Fall - PNG Military Museum

Transcription

Governor
Edward G. Rendell
The Adjutant General
Maj. Gen.
Jessica L. Wright
Features:
End of an Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Pennsylvania National Guard says goodbye to respected leader . . . . . . . . . 9
Remembering, honoring fallen service members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Governor
Edward G. Rendell
The Adjutant General
Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright
A nd the beat goes on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Weather or not, this station is ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Keystone Airmen unlock Kyrgyzstan kindergarten’s potential . . . . . . . . . . 14
Executive Editor/State Public Affairs Officer
Lt. Col. Christopher Cleaver
Train as you treat: the 21st century Combat Lifesaver Course . . . . . . . . . 16
Managing Editor
Sgt. Matthew E. Jones
Big hearts on the Big Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
State Public Affairs Staff
Maj. Cory Angell
Capt. Jay Ostrich
Staff Sgt. Ted Nichols
Sgt. Damian Smith
Joan Nissley
A more accurate, more effective mortar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
State Public Affairs Office
Pennsylvania National Guard
Fort Indiantown Gap
Building 8-41
Annville, PA 17003
www.dmva.state.pa.us
A run to remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
19th annual State Veterans Homes Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
From Gulf to golf, bunker to bunker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Departments:
Final Roll Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
K eystone Newsmakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Curator’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Bob Ulin, Publisher
Marie Lundstrom, Editor
Gloria Schein, Graphic Artist
Chris Kersbergen & Darrell George, Advertising Sales
Toll Free: (866) 562-9300
Fax: (907) 562-9311
Web: www.AQPpublishing.com
www.dmva.state.pa.us
This unofficial magazine is an authorized publication for members of the Pennsylvania
National Guard. Contents of the magazine are not necessarily the official view of, or
endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, Department of the Army
and/or the Air Force or the Pennsylvania National Guard. The appearance of advertising in
this publication does not constitute endorsement by the State of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania
National Guard, DoD, AQP Publishing Inc., the Department of the Army and/or the Air Force
or the publisher of this magazine of the firms, products or services advertised.
Pennsylvania Guardians magazine is published by the Pennsylvania National Guard to
keep its members, the Guard command and public officials, better informed on the issues
and events affecting the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Office of Public Affairs,
JFHQ-PA. All photographs and graphic devices are copyrighted to the Pennsylvania National
Guard, unless otherwise indicated.
ON THE COVER: Sgt. Lindsey Myers, top, and
Spc. Isiah White treat a simulated casualty during
a Combat Lifesaver Course training lane May 20
at Fort Indiantown Gap. The lanes feature intense
stressors, such as battle sounds, screaming
instructors, fog and darkness, in order to test the
Soldiers’ skills under pressure.
Photo: Sgt. Shawn Miller
Join the Pennsylvania National Guard, the
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Fall 2010 / GUARDIANS / 1
FINAL ROLL CALL
Sgt. 1st Class Bryan hoover holds a piece of a
rocket-propelled grenade in Zabul, Afghanistan,
May 15. Photo: Courtesy of Dan Shakal
Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hoover and Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike provide security for the Zabul, Afghanistan,
Provincial Reconstruction Team, May 14. Photo: Courtesy of Dan Shakal
Two Pennsylvania Army National
Guard Soldiers were killed by a suicide
bomber in Zabul Province, Afghanistan,
on June 11.
Sgt. 1st Class Robert J. Fike, 38,
Conneautville, Crawford County, and
Sgt. 1st Class Bryan A. Hoover, 29, West
Elizabeth, Allegheny County, were on a
foot patrol in the Bullard Bazaar when
they were killed in the blast.
Sgt.1st Class Robert Fike poses with his daughter
MacKenzie before deploying to Afghanistan.
Photo: Courtesy of Fike Family
They were serving with the Pennsylvania
Army National Guard’s Company C, 1st
Battalion, 110th Infantry, based in
Connellsville. They were providing security
for Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul.
“These were experienced Soldiers
who had done other combat deployments
and were dedicated to serving the nation
and the commonwealth,” said Maj. Gen.
Randall Marchi, commander, 28th Infantry
Division. “It is a tragic loss and we send
our heartfelt sympathies to their families
and friends.”
Fike was a 1989 graduate of PennTrafford High School, Harrison City. He
earned a bachelor’s degree from Edinboro
University and worked as a corrections
officer at the Albion State Correctional
Institution. He joined the Pennsylvania
Army National Guard in September 1993.
In his 16 years of service, he served two
other tours: one in Saudi Arabia from
2002 to 2003 and another in Iraq from
2007 to 2008. His awards include the
Army Commendation Medal, Army
Achievement Medal, Armed Forces
Reserve Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary and Service Medals, and
Iraq Campaign Medal.
Hoover graduated from ElizabethForward High School in 2000 and earned
a bachelor’s degree in sports management
from California University of Pennsylvania.
He was a track coach with the ElizabethForward School District.
Hoover joined the Marine Corps in
October 1999 and served on active duty
until September 2004. In March 2005,
after months in the Marine Corps
Reserve, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania
National Guard.
Hoover’s military awards include the
Army Commendation Medal, Pennsylvania
Commendation Medal, Navy/Marine
Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps
Good Conduct Medal, Global War on
Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Iraq
Campaign Medal, Air Assault Badge and
Humanitarian Service Medal.
Fike and Hoover previously served
together in Iraq in 2007 and 2008 with
the 28th Military Police Company.
They are the 35th and 36th Soldiers
of the Pennsylvania National Guard killed
in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They were posthumously awarded the
Purple Heart. O
Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hoover and Sgt. 1st Class
Robert Fike provide security at the Bullard
Bazaar in Zabul, Afghanistan, May 7.
Photo: Courtesy of Dan Shakal
Four 111th Fighter Wing A-10 Thunderbolt IIs fly in formation
during a refueling mission over New Jersey in May 2005.
Photo: Kenn Mann
Courtesy of the 111th Fighter Wing
Staff Sgt. John Deyoung, an aircraft mechanic
from the 65th Operations Support Squadron
at Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal, completes a
post-flight inspection of the 111th Fighter
Wing’s A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft in support
of Operation Southern Watch in January 2008.
Photo: Tech. Sgt. Scott W. Johnson
4 / GUARDIANS / Fall 2010
The 111th Fighter Wing officially bid farewell to their A-10 Thunderbolt II
aircraft at the End of an Era ceremony June 6 at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station.
The ceremony commemorated 86 years of flying for the unit, which is scheduled
to transition for their new mission, termed AFFOR, or Air Force Forces. The mission
is an Air Force Headquarters staff augmentation package. Personnel assigned to the
AFFOR will train to augment headquarters staff agencies.
Although its long-term future remains unclear, the 111th has a clear history of
excellence in the air.
The 111th FW’s history began with the establishment of the 103rd Observation
Squadron in June 1924, based on the sod fields of Philadelphia Airport as a unit in
the 28th Infantry Division. The 103rd’s first commander was Maj. Charles Biddle,
who had flown in World War I as part of the famous Lafayette Escadrilles,
a volunteer group flying French aircraft before the United States officially entered
into the war.
The pilots of the 103rd flew a wide variety of observation aircraft for the next
18 years. The most well-known of these aircraft was the JN-4 Jenny, an open cockpit
biplane. It was replaced in the 1930s and early 1940s with metal-skinned, prop-driven
observation monoplanes.
In February 1941, the unit was ordered to active service, performing antisubmarine patrols off the coast of New England. In 1943, the 103rd was given steady
upgrades in equipment beginning with the P-39 Airacobras, P-40 Warhawk and the
B-25 Mitchell. Eventually the unit converted to the F-5C, a photo-reconnaissance
version of the P-38 Lightning.
The 103rd ended up in the China-Burma-India Theater in 1944. It supported
U.S. Army forces fighting the Japanese in the jungles until the end of the war.
Four A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 103rd Fighter Squadron are sprayed with water by two
111th Fighter Wing fire trucks as the jets taxi in from the unit’s final combat training sortie during a
ceremony on June 6 at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Marie D. Harmon
The 111th Fighter Wing lineage comes
from the 391st Bomb Group (Medium),
which was constituted in 1943 with four
flying squadrons. It trained at MacDill
Field, Fla., in the Martin B-26 Marauder
and then flew ground attack missions over
Western Europe in 1944. Late in the war,
the pilots transitioned to the A-26 Invader
aircraft, for combat missions against
German railroads, highways, bridges and
armor vehicles. For its actions in World
War II, the wing was decorated with the
Distinguished Unit Citation.
In 1946, the 391st was redesignated
the 111th Bombardment Group (Light)
and returned to the Pennsylvania National
Guard flying the B-26. The Air National
Guard was reorganized in 1950 and the
wing was re-designated as the 111th
Composite Wing. The unit was not directly
deployed for the Korean War, but many
of its unit members were sent into combat
there, assigned to other units.
In 1952, the unit was removed from
active duty status and personnel were
returned to the Air National Guard as
part of the 111th Fighter Bomber Group.
The unit transitioned to the F-51 Mustang.
In 1953, the wing made the jump from
propeller to jet aircraft with the arrival of
the F-80 Starfighter and then the F-84
Thunderjet, which arrived in 1954.
The unit was redesignated the 111th
Fighter Interceptor Group in 1955, and
transitioned to the Air Defense mission
flying the F-94 Starfire. The unit finished
service in this mission in 1959 while flying
the F-89H Scorpion, an all-weather rocket
and missile firing interceptor.
In 1962, the unit made the transition
from interceptors to transports, flying the
Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. One year
later, the 111th ended its 39-year history
at Philadelphia Airport and moved to
new facilities on the north end of the
Willow Grove Naval Air Station. In 1969,
the unit changed missions again, returning to its original roots as an observation
unit. The new 111th Tactical Air Support
Group initially flew the U-3A Blue
Canoe and then transitioned to the O-2
Skymaster.
The Forward Air Control mission was
sustained with the unit’s switch to the
OA-37 Dragonfly in 1981. The unit made
several deployments to Central America
in the 1980s to support allied training.
The 111th received its current aircraft, the
OA-10A Thunderbolt II in 1988. The unit
was redesignated as the 111th Fighter
Group in 1992 and then as the 111th
Fighter Wing in 1995.
The wing deployed to Kuwait in 1995
to support joint combat flight operations
for Operation Southern Watch over Iraq.
The 111th was the first Air Guard fighter
unit deployed to Al Jaber, Kuwait, and
the first Air National Guard wing to serve
a solo three-month Operation Southern
Watch deployment.
In 1996, the 111th Fighter Wing pilots
transitioned from the OA-10 AFAC
mission to the A-10 attack mission. The
second 111th Fighter Wing deployment
to Kuwait occurred in 1999, again to
(Continued on page 7)
Col. Tony Carrelli receives the unit’s flag from
Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Sischo, deputy adjutant
general-Air, Pennsylvania National Guard, and
assumes command of the 111th Fighter Wing
during a change of command ceremony held
Aug. 2, 2009, at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station.
Photo: Tech. Sgt. Marie Harmon
Lt. Col. Scott Hreso, Col. Howard Eissler, Col. Jim Blaydon and Lt. Col. Bill Griffin, A-10 pilots with the
111th Fighter Wing, walk a U.S. flag flown in the A-10 flyover toward the stage during a ceremony on
June 6 at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station. Photo: Master Sgt. Stanley Woods
END
of an
ERA
(Continued from page 5)
AIRCRAFT
operated by the
111th FighterWing
OA/ A-10 Thunderbolt II (1988-2010)
OA/ A-37B Dragonfly (1981-1988)
O-2 Skymaster (1970-1981)
U-3 A/B Blue Canoe (1969-1970)
An A-10 from the 103rd Fighter Squadron turns to make
an approach to fire its 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling
gun at Avon Air Force Range, Fla., March 5, 2009.
Photo: Master Sgt. Patrick Cashin
C-97G Stratofreighter (1963-1969)
F-89H Scorpion (1959-1962)
F-94C Starfire (1957-1958)
F-94B Starfire (1956-1957)
support joint combat flight operations for Operation Southern Watch over Iraq.
Immediately following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the 111th deployed back to Al
Jaber to support joint combat flight operations for Operation Southern Watch over
Iraq and the new Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan. Weapons personnel
from the 111th assisted in the loading of combat ordnance for the first sorties into
Afghanistan during November 2001.
In October 2002, the wing was the lead unit for a short-notice deployment to
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The 111th aircraft supported joint combat flight
operations with U.S. Army Special Forces and coalition ground forces in Afghanistan
for Operation Enduring Freedom. The A-10s were flown and maintained in very
primitive and hazardous conditions, yet the 111th personnel flew 100 percent of the
assigned tasking for their entire deployment.
About six weeks after returning from Afghanistan, the 111th again volunteered to
participate in another deployment to Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, its fourth visit, from
February 2003 to May 2003. The wing deployed for joint combat flight operations, in
support of U.S. Army, Marine and British ground forces as part of the initial phase of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Wing personnel were initially stationed at Al Jaber before
transferring to Tallil Air Base, Iraq, midway through the initial campaign.
The 111th Fighter Wing was awarded the Air National Guard Distinguished Flying
Unit Award in 2004 and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, with Valor, in 2005.
The unit made two more trips to Southwest Asia in the A-10 to support combat
operations; for Operation Iraqi Freedom in Al Asad, Iraq, in 2007, and again for
Operation Enduring Freedom in Bagram, Afghanistan, in 2008.
The unit ended its proud and distinguished 86-year aviation history when the final
aircraft departed in August. O
F-84F Thunderjet (1954-1957)
F-80 Starfighter (1953-1954)
F-51D Mustang (1953-1954)
RB-29 Superfortress (1951-1952)
A-26B Marauder (1948-1951)
B-25D Mitchell (1943-1945)
F-5E Tiger II (1944-1945)
P-40F Warhawk (1943-1944)
P-39Q Airacobra (1943-1944)
O-52 Owl (1942-1943)
O-57 Grasshopper (1942-1943)
O-49 Vigilant (1941-1942)
O-47 North American (1938-1943)
O-46 Douglas (1937-1942)
O-38 Douglas (1932-1937)
O-17 Courier (1927-1932)
O-11 Curtiss Falcon (1926-1932)
O-2H Douglas (1926-1932)
PT-1 Trusty (1924-1932)
JN-4 “Jenny” (1924-1928)
F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 8th Fighter
Wing and South Korean air force’s 111th
Fighter Wing prepare to take off for a joint
training exercise June 8, 2007, from Kunsan
Air Base, South Korea. This was the first time
since the South Korean 111th Fighter
Squadron moved to Kunsan that the South
Korean and American units had briefed, flown
and debriefed together on a dedicated mission.
Photo: Tech. Sgt. Darcie Ibidapo
Pennsylvania National Guard says goodbye
to respected leader
By Airman 1st Class Claire Behney
As the firing party performed its 21gun salute, the weapons’ report resonated
in the hearts and minds of the audience
as they stood to honor a highly esteemed
and influential man, retired Pennsylvania
Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Frank H.
Smoker Jr.
While paying respect to his loss, it’s
also important to celebrate his achievements. For Smoker, it was a life filled with
accomplishments and dedication to his
community, country, fellow service members
and the organization he loved.
A member of the Greatest Generation,
Smoker was a true patriot. From his
youth, where he earned recognition as an
Eagle Scout, to his retirement years,
when he authored and published Back at
the Gap – a History of Fort Indiantown
Gap, Smoker lived a life of extraordinary
accomplishment.
Smoker’s military career began with
his enlistment into the Army Air Corps in
1943. He served with the 8th Air Force and
was assigned to the 92nd Bombardment
Group, Podington Air Force Base, England,
where he completed 26 missions over
Europe and completed 222 combat hours
as a B-17 aircraft navigator. Gen. Smoker
was released from active duty as a captain
and World War II veteran in 1946.
While serving in England, Smoker met
his wife, former Kathleen M. Farrow of
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire,
England, with whom he celebrated
their 64th wedding anniversary in
December. Together they had two
children, Barbara and David.
Col. David Smoker is the current
commander of the 193rd Mission
Support Group, 193rd Special
Operations Wing.
Smoker, born in Columbia, Pa.,
joined the Pennsylvania National
Guard in October, 1946. On Jan. 17,
1947, he became a member of the
53rd Wing Headquarters during
its initial federal recognition.
This was the first Pennsylvania
Air National Guard unit to be
federally recognized.
Graduating from the United States
Air Force Pilot Training program in 1952,
Smoker completed more than 5,000 flying
hours, including five combat missions
in Vietnam, in C-121 aircraft, while
assigned to what is now the 193rd Special
Operations Wing.
During his 42-year military career,
Smoker served in various Air National
Guard capacities including commander
of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard
headquarters and Pennsylvania’s deputy
adjutant general – Air, until his retirement
in June 1985.
Smoker, who received an honorary
promotion to the lieutenant general on the
Pennsylvania National Guard retired list,
earned the Air Force’s highest peacetime
decoration, the Air Force Distinguished
Service Medal upon his retirement.
The history of the Pennsylvania
National Guard was something of particular interest to Smoker. He played a
critical role in standing up the Pennsylvania
National Guard Military Museum at Fort
Indiantown Gap.
“Thanks to him, we got a lot of
support from the Air National Guard,”
said Charlie Oellig, Pennsylvania National
Guard Military Museum curator.
Oellig said Smoker was persistent about
starting the museum, working with the
late Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard Scott,
46th adjutant general of Pennsylvania, in
forming a team with the state museum
Maj. Gen.
Frank H.
Smoker Jr.
__________
1925–2010
and a board of directors. Smoker served
as president of the museum from 1985 to
January 2010.
“He was a real leader and just a
pleasure to work with,” Oellig said. “Gen.
Smoker was the perfect gentleman, the
nicest man you’d ever meet and I’m really
going to miss him.”
Agnes Moss, a retired Pennsylvania
Air National Guard administrative assistant, said “He ran a very efficient, good
office and was fair with everybody.”
Moss said she worked with Smoker
for 40 years and remembers how good a
writer he was, writing wonderful speeches
that everyone talked about.
“I think he commanded respect;
everyone seemed to respect him and not
the just position he had, but the person
he was,” Moss said.
Following a lengthy illness, Gen.
Smoker passed away July 16. O
Retired Pennsylvania Air National Guard
Lt. Gen. Frank H. Smoker was laid to rest
at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery
July 21. Photo: Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver
Flags line the
entrance to the
Fort Indiantown Gap
National Cemetery for
Memorial Day 2010.
Photo: Joan Z. Nissley
By Airman 1st Class Claire Behney
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed an act
establishing an official flag for the new nation. Since then, the
American flag has served as the icon of our nation’s freedom,
and its colors, each symbolic, wave strong every Memorial Day
along the entrance drive to the Fort Indiantown Gap National
Cemetery, Annville, Pa.
The color red symbolizes hardiness and valor; the white,
purity and innocence; and the blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice – the kind of vigilance, valor and commitment displayed by the more than 5,000 service members killed in
action since Sept. 11, 2001.
Twice a year, Memorial Day and Veterans Day, The National
Sojourners, Harrisburg Chapter 76, sets out their traditional
ordered rows of small American flags. Each one represents a
single service member who died supporting operations in Iraq
or Afghanistan.
“It gives me a great feeling to take part in doing something
for the families of the men and women who lost their lives, to
honor those service members’ dedication and sacrifice,” said
Vaughn Schwalm, president of National Sojourners, Harrisburg
Chapter 76.
Chapter 76 works in conjunction with the Navy Club,
Lancaster County Ship 166, to create this flag memorial. The
weeklong process begins with gridding out the location of each
flag along the entrance drive to the cemetery. Members and
volunteers carefully measure the exact location for each flag,
creating straight and even columns and rows. After about a day
and a half of gridding, holes for the flags are punched into the
ground and the placing of the flags begins.
“When you’re actually putting a flag in the ground with your
hands and you realize that flag represents the history of a person,
their life from being born up until they die and everyone they’ve
connected with through that life, it’s heart wrenching when you
get involved in it,” said Schwalm.
The Sojourners initially began this display on the lawn of
the Zembo Shine in Harrisburg in 2004, about a year after the
start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Volunteers help members of the National Sojourners’ Harrisburg Chapter 76
and the Lancaster County Navy Club’s Ship 166 place flags for the annual
memorial display at the Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery during
Memorial Day 2009. More than 5,000 small American flags were placed
this year in ordered columns and rows to represent each of the service
members killed in action since Sept. 11, 2001. Photo: William Hall
“When we started, it was only about 800 flags and unfortunately it has grown,” said Larry Rutt, Chapter 76 member and
former president. “We now include those killed in action in both
Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Master Sgt. Scott Fritz, 193rd Special Operations Wing fuel
cell supervisor and a 10-year member of Chapter 76, said the
memorial is all about paying tribute to the fallen and honoring
anyone touched by these service members.
“Everybody, in some way, shape or form, has been affiliated
with the military, even if it’s just a family friend,” said Fritz.
“They are able to look at the 5,000-plus flags in the memorial
and say ‘they’re doing that for me’ and that’s what we’re hoping
and I’m sure we do that.”
To Schwalm, remembering the significance of what each flag
represents is essential.
“When you come out, you can walk through the flags and
just look at them and think ‘oh they look really beautiful,’ but
when you walk through them and walk by every single flag, you
need to think of each of them as a person and the history of
that person,” Schwalm said.
And it’s that kind of remembrance that Rutt suggests
should consume everyone on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and
every day to honor the fallen and the service personnel yet to
come home.
“The reason to keep doing this memorial is because we can
never forget what the men and women of our brave armed forces
have done for us,” said Rutt. “It’s to inspire pride in what our
military does and if we can do that in a spectacular manner such
as this then we will continue to do so for as long as we can.” O
AND THE BEAT GOES ON
By Retired Sgt. 1st Class Tom Leonard
Memorial Day abounds with traditions
and rituals. It usually starts in the morning
with a community parade, including fire
engines, high school bands, civic associations, color guards and motorcycles.
As the procession winds through the
town, it may pause at a cemetery or town
monument. A prayer is said, comments
made, a rifle salute is fired and the air is
filled with the mournful strains of Taps.
The afternoon is filled with baseball,
barbecues and the opening day at the
pool. So much gaiety for a day set aside
to reflect and honor the nation’s war dead.
What am I missing?
When I was in Vietnam, I would go
over to the airbase. I could see the silver
colored wings of the cargo planes sitting
on the flight line with ramps lowered.
I could see the silver caskets lined up
waiting to be loaded into the cargo hold.
I could feel the blast from the propellers
as the transport taxied out to the runway.
I could see it climb to the heavens to begin
its lonely journey home.
I turned away and walked back to the
company area. Along the way, I passed a
group of new arrivals. Their instructors
took them for a short run to help them
get acclimated. Together they sang a
familiar refrain: “If I die on the old drop
zone, box me up and send me home. Tell
my girl I did my best, then bury me in the
leaning rest.” So much bravado in that
rhyming chant, but it is necessary, for it
inculcates a sense of mission-first and duty.
When asked: “How do you stand
there when confronted by war elephants,
chariots, archers and spearmen?” An old
Assyrian soldier once replied: “A soldier’s
spirit.” For it is a soldier’s spirit that
allows them to cross hundreds of yards of
open field at Gettysburg even with 600
muskets pointed in their direction, or
claw their way up Hamburger Hill in rain,
muck and even friendly fire only to hear:
“Well we made it to the top of another
pile of dirt.” Or man a redoubt against
thousands of yelling communist Chinese
soldiers at the Chosin Reservoir while
nearly freezing to death. In these
scenarios and thousands more like them,
the beat goes on; drums keep pounding a
rhythm to the brain: Ladi Doti De, Ladi
Doti Di.
I never saw that airplane land. I never
saw the staff car with the three Marines
and parish priest turn the corner onto
Glenthorne Road in Upper Darby. I did
not see the staff car stop in front of
Bobby Resnick’s house. I did not hear the
knock on the door or the cries of anguish
and pain when the door was opened.
Witnesses said that people way down the
street heard the wailing. Mrs. Resnick
was never the same. She died that way.
Another casualty, and the beat goes on.
Years later in fall 2000, I left the
military. Like many others before me, I
marched in the Veterans Day parade in
Media and walked with the American
Legion through the cemeteries planting
flags. But something was missing; it just
seemed so perfunctory. A few years later,
my old National Guard unit, Troop B, 1st
Squadron, 104th Cavalry, received its
marching orders to Iraq. So I went to the
armory and saw them off as they boarded
the buses, and I waved them goodbye
and Godspeed.
According to official records, Troop B
performed its mission admirably and with
much élan with the loss of five personnel.
Five is such a small number; it most
certainly can be overlooked, discounted
or lost in the overall assessment of events.
Only comrades and family understand
their missing presence.
They were Lt. Mark Dooley and
Spc. Christopher Merchant from Vermont,
Spc. William Fernandez, Spc. William
Evans and Sgt. Michael Egan from
Pennsylvania.
Egan came to us after the events of
9/11 from the Marine Corps. He could
use the pay and missed the camaraderie
from his days in the Corps. There’s that
Soldier’s spirit again.
I went back to the armory to see
Troop B come home. As I looked down
Roosevelt Boulevard in northeast
Philadelphia, I could see the convoy
approach. Lights flashing, sirens wailing,
flags flying, motorcycle escort, the convoy
motored to the Armory front door. Car
doors opened and there was a loud cheer
from the assembled crowd. There was
much hand shaking, back slapping, hugs
and kisses, and smiles all around. What
a far cry from the reception Vietnam
troops received.
I followed the service personnel into
the armory and watched as the families
filled the bleachers and the troops formed
up on the gym floor. The commander
called them to attention and honor was
rendered to the colors. Medals were
pinned on, awards were handed out,
comments were made, and without further
ado, the commander called the unit to
attention and simply said, “Troop dismissed.” The families filed out of the
bleachers and mingled with the troops on
the floor to begin the long process of
recapturing a lost year – all except Mrs.
Mike Egan. She just sat there gazing out
on the gym floor, looking left to right as
if hoping for a presence that was not
going to be there.
There would be no medal for her, no
award, not even a hug and a kiss. Will she
be able to renew her life, to start again?
After all, Mike was her life. For his
daughter there will be no dad at graduation or to walk her down the aisle at her
wedding. All those future events that
will never be. So there was the missing
element. The pain that is part of Memorial
Day, but somehow lost in the celebration.
Not anymore, for every time I plant those
flags in the local cemetery, I will remember
that day and the emotions that it evokes
and tell myself, “I hope we never have to
do this again.”
But we will, for it is part of the human
condition. The intensity of the pain and
the loss is restrained by how well we
manage our situation. Conflict will always
be there, as will adversaries. And you
hope for more Soldiers like Mike to man
the ramparts. And the beat goes on. O
Story and photos by Airman 1st Class Claire Behney
Thunderstorms and nor’easters are two of the biggest weather
threats that could ground a pilot. From behind the scenes, the
193rd Special Operations Wing weather station works to forecast
these conditions to ensure the safety of anyone transiting through
Muir Army Air Field at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Staged on the flight line of Muir Army Air Field, the weather
station’s three-man team has a combined total of more than
100 years of meteorology experience making them a key asset
to the Gap.
“It’s an aviation type of forecast; we’re strictly pilot
oriented here so it’s much more detailed,” said Don Roth, a
meteorological technician with the weather station. “We’re telling
the pilots how high the clouds are, how far they’ll be able to see,
what the winds are going to be, what the pressure is going to be
for their aircraft. So it’s a little bit different than telling you that
it’s going to be cloudy with a chance of showers.”
This information is given to the pilots in a mandatory weather
briefing from the weather station before every takeoff.
“The pilots report to us in the weather station for a DD Form
175-1 Weather Briefing,” said Bruce Russell, manager of the
weather station. “The weather briefing form then gets attached
to their flight plan and the two documents go together to give
the pilot a release to fly.”
Bruce Russell, manager of the 193rd Special Operations Wing weather station,
works alongside meteorological technicians Gary Peel and Don Roth, seated,
to review satellite weather scans of the local area in preparation for reporting
a local area weather briefing.
Don Roth, a meteorological technician with the 193rd Special Operations Wing
weather station, reviews one of several weather charts that are posted daily for
the technicians’ assessment. Information obtained from these charts is given to
pilots of Muir Army Air Field in mandatory weather briefings prior to every takeoff.
n,
g
Along with briefing pilots, the weather
station releases a local weather report
three times a day that goes on their
network for customers concerned about
conditions.
“Even on the best weather days, we
are always looking over the horizon for
the next approaching storm to predict the
impact that it will have on flying operations,” Russell said.
The Eastern Army Aviation Training
Site, for example, conducts aircraft qualification courses, instructor pilot training
and many other aviation training courses.
Other customers include the post’s
non-flying operations that also receive
weather warnings. In order to issue these
advisories, the weather station coordinates
with the 15th Operational Weather
Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
“We are the 15th’s eyes forward,” said
Russell. “We are their local eyes and ears.”
The weather station also assists
with required on-the-job training for the
Airmen of the 15th, as well as the Airmen
of the 193rd Special Operation Wing’s
203rd Weather Flight.
According to Gary Peel, a meteorological technician with the weather station,
once Airmen graduate from military
technical school, they can report to the
weather station for key hands-on forecasting experience and to apply what they
learned in school.
“The Airmen come in highly motivated
and they’ve got the knowledge. We just
help fine tune them and get them mission
ready,” said Peel. “It’s not something we
have to do, but it’s a way we can help.”
Both the 203rd Weather Flight and
the weather station fall under command of
Col. Christopher Dutton, 193rd Regional
Support Group commander. While the
Weather Flight is the combat arm and
deploys, the weather station is immobile
and staffed with civilian technicians,
Russell said.
The team members of the weather
station are all retired Air Force noncommissioned officers with more than
20 years of active duty service in the
meteorology field. That expertise can be
seen every day, whether on the job or
working alongside new Airmen, sharing
what they know.
“Just last week, we had a crew flying
around during a thunderstorm watch and
we were communicating over the FM
radio with them,” said Russell.
The pilot asked to keep him advised
to the movement of the storm because
he had priority issues to accomplish,
Russell added.
“When we saw the storm crossing the
river headed for Muir, we advised him
to return to base immediately and he did,
just beating the microburst – another save.”
The weather station also rose to the
challenges of this year’s winter storms.
“What a year this has been, and we’ve
been doing really well in putting out the
warnings,” said Russell. “We’ve hit the
snow fall amounts well this year and gave
our customers enough lead time to be
able to get things back into the hangers
and cleared off the ramps.”
While the weather station is successfully mission focused, their dedication to
the career field plays a key role.
“I don’t think I could do anything
else,” said Roth. “It’s a new puzzle to
solve every day, and when you go to
weather school, you never see the sky the
same as the person that doesn’t know
what they’re looking at.” O
Story and photos by
Senior Airman Nichelle Anderson
Members of the Pennsylvania Air
National Guard, deployed with the 376th
Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron,
delivered goods and spent time with
children from the Yagodka Kindergarten
in Vinogradnoye Village, Kyrgyzstan,
during a humanitarian assistance visit
in April.
Airmen also donated coloring books,
crayons, activity workbooks, children’s
books, toys, sports equipment and cookies
to the school.
“In the past we’ve brought toys,
games and balls that the children can
share mutually and ultimately will be left
for the school,” explained Capt. Michael
Torres, 376th ESFS flight commander.
Airmen from the 111th Security Forces
Squadron, Pennsylvania Air National
Guard; 159th Security Forces Squadron,
Louisiana Air National Guard; and the
161st Security Forces Squadron, Arizona
Air National Guard, received support for
the humanitarian assistance program
from family members and friends.
“All of the crayons, coloring books,
and activity books were sent from a friend
back home who obtained a donation from
Crayola,” explained Tech. Sgt. Patrick
Geiser, a noncommissioned officer from
the 111th.
Torres said support from the community, families and friends at home is what
helps Airmen from the Transit Center at
Manas donate a variety of items that aren’t
available in a deployed environment.
“I have a friend back at home who
is a teacher at a predominately Russian
school, and the books were donated by
his class,” Geiser said. “Each kid in his
class was given extra credit if they brought
one book in Russian to contribute to
the school.”
With the Manas Area Benefit Outreach
Society and the 376th Expeditionary
Civil Engineer Squadron, the 376th ESFS
Tech. Sgt. Patrick Geiser jokes with a student
at the Yagodka Kindergarten in April at
Vinogradnoye Village, Kyrgyzstan. During a visit
to the school Airmen from the Transit Center at
Manas donated coloring books, crayons, activity
workbooks, toys, children’s books, sports
equipment and cookies.
helps to improve the facilities of the
Yagodka Kindergarten. During each
visit, Airmen spend time with the children
and continue to look for ways to improve
the facility.
“(Airmen) have come and done some
painting, cement work, replaced piping
throughout the building, installed new
radiators and enhanced the overall look
of the playground,” said Torres.
During the visit, Torres toured the
school with Principal Burul Aktasheva to
address concerns and determine projects
necessary to further improve the facility.
The squadron has supported the kindergarten for about two years, and although
the Airmen may only stay in Kyrgyzstan
for a few months before they return home,
the humanitarian assistance mission
remains the same.
“Although we’ve done some things
for this school, I think they’ve done as
much for us as we do for them,” Torres
said. “We saw the smiles here. It’s an
amazing experience. It brings me back to
home, keeps me grounded in my job and
illustrates what I’m really doing it for.
I love it, I think it’s great.” O
Tech. Sgt. Patrick Geiser shows off the box of children’s books to Burul Aktasheva, the principal of
Yagodka Kindergarten, during a visit in April at Vinogradnoye Village, Kyrgyzstan. Air National
Guardsmen from the 111th Security Forces Squadron, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, have been
essential in providing humanitarian assistance to the children of the school.
Spc. Lucas Davidson of the 131st Transportation
Company calls for help as he treats a simulated
casualty during a Combat Lifesaver Course
training lane May 20 at Fort Indiantown Gap.
The lanes feature intense stressors, such as
battle sounds, screaming instructors, fog and
darkness in order to test the Soldiers’ skills
under pressure.
Staff Sgt. Kelly Eitreim, top, of the 131st
Transportation Company evaluates a simulated
casualty during a Combat Lifesaver Course training
exercise May 20 at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Train as you treat:
the 21st century
Combat Lifesaver Course
Story and photos by Sgt. Shawn Miller
Painful screams cut through the thick
smoke and noise of gunfire as a fourperson combat lifesaver team scrambled
through the dark looking for the casualties
amid the chaotic war zone.
Although those screams were those
of actors on a training exercise at the
Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s
Medical Battalion Training Site, the stress
felt by the students of the Combat
Lifesaver Course was very real as they
conducted the culminating event of the
three-day course.
“This type of training was hands-down
the best medical training I’ve ever been
through in the 10 years I’ve been in the
military,” said Sgt. Mike Quartucci of
the 131st Transportation Company, a
Pennsylvania Guard unit that is scheduled
to mobilize before the end of 2010.
After being broken into four-Soldier
teams, the students were thrust into
hectic mock warzones complete with
Hollywood-style special effects including
colored strobe lights, heavy smoke and
violent gunfight sounds blaring over loudspeakers. Add in the screaming instructors
demanding faster action, and the students
experienced what Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer
Jordan has dubbed “the frazzle effect.”
“Once you get stressed to the point
that you have that surge of adrenalin, you
lose your cognitive skills and you lose your
fine motor skills,” explained Jordan, an
instructor at the MBTS. “We want them
to still be able to perform with that
happening.”
The course starts with classroom
presentations teaching all facets of first
aid on the battlefield. The students then
move into individual skill labs to try the
procedures first-hand on mannequins. On
the final day of class, the students bring it
all together with the training lane.
“They have to be able to give a good
assessment, prioritize the wounds and
then treat appropriately,” said Jordan,
discussing the goal of the event.
Even if the Soldiers are doing everything right in the lanes, the instructors
still demand more just to keep the stress
at a maximum. “The staff is probably one
of the greatest things at stressing the
students out,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jim
Johnstone, the noncommissioned officer
in charge of the training. “Whether or not
they’re doing well or doing poorly, we still
find things to nitpick about.”
No matter how frazzled the Soldiers
got, however, they all seemed to emerge
Spc. Matt Meily of the 213th Personnel Company looks for casualties as he enters a simulated attack
zone during his Combat Lifesaver Course training exercise May 20 at Fort Indiantown Gap. The
training lanes feature realistic battle sounds, smoke, obstacles and live Soldiers acting as casualties in
order to better train Soldiers for deployment.
with a better grasp on what they had
learned the previous two days. “It made
it very realistic as opposed to just doing
it in a classroom environment,” said Staff
Sgt. Kelly Eitreim of the 131st.
As the Army constantly adapts to
changing combat environments across the
world, the training that Soldiers receive
must also adapt. “This is not an Army
requirement; this is something that we
do,” said Johnstone in reference to the
hyper-realistic training lanes.
By overloading the stress and pushing
the Soldiers to fight through the confusion
to react and save lives, the instructors hope
to point out strengths and weaknesses
while still in a controlled atmosphere.
Once the real chaos starts, these new
combat lifesavers will have training to
rely on. O
Spc. Isiah White, left, and Sgt. Lindsey Myers treat a simulated casualty during a Combat Lifesaver
Course training lane May 20 at Fort Indiantown Gap. The training lanes are designed to deprive
Soldiers of basic sensory skills while adding intense stress to test skills under fire.
Story and photos by Tech. Sgt. Culeen Shaffer
E malama kakou is Hawaiian for
“to care for all,” and that is exactly what
28 Airmen of the 193rd Special Operations
Wing’s Medical Group did the moment
they arrived in Hilo, Hawaii, on June 10.
As part of the Hawaii Medical
Innovative Readiness Training (HIMIRT)
program, members of the 193rd Medical
Group provided free health and dental
screenings to the people of Hilo and
surrounding areas for six days. Assisting
the 193rd was a dentist from the 104th
Fighter Wing, Westfield, Mass., and five
members from the 171st Air Refueling
Wing, Pittsburgh, Pa. The Airmen also
worked closely with the Bay Clinic,
Office for Social Ministry and the State
of Hawaii Department of Health. This
mission was the first HIMIRT on the Big
Island of Hawaii.
Medical Group members took the
concept of “E malama kakou” to heart.
“We were told that it was a humanitarian mission in Hawaii where we would
be providing free medical screenings to
the underserved,” said Staff Sgt. Katie
Duff, a medical technician with the 193rd
Medical Group. “Not only was I excited
that it was Hawaii, but more so because
it was a humanitarian mission, and I truly
love helping those in need.”
HIMIRT provided much needed care
and a training opportunity for members of
the 193rd and the local community. Nurses
and medical technicians of the 193rd and
staff of the Bay Clinic, for example, conducted cardiopulmonary resuscitation and
intravenous training sessions at the Bay
Clinic’s office, Keaau Clinic, Hilo.
Along with medical training, the
medical care included cholesterol checks,
glucose checks, blood pressure checks, eye
Senior Airman Courtney Mishoe, an optometry
technician with the 193rd Special Operations
Wing’s Medical Group, checks the vision of
Eli Ishimoto in Hilo, Hawaii, in June.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Nettles, a medical technician with the 193rd Medical Group, pricks the finger of a
patient to do a glucose test in Hilo, Hawaii, in June.
exams, height and weight measurements,
dental care, and medical background and
family history reviews.
“We saw 93 people, which in a course
of four days with a treatment facility is
quite a bit,” said Maj. Wade Newman, a
dentist with the 193rd Medical Group.
Duff assisted in the medical screenings,
but she also entertained the children while
family members were being screened,
which significantly impacted both the
children and their families.
“At one of the health fairs, I made
friends with a little boy who stole my heart,
and we ran into him on a few different
occasions – I won’t forget him,” said Duff.
Because of the attention the little boy
received on his first encounter with the
medical group, the next time he saw them
he immediately ran up and tagged some
Airmen, resuming the game of tag they
played with him before.
“Everyone in the medical unit has a
huge heart, and we were happy to help,”
Duff said.
The people of Hawaii expressed their
appreciation to the Airmen.
Newman had extracted the teeth of
five-year-old Nalyssa Keawekane. As a
sign of gratitude, Keawekane and her
siblings made a thank you banner and
leis of construction paper and yarn for the
military members and the staff at Bay
Clinic and OSM.
“Seeing that kid (Keawekane) over
there that I treated on Monday and
seeing how happy and healthy she is,” said
Newman in regard to what he found most
gratifying from the mission. “She was not
afraid to come back and have her picture
taken with me and smile with me; that
was the most rewarding.”
Airman 1st Class April Loeper, 193rd
Medical Group medical technician, said
she found the locals’ appreciation to be
the most rewarding aspect of the mission.
Pennsylvania community members
also played a role in the 193rd’s mission
to Hawaii.
Derrick Duff, president of Mid-State
Occupational Health Services in
Williamsport and father of Staff Sgt. Katie
Duff, loaned four cholesterol machines
to the Medical Group. Many Hawaiians
had not had their cholesterol checked in
years and for some this was their first time.
Maj. Danelle McMinn, an optometrist with the
193rd Special Operations Wing’s Medical Group,
checks the vision of a patient in Hilo, Hawaii,
in June.
193rd Medical Group
receives outstanding
medical unit award
Nalyssa Keawekane and her grandmother Malie Keawekane, with the help of Lt. Col. Robert Petley, an
optometrist of the 193rd Special Operations Wing’s Medical Group, presented a banner to members of
the 193rd Medical Group at Wailoa River State Park in Hilo, Hawaii, in June.
Staff Sgt. Chris Frederickson, 193rd
medical administration specialist, works
at Washington Elementary in Barto. She
spoke with a fellow teacher, Julee Carns,
about her concern of keeping the Hawaiian
children entertained while their family
received the free health screenings.
Carns is the monitor of a council made
up of Washington Elementary students
called the Kindness Council. This group
raised more than $200 to purchase coloring books and other items for the children
in Hawaii.
Carns also received other donations
which included crayons from Linda and
Frank Gerhinger of National Penn
Bank in Barto; “kids under two” toys
from Jen Huffman, manager of the
Wendy’s in Pottstown; and baseball cards
of Philadelphia Phillie Shane Victorino,
a Hawaii native, and figurines of the
Phillie Phanatic from Kelly Yergin of the
Philadelphia Phillies organization.
From medical care to donated equipment and toys, Airmen and community
came together to provide health care
through HIMIRT in Hilo.
“The 193rd Medical Group may only
come together one weekend a month
and for missions like this, but when we
are together the teamwork is unbelievable
and we consider each other family,” Duff
said. “There isn’t anything we can’t do
when we do it together.” O
The 193rd Special Operations
Wing Medical Group was recently
awarded the Theodore C. Marrs
Award as the Outstanding Medical
Unit for 2009 at the 2010 Air
National Guard Readiness Frontiers
conference in Minneapolis, Minn.,
on June 19.
The medical group provides
direct mission support to the third
largest wing in the Air National
Guard, which includes eight
geographically separated units.
“The motivation of the 193rd
Medical Group was also tested
and proved this year through
multiple wing inspections, deployments and short-notice support
worldwide,” said Col. David Gann,
193rd Medical Group commander.
“The successful results of these
daunting missions confirm our
commitment to excellence.
Staff Sgt. Katie Duff, a medical technician with
the 193rd Special Operations Wing’s Medical
Group, pricks the finger of brave 23-month-old
Kahia Inman in Hilo, Hawaii, in June, while his
mother Malia Duvauchelle holds him.
With every movement, the mortar tube of the Mortar Fire Control system
must be re-sighted, a task Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor
learned while training at Fort Indiantown Gap in June.
A more accurate,
more effective mortar
An M-1064 Weapons Carrier sits at Fort Indiantown Gap as the Soldiers
from 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor, prepare a training mission.
Pvt. Jeremy Kissinger, an M-1064 Weapons Carrier driver from Headquarters
Company, 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor, bore sights a 120 mm mortar as he learns to
operate the Mortar Fire Control System in June at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Story and photos by Spc. Coltin Heller
Speed and firepower are important assets of today’s military. When
combined, their effect is twofold: the enemy is defeated faster and troop
survival is increased. With this fact in mind, the Mortar Fire Controls
System was created.
Before the MFCS was implemented, all mortars were fired from
grounded positions and all coordinates and fire commands were transmitted by radio from the forward observer, which were in turn relayed to
the mortar position. Not only did this process take time, but the room
for error could not be ignored.
Thanks to the MFCS, mortars are now as mobile as their vehicles and
supported by the latest technology. Computers connect vehicles to each
other, reducing human error and decreasing the time between fires.
“It’s ten times faster,” said Sgt. Bryan Laubach of the Lewisburgbased Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion,
103rd Armor. “The MFCS also dramatically
reduces the error,” said Laubach, comparing
the old system to the new system.
Two hundred meters was the standard
margin of error with the grounded system,
while under the MFCS the margin drops to a
mere 75 meters. Laubach recently returned
from Afghanistan and had only fired the
ground-based mortars. He is learning, along
with the other Soldiers in his unit, how to
operate the MFCS.
The 120 mm mortar tubes are mounted
in the back of an M-1064 Mortar Carrier, a
modified version of the M-119 Troop
Carrier. The vehicle commander sits in front
of the computer display to monitor incoming
information. The fire coordinates are then
sent to the rear of the vehicle, to the gunner,
so he can adjust the weapon for maximum
accuracy.
“It’s spot on,” said Pfc. Ryan Campbell,
also with Headquarters Company. “The risk
of danger close is also reduced. We effectively
create a bubble of safety where we can’t fire,
keeping other Soldiers safe.”
Thanks to the MFCS the Soldiers will be
able to minimize damage to their own troops
while at the same time conducting swift and
effective fire missions against the enemy. O
Sitting in the back of the M-1064 Weapons Carrier, a 120 mm
mortar tube awaits the Soldiers who are going to learn to use it.
Team Eberly poses for a photo the day before the National Guard Bureau Marathon on May 2 in
Lincoln, Neb. Photo: Courtesy of the Nebraska National Guard
By Sgt. Matt Jones
“He would still be around 10 years from
now, 20 years from now if he could.”
Four other Pennsylvania Guardsman
also ran in the marathon.
Sgt. Dan Kysela, Company B, 1-110th
Infantry, finished in 2:57:28. He qualified
for the National Guard’s All Guard Team.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Stern, of the R&R
Battalion, was running his first marathon
and finished in 3:14:41. He also qualified
for the All Guard Team.
Sgt. 1st Class Clayton MacKnight,
3rd Battalion, 166th Training Regiment,
finished in 3:45:33 and qualified for the
2011 NGB Marathon.
Sgt. Steven Burns, Pennsylvania Army
National Guard Training Site Command,
finished in 3:48:33 and qualified for the
2011 NGB Marathon. O
A team from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention
Battalion ran in the National Guard Bureau Marathon on May 2 in honor of a Pennsylvania
National Guard drill sergeant who was killed while training for the event.
On the morning of March 17, Master Sgt. Mark A. Eberly, 39, was running along
Route 183 in Bernville when he was struck from behind by a car. He was pronounced
dead at the scene.
Fellow drill sergeants Sgt. 1st Class Kriss Berry, Sgt. 1st Class
Joseph Patterson, Staff Sgt. Gabriel Sweger and Sgt. 1st Class John
Walton, along with Sgt. 1st Class Wendy Diaz and Staff Sgt. James
Smigo of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion, ran in honor of
Eberly. Team Eberly finished with a chip time of 4:32:21 and
qualified for the 2011 National Guard Bureau Marathon.
In a message addressed to Eberly and distributed to members
of the Pennsylvania National Guard, Team Eberly said “Master
Sgt. Eberly, this was for you, we did it.”
“When we entered the University of Nebraska stadium running
cadence, the Pennsylvania Army National Guard brought the
entire stadium to a standstill as we heard them announce (Eberly’s)
name over the loudspeaker,” the message stated.
Sgt. 1st Class Gino Burns, who worked with Eberly as a recruiter,
said he was a huge workout fanatic. “As a matter of fact, if he were
standing here right now, he would ask you if you run, and if you
didn’t, he would ask why you don’t,” said Burns shortly after Eberly’s
death. “Any time I put on my running shoes, I think of him.”
Although Eberly was less than two years from being eligible to Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Team Eberly celebrate a
retire, Burns said he was dedicated to the military and would have successful run after the National Guard Bureau Marathon on May 2 in
Lincoln, Neb. Photo: Master Sgt. Alan Brown, Nebraska Air National Guard
stayed around much longer. “He wouldn’t leave,” said Burns.
19th annual
StateVeterans
HomesWeek
By Joan Z. Nissley
Pennsylvania’s six veterans homes, operated
by the Department of Military and Veterans
Affairs, celebrated the 19th annual State
Veterans Homes Week from June 13 through
June 19.
“State Veterans Homes Week is designed
to make citizens aware of the resident veterans
in their community and to thank the staff and
volunteers of these homes who provide selfless
and exceptional care for these heroes each and
every day,” said Brig. Gen. Mike Gould, the
state’s deputy adjutant general for veterans
affairs. “It’s also an opportunity for members of
the community to visit the homes, meet some
of America’s honored veterans, and explore
the numerous volunteer programs available.”
U.S. Army veteran Frannie Dwyer enjoys a visit from
the Phillie Phanatic during the Corvette Show sponsored by the American Dream Corvette Club during
State Veterans Home Week in June at the Southeastern
Veterans Center. Photo: Patty Carfagno
www.bankofamerica.com
Veterans at the Delaware Valley Veterans Home celebrate Flag Day during State Veterans Home Week
in June. Photo: Bill Jackson
Special activities throughout the week included ceremonies, special musical entertainment, golf and fishing tournaments, carnivals and picnics.
The six homes serve more than 1,600 eligible veterans and their spouses and include
the Delaware Valley Veterans Home in Philadelphia, the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center
in Scranton, the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home in Hollidaysburg, the Pennsylvania
Soldiers and Sailors Home in Erie, the Southeastern Veterans Center in Spring City
and the Southwestern Veterans Center in Pittsburgh.
For more information about veterans home eligibility, volunteer opportunities or
employment at a veterans home, visit www.paveterans.state.pa.us. O
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Dan Sorbo, a Purple Heart recipient who served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1948, participates in a
sandcastle building competition at the Southwestern Veterans Center during State Veterans Home
Week in June. Photo: Chris Veitch
By Capt. Jay Ostrich
The pressure of driving iron through sand, running from
bunker to bunker, or getting near troubled woods while
desperately trying not to hit innocent civilians is nothing new for
most combat veterans.
But for one day in late June, combat veteran Chief Master
Sgt. George Vasiloff couldn’t be happier to have done all of that.
Especially being near troubled woods – Tiger Woods, that is.
That’s because, through what he describes as the “luck of
the draw” and a little help from his Army brethren, Vasiloff was
asked to play a round of golf with the world’s best, if not most
infamous, golfer at the AT&T National Pro-AM held at the
Aronomink Country Club, Newtown Square.
They didn’t need to ask twice.
With a slight breeze and early morning dew glistening from
the tee box of the majestic, 430-yard first hole, Vasiloff, a 27-year
veteran of the Air Force, was introduced to an enthusiastic crowd
and his golf dream began.
In a familiar pickle,
Chief Master Sgt.
George Vasiloff tries
to figure a safe way
out of the sand while
playing alongside
the golf great Tiger
Woods on June 30
at the 2010 AT&T
National Pro-Am
tournament at
Aronomink Country
Club, Newtown
Square. Photo: Capt.
Jay Ostrich
Hauling off boldly with a driver, he hit a towering shot that
faded into a thicket of lush, green rough. Sitting 85 yards ahead
of him, squarely in the middle of the neatly manicured fairway,
was the champion, Woods. One shot later, Woods was on the
green putting for birdie. As for Vasiloff, he was back with a
familiar friend – the sand.
All in perspective
Just a few short weeks before, Vasiloff, chief of logistics with
201st RED HORSE Squadron of the Pennsylvania Air National
Guard, Fort Indiantown Gap was finishing up his third combat
After sinking a birdie putt to place his team in the lead, Tiger Woods shows
his gratitude with a hearty fist bump to Chief Master Sgt. George Vasiloff,
chief of logistics for the 201st RED HORSE Squadron, at the 2010 National
Pro-AM tournament June 30 in Newtown Square. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Stacy Gault
Retired Pennsylvania Army National Guard Col. Joe Laneski, center, and
Chief Master Sgt. George Vasiloff, right, study the swing and strategy of
14-time major golf champion Tiger Woods at the 2010 National Pro-AM
tournament June 30 in Newtown Square. Photo: Capt. Jay Ostrich
tour in an austere location devoid of green
anything let alone the comfy confines of
country clubs.
The unit’s six-month mission was to
build and repair military infrastructures that
support missions as part of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. For the chief, driving his
Airmen and keeping them safe was the only
thing he could think about. Doing that for
a golf ball would have to wait.
But as he walked up through the par-4
second hole, where he would again find
himself in a bunker, it all started to come
into perspective for both the chief and
his family.
“George thinks he died and went to
heaven,” said a beaming Ronda J. Vasiloff,
his wife of 16 years. “Usually we would be
worried about when he’s in the sand. Not
today though. Today there are no worries.”
After slightly struggling to find his
best game through three holes, his caddy,
retired Army Col. Joe Laneski, former
Pennsylvania National Guard chief of
staff, took the bulky bag off his shoulders
and presented Vasiloff with his trusted
driver and some comic relief.
“The bag’s getting heavy,” said Laneski
to his golf partner of 12 years. “You better
start playing.”
After all, it was Laneski who had
submitted his name for the AT&T military
caddy program, which turned into an invite
to play in the Pro-Am when the sponsor
of the Tiger Woods Foundation learned
Vasiloff could score near par.
Like any good troop, Vasiloff followed
orders and sent a missile 330 yards on the
466-yard par 4, fourth, sailing it past three
bunkers and softly landing it on the fairway
about 15 yards ahead Woods, winner of
more than 70 PGA events, including
14 major titles.
But if that wasn’t enough, Vasiloff
chipped onto the green eight feet below
the hole and coolly drained a birdie putt,
one ahead of the champ who hadn’t yet
broken par and wouldn’t be able to muster
it on the fourth.
When asked on the next fairway
whether he felt pressure, the humble hero
paused and put it all into perspective.
“After the first hole, when I could
finally breathe, I realized pressure is sending your guys out on a combat convoy,”
said Vasiloff. “This here? This is just fun.”
Tiger Woods and Chief Master Sgt. George Vasiloff walk up to their approach shot, as fans cheer in
admiration, at the 2010 National Pro-AM tournament June 30 in Newtown Square. Vasiloff was selected
to play with Woods just weeks after returning from combat in Afghanistan. Photo: Capt. Jay Ostrich
“Who is that guy?” asked a casually
clad country club couple after watching
Vasiloff outdrive the champ on yet
another hole.
“He must be the president of the club
or something,” replied another.
“No, he is just a normal military guy,”
said Ronda, who followed him with a
smile throughout his 7,000-yard journey.
This was just fine with his professional
playing partner, who was happy to talk
about his father, Earl Woods, a U.S. Army
lieutenant colonel and two-tour Vietnam
(Continued on page 29)
The real hero
As Vasiloff settled in and hit his groove,
sending bomb after accurate bomb down
the hilly and treacherous course, Tiger’s
fans started a buzz about the man with
the buzz cut.
From Gulf to golf, bunker to bunker
(Continued from page 27)
Chief Master Sgt. George Vasiloff talks to world champion Tiger Woods about his upbringing in a
military family and an upcoming putt to conclude their round of golf together at the 2010 National
Pro-AM tournament June 30 in Newtown Square. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Stacy Gault
veteran, who introduced Tiger to golf at
a young age and remained a coach and
mentor throughout his life.
Woods, the tournament host, wanted
a way to honor the military through golf.
“I just think it was something that
should be honored, and that’s why we’re
doing it,” he said. “It’s just a way to say
thank you.”
With a special military pavilion and
more than 30,000 complimentary tickets
given to military members and their
families, Woods hopes they were
on target.
“Tiger knows where we are coming
from,” said Vasiloff. “This was just a great
overall experience.”
For Ronda, this was just another
example of her husband being humble and
thanking others before taking credit
for himself.
“He is a noble man,” said Ronda, who
tried to hold back tears of pride. “He is
in a noble profession, and he gives it his
whole heart and soul.”
His caddy and friend, who hours
earlier had helped bring it all into perspective, couldn’t have agreed more.
“He’s dedicated to his family and to
his service first,” said Laneski. “The third
love of his life is golf, and somehow he’s
able to tie it all together and be excellent
in everything.”
Ultimately, the team finished a 7-under
par 63, tied for seventh, far from the
prestige both have felt at being the best
in their business.
And as Tiger Woods shook hands with
his partner and walked over an isolated
bridge by himself, Chief Master Sgt.
George Vasiloff humbly walked through
the crowd and into the loving arms of his
family, not just as an above-average
Tiger Woods, son of former U.S. Army Lt. Col.
Earl Woods, studies the swing of Chief Master
Sgt. George Vasiloff, a chief of logistics for the
201st RED HORSE Squadron, at the 2010
National Pro-AM tournament on June 30
in Newtown Square. Photo: Capt. Jay Ostrich
amateur golfer, but a superior Airman
and a champion at life.
From the Gulf to golf and bunker to
bunker, it was a perfect ending to a near
perfect day. O
KEYSTONE NEWSMAKERS
A better way of doing business
In the wake of the Pennsylvania
Guard’s largest modern deployment, a
specially created think tank is energizing
efforts to improve the way the organization conducts internal business.
To that end, the Continuous Process
Improvement team held a workshop in
May and set out to find ways of streamlining joint operations. With roots in Lean
and Six Sigma, the CPI philosophy is
designed to align an organization with its
strategic objectives.
The Lean philosophy is designed to
increase efficiency, eliminate waste and
simplify workflow with a focus on highvalue steps. Six Sigma focuses on increasing consistency, reducing variation and
eliminating defects.
In a 2009 memorandum introducing
the CPI concept, Gen. Craig McKinley,
Chief of the National Guard Bureau,
wrote: “The joint CPI program will help
our enterprise become mission-ready
and mission-capable by removing wasteful and non-value-added activities.”
Pennsylvania National Guard members discuss the seven primary goals they developed during the
Continuous Process Improvement workshop in May. Courtesy photo
During the workshop, the Pennsylvania
team pinpointed several goals, each with
specific objectives and benchmarks to
measure success. Homeland defense,
maintaining unit and individual preparedness, and continuity of operations
were among the topics targeted for
improvement. O
During 1st Lt. Reed Preece’s combat mission in Iraq, an
explosive round pierced his Stryker vehicle and set it on fire. With
his helmet knocked off and shrapnel injuries to his face and back,
Preece ordered the evacuation of the smoke-filled vehicle.
After exiting, he noticed his gunner was still inside. Pfc. Brian
Miller had two broken legs and was stuck in the Stryker’s front
hatch. With no thought to his personal safety and, despite his
injuries, he climbed on top of the burning vehicle and, along with
another Soldier, pulled Miller to safety.
After coordinating a medevac request, Preece directed his
Soldiers to question local civilians regarding the attack. His quick
actions resulted in the collection of intelligence that led to the
targeting of a nearby insurgent hideout. O
Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands with 1st Lt. Reed Preece.
Photo: Sgt. Michael Baltz, 107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Eight National Guard members from the 8 Soldiers and 8 Missions program stand with Dale Earnhardt Jr. after unveiling his car on June 30. Pennsylvania
National Guard 1st Lt. Reed Preece, second from left, was chosen as one of the eight Soldiers to be featured on Earnhardt’s car during a NASCAR race in
Daytona, Fla. Photo: Sgt. Michael Baltz, 107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
CURATOR’S CORNER
By Charles Oellig
Thirty-one members of the Harrisburg City Grays, Headquarters Company, 55th Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, pose
wearing parade dress uniforms in 1933 – gray cadet-style jackets with white cross belts, white trousers and dark blue shakos
trimmed in white with white plumes. These uniforms were worn only for parades and ceremonies. The two officers in the front
row are Capt. Statton L. Rice and 2nd Lt. Raymond H. Hoffman.
Today, the lineage of the City Grays is carried on by Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 28th Infantry Division. O
This is the 28th in a series of historical photographs of Pennsylvania National Guardsmen of the past, submitted by Charles Oellig, curator
of the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum at Fort Indiantown Gap. The museum is open Mondays and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., or other days by appointment. Call (717) 861-2402 or visit www.pngmilitarymuseum.org for more information or to schedule an
appointment. The museum is closed on major holidays.
Sgt. Ryan Piersol of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 213th Personnel Company operates the
Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer on May 15 at Fort Indiantown Gap. The HEAT, as it is often called,
allows Soldiers to experience a rollover in a controlled environment so they can react more intuitively
and precisely if they encounter a rollover while deployed. Piersol, who is certified to operate the
HEAT, was supporting pre-deployment validation training, which several units from the 213th Area
Support Group went through at Fort Indiantown Gap to stay a step ahead in the deployment
process. Photo: Spc. David Strayer
Tactical Air Control Party Airmen of the 193rd
Special Operations Wing’s 148th Air Support
Operations Squadron pull security around a
Stryker during a four-day field training exercise
at Fort Indiantown Gap in May. More than 50
Airmen took part in the FTX and played a role
in the scenarios. Other participants included
the various support elements of radio maintenance, supply, vehicle maintenance and four
Lithuanian Joint Terminal Attack Controllers.
Photo: Master Sgt. George Roach

Fall - PNG Military Museum

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