Minuteman Fall 2010 “I have been all over the state surveying flood damage through a lens,” said Pvt. Errold Corbin, of Brockton, a broadcast journalist with the 65th PCH. “It really hits home when it’s going on in your own back yard.” Corbin and Sgt. 1st Class Steven Tedeschi, of Hull, a public affairs noncommissioned officer with JFHQ-PA, provided the aerial video footage presented to President Barack Obama during his visit to the MEMA headquarters in Framingham, April 1, 2010. “Having my work viewed by the president on my first mission as a Guardsman really shows the magnitude of our military obligation,” said Corbin. “The reward is to see your work taken seriously by the public and the fellow Soldiers around you.” “My role was to provide photo and video support for FEMA and MEMA,” said Tedeschi. “These agencies could then submit reports on the disaster stricken communities with a visual documentation of the damages. It gave me a new perspective on what these agencies do to help communities during a disaster and how important they are to our American way of life.” The president declared Massachusetts a Federal Disaster Area at the request of state officials supported by documentation collected since the beginning of heavy rains March 12, 2010. “These Soldiers have, once again, proved the strength of the Massachusetts National Guard lies in the diversity of our units and their unique capabilities,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph C. Carter, the Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard. “Our ability to provide mission flexibility under very dynamic circumstances as well as readily available units to respond to the needs of the commonwealth is possible, in large part, due to these strengths.” The disaster declaration means individuals and business owners who sustained losses after March 12 as a result of the flooding can apply for assistance by contacting FEMA at 1-800-621-3362. ✯ LITTLETON, Mass. – Massachusetts Department of Transportation employees work to repair damage from a collapsed culvert on Route 119 on April 8, 2010. The road, damaged when the culvert failed because of excessive flooding, normally sees up to 20,000 commuters a day and was closed for more than a week while undergoing repairs (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Don Veitch, 65th Press Camp Headquarters).
101st FA Opens School Lt. Col. James Hally, left, helps Deputy Minister of Education Mohammad Sediq Pattman cut the ribbon to officially open the Ali Khail School on June 16, 2010. Hally, commander, 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery, Massachusetts Army National Guard, facilitated the construction of the $200,000 school (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael Hardy, Task Force Kabul). By 2nd Lt. Jordan A. Breau 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment KABUL – Lt. Col. James Hally, commander of the 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, and the Deputy Minister of Education of Afghanistan, Mohammad Sediq Pattman, stood alongside the village elders of Ali Khail to cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the school for students of the Deh Sabz region June 16, 2010. “We are very grateful and thankful for the U.S. for helping us build this school,” said Pattman. “This school wouldn’t have happened without “Education is the answer to peace and prosperity for Afghanistan. Every school or education facility that we can assist in constructing will have an immediate and enduring impact on the future of Afghanistan.” – Lt. Col. James Hally the assistance of the United States Army. The people of the United States of America gave us this school, and it’s our duty for us to take advantage of this gift,” said Pattman to the crowd of villagers. The people of Ali Khail have been waiting on a hard structured school since 1993 when the school was initially going to be built. The school’s construction was halted because of the strong Taliban influence in the village. The Taliban has since loosened its grip on the area, allowing the school to be built without interruption. “This school will improve the lives of the children in this village and begin to change the future generations of this country,” said Pattman. Prior to the construction of the school, the Afghan children were receiving their education inside tents without desks and chairs. Now that the temperature is heating up in Afghanistan, the school could not have come at a better time. “Education is the answer to peace and prosperity for Afghanistan,” said Hally. “Every school or education facility that we can assist in constructing will have an immediate and enduring impact on the future of Afghanistan.” Grades K-12 will be in session until November when the students will break until March. The school is broken into three gender-segregated shifts: two for male students and one shift for female students. “Education is the foundation in building Afghanistan,” said Pattman. “Most of this country’s people are uneducated and ignorant. It is schools that will improve the lives and open the minds of the Afghan people.” ✯ Lt. Col. James Hally, right, commander, 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery, Massachusetts Army National Guard, shakes hands with a village elder at the opening of the Ali Khail school, north of Kabul, on June 16, 2010. Hally facilitated the construction of the $200,000 school (U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Jordan Breau, Task Force Kabul). The Nation’s First 19
Page 3: On the Cover Staff Sgt. Joseph M. W
Page 6 and 7: 4 Minuteman Fall 2010 In Memoriam S
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Page 12 and 13: By Spc. Nicholas Michaud 65th Press
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Page 16 and 17: Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Pauer, Mass
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Massachusetts Minuteman - Fall 2010 - STATES - The National Guard

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