2010 Annual Report - West Virginia Army National Guard - U.S. Army

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West Virginia National Guard Annual Report 2010197th Regimental Training InstituteCol. David L. BowmanCommand Sgt. Maj. James L. AllenThe 2010 TrainingYear was one of themost successful yearsin recent history forthe 197th Regiment.During 2010, the RTIsuccessfully achievedfull accreditation for theCavalry Scout Course,the Military PoliceCourse, the HeavyEquipment OperatorCourse and the Carpentry/Masonry Course. Theaccreditation inspections are the benchmark bywhich training institutions are measured, andthe 197th Regiment excels in this area. As aresult of its accreditation inspection, the HeavyEquipment Operator and the Carpentry/MasonryCourses received the Institution of Excellencenomination, the first such designation in theRTI’s 53-year history.During the year, the 197th Regiment trained395 National Guard, Reserve and Active DutySoldiers from 31 states and territories with agraduation rate of 100 percent. In addition tomilitary occupational specialty courses, the197th Regiment offered Officer CandidateSchool, Combat Lifesaver Course, Army BasicInstructor Course and Small Group InstructorCourse.Special Operations Detachment - Europe(SOD-E) is based at Camp Dawson W.Va., and istasked with supporting the United States SpecialOperations Command - Europe (SOCEUR).SOD-E’s primary mission is to providecommand and control of Special OperationsForces under the command of SOCEUR. Thisis a theatre-level mission in which SOD-EThe 197th Regimentcontinues to seekopportunities to growthe schoolhouse byattracting more trainingopportunities to CampDawson.In August, theNational Guard BureauTraining Divisionapproved the Regiment’srequest to teach theMilitary Police Basic NoncommissionedOfficer Course starting in 2012. A request toteach the Heavy Equipment Operator BasicNoncommissioned Officer Course is still underreview by the National Guard Bureau.Looking to the future, the 197th Regimentremains in a strong position to bring newtraining opportunities to West Virginia. Facilitiesare second to none and continue to improvewith new construction on a multipurposefacility, indoor shoot house, convoy lanesand improvements to live fire ranges. CampDawson’s upgraded facilities matched with anincrease in unit strength, four accredited coursesand the Institution of Excellence nominationposition the 197th Regiment as a valued asset tothe United States Army.Special Operations Detachment-EuropeCol. Russell A. CraneCommand Sgt. Maj. Terry Hallmembers play an integral support role. SOD-E’srapid ability to deploy on short notice and serveas a command and control element of SpecialOperations Forces has led the unit to be utilizedin support of several theatre-level missions.SOD-E members have also provided sustainedaugmentation for specific missions to SOCEURand Special Operations Command - Africa that25
West Virginia National Guard Annual Report 2010are headquartered in Germany. SOD-E membersare able to plan and integrate themselves at thestrategic-level and also operate at the tacticallevelwhen directed.In addition to the unit’s federalmission, SOD-E members are tasked withconducting sustained operations in supportof federal and state-declared emergencies.SOD-E is organized into seven sections:Command Group, Operations, Logistics,Personnel, Intelligence, Communicationsand Staff Judge Advocate. Special Forcescareer branch Soldiers staff the commandand operations sections while branchspecificcareer trace Soldiers staff theremaining five sections. SOD-E continuesto prepare itself for an upcoming deployment in2011.Recruiting & Retention CommandMaj. John HessSgt. Maj. Larry BecherFocus and flexibility were key attributes thatmade mission year 2010 a success for the WestVirginia Army National Guard Recruiting andRetention Battalion. At the beginning of the year,the Army National Guard changed its strengthmaintenance philosophy from a focus on strengthto a focus on readiness. The effort was to recruithigh quality Soldiers into targeted positions.As a result, West Virginia met NationalGuard Bureau end strength goals and receivedseveral awards recognizing the outstanding effortof the state’s recruiting and retention staff.The Guard Recruiting Assistance Programcompleted its fifth year and continues to26 27encourage current soldiers to bring new Soldiersinto the Guard. West Virginia awarded more than$500,000 to soldiers under GRAP.The Recruit Sustainment Program, whichhelps prepare recruits for Basic Training andAdvanced Individual Training, is paying greatdividends for the state as Soldiers are performingbetter under the demands of entry-level training.West Virginia has worked diligentlyto establish a great relationship with theWest Virginia Secondary Schools ActivitiesCommission, exposing the National Guardto 76,000 high school student-athletes andadministrators throughout West Virginia.The Guard participated in more than a dozenWVSSAC-sanctioned events during the year.Recruiting and Retention also placed greateremphasis on utilizing National Mobile EventTeam assets such as NASCAR, Indy RacingLeague Car, and Patriot Chopper to promoteharmony and foster great working relationshipswith community leaders. The battalion utilizedNational Mobile Event Team assets at 34functions, generating more than 1,000 leads. Themarketing section also supported 206 communityfunctions. The battalion’s goal, simply stated,is to be embedded in local communities and beconsidered valued and contributing members.
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2010 Annual Report - West Virginia Army National Guard - U.S. Army

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