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

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.