November 2011-January 2012 - Wisconsin National Guard ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

2nd Lt. Nathan T. WallinWisconsin National GuardThe Wisconsin National Guardand veterans of all services were thechampions in Green Bay Nov. 14 whenthe Green Bay Packers and more than73,000 football fans honored theirservice as part of the annual MilitaryA fireworks show concludes the halftime ceremony at Lambeau Field in GreenBay during a Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers andthe Minnesota Vikings. The Wisconsin National Guard’s 132nd Army Bandperformed on the field at halftime, part of the Packers’ salute to the military inrecognition of Veterans Day. Wisconsin National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Nathan WallinAppreciation Night in conjunction with The night’s festivities began withVeterans Day.country western duo Steel Magnolias“It was just such an awesome singing the national anthem as serviceexperience,” said Wisconsin Air National members and Veterans unfurled a giantGuard Tech. Sgt. Kristine Rupp, of U.S. flag across the playing field. FansFranklin, the Milwaukee-based 128th joined in by holding up placards thatRefueling Wing’s Airman of the Year andone of the service members honoredduring the game.Tech. Sgt. Jon LaDueWisconsin National GuardNearly 30 West Bend-based Soldiers returned hometo family and friends Saturday, marking the end of theiryear-long mobilization and the end of an era for theWisconsin National Guard.Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 135th GeneralAviation Support Battalion left Iraq early this monthand spent the last several days demobilizing atJoint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Gov. ScottWalker, Wisconsin National Guard leaders, family andfriends, and other veteran supporters welcomed homeWisconsin’s newest combat veterans during a ceremonyat the West Bend armory Nov. 19.“I want you to know this is the last WisconsinNational Guard unit to come home from Iraq,” saidMaj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin,drawing applause from the crowd. “They were safe, theywere smart, and they did a great job.”The Soldiers, who spent about nine months in northernIraq providing medevac support, hail from detachmentsof companies C, D and E of the 2nd Battalion, 135thGSAB — which is comprised of National Guard Soldiersfrom several states.“I was just with those guys for a whole year and Ishared everything with them,” said Capt. Mark Sier,medevac pilot. “It means a lot and makes me veryproud.”Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary Beekman, pilot forthe 2nd Battalion, 135th General Aviation SupportBattalion, embraces his daughter at a welcomehome ceremony in West Bend Nov. 19. Roughly 30others spent nearly nine months in northern Iraqproving medevac support for Operation New Dawn.Wisconsin National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. JonLaDue@easeExpress@easeExpress2010 NGB Media Contest winnerNovember-JanuaryVolume 3, Issue 6Official Newsletter of theWisconsin Army and Air National Guardhttp://dma.wi.govThe Adjutant General:Maj. Gen. Don DunbarDeputy Adjutant General Army:Brig. Gen. Mark AndersonDeputy Adjutant General Air:Brig. Gen. John McCoyDirector of Public Affairs:Lt. Col. Jackie GuthrieAt Ease Editor:Vaughn R. LarsonJoint Force Headquarters Public Affairs112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment32nd Infantry Brigade Combat TeamPublic Affairs157th Maneuver EnhancementBrigade Public Affairs115th Fighter Wing Public Affairs128th Air Refueling Wing Public AffairsVolk Field Combat ReadinessTraining Center Public AffairsHow to Reach UsE-mail: vaughn.r.larson@us.army.milPhone: (608) 242-3056 Fax: (608) 242-3051Department of Military Affairs;Attn: Vaughn R. Larson2400 Wright Street; Madison, WI 53708-8111Submissions:For photo or story submissions,please call (608)242-3056or e-mail vaughn.r.larson@us.army.milTwo winning teams take the field in Green BaykosovoDominion of tribal alliances. Territory in the Roman, Byzantine andBulgarian Empires. Contested between regional powers. Conquered bythe Ottoman Empire. Center of the Albanian national awakening andrevolts of the 19th and 20th centuries. Divided between Montenegroand Serbia, then absorbed into Yugoslavia. Occupation by Italy and NaziGermany. An autonomous province of Serbia. A declaration ofindependence. The history of Kosovo is one of conflict and struggle foridentity. Can Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers help the new nationstand on its own?END OF AN ERA• Return of aviation Soldiers to WestBend marks last Wisconsin NationalGuard unit to serve in Iraqdepicted the stars and stripes and166Wisconsin NationalGuard’s last troops inIraq come homeGreen Bay Packers saluteveterans, WisconsinNational Guard at halftime20Remember Kosovo? 157thMEB part of NATO peacekeepingmissionThe on-line, interactive @ease Express offers many featuresyou may not be aware of. Follow the red caption text to see additionalphotos and videos. Click on the blue text to open relatedsites. Click on the opening headlines to view the stories as theyappeared on www.dma.wi.gov. Click on the teasers above to godirectly to that page.The pages are designed to print out at 8.5-by-11 inches, givingyou the option of reading At Ease Express off-line.on the cover32nd Military Police Company Soldierstrain on force protection at Camp Atterbury,Ind., prior to deploying in supportof a NATO peace-keeping mission inKosovo. See Page 20 for more information.157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigadephoto by Capt. Joy Staab3 FROM THE TAG4 MORE TROOPS HEAD TO KOSOVO8 UNIFIED PROTECTOR MISSION ENDS9 128TH ACS NAMED TOP UNIT10 HOMETOWN HEROES HONORED11 CHISHOLM CONCLUDES 4-DECADE CAREER12 NORTH POLE FLIGHT OF FANCY14 ON TRACK FOR THE HOLIDAYS18 NATIONAL GUARD’S 375TH BIRTHDAY26 STORM CLEANUP EFFORT ENDS28 REACTION FORCE VALIDATED30 NEW RECORDS FOR TAKE-BACK EFFORT31 GUARD RESILIENCE UNIVERSITY OPENS32 BERLIN CRISIS CALL-UP REMEMBERED34 BYE-BYE BDU35 82nd ADT PREPARES TO MOBILIZE37 RED ARROW LEARNS NEW TOW SYSTEM38 REPORT REFLECTS BUDGET REALITIES39 CHALLENGE ACADEMY GRADUATION40 WORTHAM IV AWARD PRESENTED42 LAKOTA LUH TAKES FLIGHT43 MERITORIOUS SERVICE44 VETERANS, FAMILIES, RETIREESThe Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard’s At Ease Express newsletter is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents ofAt Ease Express are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, or the Department of the Army or Air Force. The editorial contentof this publication is the responsibility of the Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Officer.2 November 2011-January 2012
Celebrating 375 years of serviceAllow me tojoin in thewell-deservedcelebration of theNational Guard’s375th birthday. Thisis more than ananniversary — it isa testament to thecommitment anddedication of ourcitizens who haveagreed to be readywhen called for astate emergency orfor national defense.That commitmentbegan many decadesbefore the birth ofthe United States, and it continues tothis day.During my first year as governorScott WalkerGovernor of WisconsinI have had manyopportunities tosee the WisconsinNational Guardserving our state andnation, beginningwith a New Year’sDay greeting tothe 724th EngineerBattalion which wasdeployed to Iraq. Afew weeks later, theWisconsin NationalGuard respondedto a severe winterstorm, patrollinghighways andassisting strandedmotorists. In recentmonths, engineer Soldiers — someof whom were serving in Iraq earlierthis year — reported for state activeduty to help cleanup efforts followingdamaging summer storms in northernWisconsin. I saw the selflessness of ourmen and women in uniform as theyleft the comforts of home and familyto serve overseas, and I saw the loveand pride in those families as theirGuard member came back home.There are many responsibilitiesto being governor, and one of thegreatest is that of commander-in-chiefof the Wisconsin National Guard.That burden is made easier to bearby the knowledge that the WisconsinNational Guard is superbly trainedand led by outstanding officers andnoncommissioned officers. I have thehighest confidence in the professionalmen and women who make up theWisconsin National Guard.Today’s Guard members exhibitthe same characteristics found inWisconsin’s Civil War volunteers.When our state was not quite 13 yearsold, thousands of its men answeredPresident Lincoln’s call to preservethe Union. In all, more than 90,000men served in the Civil War becauseof their love of country, their state andtheir fellow man — but also becausethey knew an important job was athand, and their strong Midwesternwork ethic would not allow them to sitidly by when the fate of the nation wasat stake.Here in Wisconsin we have seenfirst-hand the value of the NationalGuard time and again, and over thepast decade so has the rest of thenation.Congratulations to the NationalGuard on 375 remarkable yearsof service, and I look forward tocontinued excellence.The National Guard was establishedon Dec. 13, 1636 in Massachusettsto protect the community. Sincethen, the National Guard has providedenduring value to America. Ourmotto is “Always Ready, AlwaysThere,” which articulates the serviceof America’s Guardsmen who standready, every day, to respond to allthreats — from natural disastersto terrorism — when called by ournation’s governors or our nationalleadership.The National Guard is in America’sDNA and reflects the wisdom of ourfounding framers who included theNational Guard in our constitution.@easeExpressToday, the National Guard iscombat tested, experienced, andreadily accessible. It has exceededall expectations. Recognizing theextraordinary performance of theNational Guard and its criticalimportance to national security inthis post 9-11 world, Congress votedto elevate the Chief of the NationalGuard Bureau to a full seat on theJoint Chiefs of Staff, and the presidentsigned that bill into law.As the National Guard celebrates its375th birthday, our legacy remains thesame. The Citizen Soldier and Airman— the modern minuteman — preparedto move from our civilian occupationsand pick up a “musket” to defend ourcommunity, state and nation. Whenyou call out the National Guard, youcall out the community, the family,and the employer, and they ensure thatthe spirit of America goes with ourNational Guard Soldiers and Airmen.Always Ready, Always There for375 years. Far more than a slogan— it represents a commitment. TheNational Guard is still on pointproviding enduring value for America.Maj. Gen. Don DunbarThe Adjutant General3 November 2011-January 2012
Page 1: @easeExpressNovember 2011-January 2
Page 5 and 6: 157th MEB Soldiers to serve KFOR mi
Page 7 and 8: Wisconsin National Guard’s last t
Page 9 and 10: Wisconsin Air Guard squadron receiv
Page 11 and 12: @easeExpressTech. Sgt. Jon LaDueWis
Page 13 and 14: 128th Air Refueling Wing hosts annu
Page 15 and 16: Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, adjutant g
Page 18: There were no candles — that like
Page 21 and 22: @easeExpressKFOR timeline1999: Firs
Page 23 and 24: 157th MEB members train for Kosovo
Page 25 and 26: Sgt. 1st Class Jim Wagner157th MEB
Page 27 and 28: Continued from Page 26townships to
Page 29 and 30: Wisconsin National Guard validates
Page 31 and 32: 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. LarsonWisconsin
Page 33 and 34: Red Arrow commemorates Berlin Crisi
Page 35 and 36: Agribusiness Development Team prepa
Page 37 and 38: Red Arrow upgradingTOW missiles@eas
Page 39 and 40: Tech. Sgt. Jon LaDueWisconsin Natio
Page 41 and 42: Above, Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjuta
Page 43 and 44: Samantha Czerkas of Cross Plains, R
Page 45: PartingshotExpressGov. Scott Walker

November 2011-January 2012 - Wisconsin National Guard ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?