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Mark Getman

- Tech Sgt. Jason Oehlbeck of the 174th Airlift Wing and Master Sgt. Thomas Curran of the 105th Airlift Wing both used their CPR training from the Air National Guard to save lives in separate incidents in October and November. Oehlbeck performed CPR for 18 minutes on a man who collapsed at a hotel, reviving him until paramedics arrived. Curran took over performing CPR from the owner of a cafe on a man who had collapsed, helping until emergency responders arrived. Both airmen received the Air Force Commendation Medal for their lifesaving actions.

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Serving the New York Army and Air National Guard, Naval Militia, New York Guard and Families Volume 9, Number 1 Winter 2016 www.dmna.ny.gov
After six years as Adjutant General, it is time to say good bye. I have accepted an assignment as Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. As I write my final column for your Guard Times magazine, I want to take this opportunity to share some thoughts and observations. First of all, it has been an absolute honor to serve as your Adjutant General since February of 2010. Serving with and commanding the magnificent men and women of the New York National Guard has been a privilege. Everyday our Soldiers and Airmen are doing phenomenal work around the world and right here at home. Some of my proudest moments are when I have the opportunity to tell the stories of how extraordinary citizens have volunteered to put on a uniform and defend our nation’s interests overseas, or help our neighbors right here at home. I have witnessed our Service Members respond to floods, fires, hurricanes and snow- storms. From Long Island to Essex County and from Albany to Buffalo – the New York Army and Air National Guard, the Naval Militia, the New York Guard and incredible civilian employees, who support daily operations and maintain our facilities, have always given 100 percent when called upon by our state leader- ship. Over the past six years we have deployed Soldiers and Airmen to faraway places like Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Djibouti and closer to home, like Cuba and Columbia. Our Service Members have never missed a mission and in fact, frequently have done amazing work that has gained them recognition for acts of heroism and valor. During this same period we have said our final goodbyes to four American heroes: one Soldier and three Airmen who were lost during combat operations. This brings our total losses in overseas operations since 9/11 to 35. They will all be remembered by a grateful state and nation. Our commander-in-chief, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, has repeatedly said he holds the Division of Military and Naval Affairs and the New York National Guard in high regard. You have answered his call in the timeliest manner possible and professionally executed every as- signed mission. You have repeatedly heard me say we are an organization of standards and discipline. This is what makes us different than other organizations. We follow the rules — the laws, regulations, policies and directives. These are the standards which guide our organization. Discipline in this case is defined as our ability and willingness to follow the rules. This makes us dependable and predictable. I would ask everyone to keep the idea of standards and discipline in mind as long as you’re part of this great organization. During my tenure as Adjutant General we have had four lines of effort to help guide prioritization of resourcing: Service Member, Family, equipment and facility readiness. All of us in positions of leadership have a duty to take care of our Soldiers, Airmen and civilian employees. We must ensure Families of our Soldiers and Airmen get the support they need, whether it is throughout the year for members in a traditional drilling status, during a relatively short annual training period, or a year-long deployment in support of operations outside the continental United States. We have an obligation to make every effort to ensure our Service Members have the latest, most modern equipment. Maintenance and accountability of this equipment is everyone’s responsibility so it is ready and accessible at the time of need. We provided guidance and you delivered when it came to facility readiness. Great strides have been made regarding maintaining and im- proving our physical footprint — your armories and bases. Finally, I want to circle back to where I started. It has been an honor to lead this great organization. Every great organization is made up of great people; and that is what I’ll remem- ber and miss the most. It has been an incredible privilege to serve with so many magnificent people — uniformed and civilians, privates and colonels. Thank you for what you all do every day. Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy FROM THE LEADERSHIP Members of the 101st Rescue Squadron conduct water-survival training near Homestead Air Reserve Base on Jan. 20. The squadron is part of the 106th Rescue Wing. More pictures can be found on page 26. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy, 106th Rescue Wing. Goodbye, Great Job, and Drive On
This Issue’s Highlights: Faces of the Force 4 NY Air National Guardsmen Use CPR to Save Lives 6 105th Airman Donates Kidney to Fellow Airman 7 Many Roles, One Career Goal Around the State 9 NY National Guard, DEC Team Up for the Turkey Study The Joint Force 12 On Duty Rendering Honors, Across New York state 14 NY National Guard on Call For Snow Emergency 15 NY National Guard Honors Martin Van Buren Army National Guard 16 NY Aviators Support Screaming Eagles’ Training 17 442nd MPs Head to Cuba as 42nd ID Troops Return 19 69th Infantry Troops Train at Police Facility 20 Students Show Cooking Chops with Army Chow 21 Guard and Active-Duty EOD Troops Fuse Training 21 Marriage Proposal Highlight of Artillery Dinner Air National Guard 22 Fallen Airmen Awarded Bronze Star for Valor 24 105th Airmen Lift Hammers for Habitat for Humanity 25 174th Attack Wing Marks Historic Reaper Flight 26 106th Rescue Wing Conducts Water Survival Training 27 109th Firefighters train with civilian counterparts 28 Rescue Wing Recruiters Max Goals with Right Mix 29 Praise for NY Air National Guard Achievements Guard Notes 30 Exhibit Tells Air National Guard History in New York 31 Faith, People and Positive Habits Equal Resiliency 31 Physical Fitness Training Safety Tips www.dmna.ny.gov Winter 2016 | Volume 9, Number 1 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Commander in Chief Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, The Adjutant General Eric Durr, Director of Public Affairs Col. Richard Goldenberg, Public Affairs Officer Capt. JeanMarie Kratzer, NYARNG Editor Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta, NYARNG, Editor About Guard Times The Guard Times is published quarterly using federal funds authorized under provisions of AR 360-1 and AFI 35-101 by the New York State Division of Mili- tary and Naval Affairs and the New York Army and Air National Guard Public Affairs Office. Views which appear in this publication are not neces- sarily those of the Department of Defense, the Army, the Air Force or the National Guard Bureau. The Guard Times has a circulation of 20,000 and is distributed free to members of the New York State Military Forces and employees of the Division of Military and Naval Affairs. Submissions Articles, photos and letters are welcome. Please pro- vide article submissions via email saved in Microsoft Word or rich text format (rtf) along with high resolu- tion digital (jpg) photos. Submission deadlines are January 15 (winter issue), April 15 (spring issue), July 15 (summer issue), and October 15 (fall issue). Send your submissions to: Guard Times DMNA-MNPA 330 Old Niskayuna Road Latham, New York 12110-3514 OFFICE (518) 786-4581 FAX (518) 786-4649 or richard.l.goldenberg.mil@mail.mil Complimentary or Back Issues of the Guard Times are available. Contact us at the address above or visit us on the web for current news, photos or to download prior issues at www.dmna.ny.gov FRONT COVER: New York Amy National Guard Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry conduct tactical training at the New York Police Department training facility and range in New York City on Jan 9. Story on page 19. Photo by Capt. Mark Getman, New York Guard. BACK COVER: Maj. Alta Caputo, 105th Base Defense Squadron commander, stands at parade rest as she awaits the dignified trans- fer of 105th Base Defense Squadron Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm, who was killed in action while on a mission inAfghanistan on Dec. 21, 2015. Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa, 105th Base DefenseSquadron, and four other Airmen were killed in the same attack. Story on page 22. Photo by Staff Sgt. Sgt. Julio Olivencia, 105th Airlift Wing. FORT DRUM — Col. Joseph Biehler, commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), congratulates Spc. Dylan Lunde (left) for winning the brigade best warrior competition on Jan. 9. Lunde and Staff Sgt. Atrem Feldman, both cannon crewmembers from B Battery, 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery Regiment, will go on to represent the brigade at the state-level competition. Photo by Sgt. Alexander J. Rector, 27th IBCT.
4 GUARD TIMES Two New York Air National Guardsmen have earned professional recognition and civilian accolades for saving lives in separate incidents last Autumn. On Oct. 27, Tech. Sgt. Jason N. Oehlbeck, 174th Airlift Wing, performed cardiopulmo- nary resuscitation (CPR) on 35-year-old Jack Ewald at an East Syracuse hotel. A little over two weeks later, Master Sgt. Thomas Curran, 105th Airlift Wing, performed CPR on a man at a Newburgh restaurant. People involved in the incidents said the Airmen acted quickly to save the victims’ lives, and the airmen received the Air Force Com- mendation medal for their actions — which included using their Air National Guard first- aid training. Right Place, Right Time Oct. 27 began as an ordinary military train- ing day for Oehlbeck, an aircraft electrician and resident of Webster. He was lodged at the Em- bassy Suites Hotel, which the New York Credit Union Association was using for a conference. When he returned to the hotel to study during a break, a conference group member told Oehlbeck that Ewald, their colleague, had collapsed. When Oehlbeck arrived, Ewald was uncon- scious and had gone into cardiac arrest. “I saw the guy and he was my age,” Oehlbeck said. “I thought ‘this could be me.’ I was going to do whatever I could.” Oehlbeck checked Ewald’s airways, noted he was not breathing and had no pulse. He began to administer CPR while someone called 911. Oehlbeck continued his efforts for 18 min- utes, during which Ewald regained and lost his pulse several times. Police and paramedics ar- rived and used an automated external defibril- lator (AED) to restart Ewald’s heart. Hotel staff and conference group members thanked Oehlbeck, and a few told him they planned to get CPR training. Oehlbeck returned to his training, not know- ing Ewald’s fate. Much to his relief, one of the responding police officers called him the next day and told him that Ewald had survived. John Belcher, general manager at Embassy Suites Hotel, witnessed Oehlbeck jump into action. “If it wasn’t for Jason’s continued effort and determination, this young man would not have survived until paramedics arrived,” Belcher wrote in an email. “Actions like this are not common in every man. As a prior military man myself, I know we are trained for such things, but still, not everyone has it in them to react when called upon. To see Jason react as quick as he did in a room full of people who did not is very special.” Oehlbeck received CPR and AED training required for his Air National Guard job. He receives an American Red Cross certification every two years. He is also part of a medical alert team with his civilian employer, Harris Corporation of Rochester, where he also gets CPR/AED training. FACES of the FORCE NYAirNationalGuardsmenUseCPRtoSaveLives By Maj. Elaine Nowak, 107th Airlift Wing, and Tech Sgt. Sara Pastorella, 105th Airlift Wing 107th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Robert Kilgore (left) poses with Tech. Sgt. Jason Oehlbeck (center) and Jack Ewald (right) following Oehlbeck’s award ceremony on Dec. 6. Photo by Sr. Master Sgt. Ray Lloyd, 107th Airlift Wing.
Winter 2016 5 “My military training, my employer’s medical training, and the fact that God put me in the right place at the right time — all came together so that I could help,” said Oehl- beck. Ewald attended the award ceremony as a surprise Oehl- beck, as did Marie Betti, rep- resenting the New York Credit Union Association. As the men hugged for the first time, their friends, family, and the men and women of the 107th Airlift Wing clapped and cheered. “It was just fantastic to see him and fantastic to see him get the recognition he deserved,” Ewald said. “He did amazing work in the spur of the moment and he was ready and had the character to keep it up.” Col. Robert Kilgore, 107th Airlift Wing Commander, presented the Air Force Com- mendation medal and the New York State Meritorious Service Medal to Oehlbeck. “Tech. Sgt. Oehlbeck’s actions were certainly heroic but it does not come as a surprise,” Kilgore said. “Jason is an outstanding member of this unit and fine example of a National Guardsman, lending a hand to a fellow citizen in a time of crisis.” Betti presented a plaque to Oehlbeck, thank- ing him for helping Ewald. She also announced $1,000 was donated to the Friends of Family Support Association, a group that aids families from the airbase, in honor of Oehlbeck. Courage and Skill Master Sgt. Tom Curran had just stepped out to eat at one of his favorite spots when he stepped into a life-and-death situation. On Nov. 14, Curran entered the AIM Café in Newburgh and realized something was wrong. When the clerk told him a man had collapsed, Curran immediately made his way around the counter and into the dining room, where he found a crowd around a man on the floor. The man seemed to be suffering from a cardiac arrest. Curran, who’s certified in CPR as a member of the Air National Guard, pushed through the crowd and found café owner Al Blanco administering CPR at the direction of 911 operators. Curran took over — and Blanco was happy he did. “You could tell immediately he knew what he was doing,” Blanco said. “I’m not certified, I haven’t taken any courses, so I was just doing what the lady on the phone was telling me.” Emergency medical personnel arrived a short time later. “It felt like forever,” Curran said. “I don’t even know how long it was.” Curran then helped the medics administer an AED. Blanco said he was impressed with Curran’s actions that day, especially how Cur- ran drove to the hospital afterward. “He doesn’t know them from anybody and for him to do what he did was one thing, taking the extra step and going down there, that’s even more so above and beyond,” Blanco said. “I was really concerned to see if the guy made it or not,” Curran said. Clinical Nurse Manager Joe Romeo of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, a retired U.S. Army major, was also impressed. Romeo said that if it wasn’t for Curran’s actions, the man wouldn’t have survived long enough to make in to the emergency room, where he was treated and admitted to the intensive care unit for further care. Curran’s actions might have gone unrecog- nized if not for an email Romeo sent to Cur- ran’s supervisor. “He needed to be recognized,” Romeo said. “There’re too many times people that would just stand there and do nothing. He saw this man was in need of help and he stepped in and did what needed to be done.” Curran’s actions underscore the unique skill- sets citizen-Airmen bring to the community, said 105th Airlift Wing, Col. Timothy LaBarge. “The recent lifesaving actions of Master Sgt. Tom Curran demonstrate what happens when you combine the knowledge and skill gained in the military with the courage to act—a life can be saved, as it was in this case,” LaBarge said. New York Air National Guard Master Sgt. Thomas Curran (center) receives the Air Force Commendation Medal from Col. Timothy J. LaBarge, commander of the 105th Airlift Wing (left) and Chief Master Sgt. Michael Antinucci (right) on Dec 4. Photo by Tech. Sgt Sara Pastorello.
6 GUARD TIMES NEWBURGH — A New York Air National guardsman has literally given something of himself to help a suffering fellow unit member. Master Sgt. Henry Windels, 105th Airlift Wing, donated a kidney to Staff Sgt. Daniel Cola last fall, saving Cola from difficult kidney dialysis. Cola is recovering well and the two men, once just acquaintances, are much closer. Cola and his wife Aly are eternally grateful to Windels, and they’ve changed their lives to help others. “My husband was given a second chance at life, we aren’t going to do things the same,” Aly said. “We’re not going to take things for granted, like holidays and lazy Sundays.” Cola’s illness began in the fall of 2014, at a time when things were coming together for him. The 28-year old flight-equipment special- ist was in his third year as a New York City police officer, his 10th year in the New York Air National Guard, he’d just married his childhood sweetheart Aly and they were honeymooning in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Though Cola began to feel feverish and achy at night, the couple thought he’d just caught a minor sickness. But on the last night, his condi- tion worsened. “I was puking, dehydrated and couldn’t keep anything down,” he recalled. He still thought it was just a bug, like the one he suffered on a pre- vious overseas trip, and that he simply needed hydration. He also wanted to get home where he trusted medical care more. Then he began vomiting about every 15 minutes and looked like a zom- bie, Aly said. After landing they went straight to the hospi- tal, where Cola was hooked up to an IV, tested and monitored. Then his doctor came by with several medical professionals. “A team of like 20 specialists came in and they were like ‘you need to tell us everything about your trip-where you were, what animals you were around, what you ate, every activity you did,’” Aly said. They were told that Cola was in kidney failure, and he was treated for dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that also causes head- aches, muscle pain and joint pain. With Cola hydrated and medicated for pain, they played a waiting game — letting the disease run its course and hoping he’d regain kidney function when the fever broke. While Cola was in a mental fog due to fever and medication, Aly was very aware, and increasingly worried. She couldn’t believe how it happened. “He only had like one bite on him,” she said. “I was covered from head to toe in mosquito bites, so you figure if anyone should have gotten sick it should have been me.” Then came more startling news — a kidney biopsy revealed that Cola had stage- five Chronic Kidney Disease. His kidneys were functiono- ing at less than 20 percent, so he’d eventually need a new kidney, or undergo dialysis for the rest of his life. Aly wasn’t a match for Cola, but she did match someone in a complex kidney exchange. She could donate so Cola could receive a kidney from another donor in exchange. “It was crazy, we had what we thought was perfect timing,” Aly said. But just days before surgery in May 2015, they learned that Cola’s donor had tuberculo- sis, and the exchange was called off. A kidney became available on Cola’s birthday in June, but that fell through as well. “It was a waiting game,” Aly said. “We couldn’t do anything and the longer it went on, the less hope we had.” But that same month, Windels, a loadmaster, heard about Cola’s condition. Though the two Airmen had trained together, they were just acquaintances. “I’d seen him around here, but I didn’t know him,” Windels said. But then Windels learned that Cola needed a kidney, so he contacted him. A dozen years be- fore, Windels read about someone who donated a kidney to a complete stranger. “It seemed like a noble thing to do and I was interested, but it never really went anywhere,” Windels said. At first Cola thought Windels was calling to show support, but then Windels asked how he could get tested to see if he was a match. “I told him to think about it and see how it would affect him at Stewart (Air National Guard Base), but at that point, I knew he had his mind made up,” Cola said. “I got the feeling he already did his soul-searching beforehand.” Windels is a universal blood donor, so doc- tors were optimisitc about a match and they started the process. Over the next three months, Windels had dozens of vials of blood drawn, heart and brain scans, stress tests and meetings with a kidney specialist. He also spoke with a psychiatrist and social worker to ensure he understood what he was doing, and that he was doing it for the right Staff Sgt. Daniel Cola (left) and Master Sgt. Henry Windels give the thumbs-up before surgery. 105th Airman Donates Kidney to Fellow Airman Story and photo by Staff Sergeant Julio Olivencia, 105th Airlift Wing
Winter 2016 7 ALBANY — The drive of New York Army National Guard Pfc Rogger Gutierrez is no sur- prise to his recruiter. “When he puts his mind to something he shoots forward and doesn’t look back,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Gallon. “He just goes there. When he wants to do stuff he says, ‘Here is my goal, that is what I want to do.’ And he does it.” Before basic training last summer, the 21-year old recruit scored 300 on his PT test. He repeated that perfor- mance twice more in basic and passed all his basic Soldier tasks flawlessly — while excelling academically. Back here in New York, he’s a pre-med student on the on the dean’s list at the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Al- bany). He’s also a volunteer emergency medi- cal technician (EMT) on the New Paltz rescue squad and a member of Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, which does 50 hours of community service work each semester. On top of all that, the college senior is con- ducting undergraduate research to improve and refine therapeutic approaches for the treatment of PTSD. The son of Peruvian immigrants, Gutier- rez has lived in the United States since age five and wanted to serve his adopted country. Then he learned through the mail that he could serve in the National Guard while con- tinuing his college education — and New York state would pay his tuition. “As soon as I got that letter I knew I had to join up,” Gutierrez recalled. “But I also had to volunteer that day at the New Paltz Rescue Squad. Once I got there I picked up the phone and called and said “Hey, how do I enlist?’ And from there they sent me off to my recruiter, Sgt. Gallo. I enlisted August 28, 2014 and I cannot forget that date. It has been a great experience.” Gutierrez said that while he wants to be a doctor, he really wants to be a military doctor and more specifically, an Army surgeon. He likes the idea of helping to save Soldiers’ lives and helping the people who put their lives on line for the country, he explained. With 2,000 hours of EMT service, Gutierrez has already dealt with medical emergencies ranging from car accidents to cardiac arrests. He’s helped people live and watched one man die. “You just have to look forward and know, even though one life is taken away, you know that many others have been saved,” he said. Gutierrez enlisted as an Army medic, and he’s due to attend 16 weeks of advanced indi- vidual training in 2016. However, he hopes his EMT service will let him test out of half the training, he said. He also hopes his EMT service, military service, and research work will help him get accepted into the Uniformed Services of Health Sciences, the military’s medical school. Like a West Point for doctors, students are commissioned into the military and receive a free medical education in exchange for prom- ising to serve. That’s no problem for Gutierrez. “I want this to be a career. I want to stay ac- tive until they make me retire,” he said. Many Roles, One Career Goal Story and photo by Eric Durr, Guard Times Staff Pfc Rogger Gutierrez at a SUNY Albany lab, where he helps with human brain research. reasons. Cola was patient because he knew his hopes could be dashed as they were before. But Win- dels wanted to donate as soon as possible. He fought with the hospital several times to move appointments up, because he didn’t want Cola to be sick any longer than he had to be. “He wanted it done right away,” Cola re- called. “Throughout the whole process he kept apologizing, saying, ‘I’m sorry this is taking so long.’” Windels was cleared to donate in late Sep- tember, and the date was set for Oct. 6. A week before surgery, Cola told his kidney specialist the good news. It was just in time, she replied, because his kidney function was below 10 percent and she had planned to discuss his going on dialysis. Dialysis prolongs a patient’s life, but it makes receiving a kidney more difficult, reduces the patient’s quality of life and is a big strain on the body, Cola said. Though surgery took longer than expected, there were no complications and Cola’s new kidney immediately picked up the slack. “The day after surgery, I’ve never seen him look so good or feel so good,” Aly said. “He was a different person.” Cola is feeling much better since the surgery. He’s gaining back the 30 pounds he lost and his kidney function is back to normal, but he still has some recovery and monitoring to undergo before he is cleared for work. Windels recovered quickly and was back flying aboard a Stewart C-17 cargo plane by mid-November. He must have regular check- ups, but he has no restrictions. “My doctor told me just to live my life,” Win- dels said. “He didn’t say ‘lay off salt,’ or ‘do this that and the other thing.’” Since the surgery and the two airmen hang- out regularly. They even joke that Cola, a New York Giants fan, is part New York Jets fan now that he has Windels’ kidney. The couple is showing their gratitude to Windels by dedicating themselves to helping others, including a fundraiser for Donate Life, a kidney donation and education organization. They’ve also been helping send care packages to troops overseas. “I constantly think, ‘what do you say to the person who literally saved your life,’” Cola said. “I think we can only thank him and show our thanks by paying it forward,” Aly said.
8 GUARD TIMES THE JOINT FORCE AROUND THE STATE CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE — Soldiers who successfully completed the 106th Regional Training Institute’S Army Basic Instructor Course here pose for a class picture on Nov. 18. The class prepares officers and non-commissioned officers to provide effective classroom instruction. Participants included Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s 106th Regional Training Institute, the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 53rd Troop Command and a member of the District of Columbia Army National Guard. (photo by Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Eldred, 106th Regional Training Institute) ANTARCTICA — An aircrew of the 139th Exeditionary Airlift Squadron fly an LC-130 “Skibird” in support of Operation Deep Freeze here on Dec. 2. A total of seven LC-130s were deployed from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia, New York last season, which ended in February. This is the 28th season that the unit has participated in Operation Deep Freeze, the military component of the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is managed by the National Science Foundation. Photo by Maj. Joshua Hicks, 139th Exeditionary Airlift Squadron. ...to the Pole From Peekskill...
Winter 2016 9 CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE — While learning to spring ambushes is part of the New York Army National Guard training that goes on here, the ambush that was sprung in late January involved turkeys, not troops. The New York Army National Guard, Camp Smith staff and the New York State Depart- ment of Environmental Conservation (DEC) coordinated for more than a month to capture, tag and release female wild turkeys — also called hens — as part of a four-year study that will assess their survival and harvest rates across the state. Because of its relatively large wild turkey population, Camp Smith was a desirable loca- tion for the DEC turkey study. It was also an untapped resource. “We found out about the study the DEC was conducting and immediately volunteered the land at Camp Smith to help,” said Kurt Kons- berg, the Camp Smith environmental protec- tion specialist. Volunteering Camp Smith as a turkey- tagging location is a way for the New York National Guard and the New York State Divi- sion of Military and Naval Affairs to serve as a good environmental steward, explained Mark Warnecke, the training site director. But just like many other military operations, the turkey ambush was both covert and meticu- lous. Based on his experience with wild turkeys and familiarity with the site, Konsberg was tasked to pick the best location for the ambush. “We selected the old skeet-shooting range near Range One, since it was close to the forest line, provided enough space to deploy the net, and was close to the natural area where the hens live,” he said. Wild turkeys, unlike domesticated turkeys, are known for being extremely smart and very cautious. That’s why the team at Camp Smith and the DEC devised a month-long plan to ensure mission success. Every morning, just before the turkeys’ daybreak feeding time, Konsberg stealthily dropped cracked corn in one location, allowing the birds to build familiarity with the area. After four weeks of feeding, the four-person DEC team set up three cannons to launch a net measuring 40 by 60 feet over the turkeys. The team packed each cannon with an 80-grain gun-powder cartridge capable of propelling large, cylindrical anchors more than 80 feet in the air. These anchors are attached to the net. When launched, the anchors’ weight helps deploy the net over the turkeys. But the DEC members must help as well. “Once we deploy the net, we all run and jump on the edges of the net so the turkeys don’t fly away. It’s a lot of fun!” explained Pat Vissering, a recently retired DEC fish and wild- life technician who came back to finish the last year of the study. Though the ambush netted 12 turkeys, eight escaped due to some technical problems. The remaining four turkeys were banded with unique identification numbers, and one was fitted with the with a $1,500 satellite transmitter that will monitor its movements and survival. “The GPS transmitters give us better, real-time information about the hens’ lives,” explained Marc Sizer, a DEC fish and wildlife technician. While the goal was to net between 10 and 20 turkeys, tagging four and successfully attaching the transmitter to one is still a major victory for Camp Smith, the DEC and the study. “Because this is the only location in this area we’ve been able to study, and (people)hunt here, the hen we tagged today will be a benefit to the study,” said Carl Lindsley, another recently retired DEC fish and wildlife technician who came back to finish the last year of the study. Wendy Roshenback, the media-relations manager for the DEC, said that the agency has captured and banded almost 1,000 hens across upstate New York between 2013 and 2014 to estimate harvest and survival rates. NY National Guard, DEC Team Up For Turkey Study Story and photos by Sgt. Michael Davis, 138th Public Affairs Detachment ABOVE: Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) employees Carl Lindsley (left), Marc Sizer and Becca Linkiewicz put an electronic monitoring tag on a female turkey at Camp Smith on Jan. 28. RIGHT: The three DEC employees work with the net that’s used to trap turkeys for further study.
10 GUARD TIMES Officer and Enlisted Promotions Staff Sergeant Promoted to Sergeant 1st Class Sergeant 1st Class Promoted to Master Sergeant NATHAN ATTARD 152ND ENGINEER SUPPORT CO MICHAEL DONLON HHC BSTB 27TH IN BDE(BCT) BETH EDWARDS HHC 102ND MP BN AMY HANNA 138TH PUBLIC AFFAIRS DET STEPHEN HIGGINS HHC 1-69TH INFANTRY JUAN RODRIGUEZ HHC COMBAT AVN BDE 42D JIMMIE YOUNG H & S CO 204 ENGR BN ANTHONY ABBATE CO A RECRUITNG & RETENTION STEPHEN CAMPBELL 27TH INF (BCT) RUDOLPH SEABRON HHC COMBAT AVN BDE 42D CHRISTOPHER STEINBACHER CO C RECRUITNG & RET Captain Promoted to Major Master Sergeant Promoted to First Sergeant RAYMOND ESQUILIN CO D (FSC RSTA) 427TH BSB ALTHEA ROBINSONHADDO CO A RECRUITNG & RETENTION HAVEN ARMSTRONG CO A 2-108TH INFANTRY EDOUARD ASLANIAN 37TH FINANCE DET BRIAN BROWN 1156TH ENGR CO VERTICAL IAN CARABELLO DET 1 HHC BSTB 27TH IN BDE MELANIE CATO 719 TRANS CO JUSTIN CHERNOGOREC 27TH INF (BCT) ERIK COLON 133RD QM SP CO RYAN CONE HHC 427TH BSB MATTHEW CURBELO BATTERY A 1-258TH FA BRANDON DEJESUS CO B 642D SUPPORT BN GARY DEYO FSC 204TH ENGINEER BN MATTHEW DOLEZAL 1108TH ORDNANCE CO EOD SHAWN DUTCHER 27TH INF (BCT) FERNANDO FEBUS CO A 1-69TH INFANTRY REID FRASIER HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD JAMES GARRIGAN HHC 102ND MP BN RAYMOND GONZALEZ HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD MATTHEW GOODWIN CO A 642D SUPPORT BN ARIELLE GROBER INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID MATTHEW GUNN CO C RECRUITNG & RETENTION DAVID HANSEN 2ND CIVIL SUPPORT TEAM BRIAN HEALY CO B 2-108TH INFANTRY KEVIN HOCKEBORN CO A 2-108TH INFANTRY WAYNE HUGHES CO B (MAINT) 427TH BSB RICHARD JOHNSON DIV SIGNAL CO 42ND ID (-) CHRISTOPHER KELLY CO C (MED) 427TH BSB KYLE KING CO A 2-108TH INFANTRY SALVATORE KRUG DET 3 CO E 3-142D AV ANTHONY LANHAM HHC 3-142D AVIATION AUSTEN LEVESQUE CO D 3-142D AVIATION VICTOR LEVISACA CO C 101ST SIGNAL BN BRENDON MAVRA CO C 1-69TH INFANTRY SEAN MILLINGTON DIV SIGNAL CO 42ND ID MICHAEL MORA MEDICAL COMMAND JOSEPH MORTENSEN 1156TH ENGR CO VERTICAL NADINE NAVARRO HHC CAB 42D IN DIV JELANI PARJOHN 1569TH TRANSPORTATION CO JAMES PASTOR DET 1 CO A 642D SUPPORT BN STEVE PEREZ BATTERY A 1-258TH FA HENRY PEREZ INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID THOMAS PHIPPS CO D 3-142D AVIATION CASEY PLUMADORE DET 1 CO B 2-108TH INFANTRY DEMARLO PORTER 27TH INF (BCT) RONALD RAMOS HHC BSTB 27TH IN BDE DANON RAY 222D CHEMICAL COMPANY ADAM RUSS 1108TH ORDNANCE CO EOD MONISHA SHROPSHIRE HHC 427TH BSB JESSICA SMITH DET 1 B CO BSTB 27TH IN BDE JEREMY SOUTHCOTT DET 1 B CO BSTB 27TH IN BDE THOMAS SPRAGUE HHC BSTB 27TH IN BDE JACOB THOMAS HHC 2-108TH INFANTRY JOSEPH URBAN HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD JONATHAN WARSHAUER HHC 3-142D AVIATION JACOB WEITZEL CO D 3-142D AVIATION TRAVIS WOOD DET 2 CO B 2-108TH INFANTRY Sergeant Promoted to Staff Sergeant DARIN BURROUGHS HHC 427TH BSB CARL BUSH CO C RECRUITNG & RET ADAM CALLAN CO B 3-142D AVIATION JENNIFER DAVIS HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD RONALD FREYER CO B RECRUITNG & RET JASON HIBBARD 1156TH ENGR CO VERTICAL MICHELLE HOEGEL HHD RECRUITING & RET BN GEORGE JAMES CO D 3-142D AVIATION RONALD JEFFERY CO E 3-142D AVIATION JENNIFER NICOLA CO B 101ST SIGNAL BN AIDA PAULOMOLINA ARNG STAFF ELEMENT JFHQ-NY NEFTALI PEREZ BATTERY B 1-258TH FA COREY SHOEMAKER DET 1 OPS CO 42ND ID SEAN SMITH HHC 2-108TH INFANTRY RICHARD SMOOT 369TH SUPPORT OPS DET 1 TERRENCE TYSON DET 1 OPS CO 42ND ID DEREK VASQUEZ TROOP C 2-101 CAV (RSTA) BRANDON WILLIT 2ND CIVIL SUPPORT TEAM DARRICK ZWACK CO B RECRUITNG & RET Warrant Officer 1 Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 2 ALBERTO PEDROZA INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID Chief Warrant Officer 2 Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 3 VICTORIA ARCHER HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD JASON BECK CO A 3-142D AVIATION MARK POPOWICZ CO B 3-142D AVIATION DOUGLAS SHERMAN HHD RECRUITING & RET BN + Cheif Warrant Officer 3 Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4 PETER PADILLA ARNG STAFF ELEMENT JFHQ-NY First Lieutenant Promoted to Captain AMY BENEDETTO 2ND CIVIL SUPPORT TEAM (WMD) STEPHEN CARSON HSC 642D SUPPORT BN CRAIG CUGINI DET 1 OPS CO 42ND ID TARA DAWE 369TH SUPPORT OPS DET 1 MARK DEYOE DET 1 DIV SIGNAL CO 42ND ID JEFFREY KNEER 27TH INF (BCT) ALMIR OSMANOVIC INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID (-) SARAH VALOIS INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID Master Sergeant Promoted to Sergeant Major Lieutenant Colonel Promoted to Colonel MICHAEL HANNON MEDICAL COMMAND ROBERT MITCHELL ARNG STAFF ELEMENT JFHQ-NY
Staff Sergeant Promoted to Technical Sergeant Senior Master Sergeant Promoted to Chief Master Sergeant Newly Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant 2nd Lieutenant Promoted to 1st Lieutenant 1st Lieutenant Promoted to Captain DOMINIC AMATURO 106 RESCUE WING ALISON BECKER 106 RESCUE WING RICHARD DAVIN 106 RESCUE WING JOHN HUGHES 109 AIRLIFT WING BASIL JOS 174 ATTACK WING TAMMY OSTROWSKI 109 AIRLIFT WING ANDREW QUEVILLON 174 ATTACK WING JOSHUA ROGERS 109 AIRLIFT WING MICHAEL ROSE 105 AIRLIFT WING RICHARD SALTON 107 AIRLIFT WING KELLY WILLIAMS 174 ATTACK WING ONEIL BARNES 105 AIRLIFT WING KIMBERLY CARDONASMITH 174 ATTACK WING VINCENT GERACI 105 AIRLIFT WING MATTHEW PERALA 174 ATTACK WING GERRITT SCHUTT 174 ATTACK WING NICHOLAS WELLY 174 ATTACK WING Captain Promoted to Major Major Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel Master Sergeant Promoted to Senior Master Sergeant Technical Sergeant Promoted to Master Sergeant NICOLE ARSIC 174 ATTACK WING JESSICA BERG 106 RESCUE WING TERRENCE BUCKMAN 174 ATTACK WING JASON BULL 109 AIRLIFT WING RONALD BUNDY 105 AIRLIFT WING THOMAS CARACANE 174 ATTACK WING GEOFF CERRONE 109 AIRLIFT WING STEVEN COFFEY 174 ATTACK WING JEANY COLLINS 174 ATTACK WING JAMES CZWAKIEL 109 AIRLIFT WING TIMOTHY FAY 105 AIRLIFT WING SHANNON GRIESE 174 ATTACK WING THOMAS HOFFMAN 174 ATTACK WING WALLACE JEAN 105 AIRLIFT WING EDWARD KELLY 106 RESCUE WING MATTHEW KERGEL 109 AIRLIFT WING JEREMY MARCOLINI 174 ATTACK WING BRYAN MCCARTHY 105 AIRLIFT WING SEAN MCMAHON 107 AIRLIFT WING JOSEPH MOLZEN 107 AIRLIFT WING MICHAL 109 AIRLIFT WING THOMAS SPIER 174 ATTACK WING DAWN TERRY 174 ATTACK WING DANIEL THOMPSON 107 AIRLIFT WING MARCO TIBERIO 107 AIRLIFT WING MICHAEL WARN 109 AIRLIFT WING JEAN WARNER 174 ATTACK WING ANDREW WATLING 174 ATTACK WING ADAM WIGDORSKI 107 AIRLIFT WING PATRICK DICRASTO 174 ATTACK WING JOHN MONTROSS 105 AIRLIFT WING DENNIS REINHARD 174 ATTACK WING AARON SHAFFER 174 ATTACK WING CHRISTOPHER VANDEMORTEL 174 ATTACK WING THOMAS WHITEMAN 174 ATTACK WING ZEESHAN BAGBAN 107 AIRLIFT WING TIA BECK 106 RESCUE WING ELIZABETH BRUNTON 106 RESCUE WING JUSTIN BUSH 174 ATTACK WING PARIS CLEMENT 109 AIRLIFT WING EMMANUEL CUMBERBATCH 106 RESCUE WING ERIN MCDONOUGH 109 AIRLIFT WING BARTHOLOMEW MORAN 106 RESCUE WING KIRSTEN PEYTON 106 RESCUE WING DANIEL QUARTO 106 RESCUE WING JAMES SIGG 174 ATTACK WING EMMANUEL TERRAZAS 109 AIRLIFT WING DANIEL URBANSKI 109 AIRLIFT WING BRANDON WARD 109 AIRLIFT WING JAMES JARMACZ 174 ATTACK WING MARC SOMMERS 105 AIRLIFT WING SONJA WILLIAMS 174 ATTACK WING THOMAS WILSON AIR OPERATIONS JOSHUA CARLEY 174 ATTACK WING DEVIN WILL 174 ATTACK WING PAULO ALVES 105 AIRLIFT WING CALEB FARRELL 109 AIRLIFT WING CURTIS FEGGINS 105 AIRLIFT WING BRIAN HART 174 ATTACK WING JILL JAKES 174 ATTACK WING WALTER PARKER 174 ATTACK WING TANYA SHARRIEFF 105 AIRLIFT WING CHRISTIAN STURICK 174 ATTACK WING JON TERRELL 174 ATTACK WING CLIFTON WOOD 174 ATTACK WING Lieutenant Colonel Promoted to Colonel CHRISTINE LENNARD HQ NY AIR NATIONAL GUARD CORY ABDOOL 105 AIRLIFT WING BRANDON ARROYO 105 AIRLIFT WING JENNIFER BARRETT 106 RESCUE WING RYAN BATCHELOR 174 ATTACK WING MICHAEL BAUER 107 AIRLIFT WING BRIAN BERG 109 AIRLIFT WING WILLIAM BODDY 174 ATTACK WING TREVOR BRITT 109 AIRLIFT WING DONALD BROOKS 106 RESCUE WING JESSE BUCENEC 174 ATTACK WING KIMBERLIE BURKE 109 AIRLIFT WING SCOTT CALLAGHAN 174 ATTACK WING JUSTIN CARKNER 109 AIRLIFT WING NICKOLAS CROSS 109 AIRLIFT WING CHRIS CUMMINGS 105 AIRLIFT WING LYDEL DARGAN 105 AIRLIFT WING PRIM DEBLOIS 105 AIRLIFT WING KYLE DIMEIS 174 ATTACK WING JOSEPH DOUGHERTY 106 RESCUE WING MARCHELLA DUKESSOUTH 105AIRLIFT WING JOHN FOUNTAIN 109 AIRLIFT WING DEVIN FULTON 174 ATTACK WING BENNY GEE 106 RESCUE WING JEFFREY HAMBSCH 174 ATTACK WING MICHAEL HARRIGAN 105 AIRLIFT WING JAMES HARTNETT 105 AIRLIFT WING TONY HILL 174 ATTACK WING MICHAEL HITZGES 174 ATTACK WING JOSEPH IULIUCCI 106 RESCUE WING KIMBERLY LABUNSKI 109 AIRLIFT WING IMMANUEL MAINZ 105 AIRLIFT WING JAMES MARASIA 174 ATTACK WING JOHN MCCORMICK 174 ATTACK WING MICHAEL MCKUNE 105 AIRLIFT WING BRIAN MILLER 174 ATTACK WING ANDREW MOLLO 106 RESCUE WING BARBARA OLNEY 174 ATTACK WING JAMES ORTIZ 105 AIRLIFT WING KEVIN PARTLOW 109 AIRLIFT WING CHRISTOPHER PIERSON 109 AIRLIFT WING ANTONIO PRADA 105 AIRLIFT WING JAMES PRENTICE 174 ATTACK WING RICHARD ROOPNARINE 106 RESCUE WING DANIEL RUSSELL 109 AIRLIFT WING DAVID SADDLEMIRE 109 AIRLIFT WING JAMES SEGRETI 105 AIRLIFT WING DANIEL SHOEMAKER 174 ATTACK WING ROGER STAATS 105 AIRLIFT WING STEVEN SU 107 AIRLIFT WING EVAN THORN 174 ATTACK WING THOMAS TOOKER 106 RESCUE WING SINHO TSE 174 ATTACK WING JOHN VANWINKLE 174 ATTACK WING ADAM WINTERS 109 AIRLIFT WING ERIC WINTERSTEEN 174 ATTACK WING MATTHEW ZIMMER 106 RESCUE WING
12 GUARD TIMES THE JOINT FORCETHE JOINT FORCE On Duty, Rendering Honors, Across New York Soldiers and Airmen conducted 10,692 military funerals in 2015 Story by Eric Durr , Guard Times Staff LATHAM — New York Army and Air National Guard honor guards conducted 10,692 military funerals for families across New York in 2015. Most of the funerals-were performed by the New York Army National Guard’s eight area honor guard teams. The Army National Guard has 35 Soldiers serving full time on funeral honors details, with another 107 Soldiers who support the program on a part-time basis (see table below). New York Army National Guard Soldiers go through a week-long training process to become fully certified in providing military funerals. The New York Air National Guard’s six Base Honor Guard Teams provided military funeral honors for the families of 1,967 Air Force veterans. New York Air National Guard honor guard details are provided by the 106th Rescue Wing at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach; the 105th Airlift Wing at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh; the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia; 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse; the 107th Airlift Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Niagara Falls; and the Eastern Air Defense Sector at Griffiss Tech- nology Park in Rome. National Guard Airmen who volunteer to participate in honor guards as an additional duty also go through a training process. The Airmen expect to conduct 18 more funerals this year. In 2014 New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen conducted military funerals for 11,365 families. The New York Army National Guard provided services at 9,567 funerals in 2014, while the New York Air National Guard conducted military fu- nerals on 1,798 occasions in 2014. The number of military funerals provided by the New York Army National Guard declined due to reductions in fund- ing, according to Peter Moran, military funeral honors coordinator for New York. The New York honor guard passed 656 re- quests for funeral honors to the Active Army at Fort Drum and Fort Dix when personnel were not available to handle those funerals, he said. Additional funds have been provided for 2016, so the honor guard will be able to take more funerals, Moran said. Since 2000, federal law has mandated that any military veteran who did not receive a dis- honorable discharge from the armed forces is eligible for military honors at his or her funeral. The ceremony must include the folding and presenting of the flag of the United States to the veteran’s survivors and the playing of Taps. The size of the detail varies from a mini- mum of two service members to nine or more personnel for deceased service members who retired from the military after a full career or were awarded medals for valor. At least one of the honor guard members must belong to the service the deceased service member had served in. As part of final honors for WWII veteran Leo P. Dean, New York Army National Guard Honor Guard Officer-in-Charge 1st Lt. Alix Walls (right) presents the flag that draped Dean’s casket to his friend Renee Farley (left) during Dean’s funeral at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Waterford, N.Y. on Dec. 17. Walls is from Rock City Falls, N.Y. Photo by Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta. 2015 NY Army National Guard honor guard funerals: • Long Island - 3,317 • New York City - 1,464 • Buffalo - 990 • Rochester - 776 • Albany- 596 • Syracuse - 592 • Kingston - 517 • Horseheads - 473 2015 NY Air National Guard honor guard funerals: • 105th Airlift Wing ( Hudson Valley) - 222 • 106th Rescue Wing (Long Island) - 722 • 107th Airlift Wing ( Buffalo/Niagara) - 417 • 109th Airlift Wing ( Albany/Schenectady) - 276 • 174th Attack Wing (Syracuse) - 277 • Eastern Air Defense Sector ( Utica/Rome) - 53
Winter 2016 13 106th Rescue Wing Base Honor member Staff Sergeant Michael Pennolino (above) salutes at a funeral service at Calverton National Cemetary on April 10. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy, 106th Rescue Wing New York Army National Guard Honor Guard member Spc. Taylor Kuchera (left) plays “Taps” to honor WWII veteran Leo P. Dean during Dean’s funeral at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Waterford, N.Y. on Dec. 17. Photo by Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta.
14 GUARD TIMES The New York National Guard mustered 51 vehicles and had 329 Soldiers and Airmen on duty and ready to respond as a massive blizzard hit Long Island and New York City on Jan. 23. Though the troops didn’t have to conduct missions and were released the next day, they were prepared to provide mobility support to New York City emergency medical technicians, and assist local governments on Long island with Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTVs) trucks and Humvees as a component of the state response to the storm. More than 2,200 Guard Soldiers and Airmen from 12 states were on duty during the storm. On Jan. 22, the 106th Rescue Wing mobi- lized an initial response force with 25 Airmen on state active duty equipped with two LMTV trucks and five Humvees at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base at Westhampton Beach. Company F of the 427th Brigade Support Bat- talion, which provides logistics support to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, stood up another response force of 10 LMTVs and 25 Soldiers at the Farmingdale Armed Forces Reserve Center. Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the New York City security augmentation force, positioned 10 humvees at JFK International Airport and 15 humvees at Fort Hamilton for use in New York City. One -hundred Soldiers – fifty per shift— were identified to drive the vehicles in case of deployment. The remaining 200 members of Joint Task Force Empire Shield ceased security duties as the storm hit, but bedded down for the night at their JFK and Fort Hamilton operating loca- tions to be available if necessary. On Saturday, Jan. 23, as snowfall exceeded expectations, the 145th Maintenance Com- pany, based at the Manor Road Armory in Staten Island, was brought on state active duty after completing a regularly-scheduled drill day. Eighty-nine unit members were on call overnight on Saturday with 11 vehicles at the armory. Soldiers at maintenance facilities were also on standby to support the mission. NY National Guard on Call For Snow Emergency Story by Eric Durr , Guard Times Staff Soldiers of Joint Task Force Empire Shield clear snow from Humvees at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, on Jan. 23 as a major blizzard hits New York City. Photo courtesy of Joint Task Force Empire Shield.
Winter 2016 15 KINDERHOOK, N.Y. — The man who gave the English language the term “OK” was hon- ored by the New York National Guard on the 233rd anniversary of his birthday — Dec. 5, 2015 — in this small Hudson Valley village. New York Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Raymond Shields and New York State Com- mand Sgt. Maj. David Piwowarski placed a wreath from President Barack Obama at the gravesite of President Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States, who was also the first president who was not born as the subject of an English King. “It is very, very important to remember what they have done for us and to commemorate their lives and accomplishments, said Shields, the Director of Joint Staff for the New York National Guard. A wreath from the sitting president is traditionally placed at the gravesites of former presidents on the anniversaries of their births. Placing the wreath at Van Buren’s grave in the Dutch Reformed Cemetery in Kinderhook is the responsibility of the New York National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters. Shields and Piwowarski were joined by a joint color guard of New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, as well as an Honor Cor- don of New York National Guard Soldiers and a Guard chaplain. The laying of the presidential wreath was also accompanied by wreaths from the village and town of Kinderhook, the local garden club, which cares for the Van Buren grave site, the National Park Service, which maintains the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site here, and the Friends of Lindenwald, a group which raises funds to help preserve Van Buren’s home, called Lindenwald. U.S. Representative Chris Gibson, a resident of Kinderhook and retired Army Colonel, also spoke at the event. As president from 1837 to 1841, Van Buren faced a number of challenges, many of which were similar to the questions facing the country today, Gibson said. But some of these issues – like those of a bank “too big to fail’’ and the size and scope of the federal government — are the same ones he and his colleagues in Congress deal with today, Gibson said. “When I walk through the square,’ Gibson said,” and I look over at ( the statute of ) Martin Van Buren, I sometimes say to myself, ‘What do you think of that, Marty?’” Van Buren, who died in 1862, was born in 1782 and grew up speaking Dutch, which made him the first president who did not speak Eng- lish as his first language. Van Buren served as president from 1837 to 1841 He ran twice more for the office but was defeated. Before running for president, he had a long career in New York state politics where he served as a state Senator, a U.S. Senator, at- torney general and governor. He served as sec- retary of state and vice president for President Andrew Jackson. During his political career, Van Buren became known as “Old Kinderhook” and his supporters began using “OK” as shorthand on their signs to show they supported him. As president, Van Buren would initial “OK” for “Old Kinderhook” on documents he was forwarded to indicate he had read and ap- proved them. When he ran for a second term as president in 1840, his supporters formed “OK Clubs” which is also thought to have popular- ized the term. Van Buren pushed for the creation of na- tional political parties, which would include members from all regions of the country rather than regional groupings that he feared would lead to the dissolution of the country. NY National Guard Honors Martin Van Buren Story and photo by Eric Durr ,Guard Times Staff New York Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Raymond Shields and Command Sgt. Maj. David Piwowarski prepare to present a wreath from President Barack Obama honoring President Martin Van Buren during a ceremony at the Dutch Reformed Cemetery in Kinderhook, N.Y. on Dec. 5, 2015. Kinderhook Mayor Carol Weaver looks on.
16 GUARD TIMES ARMY NATIONAL GUARDARMY NATIONAL GUARD NY Aviators Support Screaming Eagles’Training Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Joel Salgado, 101st Airborne Division FORT CAMPBELL, Ky — Artillerymen with the 101st Airborne Division Artillery, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conducted sling-load training Oct. 29 to Nov. 5 with the support of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) from the New York National Guard. The 101st Airborne Division’s CAB, which typically supports the maneuver forces of the 101st, is currently deployed in Afghanistan, limiting the opportunities for units to conduct air-assault training. “The previous DIVARTY aviation officer worked since April 2015 to line this training up with the National Guard and our division in order to facilitate our air-assault proficiency,” said Lt. Col. Bryan Schott, the commander of 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, DIVARTY. “In total, we had three different Na- tional Guard CABs willing to support our train- ing because they don’t get the opportunity to conduct this type of training, and it allows them to qualify on cross-country flights. The 42nd CAB was able to support in a reasonable time and the cost was feasible for their movement down to Fort Campbell.” The mis- sions included tandem air assaults with fire support and leader vehicles inserted into a drop zone, fol- lowed by both the howitzer and their prime mover humvee linked together in a single sling load. The tan- dem configu- ration would then conduct fire support operations and would then hook their howitzers up and move to follow-on firing points, conducting additional missions in support of simulated friendly forces. They also performed gun raids, where the aviators from the 42nd CAB would insert the M119A3 or M777A2 howitzers into a firing point, the artillery would conduct fire support operations and then the guns and crews would be extracted by the helicopters. “Typically we come in a raid configuration, which is just the howitzer, and the intent is just to hit the ground, fire and then you get pulled out by the helicopters,” said Capt. Jeremy Blas- cak, commander of Battery A, 3rd Bn., 320th FAR. “There’s kind of pros and cons for both, but today we wanted to focus on how to fly in with your humvee, how to fly in with a leader vehicle, the fire direction center and then not just fire your mission and then fly away, but to fire your mission and be prepared to take on a follow-on order and support your maneuver element.” In addition to allowing the DIVARTY Sol- diers the opportunity to conduct their training and increase their proficiency in supporting the division’s maneuver forces, the pairing with the 42nd CAB allowed them to practice the integration of reserve component forces into active-duty Army training. The Army recently began conducting Total Army Force Training, such as eXportable Com- bat Training Capability rotations, which pair Reserve units with an active-duty brigade com- bat team, allowing for both forces to conduct training and certifications before deploying in support of contingency operations. “I think it is an incredible opportunity for both units,” Schott said. “The National Guard and reserve components bring so much experi- ence and capability with them that integrat- ing them into training is easy. In reality, we have been working with them for the last two months as we have planned our training. It has been great to get the opportunity to meet them all face-to-face and thank them for their sup- port and professionalism.” Soldiers of the 101st Division Artillery, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), establish security after being inserted into a landing zone by 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade aircrews.
Winter 2016 17 442nd MPs Head to Cuba as 42nd ID Troops Return Guard Times Staff Soldiers from two New York Army National Guard units just missed each other as they started or finished deployments to Guanta- namo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. On Jan. 3, over 120 members of the 442nd Military Police Company left for pre-deploy- ment training at Fort Hood, Texas, before heading to the naval base to conduct security operations. Less than two weeks later, 50 Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division re- deployed to Fort Bliss, Texas and demobilized before returning home individually across New York State in February. The 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers are the fourth group of New York Army National Guard troops to deploy to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, and the 442nd Military Police Company Soldiers are the fifth. The 442nd Military Police Company, based in Queens, served at Ground Zero following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, then went on to serve two combat deployments to Iraq, the first from 2003 to 2004 and the second from 2010 to 2011. In 2004, the company earned a Presidential Unit Citation for helping to re-establish an Iraqi police training academy. About a third of the unit’s members are civilian law enforce- ment professionals from across the New York City region. The 42nd Infantry Division is a head- quarters unit whose personnel are trained to exercise mission command over three to five brigade elements. During their 10-month deployment, the troops served as members of the headquarters element for Joint Task Force Guantanamo. As part of the task force headquarters staff, the officers and non-commissioned officers served in personnel management, operations, and logistics alongside reserve and active com- ponent Navy, Air Force and Marine personnel. Other detachment members worked in the Staff Judge Advocate Office and supported the Office of Military Commissions. 442nd Military Police Company member Sgt. 1st Class Santo Villar enjoys a moment with his son Xavier Santo Villar after the company’s deployment ceremony at Camp Smith Training Site on Jan. 3. Photo by Sgt. Michael Davis, 138th Public Affairs Detachment. A CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the New York National Guard’s 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade inserts a Humvee and howitzer from Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Division Artillery, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), into Landing Zone Aardvark during an Air Assault on Fort Campbell, Ky., Oct. 30. The Soldiers of the 320th FAR, along with the rest of the DIVARTY, conducted air-assault missions with the 42nd CAB in order to develop their ability to support the division’s maneuver forces by performing both gun raid missions and follow follow-on support missions, providing constant indirect fire support.
18 GUARD TIMES A New York Amy National Guard Soldier from Company A, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry looks for the enemy during tactical training at the New York Police Department’s training facility on Rodmans Neck in New York City on Jan. 9. Photo by Capt. Mark Getman, New York Guard.
Winter 2016 19 69th Infantry Troops Train at Police Facility Story by Maj. Al Phillips, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry use a fire escape to enter a building during tactical training at the New York Police Department training facility and range in New York City on Jan 9. Photo by Capt. Mark Getman, New York Guard. NEW YORK — “Safety kill, safety kill, all clear!” shouted New York Army National Guard Sgt. Henry Nieves as his fire team stood down from another room-clearing drill at the New York Police Department’s training facility here on Jan. 9 Nieves, of Staten Island, and his Soldiers were among 120 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry who trained at the po- lice department’s unique facility to prepare for their deployment to the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana, later this year. The training filled their regular January drill weekend. “Two separate buildings, complete with (a Metro Transit Authority) bus, cars and stores provided at the urban training center allow these soldiers to practice and refine skills that can easily be used for an upcoming deploy- ment,“ explained Staff Sgt. Jesus Rodriguez, of Company A. Located on Rodman’s Neck, a piece of The Bronx that juts out into Long Island Sound, the 54-acre facility hosts a firing range, classrooms and a simulated city block used for police prac- tical training exercises. The location is ideal for members of Com- pany A to train at because it is relatively close to the unit’s home base at Lexington Avenue Armory in Manhattan, said Company A Com- mander Capt. Jake Siegel, of New York City. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made it clear that Soldiers need to frequently train in mock villages or towns to prepare for battle before they deploy, he added. “Overall, what should take place here is three platoons that are trained and equipped to clear these buildings while maintaining safety, over watch, and tactical proficiency in a timely manner,” Siegel said. “It is very important that we take the training seriously and are properly validated before our JRTC rotation,” he added. The 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry will deploy to Fort Polk for three weeks in July, along with other elements of the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The Soldiers ran through room clearing and other drills before splitting up into a friendly force and an opposing force and running through the exercises against each other. Op- posing force Soldiers wore New York Police Department training helmets in order to easily differentiate themselves from the friendly forces. Phrases like, “get behind cover,” “get your stack, advance” and “assault through” echoed across the training area as the Soldiers — who are financiers, cops, emergency workers, teachers and even a newspaper reporter — ran through their exercises. The Soldiers kept moving, even as rain blew in off Long Island Sound. “You have a lot of experience here with our combat vets teaching our new comers the complexities of warfare,” said Spc. Steven Gomez, of New York City. “Things like proper stacks, maneuvers, cover and concealment, and (ammo, casualties, equipment) reports must be developed.” “This is the fun stuff,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Carr, of Franklin Square. “Being here is chal- lenging.”
GOSHEN — Hudson Valley high school student chefs met New York Army National Guard culinary challenges here in early De- cember, cooking MREs into dishes that sated and delighted troops’ taste buds. “I was surprised to see what the kids did with the MREs,” said Sgt. Duwann Gordon, a culinary specialists who judged contests held at Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)-vocational education facilities in Dutchess and Orange Counties. “They were all good,” he said. But taste wasn’t the only winner, according to Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lattimer and Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Thompson, the New York Army National Guard recruiters who organized the events in conjunction with BOCES staff and teachers. The contests were a way of exposing students to Army career fields — like culinary specialist — and garnering potential recruits, they said. “You’re able to capture an audience you wouldn’t be able to otherwise,” Thompson said. The events were inspired by presentations New York Army National Guard military police and recruiters have been giving to BOCES law-enforcement students for the last decade, Thompson and Lattimer said. Events like this give students a chance to interact with Army subject-matter experts such as Gordon and Pvt. Yorby Fernandez, the other culinary specialist who judged the students’ dishes, they explained. Lattimer estimated that about 200 BOCES culinary students participated in the events, which included classes on the Army’s Mobile Kitchen Trailer (MKT). Gordon, of the 719th Transportation Company, and Fernandez, of the 145th Maintenance Company, towed an MKT to each event and fielded questions about it and their career field. Then it was time for the students to con- front the challenge. Each four-student team — using spices, other ingredients and their own skills — had about an hour to transform a randomly- chosen MRE into a meal, complete with a drink and dessert. The meals would be judged on taste, creativity and presentation. Some students stared wide-eyed as they examined the grey and brown MRE packets of cheese, crackers, potatoes, beef, cocoa powder and other foods. But these expressions quickly disappeared as the students eagerly shared ideas, and began seeing the food packets as the ingredients for their culinary visions. “They were so hyped-up to do this,” said Fernandez, of Brooklyn. Creativity became activity as the students chopped, whipped, churned, stirred, fried, melted, and baked the ingredients into entrees, side dishes and desserts. The students’ creativity was such that the judges couldn’t tell what type of MRE each team had been given to work with. One team whipped MRE fruit-punch drink mix into a creamy constituency and topped it off with whipped cream and a cherry, Fernandez explained. “They turned it into ice cream, basically,” he said, recalling all the times he’d eaten plain, un- enhanced MREs. “I wish I had these dishes in basic [training]. “They did an amazing job.” The students made good use of the MRE components, didn’t discard much and showed great teamwork, Gordon said. “When you come together as a team, that’s when you make real magic happen,” he said. In addition to honing the students’ commu- nication and time-management skills, the con- tests showed them what it’s like to work under pressure, said BOCES culinary instructors Scott Zintel and Robert T. Heppes. The events allowed the students to mix with students from other classes and taught them how to accept setbacks, said chef and BOCES culinary instructor Tom Genovese. He liked seeing the students’ excitement, and seeing individual students assume leadership roles, he added. “Teenagers can do amazing things when given a chance,” Genovese said. Thompson said about five students expressed interest in joining the New York Army National Guard. “It was worth skipping breakfast for,” Gordon said. Students Show Cooking Chops with Army Chow Story and photo by Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta Student chefs (left) wait in anticipation as New York Army National Guard culinary specialists Sgt. Duwann Gordon (middle) and Pvt. Yorby Fernandez (right) judge a meal the students prepared using MRE food components.
Winter 2016 21 GLENVILLE — This year’s “Ravens Challenge” exercise will include a partnership between the New York Army National Guard’s 501st Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Battalion and the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, the 501st’s active-component sister unit. The Ravens Challenge is a training exercise for civilian and military bomb squads. This May, troops of the 501st and 63rd will be mix- ing and working through scenarios during the exercise, according to Lt. Col. Jason Souza, commander of the 501st EOD Battalion, which is based here. This joint training and others have been planned under the partnership the units formed in December, when the battalions’ leadership met at the Scotia Glenville Armed Forces Reserve Center here, Souza said. They discussed ways to share training opportunities, trade lessons learned and build relationships that could carry over if a National Guard EOD platoon deployed with an active-component EOD Company, he recalled. “It allows us to merge ideas,” Souza said of the partnership. All U.S. Military EOD personnel undergo the same training, so the EOD community is very close and in continual contact, he explained. “We tend to all talk together,” Souza said. Souza served on active duty with Lt. Col. Keith Rowsey, the 63rd Ordnance Disposal Battalion commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Boehme, Rowsey’s battalion sergeant major. They’ve discussing ways their units could work together and support each other for a long time, he explained. They’re also plan- ning to have 501st troops take part in the 603rd’s tactical post-blast train- ing this summer at Fort Drum, where the 603rd is based, Souza said. This training involves learning how to collect evidence from improvised explosive device attacks in order to prosecute the terror- ists responsible for them, he explained. The post-blast training has been planned and funded, so the New York EOD troops will just go to Fort Drum and undergo the training with their active-duty counterparts , he explained. “They’re more than happy to have guard Soldiers come up and do the training,” Souza said. “We’re getting active-duty training for very little money, and it’s not costing the active component anything.” The Ravens Challenge will be held at the New York State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany . Guard and Active-Duty EOD Troops Fuse Training Story by Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta 501st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Jason Souza (middle right); 63rd Ordnance Disposal Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Keith Rowsey (far right); 63rd Ordnance Disposal Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Boehme (middle left); 501st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion Command Sgt. Major Joe Landy. (far left). LONG ISLAND CITY — The annual St. Barbara’s Day dinner is an auspicious event, with awards and speeches to honor outstand- ing New York Army National Guard artil- lerymen. For Staff Sgt. Edward Caba, the Dec. 4 dinner was the right place to ask his girlfriend Shan- non DeJoseph to marry him. “She deserves everybody’s attention and everybody should know how much I love her,” said Caba, a fire-support NCO with the 1st Bat- talion, 69th Infantry. He’s been dating DeJoseph, a nurse, for two years. He proposed between dinner and dessert, and DeJoseph said yes. Hosted by the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, the dinner recognizes accomplished Soldiers by inducting them into the Order of St. Barbara, a society of Army and Marine Corps artillerymen. Artillery units around the world hold special dinners on or near St. Barbara’s Day. Medieval cannoneers appealed to St. Barbara to keep their cannons from exploding, and she was adopted as their patron saint. Brig. Gen. Gary Yaple, the 42nd Infantry Division’s deputy commander for operations, praised the artillerymen for their 2015 accom- plishments. During platoon-level fire-support certification training, the battalion put over 900 rounds on target with no accidents, he emphasized. Marriage Proposal Highlight of Artillery Dinner Story and photo by Maj. Al Phillips, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
22 GUARD TIMES AIR NATIONAL GUARDAIR NATIONAL GUARD Fallen Airmen Awarded Bronze Star for Valor Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Julio Olivencia, 105th Airlift Wing Two Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing have been posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for saving the lives of other Airmen at the cost of their own. Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm, Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa and four other Airmen were killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 21, when a suicide bomber on an explosive-laden motorcycle attacked their patrol outside Bagram Air Field. When the insurgent made a sudden stop, just 15 feet from the dismounted patrol, Lemm and Bonacasa immedi- ately “with complete disregard for their own safety” took positions between the assailant and their team members, absorbing the brunt of the ensuing ex- plosion and shielding other members of their team from fatal wounds, accord- ing to the award citation. Lemm and Bonacasa were among seven security forces Airmen who were providing security for a team of Air Force Of- fice of Special Investigations special agents and linguists who were on an intelligence-gathering mission in a village outside of Bagram Air Field. “They selflessly gave their lives in defense of our country and they are our true American heroes,” said Maj. Alta Caputo, 105th Base Defense Squadron commander. The Bronze Star is the nation’s fourth highest award for valor. “Leading a team of passionate defenders, they took on the most challenging mission for themselves and epitomized the concept of leading from the front, a concept that has distinct risks that they both acknowledged and embraced,” said Col. Timothy LaBarge, 105th Airlift Wing commander. “Their example and sacrifice will never be forgotten as we do our part, on behalf of a grateful nation, to thank and memorialize them in perpetuity.” The 105th Airlift Wing held dignified cer- emonies for Lemm and Bonacasa during the week after Christmas 2015. A Stewart C-17 cargo plane flew Lemm’s remains to Stewart Air National Guard Base on Dec. 28. His casket was transferred from the aircraft to a waiting hearse. In attendance were hundreds of military members stationed at Stewart and a large contingent of police officers from the New York City Police Department, where Lemm was a detective. “Tech. Sgt. Lemm is a hero,” LaBarge said at Lemm’s transfer ceremony. “He lived his life as a hero. He returns as a hero. But that fact makes today only marginally easier. It does not erase the pain. Not by a long shot.” Lemm, 45, was a resident of West Harrison and enlisted in the 105th Airlift Wing in 2008, serving his entire time with the 105th Base Defense Squadron as a security forces member. He had previously served in the military from 1988 to 1996. His prior deployment experience included six month missions to Afghanistan in 2013 and Iraq in 2011. On Jan. 1, members of the 105th Airlift Wing traveled to Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base at West Hampton Beach, New York, to transfer the remains of Bonacasa. Members of the 105th Airlift Wing, the 106th Rescue Wing and various first responders were in attendance. “Duty threw down the gauntlet that fateful day, and Louis refused to compromise the safety of his fellow warriors nor the future safety of his wife or daughter,” LaBarge said at Bonacasa’s transfer ceremony. Bonacasa, 30, was a resident of Coram, New York. He enlisted in the active Air Force in 2002 and transitioned to the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Security Forces Squadron, at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in 2008. He joined the 105th Base Defense Squadron in 2010. Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa, left, and Tech Sgt. Joseph Lemm, members of the 105th Airlift Wing’s 105th Base Defense Squadron, were killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 21. “They selflessly gave their lives in defense of our country and they are our true American heroes.” Maj. Alta Caputo, 105th Base Defense Squadron commander
Winter 2016 23 He deployed to Iraq for six months in 2011, and to Afghanistan for six months in 2013. Members of the 105th Base Defense Squadron have a unique mission. They provide security for air bases by conducting missions “outside the wire” and employing equipment and tactics similar to Army infantry Soldiers. LaBarge said the 105th Airlift Wing is the only Air National Guard unit in the nation to have this mission, and one of only two in the entire Air Force. “Typically speaking, that is a mission that would be done by the Marines, or the Army, and in some cases some of the Navy security forces,” LaBarge said. Lemm and Bonacasa are the 34th and 35th members of the New York National Guard to die in combat since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They are the second and third members of the New York Air National Guard to die in combat. The first New York Air National Guard Air- man to die in combat was Staff Sgt. Todd J. Lo- braico Jr., who was killed while operating in the vicinity of Bagram Air Field Sept. 3, 2013. Like Lemm and Bonacasa, he was a member of the 105th Base Defense Squadron. Since Sept. 11, 2001, 12 members of the New York Army and Air National Guard have died while deployed in Afghanistan. Lemm and Bonacasa were also posthumously awarded a number of New York state awards for the Dec. 21 engage- ment. The two were also made honorary OSI agents. “Joe and Bones, you have joined our guard- ians in the sky who will forever be watching over us. You are both severely missed and you will never be forgotten,” Caputo said. Members of the 105th Airlift Wing act as pallbearers during the dignified transfer ceremony of Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm on Dec. 28 at Stewart Air National Guard Base. Members of the 105th Airlift Wing and 106th Rescue Wing pay respects during the transfer of Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa.
24 GUARD TIMES 105th Airmen Lift Hammers for Habitat for Humanity Story and photo by Staff Sergeant Julio Olivencia, 105th Airlift Wing NEWBURGH — About a dozen Stewart Air National Guard Base community members resumed their volunteer efforts by helping Habitat for Humanity build three houses on Clark Street here in November. The volunteers — including 105th Airlift Wing members and two civil- ian employees — continued work they had begun in April. “Initially we had started this project with just the foundation,” 105th First Six Council President Tech. Sgt. Daniel DiChiara said. “Coming back to the same house is actually pretty rewarding.” The members spent four hours painting, caulking, and preparing the property for the installation of concrete pads that will be part of Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkways. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh Board President Rick Schoenberg said the nonprofit works with the families to provide afford- able housing to low-income families, who purchase the homes. “They buy the house, they pay the mortgage, they pay the taxes, they contribute to Newburgh, they become part of the fabric of the com- munity, and it’s a positive step not only for the individual family, but for Newburgh as a whole,” he said The nonprofit has built 75 houses to date, but one of the Clark Street homes will be the first built for a disabled veteran. Senior Airman Stephanie Lloyd, who coordinated the partnership with the nonprofit, said she’s committed to continuing the relationship into the future by organizing volunteer events twice a year. It’s important for her to give back to the veteran community, she added. Steven Swyryt, the nonprofit’s volunteer coordinator, said he’s happy to have the help and looks forward to working with the base. “We love having any military group come and volunteer,” he said. “You guys are always some the hardest workers, probably the hardest workers, we get here on site.” Tech. Sgt. Daniel DiChiara, president of the 105th Airlift Wing First Six Council, uses a cordless drill to drive a screw through a stake and into a wooden board while Senior Master Sgt. Elizabeth Colton, of 105th Logistics Readiness Squadron Aerial Port, holds the stake steady.
Winter 2016 25 SYRACUSE — The flight of a remotely-pilot- ed New York Air National Guard aircraft here on Dec. 16 was also the launch of an historic precedent — the first use of airspace shared by military and commercial aircraft. Before scores of guests, media members and their fellow airmen, 174th Attack Wing aircrews flew an MQ-9 “Reaper” from a runway shared with Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Since the 174th is tasked with training Airman to operate the MQ-9, sharing runway and airspace will reap cost and time savings, and reduce risk. “This is an awesome day for the 174th,” said Col. Greg Semmel, 174th Attack Wing com- mander. “It is an awesome day for the remotely- piloted aircraft community and the Air Force.” This change “re-emphasizes and re-establishes flight operations here in Syracuse,” he added. Until the Dec. 16th flight, the Air Force only operated MQ-1 and MQ-9 aircraft from mili- tary airfields. The 174th had been flying MQ-9s used to train pilots and sensor operators — the Airmen who manipulate the camera and other instruments aboard the MQ-9 — from Wheeler Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum. In order to conduct flying operations, the airmen had to drive from Hancock Field to Fort Drum and back — a three-hour round trip by car. Along with eliminating the drive, the abil- ity to fly MQ-9s directly from Hancock Field means more training time, and will enable his wing to train more MQ-9 pilots and sensor operators, Semmel said. It also reduces the risk of personnel driving over northern New York roads, which can be hazardous in the winter, he added. Eliminating the driving time should save taxpayers about $1 million in vehicle expenses and man-hours, Semmel said. The Dec. 16 flight lasted about 20 minutes. A crew in another building on base launched the MQ-9, had it circle the airport twice below the clouds and conducted a practice landing before bringing it back down. The 174th has been tasked to train 106 MQ-9 pilots and sensor operators in 2016, a 50 per- cent increase in the number of MQ-9 aircrews trained in 2015, Semmel said. The wing also trains 250 to 300 MQ-9 maintainers each year. Trainee pilots and sensor operators are required to drop both dummy and live 500-pound bombs from the MQ-9 has part of their training program. The Fort Drum Launch and Recovery facility will be used when aircraft must be flown with bombs under the wings, Semmel said. The 174th spent more than two years work- ing with the FAA and other agencies to prepare for the Dec. 16 flight. “We took the time to do it right, to do it deliberately, to go through the process and ensure that every stakeholder with this new technology, flying around a civilian air field, was comfortable with it,” Semmel said. “A lot of work has been done.” The Dec. 16 flight sets a precedent for other Air National Guard and Air Force remotely- piloted aircraft operations, he added. Currently seven Air National Guard units fly either the MQ-9 or MQ-1 remotely-piloted aircraft, and four of those units, including the 174th Attack Wing, share runways with civilian airports. These other units are the 118th Airlift Wing in Nashville, Tennessee; the 119th Wing at Fargo, North Dakota; and the 147th Recon- naissance Wing in Houston, Texas. A fifth unit, the New York Air National Guard’s 107th Airlift Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, shares a runway with Niagara Falls International Airport and is in the process of becoming an MQ-9 unit. The 60 MQ-9 pilots assigned to the 174th Attack Wing control aircraft in the Central Command Area of Operations — which in- cludes Iraq and Afghanistan — from a facility at Hancock Field, Semmel said. While operating aircraft directly from Han- cock Field has tangible benefits, like more train- ing time and saving tax dollars, the intangible benefits of the change are just as important, Semmel emphasized. “We are a community-based Air Force,” he said. “We are in the community of Syracuse and it is so important to bring flying operations back here to the airfield and show our com- munity what we are all about, and show them we are still a vibrant tradition, and what we do every day to support our nation and state.” 174th Attack Wing Marks Historic Reaper Flight Story by Eric Durr , Guard Times Staff
26 GUARD TIMES Members of the 101st Rescue Squadron conduct water-survival training near Homestead Air Reserve Base on Jan. 20. Members trained on the use of seven and twenty-man survival rafts, the ability to work as a team in open water, and the use of their survival equipment. The squadron is part of the 106th Rescue Wing. More pictures can be found on page 26. Photos by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy, 106th Rescue Wing. 106thRescueWingConductsWater-SurvivalTraining
Winter 2016 27 BALLSTON SPA — Firefighters of the 109th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Fire Department at Stratton Air National Guard Base took part in a joint drill with the Schuyler Hose Co. at the Saratoga County Fire Training Center on Dec. 5. The goal of the structural fire exercise was to train participants on fire development and dy- namics, giving them controlled experience with live fire behavior. The training was completed in compliance with the 109th Fire Department’s annual requirements; every year, the firefight- ers complete structural and aircraft live-fire exercises. The drill involved going into a structure that was alive with flames. Airman 1st Class Adam Derepentigny, 109th firefighter, said training like this is imperative for job competency. “It’s the bread and butter,” he said. “If you don’t know how fire is going to react, you’re just going at it not knowing what you’re doing.” One of the exercise instructors, Tech. Sgt. Joshua Meyers, 109th fire training officer, agreed. “(Training) is very important ... this is real- world stuff, this is really what’s required in life-or-death situa- tions.” Lt. Col. Robert Donaldson, 109th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, said it was a great opportunity to check out all the good stuff he’d been hearing about. Many of the 109th’s traditional guardsmen are civilian firefight- ers, including Tech. Sgt. Adam Meyers, who works for the Schuyler Hose Co. and partici- pated in the drill. This background in related disciplines (as civilians) provides “a wealth of experience that they bring to the table,” Donaldson said. 109th Firefighters train with civilian counterparts Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Benjamin German Tech. Sgt. Brian Devlin, 109th Fire Department station captain, briefs Lt. Col. Robert Donaldson, 109th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, on exercise protocols during the structural fire exercise. Tech. Sgt. Joshua Meyers, 109th Fire Department training officer, briefs participants on proper procedure during a structural fire exercise.
28 GUARD TIMES WESTHAMPTON BEACH — Despite being staffed at 75 percent, the 106th Rescue Wing New York Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention office met their annual recruiting goal for the second year in a row, beating eight other Northeastern states to win the regional Patriot Team Award for Fiscal Year 2015. Their success is due to their mutual respect, and the fact that they’ve streamlined aspects of enlistment, said Master Sgt. Matthew Repp, manager and supervisor of the Recruiting and Retention Office. “We do everything, soup to nuts in our of- fice,” Repp said of their methods for smoothing recruits’ transition into the Air National Guard. Traditionally, recruiting offices have sworn in newcomers and escorted them to various offices to handle administrative details. “We took it upon ourselves to better educate ourselves on the processes,” he said. “It’s all on us to make it a quick and smooth change. We don’t have to wait on other offices to complete their roles, as they have other duties, too.” In addition to security clearances and finan- cial packages, the recruiters complete medi- cal clearances for new members, which often require trips to New York City and New Jersey. The arduous steps required to get new recruits in the door to completing basic training de- mand many man-hours, and recruiting events often occur on holidays and weekends. “Sometimes the day starts at 3 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.,” said Master Sgt. Laurie Perno, the recruiting and retention manager. “When you get home you’re exhausted, but you still have a family to take care of, and you’re still ‘Mom.’” Perno both recurits and handles unit reten- tion of unit members. “She’s grabbing the bull by the horns and working hard to develop a program to retain our qualified airman in the Guard,” Repp said. “She’s ensuring our airman are receiving all their educational benefits and seeing to it they meet their career goals.” Though recruiting goals are competitive and demanding, Repp said the staff identifies strengths in one another and leverages those talents to benefit the whole team. Some recruits aren’t familiar with military life, so before basic training, they become part of Student Flight to learn Air Force culture, build camaraderie, and become familiar with wing operations. Tech. Sgt. Katie White, recognized within the office as a high-speed go-getter, leads Student Flight. Along with her regular duties as a recruiter, White’s toughness and tenacity made her a good fit to work with new recruits, according to Repp and Perno. “She will hold the students to a certain stan- dard that doesn’t relent, and they need those stepping stones when they go to boot camp,” Repp said. Though not all recruits complete basic train- ing, White’s efforts have resulted in a 95 percent basic training completion rate for the unit. Staff Sgt. Christopher Gee, primarily a Battlefield Airman recruiter, has found his niche in marketing, according to Repp. Gee has considerable input on how to allocate recruiting and advertising funds, he added. In July, Gee established the largest Battlefield Airman-focused recruiting event in New York Air National Guard history at the Ironman Triathlon held in Lake Placid. The triathlon attracted some 30,000 attend- ees, many suited to the mental and physical rig- ors required of Special Operations. Gee ensured he utilized the advertising budget to maximum effect, unmatched by any other recruiting office in New York. Staff Sgt. Joseph Cacoperdo, the newest ad- dition to the Recruiting and Retention office, is diligently defining his role as a junior enlisted recruiter, said Repp. “He does a lot of volunteer work and is heav- ily involved with his community,” Repp said. “He projects a good image of the Air National Guard and the 106th Rescue Wing with his volunteerism, and that benefits the Guard as a whole.” “With this recruiting team everyone brings a different dynamic to the office,” said Perno. “We mesh well together.” “They all embrace their roles, move forward, and master them,” Repp said. “It works well for us.” Rescue Wing Recruiters Max Goals with Right Mix Story by Tech. Sgt. Monica Dalberg, 106th Rescue Wing The 106th Rescue Wing New York Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention office, from left: Staff Sgt. Christopher Gee, Master Sgt. Laurie Perno, Master Sgt. Matthew Repp, Tech. Sgt. Katie White and Staff Sgt. Joseph Cacoperdo. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy.
Winter 2016 29 From Syracuse to Scotia, New York Air National Guard members and civilian em- ployees garnered praise and awards in 2015 for individual and unit-level performance overseas and stateside. About two dozen members of the Syracuse- based 174th Attack Wing’s Security Forces Squadron performed their duties flawlessly throughout their deployment to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar from January to August 2015, ac- cording to Master Sgt. Christopher, the wing’s security forces squadron superintendent. During their deployment, the Airmen safe- guarded 11,000 multinational forces, secured over 100 combat aircraft, mentored Qatari police, provided armed escort for 100 distin- guished visitors from over 22 nations and took part in the first joint active-shooter exercise involving Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron and Special Operations Command personnel. “Team Syracuse represented the 174th Attack Wing well,” said Christopher. “Our efforts en- sured the success of missions stretching across the entire Air Force Central Command area of responsibility.” For his part, Christopher responded without hesitation and extinguished a burning building while off duty. For his efforts, Christopher was awarded the Air Force Central Command and Air Combat Command Ground Safety Award and a letter of appreciation from Lt. Gen. Gen- eral Hesterman, the current assistant vice chief of staff and director. Christopher emphasized that all the 174th Airmen did an outstanding job throughout their deployment. “For a majority of our Security Forces troops, this was their first time ever deploying,” Chris- topher said. “I couldn’t be more proud of being part of such a professional group of Defenders.” Further east, the National Guard Bureau rec- ognized two civilian employees of the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS), based in Rome, for defense of cyberspace. Sonepith Keoviengsamay, a cybersecurity systems analyst, won the Gen. John P. Jumper Award for excellence in warfighting integration in the civilian category. Joe Puccio, an infor- mation assurance and software manager, was named the Air National Guard’s Information Dominance Program’s Outstanding Civilian in the GS 9-11 pay grades. “Being acknowledged as the best in your field in an organization as large as the Air National Guard is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Col. Michael J. Norton, the commander of EADS. “These awards recognize the impressive but often unnoticed work that Mr. Keoviengsa- may and Mr. Puccio perform daily to help protect our cyber network and communications systems, which play a critical role in everything we do here at EADS.” Responsible for the air defense of the eastern United States, EADS is composed of New York Air National Guardsmen from the 224th Air Defense Group, a Canadian Forces detachment, Army, Navy and Coast Guard liaison officers, and federal civilians. In Scotia, members of the 109th Airlift Wing received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its part in Operation Deep freeze, the military’s support of the National Science Foundation’s research efforts in Antarctica and Greenland, from Nov. 1, 2012 to Oct. 31, 2014. The award also recognized the 109th Medical Group for hosting a National Disaster Medical System exercise in 2013, and recognized wing airmen for exemplifying the Air Force core value of Service Before Self for their volun- teerism in more than 40 local events. This is the eighth time 109th Airlift Wing members received the award, which is given to units which have demonstrated outstanding achievement setting the unit above national or international significance, combat operations against an armed enemy of the United States or military operations involving conflict with or exposure to hostile actions by an opposing foreign force. Airmen who belonged to the unit during that period are entitled to wear the Air Force Out- standing Unit ribbon on their dress uniforms, or an oak leaf pin to denote additional awards. “Thank you all for your tremendous efforts each and every day,” Col. Shawn Clouthier, 109th Airlift Wing commander said in a mes- sage sent to the unit’s Airmen. “You have all earned this prestigious award.” In the two-year period, the unit generated nearly 8,500 flight hours, delivered 12.2 million pounds of cargo and transported more than 13,000 passengers to remote sites throughout Antarctica and Greenland. Additionally, the 109th Mission Support Group contributed to the fulfillment of national economic savings objectives by overhauling the Operation Deep Freeze supply depot contract, resulting in a $400,000 annual cost savings. Praise for NY Air National Guard Achievements Story by New York Air National Guard Staff A New York Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing LC-130 Skibird at Summit Station, Greenland, on June 30, 2015. Airmen and aircraft staged out of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, during the summer months, supplying fuel and supplies and transporting passengers on the Ice Shelf in Greenland. Photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin German, 109th Airlift Wing.
30 GUARD TIMES GUARD NOTES SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 100-year his- tory of the Air National Guard in New York is told through a new exhibit at the New York State Military Museum here. “Ever Upward: The History of the New York Air National Guard” uses photographs and ar- tifacts, like flying jackets, helmets and an Iraqi anti-aircraft gun from the Persian Gulf War, to tell the story of the 5,600-member New York Air National Guard. With five wings and the air defense sector charged with monitoring the airspace over the entire United States east of the Mississippi, the New York Air National Guard is the largest in the nation. The museum, which is run by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, tells the story of New York’s military history, and is a repository for historical items and records belonging to the New York National Guard. The staff prepared the exhibit because “New York has such a rich tradition for the Air Guard,” said Museum Director Courtney Burns. “The New York National Guard had the earliest aviation component in the National Guard,” he said. The New York National Guard’s first aircraft came from New Yorker Glen Curtiss, who loaned the Guard one of the planes made at his plant. Pilot Beckwith Havens, who came with the plane, joined the New York National Guard Signal Corps 1st Company and flew his plane during exercises in Connecticut in 1912. Haven’s one-man show became the Aviation Detachment of the 1st Battalion Signal Corps, New York National Guard, in 1915. Later that year the unit became the 1st Aero Company, New York National Guard. In 1916, members of the 1st Aero Company made the first mass long-distance flight in U.S. military history. They flew 10 aircraft from their base in Mineloa, N.Y. to Princeton, New Jersey, and then flew back the next day. The first licensed pilot in the U.S. military, Frederick Humphrys, flew with the New York National Guard, and the first woman to join the Air National Guard, Capt. Norma Parsons, served in the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Field Hospital. The oldest unit in the Air National Guard, the New York Air National Guard’s 102nd Rescue Squadron, part of the 106th Rescue Wing, was origi- nally organized as the 102nd Aero Squadron in 1917 and the reconstituted as the 102nd Obser- vation Squadron of the New York National Guard in 1920. Discovering this history as he created the exhibit was exciting, said Christopher Morton, the museum’s curator. “These guys helped establish the Air National Guard and helped put it on a firm footing,“ he said. Airmen flew as part of the Army until 1947, when Con- gress created the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard. One of the first Air National Guard units was the 138th Fighter Squadron. It was federally recognized at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in 1947. In 1953 the 138th Fighter Intercep- tor Squadron became the first Air National Guard unit to go on alert as part of the air defense of the United States. Today the 138th Attack Squadron is part of the 174th Attack Wing, which operates the MQ-9 remotely-piloted aircraft. The exhibit also discusses the role of New York’s 109th Airlift Wing in conducting mis- sions in the Arctic and Antarctic, the combat missions conducted by the 174th Fighter Wing in the Persian Gulf War, and missions being conducted by the New York Air Guard today. It takes several months to create a museum exhibit, which includes conducting research, identifying photographs and artifacts which tell the story, and then constructing the exhibit, Morton said. The exhibit will be on display in the museum’s temporary display space for about a year, he added. The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center is housed in the historic New York State Armory in Saratoga Springs and is a component of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. The mission of the museum and research center is to preserve, interpret and dissemi- nate the story, history and records of New York State’s military forces and veterans. The collection is divided into the museum and the library/archives holdings. The museum has permanent exhibits telling the story of New York’s men and women in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Revolutionary War and as members of the state militia in the 19th Century. The museum holds more than 10,000 artifacts dating from the Revolutionary War to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. ExhibitTells Air National Guard History in NewYork Story by Eric Durr, Guard Times Staff A flying jacket and helmet used by Maj. Gen. John Fenimore, 109th Airlift Wing commander and later the adjutant general of New York, on display at the New York State Military Museum. Photo by Sgt. Major Corine Lombardo, Joint Force Headquarters.
Winter 2016 31 Faith, People and Positive Habits Equal Resiliency by Maj. Scott R. Ehler, Chaplain, Joint Force Headquarters John A. Simone is credited with saying, “If you’re in a bad situation, don’t worry it’ll change. If you’re in a good situation, don’t worry it’ll change.” Change is definitely a part of life. Sometimes changes are small and barely noticed, sometimes they are larger and have an enormous effect on our lives. Changes can be positive or they can be nega- tive. It’s really all about perspective. How do you see change? Is it an opportunity or is it an obstacle? In recent months there has been an emphasis placed on resiliency, as the New York National Guard family has seen mul- tiple tragedies among its ranks. So the question is, what is resiliency? The basic answer is the ability to respond to and recover from change. The overarching issue with individuals and re- silience, in my opinion, is response versus reac- tion. The ability to respond to a situation means that positive habits were in place prior to the situation. Basically, response is reaction with thought. Resiliency training focuses on putting habits into place that will enable an individual to respond to a situation, instead of reacting. I have been in the military for 20 years, and as I look back I can see four major changes in my life. One of these changes I would put in the category of devastating. I am not going to claim to be the world’s most resilient person. The truth is that I spent some time de- pressed, question- ing, and wondering what the point was. It is truly always darkest during the storm. The reality is that I had friends who helped me and I had a faith that guided me. The problem could not be conquered in one stroke, and the storm and its devastation was not going to pass through in a day. But, somewhere out there a light was at the end of the tunnel. The problem is we can’t always see that light... sometimes it is so dark that the only thing we can see is our circumstances. I had people...people who reminded me to make it through the day. I had faith...faith that reminded me that I wasn’t alone. Both of these were well-established before entering the storm. So my question is, what do you have? What positive habits or people are in your life? Is there a belief system that you adhere to? The important part of resiliency is ensuring that the above things are in place prior to the change, prior to the circumstance, prior to the storm. It’s not going to make the circumstances go away, but it is going to allow you to respond to them. So take resiliency training seriously and listen to what the fine instructors are teach- ing. Build a foundation of habits that are going to help you. Leaders, make sure you are check- ing in on your Soldiers, not out of obligation to check a box, but out of a sense of caring for those who’ve been entrusted to your care. Physical Fitness Training Safety Tips: by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Russell L. Hall, Safety Officer Physical-fitness training is an activity that almost all Soldiers partici- pate in on a regular basis. It is a great way to reduce stress, improve strength and endurance, socialize with friends, and continue to meet Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) standards. Nonetheless, physical training can also expose you to health and safety risks. Some of these training pitfalls are addressed below. Taking the time to follow some basic steps will help you avoid a serious injury while enjoying your favorite physical-fitness program. Starting Safely Before starting any physical-fitness program, you should consult your physician to ensure you are medically fit enough to engage in strenuous activities. Weight training, running, and team sports can raise your heart rate and place increased stress on various joints throughout your body. Performing a self-assessment of your initial conditioning will allow you to develop a plan that can gradually increase that conditioning level. Starting off slowly with a plan can be the surest way to insure success. Increasing Resistance Now that you are safely on your way to improved physical fitness, you are feeling more confident and increasing the intensity of your workouts. During the winter months, you may have been working out indoors with weight training and running or walking on the treadmill. With spring on its way, training outside is the next step in your plan. Better running shoes will help prevent foot and joint injuries. Highly-reflective running gear can make you more visible to vehicles when running near roadways. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that from 2001–2010, a total of 47,392 pedestrians were killed by automobiles.
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  • 1. Serving the New York Army and Air National Guard, Naval Militia, New York Guard and Families Volume 9, Number 1 Winter 2016 www.dmna.ny.gov
  • 2. After six years as Adjutant General, it is time to say good bye. I have accepted an assignment as Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. As I write my final column for your Guard Times magazine, I want to take this opportunity to share some thoughts and observations. First of all, it has been an absolute honor to serve as your Adjutant General since February of 2010. Serving with and commanding the magnificent men and women of the New York National Guard has been a privilege. Everyday our Soldiers and Airmen are doing phenomenal work around the world and right here at home. Some of my proudest moments are when I have the opportunity to tell the stories of how extraordinary citizens have volunteered to put on a uniform and defend our nation’s interests overseas, or help our neighbors right here at home. I have witnessed our Service Members respond to floods, fires, hurricanes and snow- storms. From Long Island to Essex County and from Albany to Buffalo – the New York Army and Air National Guard, the Naval Militia, the New York Guard and incredible civilian employees, who support daily operations and maintain our facilities, have always given 100 percent when called upon by our state leader- ship. Over the past six years we have deployed Soldiers and Airmen to faraway places like Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Djibouti and closer to home, like Cuba and Columbia. Our Service Members have never missed a mission and in fact, frequently have done amazing work that has gained them recognition for acts of heroism and valor. During this same period we have said our final goodbyes to four American heroes: one Soldier and three Airmen who were lost during combat operations. This brings our total losses in overseas operations since 9/11 to 35. They will all be remembered by a grateful state and nation. Our commander-in-chief, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, has repeatedly said he holds the Division of Military and Naval Affairs and the New York National Guard in high regard. You have answered his call in the timeliest manner possible and professionally executed every as- signed mission. You have repeatedly heard me say we are an organization of standards and discipline. This is what makes us different than other organizations. We follow the rules — the laws, regulations, policies and directives. These are the standards which guide our organization. Discipline in this case is defined as our ability and willingness to follow the rules. This makes us dependable and predictable. I would ask everyone to keep the idea of standards and discipline in mind as long as you’re part of this great organization. During my tenure as Adjutant General we have had four lines of effort to help guide prioritization of resourcing: Service Member, Family, equipment and facility readiness. All of us in positions of leadership have a duty to take care of our Soldiers, Airmen and civilian employees. We must ensure Families of our Soldiers and Airmen get the support they need, whether it is throughout the year for members in a traditional drilling status, during a relatively short annual training period, or a year-long deployment in support of operations outside the continental United States. We have an obligation to make every effort to ensure our Service Members have the latest, most modern equipment. Maintenance and accountability of this equipment is everyone’s responsibility so it is ready and accessible at the time of need. We provided guidance and you delivered when it came to facility readiness. Great strides have been made regarding maintaining and im- proving our physical footprint — your armories and bases. Finally, I want to circle back to where I started. It has been an honor to lead this great organization. Every great organization is made up of great people; and that is what I’ll remem- ber and miss the most. It has been an incredible privilege to serve with so many magnificent people — uniformed and civilians, privates and colonels. Thank you for what you all do every day. Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy FROM THE LEADERSHIP Members of the 101st Rescue Squadron conduct water-survival training near Homestead Air Reserve Base on Jan. 20. The squadron is part of the 106th Rescue Wing. More pictures can be found on page 26. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy, 106th Rescue Wing. Goodbye, Great Job, and Drive On
  • 3. This Issue’s Highlights: Faces of the Force 4 NY Air National Guardsmen Use CPR to Save Lives 6 105th Airman Donates Kidney to Fellow Airman 7 Many Roles, One Career Goal Around the State 9 NY National Guard, DEC Team Up for the Turkey Study The Joint Force 12 On Duty Rendering Honors, Across New York state 14 NY National Guard on Call For Snow Emergency 15 NY National Guard Honors Martin Van Buren Army National Guard 16 NY Aviators Support Screaming Eagles’ Training 17 442nd MPs Head to Cuba as 42nd ID Troops Return 19 69th Infantry Troops Train at Police Facility 20 Students Show Cooking Chops with Army Chow 21 Guard and Active-Duty EOD Troops Fuse Training 21 Marriage Proposal Highlight of Artillery Dinner Air National Guard 22 Fallen Airmen Awarded Bronze Star for Valor 24 105th Airmen Lift Hammers for Habitat for Humanity 25 174th Attack Wing Marks Historic Reaper Flight 26 106th Rescue Wing Conducts Water Survival Training 27 109th Firefighters train with civilian counterparts 28 Rescue Wing Recruiters Max Goals with Right Mix 29 Praise for NY Air National Guard Achievements Guard Notes 30 Exhibit Tells Air National Guard History in New York 31 Faith, People and Positive Habits Equal Resiliency 31 Physical Fitness Training Safety Tips www.dmna.ny.gov Winter 2016 | Volume 9, Number 1 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Commander in Chief Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, The Adjutant General Eric Durr, Director of Public Affairs Col. Richard Goldenberg, Public Affairs Officer Capt. JeanMarie Kratzer, NYARNG Editor Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta, NYARNG, Editor About Guard Times The Guard Times is published quarterly using federal funds authorized under provisions of AR 360-1 and AFI 35-101 by the New York State Division of Mili- tary and Naval Affairs and the New York Army and Air National Guard Public Affairs Office. Views which appear in this publication are not neces- sarily those of the Department of Defense, the Army, the Air Force or the National Guard Bureau. The Guard Times has a circulation of 20,000 and is distributed free to members of the New York State Military Forces and employees of the Division of Military and Naval Affairs. Submissions Articles, photos and letters are welcome. Please pro- vide article submissions via email saved in Microsoft Word or rich text format (rtf) along with high resolu- tion digital (jpg) photos. Submission deadlines are January 15 (winter issue), April 15 (spring issue), July 15 (summer issue), and October 15 (fall issue). Send your submissions to: Guard Times DMNA-MNPA 330 Old Niskayuna Road Latham, New York 12110-3514 OFFICE (518) 786-4581 FAX (518) 786-4649 or richard.l.goldenberg.mil@mail.mil Complimentary or Back Issues of the Guard Times are available. Contact us at the address above or visit us on the web for current news, photos or to download prior issues at www.dmna.ny.gov FRONT COVER: New York Amy National Guard Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry conduct tactical training at the New York Police Department training facility and range in New York City on Jan 9. Story on page 19. Photo by Capt. Mark Getman, New York Guard. BACK COVER: Maj. Alta Caputo, 105th Base Defense Squadron commander, stands at parade rest as she awaits the dignified trans- fer of 105th Base Defense Squadron Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm, who was killed in action while on a mission inAfghanistan on Dec. 21, 2015. Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa, 105th Base DefenseSquadron, and four other Airmen were killed in the same attack. Story on page 22. Photo by Staff Sgt. Sgt. Julio Olivencia, 105th Airlift Wing. FORT DRUM — Col. Joseph Biehler, commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), congratulates Spc. Dylan Lunde (left) for winning the brigade best warrior competition on Jan. 9. Lunde and Staff Sgt. Atrem Feldman, both cannon crewmembers from B Battery, 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery Regiment, will go on to represent the brigade at the state-level competition. Photo by Sgt. Alexander J. Rector, 27th IBCT.
  • 4. 4 GUARD TIMES Two New York Air National Guardsmen have earned professional recognition and civilian accolades for saving lives in separate incidents last Autumn. On Oct. 27, Tech. Sgt. Jason N. Oehlbeck, 174th Airlift Wing, performed cardiopulmo- nary resuscitation (CPR) on 35-year-old Jack Ewald at an East Syracuse hotel. A little over two weeks later, Master Sgt. Thomas Curran, 105th Airlift Wing, performed CPR on a man at a Newburgh restaurant. People involved in the incidents said the Airmen acted quickly to save the victims’ lives, and the airmen received the Air Force Com- mendation medal for their actions — which included using their Air National Guard first- aid training. Right Place, Right Time Oct. 27 began as an ordinary military train- ing day for Oehlbeck, an aircraft electrician and resident of Webster. He was lodged at the Em- bassy Suites Hotel, which the New York Credit Union Association was using for a conference. When he returned to the hotel to study during a break, a conference group member told Oehlbeck that Ewald, their colleague, had collapsed. When Oehlbeck arrived, Ewald was uncon- scious and had gone into cardiac arrest. “I saw the guy and he was my age,” Oehlbeck said. “I thought ‘this could be me.’ I was going to do whatever I could.” Oehlbeck checked Ewald’s airways, noted he was not breathing and had no pulse. He began to administer CPR while someone called 911. Oehlbeck continued his efforts for 18 min- utes, during which Ewald regained and lost his pulse several times. Police and paramedics ar- rived and used an automated external defibril- lator (AED) to restart Ewald’s heart. Hotel staff and conference group members thanked Oehlbeck, and a few told him they planned to get CPR training. Oehlbeck returned to his training, not know- ing Ewald’s fate. Much to his relief, one of the responding police officers called him the next day and told him that Ewald had survived. John Belcher, general manager at Embassy Suites Hotel, witnessed Oehlbeck jump into action. “If it wasn’t for Jason’s continued effort and determination, this young man would not have survived until paramedics arrived,” Belcher wrote in an email. “Actions like this are not common in every man. As a prior military man myself, I know we are trained for such things, but still, not everyone has it in them to react when called upon. To see Jason react as quick as he did in a room full of people who did not is very special.” Oehlbeck received CPR and AED training required for his Air National Guard job. He receives an American Red Cross certification every two years. He is also part of a medical alert team with his civilian employer, Harris Corporation of Rochester, where he also gets CPR/AED training. FACES of the FORCE NYAirNationalGuardsmenUseCPRtoSaveLives By Maj. Elaine Nowak, 107th Airlift Wing, and Tech Sgt. Sara Pastorella, 105th Airlift Wing 107th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Robert Kilgore (left) poses with Tech. Sgt. Jason Oehlbeck (center) and Jack Ewald (right) following Oehlbeck’s award ceremony on Dec. 6. Photo by Sr. Master Sgt. Ray Lloyd, 107th Airlift Wing.
  • 5. Winter 2016 5 “My military training, my employer’s medical training, and the fact that God put me in the right place at the right time — all came together so that I could help,” said Oehl- beck. Ewald attended the award ceremony as a surprise Oehl- beck, as did Marie Betti, rep- resenting the New York Credit Union Association. As the men hugged for the first time, their friends, family, and the men and women of the 107th Airlift Wing clapped and cheered. “It was just fantastic to see him and fantastic to see him get the recognition he deserved,” Ewald said. “He did amazing work in the spur of the moment and he was ready and had the character to keep it up.” Col. Robert Kilgore, 107th Airlift Wing Commander, presented the Air Force Com- mendation medal and the New York State Meritorious Service Medal to Oehlbeck. “Tech. Sgt. Oehlbeck’s actions were certainly heroic but it does not come as a surprise,” Kilgore said. “Jason is an outstanding member of this unit and fine example of a National Guardsman, lending a hand to a fellow citizen in a time of crisis.” Betti presented a plaque to Oehlbeck, thank- ing him for helping Ewald. She also announced $1,000 was donated to the Friends of Family Support Association, a group that aids families from the airbase, in honor of Oehlbeck. Courage and Skill Master Sgt. Tom Curran had just stepped out to eat at one of his favorite spots when he stepped into a life-and-death situation. On Nov. 14, Curran entered the AIM Café in Newburgh and realized something was wrong. When the clerk told him a man had collapsed, Curran immediately made his way around the counter and into the dining room, where he found a crowd around a man on the floor. The man seemed to be suffering from a cardiac arrest. Curran, who’s certified in CPR as a member of the Air National Guard, pushed through the crowd and found café owner Al Blanco administering CPR at the direction of 911 operators. Curran took over — and Blanco was happy he did. “You could tell immediately he knew what he was doing,” Blanco said. “I’m not certified, I haven’t taken any courses, so I was just doing what the lady on the phone was telling me.” Emergency medical personnel arrived a short time later. “It felt like forever,” Curran said. “I don’t even know how long it was.” Curran then helped the medics administer an AED. Blanco said he was impressed with Curran’s actions that day, especially how Cur- ran drove to the hospital afterward. “He doesn’t know them from anybody and for him to do what he did was one thing, taking the extra step and going down there, that’s even more so above and beyond,” Blanco said. “I was really concerned to see if the guy made it or not,” Curran said. Clinical Nurse Manager Joe Romeo of St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, a retired U.S. Army major, was also impressed. Romeo said that if it wasn’t for Curran’s actions, the man wouldn’t have survived long enough to make in to the emergency room, where he was treated and admitted to the intensive care unit for further care. Curran’s actions might have gone unrecog- nized if not for an email Romeo sent to Cur- ran’s supervisor. “He needed to be recognized,” Romeo said. “There’re too many times people that would just stand there and do nothing. He saw this man was in need of help and he stepped in and did what needed to be done.” Curran’s actions underscore the unique skill- sets citizen-Airmen bring to the community, said 105th Airlift Wing, Col. Timothy LaBarge. “The recent lifesaving actions of Master Sgt. Tom Curran demonstrate what happens when you combine the knowledge and skill gained in the military with the courage to act—a life can be saved, as it was in this case,” LaBarge said. New York Air National Guard Master Sgt. Thomas Curran (center) receives the Air Force Commendation Medal from Col. Timothy J. LaBarge, commander of the 105th Airlift Wing (left) and Chief Master Sgt. Michael Antinucci (right) on Dec 4. Photo by Tech. Sgt Sara Pastorello.
  • 6. 6 GUARD TIMES NEWBURGH — A New York Air National guardsman has literally given something of himself to help a suffering fellow unit member. Master Sgt. Henry Windels, 105th Airlift Wing, donated a kidney to Staff Sgt. Daniel Cola last fall, saving Cola from difficult kidney dialysis. Cola is recovering well and the two men, once just acquaintances, are much closer. Cola and his wife Aly are eternally grateful to Windels, and they’ve changed their lives to help others. “My husband was given a second chance at life, we aren’t going to do things the same,” Aly said. “We’re not going to take things for granted, like holidays and lazy Sundays.” Cola’s illness began in the fall of 2014, at a time when things were coming together for him. The 28-year old flight-equipment special- ist was in his third year as a New York City police officer, his 10th year in the New York Air National Guard, he’d just married his childhood sweetheart Aly and they were honeymooning in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Though Cola began to feel feverish and achy at night, the couple thought he’d just caught a minor sickness. But on the last night, his condi- tion worsened. “I was puking, dehydrated and couldn’t keep anything down,” he recalled. He still thought it was just a bug, like the one he suffered on a pre- vious overseas trip, and that he simply needed hydration. He also wanted to get home where he trusted medical care more. Then he began vomiting about every 15 minutes and looked like a zom- bie, Aly said. After landing they went straight to the hospi- tal, where Cola was hooked up to an IV, tested and monitored. Then his doctor came by with several medical professionals. “A team of like 20 specialists came in and they were like ‘you need to tell us everything about your trip-where you were, what animals you were around, what you ate, every activity you did,’” Aly said. They were told that Cola was in kidney failure, and he was treated for dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that also causes head- aches, muscle pain and joint pain. With Cola hydrated and medicated for pain, they played a waiting game — letting the disease run its course and hoping he’d regain kidney function when the fever broke. While Cola was in a mental fog due to fever and medication, Aly was very aware, and increasingly worried. She couldn’t believe how it happened. “He only had like one bite on him,” she said. “I was covered from head to toe in mosquito bites, so you figure if anyone should have gotten sick it should have been me.” Then came more startling news — a kidney biopsy revealed that Cola had stage- five Chronic Kidney Disease. His kidneys were functiono- ing at less than 20 percent, so he’d eventually need a new kidney, or undergo dialysis for the rest of his life. Aly wasn’t a match for Cola, but she did match someone in a complex kidney exchange. She could donate so Cola could receive a kidney from another donor in exchange. “It was crazy, we had what we thought was perfect timing,” Aly said. But just days before surgery in May 2015, they learned that Cola’s donor had tuberculo- sis, and the exchange was called off. A kidney became available on Cola’s birthday in June, but that fell through as well. “It was a waiting game,” Aly said. “We couldn’t do anything and the longer it went on, the less hope we had.” But that same month, Windels, a loadmaster, heard about Cola’s condition. Though the two Airmen had trained together, they were just acquaintances. “I’d seen him around here, but I didn’t know him,” Windels said. But then Windels learned that Cola needed a kidney, so he contacted him. A dozen years be- fore, Windels read about someone who donated a kidney to a complete stranger. “It seemed like a noble thing to do and I was interested, but it never really went anywhere,” Windels said. At first Cola thought Windels was calling to show support, but then Windels asked how he could get tested to see if he was a match. “I told him to think about it and see how it would affect him at Stewart (Air National Guard Base), but at that point, I knew he had his mind made up,” Cola said. “I got the feeling he already did his soul-searching beforehand.” Windels is a universal blood donor, so doc- tors were optimisitc about a match and they started the process. Over the next three months, Windels had dozens of vials of blood drawn, heart and brain scans, stress tests and meetings with a kidney specialist. He also spoke with a psychiatrist and social worker to ensure he understood what he was doing, and that he was doing it for the right Staff Sgt. Daniel Cola (left) and Master Sgt. Henry Windels give the thumbs-up before surgery. 105th Airman Donates Kidney to Fellow Airman Story and photo by Staff Sergeant Julio Olivencia, 105th Airlift Wing
  • 7. Winter 2016 7 ALBANY — The drive of New York Army National Guard Pfc Rogger Gutierrez is no sur- prise to his recruiter. “When he puts his mind to something he shoots forward and doesn’t look back,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Gallon. “He just goes there. When he wants to do stuff he says, ‘Here is my goal, that is what I want to do.’ And he does it.” Before basic training last summer, the 21-year old recruit scored 300 on his PT test. He repeated that perfor- mance twice more in basic and passed all his basic Soldier tasks flawlessly — while excelling academically. Back here in New York, he’s a pre-med student on the on the dean’s list at the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Al- bany). He’s also a volunteer emergency medi- cal technician (EMT) on the New Paltz rescue squad and a member of Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, which does 50 hours of community service work each semester. On top of all that, the college senior is con- ducting undergraduate research to improve and refine therapeutic approaches for the treatment of PTSD. The son of Peruvian immigrants, Gutier- rez has lived in the United States since age five and wanted to serve his adopted country. Then he learned through the mail that he could serve in the National Guard while con- tinuing his college education — and New York state would pay his tuition. “As soon as I got that letter I knew I had to join up,” Gutierrez recalled. “But I also had to volunteer that day at the New Paltz Rescue Squad. Once I got there I picked up the phone and called and said “Hey, how do I enlist?’ And from there they sent me off to my recruiter, Sgt. Gallo. I enlisted August 28, 2014 and I cannot forget that date. It has been a great experience.” Gutierrez said that while he wants to be a doctor, he really wants to be a military doctor and more specifically, an Army surgeon. He likes the idea of helping to save Soldiers’ lives and helping the people who put their lives on line for the country, he explained. With 2,000 hours of EMT service, Gutierrez has already dealt with medical emergencies ranging from car accidents to cardiac arrests. He’s helped people live and watched one man die. “You just have to look forward and know, even though one life is taken away, you know that many others have been saved,” he said. Gutierrez enlisted as an Army medic, and he’s due to attend 16 weeks of advanced indi- vidual training in 2016. However, he hopes his EMT service will let him test out of half the training, he said. He also hopes his EMT service, military service, and research work will help him get accepted into the Uniformed Services of Health Sciences, the military’s medical school. Like a West Point for doctors, students are commissioned into the military and receive a free medical education in exchange for prom- ising to serve. That’s no problem for Gutierrez. “I want this to be a career. I want to stay ac- tive until they make me retire,” he said. Many Roles, One Career Goal Story and photo by Eric Durr, Guard Times Staff Pfc Rogger Gutierrez at a SUNY Albany lab, where he helps with human brain research. reasons. Cola was patient because he knew his hopes could be dashed as they were before. But Win- dels wanted to donate as soon as possible. He fought with the hospital several times to move appointments up, because he didn’t want Cola to be sick any longer than he had to be. “He wanted it done right away,” Cola re- called. “Throughout the whole process he kept apologizing, saying, ‘I’m sorry this is taking so long.’” Windels was cleared to donate in late Sep- tember, and the date was set for Oct. 6. A week before surgery, Cola told his kidney specialist the good news. It was just in time, she replied, because his kidney function was below 10 percent and she had planned to discuss his going on dialysis. Dialysis prolongs a patient’s life, but it makes receiving a kidney more difficult, reduces the patient’s quality of life and is a big strain on the body, Cola said. Though surgery took longer than expected, there were no complications and Cola’s new kidney immediately picked up the slack. “The day after surgery, I’ve never seen him look so good or feel so good,” Aly said. “He was a different person.” Cola is feeling much better since the surgery. He’s gaining back the 30 pounds he lost and his kidney function is back to normal, but he still has some recovery and monitoring to undergo before he is cleared for work. Windels recovered quickly and was back flying aboard a Stewart C-17 cargo plane by mid-November. He must have regular check- ups, but he has no restrictions. “My doctor told me just to live my life,” Win- dels said. “He didn’t say ‘lay off salt,’ or ‘do this that and the other thing.’” Since the surgery and the two airmen hang- out regularly. They even joke that Cola, a New York Giants fan, is part New York Jets fan now that he has Windels’ kidney. The couple is showing their gratitude to Windels by dedicating themselves to helping others, including a fundraiser for Donate Life, a kidney donation and education organization. They’ve also been helping send care packages to troops overseas. “I constantly think, ‘what do you say to the person who literally saved your life,’” Cola said. “I think we can only thank him and show our thanks by paying it forward,” Aly said.
  • 8. 8 GUARD TIMES THE JOINT FORCE AROUND THE STATE CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE — Soldiers who successfully completed the 106th Regional Training Institute’S Army Basic Instructor Course here pose for a class picture on Nov. 18. The class prepares officers and non-commissioned officers to provide effective classroom instruction. Participants included Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s 106th Regional Training Institute, the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 53rd Troop Command and a member of the District of Columbia Army National Guard. (photo by Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Eldred, 106th Regional Training Institute) ANTARCTICA — An aircrew of the 139th Exeditionary Airlift Squadron fly an LC-130 “Skibird” in support of Operation Deep Freeze here on Dec. 2. A total of seven LC-130s were deployed from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia, New York last season, which ended in February. This is the 28th season that the unit has participated in Operation Deep Freeze, the military component of the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is managed by the National Science Foundation. Photo by Maj. Joshua Hicks, 139th Exeditionary Airlift Squadron. ...to the Pole From Peekskill...
  • 9. Winter 2016 9 CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE — While learning to spring ambushes is part of the New York Army National Guard training that goes on here, the ambush that was sprung in late January involved turkeys, not troops. The New York Army National Guard, Camp Smith staff and the New York State Depart- ment of Environmental Conservation (DEC) coordinated for more than a month to capture, tag and release female wild turkeys — also called hens — as part of a four-year study that will assess their survival and harvest rates across the state. Because of its relatively large wild turkey population, Camp Smith was a desirable loca- tion for the DEC turkey study. It was also an untapped resource. “We found out about the study the DEC was conducting and immediately volunteered the land at Camp Smith to help,” said Kurt Kons- berg, the Camp Smith environmental protec- tion specialist. Volunteering Camp Smith as a turkey- tagging location is a way for the New York National Guard and the New York State Divi- sion of Military and Naval Affairs to serve as a good environmental steward, explained Mark Warnecke, the training site director. But just like many other military operations, the turkey ambush was both covert and meticu- lous. Based on his experience with wild turkeys and familiarity with the site, Konsberg was tasked to pick the best location for the ambush. “We selected the old skeet-shooting range near Range One, since it was close to the forest line, provided enough space to deploy the net, and was close to the natural area where the hens live,” he said. Wild turkeys, unlike domesticated turkeys, are known for being extremely smart and very cautious. That’s why the team at Camp Smith and the DEC devised a month-long plan to ensure mission success. Every morning, just before the turkeys’ daybreak feeding time, Konsberg stealthily dropped cracked corn in one location, allowing the birds to build familiarity with the area. After four weeks of feeding, the four-person DEC team set up three cannons to launch a net measuring 40 by 60 feet over the turkeys. The team packed each cannon with an 80-grain gun-powder cartridge capable of propelling large, cylindrical anchors more than 80 feet in the air. These anchors are attached to the net. When launched, the anchors’ weight helps deploy the net over the turkeys. But the DEC members must help as well. “Once we deploy the net, we all run and jump on the edges of the net so the turkeys don’t fly away. It’s a lot of fun!” explained Pat Vissering, a recently retired DEC fish and wild- life technician who came back to finish the last year of the study. Though the ambush netted 12 turkeys, eight escaped due to some technical problems. The remaining four turkeys were banded with unique identification numbers, and one was fitted with the with a $1,500 satellite transmitter that will monitor its movements and survival. “The GPS transmitters give us better, real-time information about the hens’ lives,” explained Marc Sizer, a DEC fish and wildlife technician. While the goal was to net between 10 and 20 turkeys, tagging four and successfully attaching the transmitter to one is still a major victory for Camp Smith, the DEC and the study. “Because this is the only location in this area we’ve been able to study, and (people)hunt here, the hen we tagged today will be a benefit to the study,” said Carl Lindsley, another recently retired DEC fish and wildlife technician who came back to finish the last year of the study. Wendy Roshenback, the media-relations manager for the DEC, said that the agency has captured and banded almost 1,000 hens across upstate New York between 2013 and 2014 to estimate harvest and survival rates. NY National Guard, DEC Team Up For Turkey Study Story and photos by Sgt. Michael Davis, 138th Public Affairs Detachment ABOVE: Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) employees Carl Lindsley (left), Marc Sizer and Becca Linkiewicz put an electronic monitoring tag on a female turkey at Camp Smith on Jan. 28. RIGHT: The three DEC employees work with the net that’s used to trap turkeys for further study.
  • 10. 10 GUARD TIMES Officer and Enlisted Promotions Staff Sergeant Promoted to Sergeant 1st Class Sergeant 1st Class Promoted to Master Sergeant NATHAN ATTARD 152ND ENGINEER SUPPORT CO MICHAEL DONLON HHC BSTB 27TH IN BDE(BCT) BETH EDWARDS HHC 102ND MP BN AMY HANNA 138TH PUBLIC AFFAIRS DET STEPHEN HIGGINS HHC 1-69TH INFANTRY JUAN RODRIGUEZ HHC COMBAT AVN BDE 42D JIMMIE YOUNG H & S CO 204 ENGR BN ANTHONY ABBATE CO A RECRUITNG & RETENTION STEPHEN CAMPBELL 27TH INF (BCT) RUDOLPH SEABRON HHC COMBAT AVN BDE 42D CHRISTOPHER STEINBACHER CO C RECRUITNG & RET Captain Promoted to Major Master Sergeant Promoted to First Sergeant RAYMOND ESQUILIN CO D (FSC RSTA) 427TH BSB ALTHEA ROBINSONHADDO CO A RECRUITNG & RETENTION HAVEN ARMSTRONG CO A 2-108TH INFANTRY EDOUARD ASLANIAN 37TH FINANCE DET BRIAN BROWN 1156TH ENGR CO VERTICAL IAN CARABELLO DET 1 HHC BSTB 27TH IN BDE MELANIE CATO 719 TRANS CO JUSTIN CHERNOGOREC 27TH INF (BCT) ERIK COLON 133RD QM SP CO RYAN CONE HHC 427TH BSB MATTHEW CURBELO BATTERY A 1-258TH FA BRANDON DEJESUS CO B 642D SUPPORT BN GARY DEYO FSC 204TH ENGINEER BN MATTHEW DOLEZAL 1108TH ORDNANCE CO EOD SHAWN DUTCHER 27TH INF (BCT) FERNANDO FEBUS CO A 1-69TH INFANTRY REID FRASIER HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD JAMES GARRIGAN HHC 102ND MP BN RAYMOND GONZALEZ HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD MATTHEW GOODWIN CO A 642D SUPPORT BN ARIELLE GROBER INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID MATTHEW GUNN CO C RECRUITNG & RETENTION DAVID HANSEN 2ND CIVIL SUPPORT TEAM BRIAN HEALY CO B 2-108TH INFANTRY KEVIN HOCKEBORN CO A 2-108TH INFANTRY WAYNE HUGHES CO B (MAINT) 427TH BSB RICHARD JOHNSON DIV SIGNAL CO 42ND ID (-) CHRISTOPHER KELLY CO C (MED) 427TH BSB KYLE KING CO A 2-108TH INFANTRY SALVATORE KRUG DET 3 CO E 3-142D AV ANTHONY LANHAM HHC 3-142D AVIATION AUSTEN LEVESQUE CO D 3-142D AVIATION VICTOR LEVISACA CO C 101ST SIGNAL BN BRENDON MAVRA CO C 1-69TH INFANTRY SEAN MILLINGTON DIV SIGNAL CO 42ND ID MICHAEL MORA MEDICAL COMMAND JOSEPH MORTENSEN 1156TH ENGR CO VERTICAL NADINE NAVARRO HHC CAB 42D IN DIV JELANI PARJOHN 1569TH TRANSPORTATION CO JAMES PASTOR DET 1 CO A 642D SUPPORT BN STEVE PEREZ BATTERY A 1-258TH FA HENRY PEREZ INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID THOMAS PHIPPS CO D 3-142D AVIATION CASEY PLUMADORE DET 1 CO B 2-108TH INFANTRY DEMARLO PORTER 27TH INF (BCT) RONALD RAMOS HHC BSTB 27TH IN BDE DANON RAY 222D CHEMICAL COMPANY ADAM RUSS 1108TH ORDNANCE CO EOD MONISHA SHROPSHIRE HHC 427TH BSB JESSICA SMITH DET 1 B CO BSTB 27TH IN BDE JEREMY SOUTHCOTT DET 1 B CO BSTB 27TH IN BDE THOMAS SPRAGUE HHC BSTB 27TH IN BDE JACOB THOMAS HHC 2-108TH INFANTRY JOSEPH URBAN HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD JONATHAN WARSHAUER HHC 3-142D AVIATION JACOB WEITZEL CO D 3-142D AVIATION TRAVIS WOOD DET 2 CO B 2-108TH INFANTRY Sergeant Promoted to Staff Sergeant DARIN BURROUGHS HHC 427TH BSB CARL BUSH CO C RECRUITNG & RET ADAM CALLAN CO B 3-142D AVIATION JENNIFER DAVIS HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD RONALD FREYER CO B RECRUITNG & RET JASON HIBBARD 1156TH ENGR CO VERTICAL MICHELLE HOEGEL HHD RECRUITING & RET BN GEORGE JAMES CO D 3-142D AVIATION RONALD JEFFERY CO E 3-142D AVIATION JENNIFER NICOLA CO B 101ST SIGNAL BN AIDA PAULOMOLINA ARNG STAFF ELEMENT JFHQ-NY NEFTALI PEREZ BATTERY B 1-258TH FA COREY SHOEMAKER DET 1 OPS CO 42ND ID SEAN SMITH HHC 2-108TH INFANTRY RICHARD SMOOT 369TH SUPPORT OPS DET 1 TERRENCE TYSON DET 1 OPS CO 42ND ID DEREK VASQUEZ TROOP C 2-101 CAV (RSTA) BRANDON WILLIT 2ND CIVIL SUPPORT TEAM DARRICK ZWACK CO B RECRUITNG & RET Warrant Officer 1 Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 2 ALBERTO PEDROZA INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID Chief Warrant Officer 2 Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 3 VICTORIA ARCHER HHBN 42ND INF DIV FWD JASON BECK CO A 3-142D AVIATION MARK POPOWICZ CO B 3-142D AVIATION DOUGLAS SHERMAN HHD RECRUITING & RET BN + Cheif Warrant Officer 3 Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4 PETER PADILLA ARNG STAFF ELEMENT JFHQ-NY First Lieutenant Promoted to Captain AMY BENEDETTO 2ND CIVIL SUPPORT TEAM (WMD) STEPHEN CARSON HSC 642D SUPPORT BN CRAIG CUGINI DET 1 OPS CO 42ND ID TARA DAWE 369TH SUPPORT OPS DET 1 MARK DEYOE DET 1 DIV SIGNAL CO 42ND ID JEFFREY KNEER 27TH INF (BCT) ALMIR OSMANOVIC INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID (-) SARAH VALOIS INTEL & SUST CO 42ND ID Master Sergeant Promoted to Sergeant Major Lieutenant Colonel Promoted to Colonel MICHAEL HANNON MEDICAL COMMAND ROBERT MITCHELL ARNG STAFF ELEMENT JFHQ-NY
  • 11. Staff Sergeant Promoted to Technical Sergeant Senior Master Sergeant Promoted to Chief Master Sergeant Newly Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant 2nd Lieutenant Promoted to 1st Lieutenant 1st Lieutenant Promoted to Captain DOMINIC AMATURO 106 RESCUE WING ALISON BECKER 106 RESCUE WING RICHARD DAVIN 106 RESCUE WING JOHN HUGHES 109 AIRLIFT WING BASIL JOS 174 ATTACK WING TAMMY OSTROWSKI 109 AIRLIFT WING ANDREW QUEVILLON 174 ATTACK WING JOSHUA ROGERS 109 AIRLIFT WING MICHAEL ROSE 105 AIRLIFT WING RICHARD SALTON 107 AIRLIFT WING KELLY WILLIAMS 174 ATTACK WING ONEIL BARNES 105 AIRLIFT WING KIMBERLY CARDONASMITH 174 ATTACK WING VINCENT GERACI 105 AIRLIFT WING MATTHEW PERALA 174 ATTACK WING GERRITT SCHUTT 174 ATTACK WING NICHOLAS WELLY 174 ATTACK WING Captain Promoted to Major Major Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel Master Sergeant Promoted to Senior Master Sergeant Technical Sergeant Promoted to Master Sergeant NICOLE ARSIC 174 ATTACK WING JESSICA BERG 106 RESCUE WING TERRENCE BUCKMAN 174 ATTACK WING JASON BULL 109 AIRLIFT WING RONALD BUNDY 105 AIRLIFT WING THOMAS CARACANE 174 ATTACK WING GEOFF CERRONE 109 AIRLIFT WING STEVEN COFFEY 174 ATTACK WING JEANY COLLINS 174 ATTACK WING JAMES CZWAKIEL 109 AIRLIFT WING TIMOTHY FAY 105 AIRLIFT WING SHANNON GRIESE 174 ATTACK WING THOMAS HOFFMAN 174 ATTACK WING WALLACE JEAN 105 AIRLIFT WING EDWARD KELLY 106 RESCUE WING MATTHEW KERGEL 109 AIRLIFT WING JEREMY MARCOLINI 174 ATTACK WING BRYAN MCCARTHY 105 AIRLIFT WING SEAN MCMAHON 107 AIRLIFT WING JOSEPH MOLZEN 107 AIRLIFT WING MICHAL 109 AIRLIFT WING THOMAS SPIER 174 ATTACK WING DAWN TERRY 174 ATTACK WING DANIEL THOMPSON 107 AIRLIFT WING MARCO TIBERIO 107 AIRLIFT WING MICHAEL WARN 109 AIRLIFT WING JEAN WARNER 174 ATTACK WING ANDREW WATLING 174 ATTACK WING ADAM WIGDORSKI 107 AIRLIFT WING PATRICK DICRASTO 174 ATTACK WING JOHN MONTROSS 105 AIRLIFT WING DENNIS REINHARD 174 ATTACK WING AARON SHAFFER 174 ATTACK WING CHRISTOPHER VANDEMORTEL 174 ATTACK WING THOMAS WHITEMAN 174 ATTACK WING ZEESHAN BAGBAN 107 AIRLIFT WING TIA BECK 106 RESCUE WING ELIZABETH BRUNTON 106 RESCUE WING JUSTIN BUSH 174 ATTACK WING PARIS CLEMENT 109 AIRLIFT WING EMMANUEL CUMBERBATCH 106 RESCUE WING ERIN MCDONOUGH 109 AIRLIFT WING BARTHOLOMEW MORAN 106 RESCUE WING KIRSTEN PEYTON 106 RESCUE WING DANIEL QUARTO 106 RESCUE WING JAMES SIGG 174 ATTACK WING EMMANUEL TERRAZAS 109 AIRLIFT WING DANIEL URBANSKI 109 AIRLIFT WING BRANDON WARD 109 AIRLIFT WING JAMES JARMACZ 174 ATTACK WING MARC SOMMERS 105 AIRLIFT WING SONJA WILLIAMS 174 ATTACK WING THOMAS WILSON AIR OPERATIONS JOSHUA CARLEY 174 ATTACK WING DEVIN WILL 174 ATTACK WING PAULO ALVES 105 AIRLIFT WING CALEB FARRELL 109 AIRLIFT WING CURTIS FEGGINS 105 AIRLIFT WING BRIAN HART 174 ATTACK WING JILL JAKES 174 ATTACK WING WALTER PARKER 174 ATTACK WING TANYA SHARRIEFF 105 AIRLIFT WING CHRISTIAN STURICK 174 ATTACK WING JON TERRELL 174 ATTACK WING CLIFTON WOOD 174 ATTACK WING Lieutenant Colonel Promoted to Colonel CHRISTINE LENNARD HQ NY AIR NATIONAL GUARD CORY ABDOOL 105 AIRLIFT WING BRANDON ARROYO 105 AIRLIFT WING JENNIFER BARRETT 106 RESCUE WING RYAN BATCHELOR 174 ATTACK WING MICHAEL BAUER 107 AIRLIFT WING BRIAN BERG 109 AIRLIFT WING WILLIAM BODDY 174 ATTACK WING TREVOR BRITT 109 AIRLIFT WING DONALD BROOKS 106 RESCUE WING JESSE BUCENEC 174 ATTACK WING KIMBERLIE BURKE 109 AIRLIFT WING SCOTT CALLAGHAN 174 ATTACK WING JUSTIN CARKNER 109 AIRLIFT WING NICKOLAS CROSS 109 AIRLIFT WING CHRIS CUMMINGS 105 AIRLIFT WING LYDEL DARGAN 105 AIRLIFT WING PRIM DEBLOIS 105 AIRLIFT WING KYLE DIMEIS 174 ATTACK WING JOSEPH DOUGHERTY 106 RESCUE WING MARCHELLA DUKESSOUTH 105AIRLIFT WING JOHN FOUNTAIN 109 AIRLIFT WING DEVIN FULTON 174 ATTACK WING BENNY GEE 106 RESCUE WING JEFFREY HAMBSCH 174 ATTACK WING MICHAEL HARRIGAN 105 AIRLIFT WING JAMES HARTNETT 105 AIRLIFT WING TONY HILL 174 ATTACK WING MICHAEL HITZGES 174 ATTACK WING JOSEPH IULIUCCI 106 RESCUE WING KIMBERLY LABUNSKI 109 AIRLIFT WING IMMANUEL MAINZ 105 AIRLIFT WING JAMES MARASIA 174 ATTACK WING JOHN MCCORMICK 174 ATTACK WING MICHAEL MCKUNE 105 AIRLIFT WING BRIAN MILLER 174 ATTACK WING ANDREW MOLLO 106 RESCUE WING BARBARA OLNEY 174 ATTACK WING JAMES ORTIZ 105 AIRLIFT WING KEVIN PARTLOW 109 AIRLIFT WING CHRISTOPHER PIERSON 109 AIRLIFT WING ANTONIO PRADA 105 AIRLIFT WING JAMES PRENTICE 174 ATTACK WING RICHARD ROOPNARINE 106 RESCUE WING DANIEL RUSSELL 109 AIRLIFT WING DAVID SADDLEMIRE 109 AIRLIFT WING JAMES SEGRETI 105 AIRLIFT WING DANIEL SHOEMAKER 174 ATTACK WING ROGER STAATS 105 AIRLIFT WING STEVEN SU 107 AIRLIFT WING EVAN THORN 174 ATTACK WING THOMAS TOOKER 106 RESCUE WING SINHO TSE 174 ATTACK WING JOHN VANWINKLE 174 ATTACK WING ADAM WINTERS 109 AIRLIFT WING ERIC WINTERSTEEN 174 ATTACK WING MATTHEW ZIMMER 106 RESCUE WING
  • 12. 12 GUARD TIMES THE JOINT FORCETHE JOINT FORCE On Duty, Rendering Honors, Across New York Soldiers and Airmen conducted 10,692 military funerals in 2015 Story by Eric Durr , Guard Times Staff LATHAM — New York Army and Air National Guard honor guards conducted 10,692 military funerals for families across New York in 2015. Most of the funerals-were performed by the New York Army National Guard’s eight area honor guard teams. The Army National Guard has 35 Soldiers serving full time on funeral honors details, with another 107 Soldiers who support the program on a part-time basis (see table below). New York Army National Guard Soldiers go through a week-long training process to become fully certified in providing military funerals. The New York Air National Guard’s six Base Honor Guard Teams provided military funeral honors for the families of 1,967 Air Force veterans. New York Air National Guard honor guard details are provided by the 106th Rescue Wing at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach; the 105th Airlift Wing at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh; the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia; 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse; the 107th Airlift Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Niagara Falls; and the Eastern Air Defense Sector at Griffiss Tech- nology Park in Rome. National Guard Airmen who volunteer to participate in honor guards as an additional duty also go through a training process. The Airmen expect to conduct 18 more funerals this year. In 2014 New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen conducted military funerals for 11,365 families. The New York Army National Guard provided services at 9,567 funerals in 2014, while the New York Air National Guard conducted military fu- nerals on 1,798 occasions in 2014. The number of military funerals provided by the New York Army National Guard declined due to reductions in fund- ing, according to Peter Moran, military funeral honors coordinator for New York. The New York honor guard passed 656 re- quests for funeral honors to the Active Army at Fort Drum and Fort Dix when personnel were not available to handle those funerals, he said. Additional funds have been provided for 2016, so the honor guard will be able to take more funerals, Moran said. Since 2000, federal law has mandated that any military veteran who did not receive a dis- honorable discharge from the armed forces is eligible for military honors at his or her funeral. The ceremony must include the folding and presenting of the flag of the United States to the veteran’s survivors and the playing of Taps. The size of the detail varies from a mini- mum of two service members to nine or more personnel for deceased service members who retired from the military after a full career or were awarded medals for valor. At least one of the honor guard members must belong to the service the deceased service member had served in. As part of final honors for WWII veteran Leo P. Dean, New York Army National Guard Honor Guard Officer-in-Charge 1st Lt. Alix Walls (right) presents the flag that draped Dean’s casket to his friend Renee Farley (left) during Dean’s funeral at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Waterford, N.Y. on Dec. 17. Walls is from Rock City Falls, N.Y. Photo by Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta. 2015 NY Army National Guard honor guard funerals: • Long Island - 3,317 • New York City - 1,464 • Buffalo - 990 • Rochester - 776 • Albany- 596 • Syracuse - 592 • Kingston - 517 • Horseheads - 473 2015 NY Air National Guard honor guard funerals: • 105th Airlift Wing ( Hudson Valley) - 222 • 106th Rescue Wing (Long Island) - 722 • 107th Airlift Wing ( Buffalo/Niagara) - 417 • 109th Airlift Wing ( Albany/Schenectady) - 276 • 174th Attack Wing (Syracuse) - 277 • Eastern Air Defense Sector ( Utica/Rome) - 53
  • 13. Winter 2016 13 106th Rescue Wing Base Honor member Staff Sergeant Michael Pennolino (above) salutes at a funeral service at Calverton National Cemetary on April 10. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy, 106th Rescue Wing New York Army National Guard Honor Guard member Spc. Taylor Kuchera (left) plays “Taps” to honor WWII veteran Leo P. Dean during Dean’s funeral at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Waterford, N.Y. on Dec. 17. Photo by Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta.
  • 14. 14 GUARD TIMES The New York National Guard mustered 51 vehicles and had 329 Soldiers and Airmen on duty and ready to respond as a massive blizzard hit Long Island and New York City on Jan. 23. Though the troops didn’t have to conduct missions and were released the next day, they were prepared to provide mobility support to New York City emergency medical technicians, and assist local governments on Long island with Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTVs) trucks and Humvees as a component of the state response to the storm. More than 2,200 Guard Soldiers and Airmen from 12 states were on duty during the storm. On Jan. 22, the 106th Rescue Wing mobi- lized an initial response force with 25 Airmen on state active duty equipped with two LMTV trucks and five Humvees at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base at Westhampton Beach. Company F of the 427th Brigade Support Bat- talion, which provides logistics support to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, stood up another response force of 10 LMTVs and 25 Soldiers at the Farmingdale Armed Forces Reserve Center. Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the New York City security augmentation force, positioned 10 humvees at JFK International Airport and 15 humvees at Fort Hamilton for use in New York City. One -hundred Soldiers – fifty per shift— were identified to drive the vehicles in case of deployment. The remaining 200 members of Joint Task Force Empire Shield ceased security duties as the storm hit, but bedded down for the night at their JFK and Fort Hamilton operating loca- tions to be available if necessary. On Saturday, Jan. 23, as snowfall exceeded expectations, the 145th Maintenance Com- pany, based at the Manor Road Armory in Staten Island, was brought on state active duty after completing a regularly-scheduled drill day. Eighty-nine unit members were on call overnight on Saturday with 11 vehicles at the armory. Soldiers at maintenance facilities were also on standby to support the mission. NY National Guard on Call For Snow Emergency Story by Eric Durr , Guard Times Staff Soldiers of Joint Task Force Empire Shield clear snow from Humvees at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, on Jan. 23 as a major blizzard hits New York City. Photo courtesy of Joint Task Force Empire Shield.
  • 15. Winter 2016 15 KINDERHOOK, N.Y. — The man who gave the English language the term “OK” was hon- ored by the New York National Guard on the 233rd anniversary of his birthday — Dec. 5, 2015 — in this small Hudson Valley village. New York Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Raymond Shields and New York State Com- mand Sgt. Maj. David Piwowarski placed a wreath from President Barack Obama at the gravesite of President Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States, who was also the first president who was not born as the subject of an English King. “It is very, very important to remember what they have done for us and to commemorate their lives and accomplishments, said Shields, the Director of Joint Staff for the New York National Guard. A wreath from the sitting president is traditionally placed at the gravesites of former presidents on the anniversaries of their births. Placing the wreath at Van Buren’s grave in the Dutch Reformed Cemetery in Kinderhook is the responsibility of the New York National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters. Shields and Piwowarski were joined by a joint color guard of New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, as well as an Honor Cor- don of New York National Guard Soldiers and a Guard chaplain. The laying of the presidential wreath was also accompanied by wreaths from the village and town of Kinderhook, the local garden club, which cares for the Van Buren grave site, the National Park Service, which maintains the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site here, and the Friends of Lindenwald, a group which raises funds to help preserve Van Buren’s home, called Lindenwald. U.S. Representative Chris Gibson, a resident of Kinderhook and retired Army Colonel, also spoke at the event. As president from 1837 to 1841, Van Buren faced a number of challenges, many of which were similar to the questions facing the country today, Gibson said. But some of these issues – like those of a bank “too big to fail’’ and the size and scope of the federal government — are the same ones he and his colleagues in Congress deal with today, Gibson said. “When I walk through the square,’ Gibson said,” and I look over at ( the statute of ) Martin Van Buren, I sometimes say to myself, ‘What do you think of that, Marty?’” Van Buren, who died in 1862, was born in 1782 and grew up speaking Dutch, which made him the first president who did not speak Eng- lish as his first language. Van Buren served as president from 1837 to 1841 He ran twice more for the office but was defeated. Before running for president, he had a long career in New York state politics where he served as a state Senator, a U.S. Senator, at- torney general and governor. He served as sec- retary of state and vice president for President Andrew Jackson. During his political career, Van Buren became known as “Old Kinderhook” and his supporters began using “OK” as shorthand on their signs to show they supported him. As president, Van Buren would initial “OK” for “Old Kinderhook” on documents he was forwarded to indicate he had read and ap- proved them. When he ran for a second term as president in 1840, his supporters formed “OK Clubs” which is also thought to have popular- ized the term. Van Buren pushed for the creation of na- tional political parties, which would include members from all regions of the country rather than regional groupings that he feared would lead to the dissolution of the country. NY National Guard Honors Martin Van Buren Story and photo by Eric Durr ,Guard Times Staff New York Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Raymond Shields and Command Sgt. Maj. David Piwowarski prepare to present a wreath from President Barack Obama honoring President Martin Van Buren during a ceremony at the Dutch Reformed Cemetery in Kinderhook, N.Y. on Dec. 5, 2015. Kinderhook Mayor Carol Weaver looks on.
  • 16. 16 GUARD TIMES ARMY NATIONAL GUARDARMY NATIONAL GUARD NY Aviators Support Screaming Eagles’Training Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Joel Salgado, 101st Airborne Division FORT CAMPBELL, Ky — Artillerymen with the 101st Airborne Division Artillery, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conducted sling-load training Oct. 29 to Nov. 5 with the support of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) from the New York National Guard. The 101st Airborne Division’s CAB, which typically supports the maneuver forces of the 101st, is currently deployed in Afghanistan, limiting the opportunities for units to conduct air-assault training. “The previous DIVARTY aviation officer worked since April 2015 to line this training up with the National Guard and our division in order to facilitate our air-assault proficiency,” said Lt. Col. Bryan Schott, the commander of 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, DIVARTY. “In total, we had three different Na- tional Guard CABs willing to support our train- ing because they don’t get the opportunity to conduct this type of training, and it allows them to qualify on cross-country flights. The 42nd CAB was able to support in a reasonable time and the cost was feasible for their movement down to Fort Campbell.” The mis- sions included tandem air assaults with fire support and leader vehicles inserted into a drop zone, fol- lowed by both the howitzer and their prime mover humvee linked together in a single sling load. The tan- dem configu- ration would then conduct fire support operations and would then hook their howitzers up and move to follow-on firing points, conducting additional missions in support of simulated friendly forces. They also performed gun raids, where the aviators from the 42nd CAB would insert the M119A3 or M777A2 howitzers into a firing point, the artillery would conduct fire support operations and then the guns and crews would be extracted by the helicopters. “Typically we come in a raid configuration, which is just the howitzer, and the intent is just to hit the ground, fire and then you get pulled out by the helicopters,” said Capt. Jeremy Blas- cak, commander of Battery A, 3rd Bn., 320th FAR. “There’s kind of pros and cons for both, but today we wanted to focus on how to fly in with your humvee, how to fly in with a leader vehicle, the fire direction center and then not just fire your mission and then fly away, but to fire your mission and be prepared to take on a follow-on order and support your maneuver element.” In addition to allowing the DIVARTY Sol- diers the opportunity to conduct their training and increase their proficiency in supporting the division’s maneuver forces, the pairing with the 42nd CAB allowed them to practice the integration of reserve component forces into active-duty Army training. The Army recently began conducting Total Army Force Training, such as eXportable Com- bat Training Capability rotations, which pair Reserve units with an active-duty brigade com- bat team, allowing for both forces to conduct training and certifications before deploying in support of contingency operations. “I think it is an incredible opportunity for both units,” Schott said. “The National Guard and reserve components bring so much experi- ence and capability with them that integrat- ing them into training is easy. In reality, we have been working with them for the last two months as we have planned our training. It has been great to get the opportunity to meet them all face-to-face and thank them for their sup- port and professionalism.” Soldiers of the 101st Division Artillery, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), establish security after being inserted into a landing zone by 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade aircrews.
  • 17. Winter 2016 17 442nd MPs Head to Cuba as 42nd ID Troops Return Guard Times Staff Soldiers from two New York Army National Guard units just missed each other as they started or finished deployments to Guanta- namo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. On Jan. 3, over 120 members of the 442nd Military Police Company left for pre-deploy- ment training at Fort Hood, Texas, before heading to the naval base to conduct security operations. Less than two weeks later, 50 Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division re- deployed to Fort Bliss, Texas and demobilized before returning home individually across New York State in February. The 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers are the fourth group of New York Army National Guard troops to deploy to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, and the 442nd Military Police Company Soldiers are the fifth. The 442nd Military Police Company, based in Queens, served at Ground Zero following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, then went on to serve two combat deployments to Iraq, the first from 2003 to 2004 and the second from 2010 to 2011. In 2004, the company earned a Presidential Unit Citation for helping to re-establish an Iraqi police training academy. About a third of the unit’s members are civilian law enforce- ment professionals from across the New York City region. The 42nd Infantry Division is a head- quarters unit whose personnel are trained to exercise mission command over three to five brigade elements. During their 10-month deployment, the troops served as members of the headquarters element for Joint Task Force Guantanamo. As part of the task force headquarters staff, the officers and non-commissioned officers served in personnel management, operations, and logistics alongside reserve and active com- ponent Navy, Air Force and Marine personnel. Other detachment members worked in the Staff Judge Advocate Office and supported the Office of Military Commissions. 442nd Military Police Company member Sgt. 1st Class Santo Villar enjoys a moment with his son Xavier Santo Villar after the company’s deployment ceremony at Camp Smith Training Site on Jan. 3. Photo by Sgt. Michael Davis, 138th Public Affairs Detachment. A CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the New York National Guard’s 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade inserts a Humvee and howitzer from Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Division Artillery, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), into Landing Zone Aardvark during an Air Assault on Fort Campbell, Ky., Oct. 30. The Soldiers of the 320th FAR, along with the rest of the DIVARTY, conducted air-assault missions with the 42nd CAB in order to develop their ability to support the division’s maneuver forces by performing both gun raid missions and follow follow-on support missions, providing constant indirect fire support.
  • 18. 18 GUARD TIMES A New York Amy National Guard Soldier from Company A, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry looks for the enemy during tactical training at the New York Police Department’s training facility on Rodmans Neck in New York City on Jan. 9. Photo by Capt. Mark Getman, New York Guard.
  • 19. Winter 2016 19 69th Infantry Troops Train at Police Facility Story by Maj. Al Phillips, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry use a fire escape to enter a building during tactical training at the New York Police Department training facility and range in New York City on Jan 9. Photo by Capt. Mark Getman, New York Guard. NEW YORK — “Safety kill, safety kill, all clear!” shouted New York Army National Guard Sgt. Henry Nieves as his fire team stood down from another room-clearing drill at the New York Police Department’s training facility here on Jan. 9 Nieves, of Staten Island, and his Soldiers were among 120 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry who trained at the po- lice department’s unique facility to prepare for their deployment to the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana, later this year. The training filled their regular January drill weekend. “Two separate buildings, complete with (a Metro Transit Authority) bus, cars and stores provided at the urban training center allow these soldiers to practice and refine skills that can easily be used for an upcoming deploy- ment,“ explained Staff Sgt. Jesus Rodriguez, of Company A. Located on Rodman’s Neck, a piece of The Bronx that juts out into Long Island Sound, the 54-acre facility hosts a firing range, classrooms and a simulated city block used for police prac- tical training exercises. The location is ideal for members of Com- pany A to train at because it is relatively close to the unit’s home base at Lexington Avenue Armory in Manhattan, said Company A Com- mander Capt. Jake Siegel, of New York City. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made it clear that Soldiers need to frequently train in mock villages or towns to prepare for battle before they deploy, he added. “Overall, what should take place here is three platoons that are trained and equipped to clear these buildings while maintaining safety, over watch, and tactical proficiency in a timely manner,” Siegel said. “It is very important that we take the training seriously and are properly validated before our JRTC rotation,” he added. The 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry will deploy to Fort Polk for three weeks in July, along with other elements of the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The Soldiers ran through room clearing and other drills before splitting up into a friendly force and an opposing force and running through the exercises against each other. Op- posing force Soldiers wore New York Police Department training helmets in order to easily differentiate themselves from the friendly forces. Phrases like, “get behind cover,” “get your stack, advance” and “assault through” echoed across the training area as the Soldiers — who are financiers, cops, emergency workers, teachers and even a newspaper reporter — ran through their exercises. The Soldiers kept moving, even as rain blew in off Long Island Sound. “You have a lot of experience here with our combat vets teaching our new comers the complexities of warfare,” said Spc. Steven Gomez, of New York City. “Things like proper stacks, maneuvers, cover and concealment, and (ammo, casualties, equipment) reports must be developed.” “This is the fun stuff,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Carr, of Franklin Square. “Being here is chal- lenging.”
  • 20. GOSHEN — Hudson Valley high school student chefs met New York Army National Guard culinary challenges here in early De- cember, cooking MREs into dishes that sated and delighted troops’ taste buds. “I was surprised to see what the kids did with the MREs,” said Sgt. Duwann Gordon, a culinary specialists who judged contests held at Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)-vocational education facilities in Dutchess and Orange Counties. “They were all good,” he said. But taste wasn’t the only winner, according to Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lattimer and Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Thompson, the New York Army National Guard recruiters who organized the events in conjunction with BOCES staff and teachers. The contests were a way of exposing students to Army career fields — like culinary specialist — and garnering potential recruits, they said. “You’re able to capture an audience you wouldn’t be able to otherwise,” Thompson said. The events were inspired by presentations New York Army National Guard military police and recruiters have been giving to BOCES law-enforcement students for the last decade, Thompson and Lattimer said. Events like this give students a chance to interact with Army subject-matter experts such as Gordon and Pvt. Yorby Fernandez, the other culinary specialist who judged the students’ dishes, they explained. Lattimer estimated that about 200 BOCES culinary students participated in the events, which included classes on the Army’s Mobile Kitchen Trailer (MKT). Gordon, of the 719th Transportation Company, and Fernandez, of the 145th Maintenance Company, towed an MKT to each event and fielded questions about it and their career field. Then it was time for the students to con- front the challenge. Each four-student team — using spices, other ingredients and their own skills — had about an hour to transform a randomly- chosen MRE into a meal, complete with a drink and dessert. The meals would be judged on taste, creativity and presentation. Some students stared wide-eyed as they examined the grey and brown MRE packets of cheese, crackers, potatoes, beef, cocoa powder and other foods. But these expressions quickly disappeared as the students eagerly shared ideas, and began seeing the food packets as the ingredients for their culinary visions. “They were so hyped-up to do this,” said Fernandez, of Brooklyn. Creativity became activity as the students chopped, whipped, churned, stirred, fried, melted, and baked the ingredients into entrees, side dishes and desserts. The students’ creativity was such that the judges couldn’t tell what type of MRE each team had been given to work with. One team whipped MRE fruit-punch drink mix into a creamy constituency and topped it off with whipped cream and a cherry, Fernandez explained. “They turned it into ice cream, basically,” he said, recalling all the times he’d eaten plain, un- enhanced MREs. “I wish I had these dishes in basic [training]. “They did an amazing job.” The students made good use of the MRE components, didn’t discard much and showed great teamwork, Gordon said. “When you come together as a team, that’s when you make real magic happen,” he said. In addition to honing the students’ commu- nication and time-management skills, the con- tests showed them what it’s like to work under pressure, said BOCES culinary instructors Scott Zintel and Robert T. Heppes. The events allowed the students to mix with students from other classes and taught them how to accept setbacks, said chef and BOCES culinary instructor Tom Genovese. He liked seeing the students’ excitement, and seeing individual students assume leadership roles, he added. “Teenagers can do amazing things when given a chance,” Genovese said. Thompson said about five students expressed interest in joining the New York Army National Guard. “It was worth skipping breakfast for,” Gordon said. Students Show Cooking Chops with Army Chow Story and photo by Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta Student chefs (left) wait in anticipation as New York Army National Guard culinary specialists Sgt. Duwann Gordon (middle) and Pvt. Yorby Fernandez (right) judge a meal the students prepared using MRE food components.
  • 21. Winter 2016 21 GLENVILLE — This year’s “Ravens Challenge” exercise will include a partnership between the New York Army National Guard’s 501st Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Battalion and the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, the 501st’s active-component sister unit. The Ravens Challenge is a training exercise for civilian and military bomb squads. This May, troops of the 501st and 63rd will be mix- ing and working through scenarios during the exercise, according to Lt. Col. Jason Souza, commander of the 501st EOD Battalion, which is based here. This joint training and others have been planned under the partnership the units formed in December, when the battalions’ leadership met at the Scotia Glenville Armed Forces Reserve Center here, Souza said. They discussed ways to share training opportunities, trade lessons learned and build relationships that could carry over if a National Guard EOD platoon deployed with an active-component EOD Company, he recalled. “It allows us to merge ideas,” Souza said of the partnership. All U.S. Military EOD personnel undergo the same training, so the EOD community is very close and in continual contact, he explained. “We tend to all talk together,” Souza said. Souza served on active duty with Lt. Col. Keith Rowsey, the 63rd Ordnance Disposal Battalion commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Boehme, Rowsey’s battalion sergeant major. They’ve discussing ways their units could work together and support each other for a long time, he explained. They’re also plan- ning to have 501st troops take part in the 603rd’s tactical post-blast train- ing this summer at Fort Drum, where the 603rd is based, Souza said. This training involves learning how to collect evidence from improvised explosive device attacks in order to prosecute the terror- ists responsible for them, he explained. The post-blast training has been planned and funded, so the New York EOD troops will just go to Fort Drum and undergo the training with their active-duty counterparts , he explained. “They’re more than happy to have guard Soldiers come up and do the training,” Souza said. “We’re getting active-duty training for very little money, and it’s not costing the active component anything.” The Ravens Challenge will be held at the New York State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany . Guard and Active-Duty EOD Troops Fuse Training Story by Master Sgt. Raymond Drumsta 501st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Jason Souza (middle right); 63rd Ordnance Disposal Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Keith Rowsey (far right); 63rd Ordnance Disposal Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Boehme (middle left); 501st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion Command Sgt. Major Joe Landy. (far left). LONG ISLAND CITY — The annual St. Barbara’s Day dinner is an auspicious event, with awards and speeches to honor outstand- ing New York Army National Guard artil- lerymen. For Staff Sgt. Edward Caba, the Dec. 4 dinner was the right place to ask his girlfriend Shan- non DeJoseph to marry him. “She deserves everybody’s attention and everybody should know how much I love her,” said Caba, a fire-support NCO with the 1st Bat- talion, 69th Infantry. He’s been dating DeJoseph, a nurse, for two years. He proposed between dinner and dessert, and DeJoseph said yes. Hosted by the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, the dinner recognizes accomplished Soldiers by inducting them into the Order of St. Barbara, a society of Army and Marine Corps artillerymen. Artillery units around the world hold special dinners on or near St. Barbara’s Day. Medieval cannoneers appealed to St. Barbara to keep their cannons from exploding, and she was adopted as their patron saint. Brig. Gen. Gary Yaple, the 42nd Infantry Division’s deputy commander for operations, praised the artillerymen for their 2015 accom- plishments. During platoon-level fire-support certification training, the battalion put over 900 rounds on target with no accidents, he emphasized. Marriage Proposal Highlight of Artillery Dinner Story and photo by Maj. Al Phillips, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
  • 22. 22 GUARD TIMES AIR NATIONAL GUARDAIR NATIONAL GUARD Fallen Airmen Awarded Bronze Star for Valor Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Julio Olivencia, 105th Airlift Wing Two Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing have been posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for saving the lives of other Airmen at the cost of their own. Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm, Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa and four other Airmen were killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 21, when a suicide bomber on an explosive-laden motorcycle attacked their patrol outside Bagram Air Field. When the insurgent made a sudden stop, just 15 feet from the dismounted patrol, Lemm and Bonacasa immedi- ately “with complete disregard for their own safety” took positions between the assailant and their team members, absorbing the brunt of the ensuing ex- plosion and shielding other members of their team from fatal wounds, accord- ing to the award citation. Lemm and Bonacasa were among seven security forces Airmen who were providing security for a team of Air Force Of- fice of Special Investigations special agents and linguists who were on an intelligence-gathering mission in a village outside of Bagram Air Field. “They selflessly gave their lives in defense of our country and they are our true American heroes,” said Maj. Alta Caputo, 105th Base Defense Squadron commander. The Bronze Star is the nation’s fourth highest award for valor. “Leading a team of passionate defenders, they took on the most challenging mission for themselves and epitomized the concept of leading from the front, a concept that has distinct risks that they both acknowledged and embraced,” said Col. Timothy LaBarge, 105th Airlift Wing commander. “Their example and sacrifice will never be forgotten as we do our part, on behalf of a grateful nation, to thank and memorialize them in perpetuity.” The 105th Airlift Wing held dignified cer- emonies for Lemm and Bonacasa during the week after Christmas 2015. A Stewart C-17 cargo plane flew Lemm’s remains to Stewart Air National Guard Base on Dec. 28. His casket was transferred from the aircraft to a waiting hearse. In attendance were hundreds of military members stationed at Stewart and a large contingent of police officers from the New York City Police Department, where Lemm was a detective. “Tech. Sgt. Lemm is a hero,” LaBarge said at Lemm’s transfer ceremony. “He lived his life as a hero. He returns as a hero. But that fact makes today only marginally easier. It does not erase the pain. Not by a long shot.” Lemm, 45, was a resident of West Harrison and enlisted in the 105th Airlift Wing in 2008, serving his entire time with the 105th Base Defense Squadron as a security forces member. He had previously served in the military from 1988 to 1996. His prior deployment experience included six month missions to Afghanistan in 2013 and Iraq in 2011. On Jan. 1, members of the 105th Airlift Wing traveled to Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base at West Hampton Beach, New York, to transfer the remains of Bonacasa. Members of the 105th Airlift Wing, the 106th Rescue Wing and various first responders were in attendance. “Duty threw down the gauntlet that fateful day, and Louis refused to compromise the safety of his fellow warriors nor the future safety of his wife or daughter,” LaBarge said at Bonacasa’s transfer ceremony. Bonacasa, 30, was a resident of Coram, New York. He enlisted in the active Air Force in 2002 and transitioned to the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Security Forces Squadron, at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in 2008. He joined the 105th Base Defense Squadron in 2010. Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa, left, and Tech Sgt. Joseph Lemm, members of the 105th Airlift Wing’s 105th Base Defense Squadron, were killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 21. “They selflessly gave their lives in defense of our country and they are our true American heroes.” Maj. Alta Caputo, 105th Base Defense Squadron commander
  • 23. Winter 2016 23 He deployed to Iraq for six months in 2011, and to Afghanistan for six months in 2013. Members of the 105th Base Defense Squadron have a unique mission. They provide security for air bases by conducting missions “outside the wire” and employing equipment and tactics similar to Army infantry Soldiers. LaBarge said the 105th Airlift Wing is the only Air National Guard unit in the nation to have this mission, and one of only two in the entire Air Force. “Typically speaking, that is a mission that would be done by the Marines, or the Army, and in some cases some of the Navy security forces,” LaBarge said. Lemm and Bonacasa are the 34th and 35th members of the New York National Guard to die in combat since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They are the second and third members of the New York Air National Guard to die in combat. The first New York Air National Guard Air- man to die in combat was Staff Sgt. Todd J. Lo- braico Jr., who was killed while operating in the vicinity of Bagram Air Field Sept. 3, 2013. Like Lemm and Bonacasa, he was a member of the 105th Base Defense Squadron. Since Sept. 11, 2001, 12 members of the New York Army and Air National Guard have died while deployed in Afghanistan. Lemm and Bonacasa were also posthumously awarded a number of New York state awards for the Dec. 21 engage- ment. The two were also made honorary OSI agents. “Joe and Bones, you have joined our guard- ians in the sky who will forever be watching over us. You are both severely missed and you will never be forgotten,” Caputo said. Members of the 105th Airlift Wing act as pallbearers during the dignified transfer ceremony of Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm on Dec. 28 at Stewart Air National Guard Base. Members of the 105th Airlift Wing and 106th Rescue Wing pay respects during the transfer of Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa.
  • 24. 24 GUARD TIMES 105th Airmen Lift Hammers for Habitat for Humanity Story and photo by Staff Sergeant Julio Olivencia, 105th Airlift Wing NEWBURGH — About a dozen Stewart Air National Guard Base community members resumed their volunteer efforts by helping Habitat for Humanity build three houses on Clark Street here in November. The volunteers — including 105th Airlift Wing members and two civil- ian employees — continued work they had begun in April. “Initially we had started this project with just the foundation,” 105th First Six Council President Tech. Sgt. Daniel DiChiara said. “Coming back to the same house is actually pretty rewarding.” The members spent four hours painting, caulking, and preparing the property for the installation of concrete pads that will be part of Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkways. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh Board President Rick Schoenberg said the nonprofit works with the families to provide afford- able housing to low-income families, who purchase the homes. “They buy the house, they pay the mortgage, they pay the taxes, they contribute to Newburgh, they become part of the fabric of the com- munity, and it’s a positive step not only for the individual family, but for Newburgh as a whole,” he said The nonprofit has built 75 houses to date, but one of the Clark Street homes will be the first built for a disabled veteran. Senior Airman Stephanie Lloyd, who coordinated the partnership with the nonprofit, said she’s committed to continuing the relationship into the future by organizing volunteer events twice a year. It’s important for her to give back to the veteran community, she added. Steven Swyryt, the nonprofit’s volunteer coordinator, said he’s happy to have the help and looks forward to working with the base. “We love having any military group come and volunteer,” he said. “You guys are always some the hardest workers, probably the hardest workers, we get here on site.” Tech. Sgt. Daniel DiChiara, president of the 105th Airlift Wing First Six Council, uses a cordless drill to drive a screw through a stake and into a wooden board while Senior Master Sgt. Elizabeth Colton, of 105th Logistics Readiness Squadron Aerial Port, holds the stake steady.
  • 25. Winter 2016 25 SYRACUSE — The flight of a remotely-pilot- ed New York Air National Guard aircraft here on Dec. 16 was also the launch of an historic precedent — the first use of airspace shared by military and commercial aircraft. Before scores of guests, media members and their fellow airmen, 174th Attack Wing aircrews flew an MQ-9 “Reaper” from a runway shared with Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Since the 174th is tasked with training Airman to operate the MQ-9, sharing runway and airspace will reap cost and time savings, and reduce risk. “This is an awesome day for the 174th,” said Col. Greg Semmel, 174th Attack Wing com- mander. “It is an awesome day for the remotely- piloted aircraft community and the Air Force.” This change “re-emphasizes and re-establishes flight operations here in Syracuse,” he added. Until the Dec. 16th flight, the Air Force only operated MQ-1 and MQ-9 aircraft from mili- tary airfields. The 174th had been flying MQ-9s used to train pilots and sensor operators — the Airmen who manipulate the camera and other instruments aboard the MQ-9 — from Wheeler Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum. In order to conduct flying operations, the airmen had to drive from Hancock Field to Fort Drum and back — a three-hour round trip by car. Along with eliminating the drive, the abil- ity to fly MQ-9s directly from Hancock Field means more training time, and will enable his wing to train more MQ-9 pilots and sensor operators, Semmel said. It also reduces the risk of personnel driving over northern New York roads, which can be hazardous in the winter, he added. Eliminating the driving time should save taxpayers about $1 million in vehicle expenses and man-hours, Semmel said. The Dec. 16 flight lasted about 20 minutes. A crew in another building on base launched the MQ-9, had it circle the airport twice below the clouds and conducted a practice landing before bringing it back down. The 174th has been tasked to train 106 MQ-9 pilots and sensor operators in 2016, a 50 per- cent increase in the number of MQ-9 aircrews trained in 2015, Semmel said. The wing also trains 250 to 300 MQ-9 maintainers each year. Trainee pilots and sensor operators are required to drop both dummy and live 500-pound bombs from the MQ-9 has part of their training program. The Fort Drum Launch and Recovery facility will be used when aircraft must be flown with bombs under the wings, Semmel said. The 174th spent more than two years work- ing with the FAA and other agencies to prepare for the Dec. 16 flight. “We took the time to do it right, to do it deliberately, to go through the process and ensure that every stakeholder with this new technology, flying around a civilian air field, was comfortable with it,” Semmel said. “A lot of work has been done.” The Dec. 16 flight sets a precedent for other Air National Guard and Air Force remotely- piloted aircraft operations, he added. Currently seven Air National Guard units fly either the MQ-9 or MQ-1 remotely-piloted aircraft, and four of those units, including the 174th Attack Wing, share runways with civilian airports. These other units are the 118th Airlift Wing in Nashville, Tennessee; the 119th Wing at Fargo, North Dakota; and the 147th Recon- naissance Wing in Houston, Texas. A fifth unit, the New York Air National Guard’s 107th Airlift Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, shares a runway with Niagara Falls International Airport and is in the process of becoming an MQ-9 unit. The 60 MQ-9 pilots assigned to the 174th Attack Wing control aircraft in the Central Command Area of Operations — which in- cludes Iraq and Afghanistan — from a facility at Hancock Field, Semmel said. While operating aircraft directly from Han- cock Field has tangible benefits, like more train- ing time and saving tax dollars, the intangible benefits of the change are just as important, Semmel emphasized. “We are a community-based Air Force,” he said. “We are in the community of Syracuse and it is so important to bring flying operations back here to the airfield and show our com- munity what we are all about, and show them we are still a vibrant tradition, and what we do every day to support our nation and state.” 174th Attack Wing Marks Historic Reaper Flight Story by Eric Durr , Guard Times Staff
  • 26. 26 GUARD TIMES Members of the 101st Rescue Squadron conduct water-survival training near Homestead Air Reserve Base on Jan. 20. Members trained on the use of seven and twenty-man survival rafts, the ability to work as a team in open water, and the use of their survival equipment. The squadron is part of the 106th Rescue Wing. More pictures can be found on page 26. Photos by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy, 106th Rescue Wing. 106thRescueWingConductsWater-SurvivalTraining
  • 27. Winter 2016 27 BALLSTON SPA — Firefighters of the 109th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Fire Department at Stratton Air National Guard Base took part in a joint drill with the Schuyler Hose Co. at the Saratoga County Fire Training Center on Dec. 5. The goal of the structural fire exercise was to train participants on fire development and dy- namics, giving them controlled experience with live fire behavior. The training was completed in compliance with the 109th Fire Department’s annual requirements; every year, the firefight- ers complete structural and aircraft live-fire exercises. The drill involved going into a structure that was alive with flames. Airman 1st Class Adam Derepentigny, 109th firefighter, said training like this is imperative for job competency. “It’s the bread and butter,” he said. “If you don’t know how fire is going to react, you’re just going at it not knowing what you’re doing.” One of the exercise instructors, Tech. Sgt. Joshua Meyers, 109th fire training officer, agreed. “(Training) is very important ... this is real- world stuff, this is really what’s required in life-or-death situa- tions.” Lt. Col. Robert Donaldson, 109th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, said it was a great opportunity to check out all the good stuff he’d been hearing about. Many of the 109th’s traditional guardsmen are civilian firefight- ers, including Tech. Sgt. Adam Meyers, who works for the Schuyler Hose Co. and partici- pated in the drill. This background in related disciplines (as civilians) provides “a wealth of experience that they bring to the table,” Donaldson said. 109th Firefighters train with civilian counterparts Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Benjamin German Tech. Sgt. Brian Devlin, 109th Fire Department station captain, briefs Lt. Col. Robert Donaldson, 109th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, on exercise protocols during the structural fire exercise. Tech. Sgt. Joshua Meyers, 109th Fire Department training officer, briefs participants on proper procedure during a structural fire exercise.
  • 28. 28 GUARD TIMES WESTHAMPTON BEACH — Despite being staffed at 75 percent, the 106th Rescue Wing New York Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention office met their annual recruiting goal for the second year in a row, beating eight other Northeastern states to win the regional Patriot Team Award for Fiscal Year 2015. Their success is due to their mutual respect, and the fact that they’ve streamlined aspects of enlistment, said Master Sgt. Matthew Repp, manager and supervisor of the Recruiting and Retention Office. “We do everything, soup to nuts in our of- fice,” Repp said of their methods for smoothing recruits’ transition into the Air National Guard. Traditionally, recruiting offices have sworn in newcomers and escorted them to various offices to handle administrative details. “We took it upon ourselves to better educate ourselves on the processes,” he said. “It’s all on us to make it a quick and smooth change. We don’t have to wait on other offices to complete their roles, as they have other duties, too.” In addition to security clearances and finan- cial packages, the recruiters complete medi- cal clearances for new members, which often require trips to New York City and New Jersey. The arduous steps required to get new recruits in the door to completing basic training de- mand many man-hours, and recruiting events often occur on holidays and weekends. “Sometimes the day starts at 3 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.,” said Master Sgt. Laurie Perno, the recruiting and retention manager. “When you get home you’re exhausted, but you still have a family to take care of, and you’re still ‘Mom.’” Perno both recurits and handles unit reten- tion of unit members. “She’s grabbing the bull by the horns and working hard to develop a program to retain our qualified airman in the Guard,” Repp said. “She’s ensuring our airman are receiving all their educational benefits and seeing to it they meet their career goals.” Though recruiting goals are competitive and demanding, Repp said the staff identifies strengths in one another and leverages those talents to benefit the whole team. Some recruits aren’t familiar with military life, so before basic training, they become part of Student Flight to learn Air Force culture, build camaraderie, and become familiar with wing operations. Tech. Sgt. Katie White, recognized within the office as a high-speed go-getter, leads Student Flight. Along with her regular duties as a recruiter, White’s toughness and tenacity made her a good fit to work with new recruits, according to Repp and Perno. “She will hold the students to a certain stan- dard that doesn’t relent, and they need those stepping stones when they go to boot camp,” Repp said. Though not all recruits complete basic train- ing, White’s efforts have resulted in a 95 percent basic training completion rate for the unit. Staff Sgt. Christopher Gee, primarily a Battlefield Airman recruiter, has found his niche in marketing, according to Repp. Gee has considerable input on how to allocate recruiting and advertising funds, he added. In July, Gee established the largest Battlefield Airman-focused recruiting event in New York Air National Guard history at the Ironman Triathlon held in Lake Placid. The triathlon attracted some 30,000 attend- ees, many suited to the mental and physical rig- ors required of Special Operations. Gee ensured he utilized the advertising budget to maximum effect, unmatched by any other recruiting office in New York. Staff Sgt. Joseph Cacoperdo, the newest ad- dition to the Recruiting and Retention office, is diligently defining his role as a junior enlisted recruiter, said Repp. “He does a lot of volunteer work and is heav- ily involved with his community,” Repp said. “He projects a good image of the Air National Guard and the 106th Rescue Wing with his volunteerism, and that benefits the Guard as a whole.” “With this recruiting team everyone brings a different dynamic to the office,” said Perno. “We mesh well together.” “They all embrace their roles, move forward, and master them,” Repp said. “It works well for us.” Rescue Wing Recruiters Max Goals with Right Mix Story by Tech. Sgt. Monica Dalberg, 106th Rescue Wing The 106th Rescue Wing New York Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention office, from left: Staff Sgt. Christopher Gee, Master Sgt. Laurie Perno, Master Sgt. Matthew Repp, Tech. Sgt. Katie White and Staff Sgt. Joseph Cacoperdo. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy.
  • 29. Winter 2016 29 From Syracuse to Scotia, New York Air National Guard members and civilian em- ployees garnered praise and awards in 2015 for individual and unit-level performance overseas and stateside. About two dozen members of the Syracuse- based 174th Attack Wing’s Security Forces Squadron performed their duties flawlessly throughout their deployment to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar from January to August 2015, ac- cording to Master Sgt. Christopher, the wing’s security forces squadron superintendent. During their deployment, the Airmen safe- guarded 11,000 multinational forces, secured over 100 combat aircraft, mentored Qatari police, provided armed escort for 100 distin- guished visitors from over 22 nations and took part in the first joint active-shooter exercise involving Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron and Special Operations Command personnel. “Team Syracuse represented the 174th Attack Wing well,” said Christopher. “Our efforts en- sured the success of missions stretching across the entire Air Force Central Command area of responsibility.” For his part, Christopher responded without hesitation and extinguished a burning building while off duty. For his efforts, Christopher was awarded the Air Force Central Command and Air Combat Command Ground Safety Award and a letter of appreciation from Lt. Gen. Gen- eral Hesterman, the current assistant vice chief of staff and director. Christopher emphasized that all the 174th Airmen did an outstanding job throughout their deployment. “For a majority of our Security Forces troops, this was their first time ever deploying,” Chris- topher said. “I couldn’t be more proud of being part of such a professional group of Defenders.” Further east, the National Guard Bureau rec- ognized two civilian employees of the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS), based in Rome, for defense of cyberspace. Sonepith Keoviengsamay, a cybersecurity systems analyst, won the Gen. John P. Jumper Award for excellence in warfighting integration in the civilian category. Joe Puccio, an infor- mation assurance and software manager, was named the Air National Guard’s Information Dominance Program’s Outstanding Civilian in the GS 9-11 pay grades. “Being acknowledged as the best in your field in an organization as large as the Air National Guard is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Col. Michael J. Norton, the commander of EADS. “These awards recognize the impressive but often unnoticed work that Mr. Keoviengsa- may and Mr. Puccio perform daily to help protect our cyber network and communications systems, which play a critical role in everything we do here at EADS.” Responsible for the air defense of the eastern United States, EADS is composed of New York Air National Guardsmen from the 224th Air Defense Group, a Canadian Forces detachment, Army, Navy and Coast Guard liaison officers, and federal civilians. In Scotia, members of the 109th Airlift Wing received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its part in Operation Deep freeze, the military’s support of the National Science Foundation’s research efforts in Antarctica and Greenland, from Nov. 1, 2012 to Oct. 31, 2014. The award also recognized the 109th Medical Group for hosting a National Disaster Medical System exercise in 2013, and recognized wing airmen for exemplifying the Air Force core value of Service Before Self for their volun- teerism in more than 40 local events. This is the eighth time 109th Airlift Wing members received the award, which is given to units which have demonstrated outstanding achievement setting the unit above national or international significance, combat operations against an armed enemy of the United States or military operations involving conflict with or exposure to hostile actions by an opposing foreign force. Airmen who belonged to the unit during that period are entitled to wear the Air Force Out- standing Unit ribbon on their dress uniforms, or an oak leaf pin to denote additional awards. “Thank you all for your tremendous efforts each and every day,” Col. Shawn Clouthier, 109th Airlift Wing commander said in a mes- sage sent to the unit’s Airmen. “You have all earned this prestigious award.” In the two-year period, the unit generated nearly 8,500 flight hours, delivered 12.2 million pounds of cargo and transported more than 13,000 passengers to remote sites throughout Antarctica and Greenland. Additionally, the 109th Mission Support Group contributed to the fulfillment of national economic savings objectives by overhauling the Operation Deep Freeze supply depot contract, resulting in a $400,000 annual cost savings. Praise for NY Air National Guard Achievements Story by New York Air National Guard Staff A New York Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing LC-130 Skibird at Summit Station, Greenland, on June 30, 2015. Airmen and aircraft staged out of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, during the summer months, supplying fuel and supplies and transporting passengers on the Ice Shelf in Greenland. Photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin German, 109th Airlift Wing.
  • 30. 30 GUARD TIMES GUARD NOTES SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 100-year his- tory of the Air National Guard in New York is told through a new exhibit at the New York State Military Museum here. “Ever Upward: The History of the New York Air National Guard” uses photographs and ar- tifacts, like flying jackets, helmets and an Iraqi anti-aircraft gun from the Persian Gulf War, to tell the story of the 5,600-member New York Air National Guard. With five wings and the air defense sector charged with monitoring the airspace over the entire United States east of the Mississippi, the New York Air National Guard is the largest in the nation. The museum, which is run by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, tells the story of New York’s military history, and is a repository for historical items and records belonging to the New York National Guard. The staff prepared the exhibit because “New York has such a rich tradition for the Air Guard,” said Museum Director Courtney Burns. “The New York National Guard had the earliest aviation component in the National Guard,” he said. The New York National Guard’s first aircraft came from New Yorker Glen Curtiss, who loaned the Guard one of the planes made at his plant. Pilot Beckwith Havens, who came with the plane, joined the New York National Guard Signal Corps 1st Company and flew his plane during exercises in Connecticut in 1912. Haven’s one-man show became the Aviation Detachment of the 1st Battalion Signal Corps, New York National Guard, in 1915. Later that year the unit became the 1st Aero Company, New York National Guard. In 1916, members of the 1st Aero Company made the first mass long-distance flight in U.S. military history. They flew 10 aircraft from their base in Mineloa, N.Y. to Princeton, New Jersey, and then flew back the next day. The first licensed pilot in the U.S. military, Frederick Humphrys, flew with the New York National Guard, and the first woman to join the Air National Guard, Capt. Norma Parsons, served in the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Field Hospital. The oldest unit in the Air National Guard, the New York Air National Guard’s 102nd Rescue Squadron, part of the 106th Rescue Wing, was origi- nally organized as the 102nd Aero Squadron in 1917 and the reconstituted as the 102nd Obser- vation Squadron of the New York National Guard in 1920. Discovering this history as he created the exhibit was exciting, said Christopher Morton, the museum’s curator. “These guys helped establish the Air National Guard and helped put it on a firm footing,“ he said. Airmen flew as part of the Army until 1947, when Con- gress created the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard. One of the first Air National Guard units was the 138th Fighter Squadron. It was federally recognized at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in 1947. In 1953 the 138th Fighter Intercep- tor Squadron became the first Air National Guard unit to go on alert as part of the air defense of the United States. Today the 138th Attack Squadron is part of the 174th Attack Wing, which operates the MQ-9 remotely-piloted aircraft. The exhibit also discusses the role of New York’s 109th Airlift Wing in conducting mis- sions in the Arctic and Antarctic, the combat missions conducted by the 174th Fighter Wing in the Persian Gulf War, and missions being conducted by the New York Air Guard today. It takes several months to create a museum exhibit, which includes conducting research, identifying photographs and artifacts which tell the story, and then constructing the exhibit, Morton said. The exhibit will be on display in the museum’s temporary display space for about a year, he added. The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center is housed in the historic New York State Armory in Saratoga Springs and is a component of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. The mission of the museum and research center is to preserve, interpret and dissemi- nate the story, history and records of New York State’s military forces and veterans. The collection is divided into the museum and the library/archives holdings. The museum has permanent exhibits telling the story of New York’s men and women in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Revolutionary War and as members of the state militia in the 19th Century. The museum holds more than 10,000 artifacts dating from the Revolutionary War to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. ExhibitTells Air National Guard History in NewYork Story by Eric Durr, Guard Times Staff A flying jacket and helmet used by Maj. Gen. John Fenimore, 109th Airlift Wing commander and later the adjutant general of New York, on display at the New York State Military Museum. Photo by Sgt. Major Corine Lombardo, Joint Force Headquarters.
  • 31. Winter 2016 31 Faith, People and Positive Habits Equal Resiliency by Maj. Scott R. Ehler, Chaplain, Joint Force Headquarters John A. Simone is credited with saying, “If you’re in a bad situation, don’t worry it’ll change. If you’re in a good situation, don’t worry it’ll change.” Change is definitely a part of life. Sometimes changes are small and barely noticed, sometimes they are larger and have an enormous effect on our lives. Changes can be positive or they can be nega- tive. It’s really all about perspective. How do you see change? Is it an opportunity or is it an obstacle? In recent months there has been an emphasis placed on resiliency, as the New York National Guard family has seen mul- tiple tragedies among its ranks. So the question is, what is resiliency? The basic answer is the ability to respond to and recover from change. The overarching issue with individuals and re- silience, in my opinion, is response versus reac- tion. The ability to respond to a situation means that positive habits were in place prior to the situation. Basically, response is reaction with thought. Resiliency training focuses on putting habits into place that will enable an individual to respond to a situation, instead of reacting. I have been in the military for 20 years, and as I look back I can see four major changes in my life. One of these changes I would put in the category of devastating. I am not going to claim to be the world’s most resilient person. The truth is that I spent some time de- pressed, question- ing, and wondering what the point was. It is truly always darkest during the storm. The reality is that I had friends who helped me and I had a faith that guided me. The problem could not be conquered in one stroke, and the storm and its devastation was not going to pass through in a day. But, somewhere out there a light was at the end of the tunnel. The problem is we can’t always see that light... sometimes it is so dark that the only thing we can see is our circumstances. I had people...people who reminded me to make it through the day. I had faith...faith that reminded me that I wasn’t alone. Both of these were well-established before entering the storm. So my question is, what do you have? What positive habits or people are in your life? Is there a belief system that you adhere to? The important part of resiliency is ensuring that the above things are in place prior to the change, prior to the circumstance, prior to the storm. It’s not going to make the circumstances go away, but it is going to allow you to respond to them. So take resiliency training seriously and listen to what the fine instructors are teach- ing. Build a foundation of habits that are going to help you. Leaders, make sure you are check- ing in on your Soldiers, not out of obligation to check a box, but out of a sense of caring for those who’ve been entrusted to your care. Physical Fitness Training Safety Tips: by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Russell L. Hall, Safety Officer Physical-fitness training is an activity that almost all Soldiers partici- pate in on a regular basis. It is a great way to reduce stress, improve strength and endurance, socialize with friends, and continue to meet Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) standards. Nonetheless, physical training can also expose you to health and safety risks. Some of these training pitfalls are addressed below. Taking the time to follow some basic steps will help you avoid a serious injury while enjoying your favorite physical-fitness program. Starting Safely Before starting any physical-fitness program, you should consult your physician to ensure you are medically fit enough to engage in strenuous activities. Weight training, running, and team sports can raise your heart rate and place increased stress on various joints throughout your body. Performing a self-assessment of your initial conditioning will allow you to develop a plan that can gradually increase that conditioning level. Starting off slowly with a plan can be the surest way to insure success. Increasing Resistance Now that you are safely on your way to improved physical fitness, you are feeling more confident and increasing the intensity of your workouts. During the winter months, you may have been working out indoors with weight training and running or walking on the treadmill. With spring on its way, training outside is the next step in your plan. Better running shoes will help prevent foot and joint injuries. Highly-reflective running gear can make you more visible to vehicles when running near roadways. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that from 2001–2010, a total of 47,392 pedestrians were killed by automobiles.