2022 RNG FIRST QUARTER

A time for transitions

Tech Sgt. Cody Plopper, the subject of this issue’s cover story, was named the 2021 Air Force Reserve Command Crew Chief of the Year, but may soon be trading in his aircraft mechanics tools for a stethoscope and thermometer as he studies to become a physician assistant.

He started out on active duty, but learned that in order to have a more balanced life and spend more time with his family, he would need to transition to the Air Force Reserve. In doing so, he found a more family friendly environment and the opportunity to advance his career outside of the military.

It’s a theme that echoes throughout these pages –along with understanding and navigating benefits as guardsmen and reservists, active duty and veterans.

And much like Plopper’s career will venture down a new path, the same can be said for the focus of our Women’s History Month feature – the one and only Bea Arthur. Known for her “Golden Girls” fame, the future Dorothy Zbornak also was one of the first women to serve in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve during World War II. Her fascinating story is revealed through service records accessible at the National Archives and put into context through conversations with historians and authors.

If you’re also going through a transition in life – whether in your military career or personally – know you’re not alone. And thank you for being a friend and a confidant.

KARI WILLIAMS Associate Editor

Anne Marie Hunter

Andrea Downing Peck

Leann Stewart

Tech. Sgt. Cody Plopper on the flightline of MacDill Air Force Base. Photo by Staff Sgt. Alexis Suarez

Crystal Kupper

Dave Paone Jessica Manfre

Tech. Sgt. Cody Plopper, a crew chief with the 927th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida checks out a tool box in the 927th Maintenance Squadron building in 2021.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Tiffany A. Emery

by Anne Marie Hunter

by Andrea Downing Peck

by Crystal Kupper

by Anne Marie Hunter

by Dave Paone

President and Publisher: Todd Taranto

Managing Editor: Bianca Strzalkowski

Content Editor: Melissa Stewart

Associate Editors: Kari Williams and Teal Yost

Design:

Vice President, Sales: Julie Miller Julie.Miller@AmeriForceMedia.com

MINNESOTA GUARDSMEN HONORING FALLEN

Select Minnesota post offices could soon be renamed to honor three of the state’s National Guardsmen who died in a helicopter crash.

Rep. Tom Emmer introduced legislation in December to change the name of the Avon Post Office to Army National Guard Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg. Several of Emmer’s fellow congressmen were expected to cosponsor the measure.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith also introduced similar legislation for Plantenberg; for the Perham Post Office to be named after Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord and the Winsted Post Office after Chief Warrant Officer 2 James A. Rogers Jr.

The guardsmen lost their lives when their helicopter had a mid-flight mechanical failure in December 2019. They had recently returned from a ninemonth deployment overseas.

Increasing financial readiness ROA conference set for spring

The Reserve Organization of America’s 2022 National Council and Leaders Conference will be held March 12-15, 2022, at the ROA Minuteman Memorial Building in Washington, D.C.

On March 15, attendees will visit Congress to discuss ROA’s legislative priorities, which include hazard pay and creating a replacement for the DD214 that covers reservists and guardsmen.

For more information, or to register for the conference, contact Diane Markham at dmarkham@roa.org or (202) 646-7728.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced in November that he is focused on strengthening economic security for the nation’s armed forces. Among his priorities are revamping the Military Leaders Economic Security Toolkit, provided through Military OneSource.

A Department of Defense financial readiness document states that “unit and command leaders are responsible for the financial readiness” of service members under their command and are required to actively promote financial readiness from a personal and professional standpoint.

As a result, the National Guard Bureau chief is now required to provide “programs, resources and information” to guardsmen and their families at the state level.

Financial training also will occur at least annually.

Financial counseling must also be provided upon request “through personnel qualified to provide factual, unbiased information and assist them in the development of skills and strategies to meet financial goals and achieve and maintain financial readiness.”

Policies could also be set that would allow a service member to be assigned to a unit specifically to serve as a financial counselor if they meet the following criteria:

• In paygrade E-5 or above and assigned in writing;

• Free of conflicts of interest regarding their assigned subject matter;

• Receive appropriate training provided by the Military Department.

National Guard Education Foundation golf tournament announced for 2022

The National Guard Education Foundation will hold its 24th annual golf tournament this October. The event will take place on Oct. 3, 2022, at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Virginia.

Ticket information was not available as of press time. Those interested in sponsoring the event can contact Luke Guthrie at (202) 408-5886 or luke.guthrie@ngaus.org.

For more information, visit https://www.ngef.org/event/23rd-annual-ngef-golf-tournament/.

AIR NATIONAL GUARD DOMESTIC PRIORITIES

Changes in combat fitness testing

Airmen now have new ways to approach their physical fitness assessments.

Beginning Jan. 2, the following options were made available:

• Traditional 1.5-mile run or high aerobic multi-shuttle run (20M HAMR) for cardio;

• Traditional push ups or hand-release push ups for strength;

• Traditional sit ups, cross-leg reverse crunch or plank for sit ups.

A 2-kilometer walk remains available for service members who haven’t been medically cleared for the other cardio options, a news release stated.

Sign ups for the fitness testing began in December.

The options don’t apply to the Space Force, which is developing its own “service-specific Holistic Health Assessment,” the news release stated.

In the Navy, there will only be a single fitness test in 2022, in part, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, sailors who had excellent or above performance scores last year will not be offered exemptions.

The incentive, according a news release, “will only be possible again when the Navy can safely return to testing twice a year.”

The Air National Guard laid out its needs to appropriately respond to domestic missions in its latest Domestic Capabilities Priority Book.

In order to respond to public health and medical service situations, the ANG requires tactical combat casualty care medical kits, oxygen generation systems and rapid response shelters, among other items.

“The new medical shelters must be designed to network together through a simple connection process and must not require tools, ladders or equipment to deploy,” the report stated.

A new oxygen system is needed, the report stated, because its current system “is no longer supported by the manufacturer.”

“The ANG requires a lightweight, self-contained, deployable oxygen generation system capable of producing medical-grade, 93% oxygen from ambient air at the point of use,” the report stated. “The availability of medical oxygen in a mass casualty incident is a prime factor in saving the lives of critical patients.”

The ANG’s other priority areas include: Transportation; communications; public works and engineering; firefighting; information and planning; mass care, emergency assistance, temporary housing and human services; logistics; public health and medical services; search and rescue; oil and hazardous material responses; public safety and security.

To read the full priority book, visit https://www. ang.af.mil/Portals/77/documents/ang_priorities_ books/2022%20DCP%20Book.pdf.

ROA’S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

CENTER ON HEALTH CARE, EMPLOYMENT ISSUES

BY ANNE MARIE HUNTER

Expanded benefits and opportunities for guardsmen and reservists are key as the Reserve Organization of America (ROA) identifies its 2022 legislative priorities. Health care provisions to ease members’ financial burdens, along with a more comprehensive DD214, are chief among these priorities.

UH-60 Blackhawks, from the Idaho Army National Guard’s Detachment 1 1-168th Aviation Regiment and 1-183rd Aviation Regiment, support a training mission for U.S. Army Rangers in 2021.

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Joshua C. Allmaras.

Retired Coast Guard Reserve Capt. Robert H. Carmack, ROA national president, said that current DD214s only document activeduty service.

“Reservists and Guard members who never activated, or only activated for a certain timeframe, don’t have the documentation required to be buried in a VA cemetery, to compete for a federal government job, or to receive other numerous benefits, such as the GI Bill,” Carmack said. “For these soldiers, there is no official document of their full military career recognized by the VA or employers.”

ROA supports the passage of Senate Bill S. 1291, Record of Military Service for Members of the Armed Forces Act of 2021 that would replace the current DD214.

In 2017, the organization adopted Resolution No. 20-04 - DD Form 214 Issued upon Separation from the reserve component. This resolution states that “reserve component members should have the same level of access to earned benefits as active duty and changing how the DD Form 214 is issued will remove the existing barrier National Guard and reserve members face by not receiving a 214 that includes the entirety of their service.”

“As a reservist, you can be activated many times and receive many DD214s, but there is no document that reflects everything,” said Jonathan Sih, director of legislation and military policy. “We have reservists who have served enough days to qualify for

certain benefits but don’t have proof because there’s no documentation at the end of their career to prove it.”

If approved, the legislation would create the Certificate of Military Service, which would standardize service records among active duty and reservists, National Guardsmen and the Coast Guard.

The certificate, according to the bill summary, would “be issued to members of the reserve components upon the occurrence of any of the following events: permanent change to duty status (e.g., retirement or transfer to active duty); discharge or release from temporary active duty orders; specified promotions; and transfer to another state National Guard.”

Sih said reservists currently “have to jump through hoops” to receive the same benefits as active duty.

“They’re doing the same job, but not getting the proof through documentation, so they’re not receiving the benefits,” he said.

Health care benefits

Currently, active-duty members receive full health care, with no out-of-pocket costs. However, this is not the case for reservists and guardsmen.

“I’m an Air Force reservist,” Sih said. “For me to stay deployable in the Air Force, I’m required to pay for my insurance. It costs me to maintain my deployability. Currently, there is no difference in the requirements between active duty and reservist, so this puts a lot more burden on the reservist.”

In 2018, the ROA created a resolution to rectify this disparity for service members and their families. In 2021, the H.R. 3512 - Healthcare for Our Troops Act was introduced in Congress and is a priority for ROA.

ROA decided to pursue legislation for no-fee health care for National Guard and reserve service members because of a 2018 DOD memo, “ DOD Retention Policy for Non-Deployable Service Members,” Sih said.

“This change in policy discharges any service member who has been non-deployable for more than 12 consecutive months,” Sih said. “In January 2018, DOD reported approximately 11%, or 235,000 active and

reserve component members who were nondeployable for a variety of reasons, including for medical conditions. Now that DOD has changed the policy and medical issues are a factor in continued service, then they should provide medical care to maintain deployable standards.”

H.R. 3512 would provide reservists with individual coverage through TRICARE Reserve Select with no premiums, but a premium would be paid for immediate family members under the same coverage. A monthly premium, according to the bill, would be “the amount equal to 28% of the total monthly amount determined on an appropriate actuarial basis as being reasonable for that coverage.”

Employer tax credits

“We expect a lot of employers to employ reservists and Guard members who are called up several times over their careers,” Carmack said. “And, the number of times they get called up has been accelerating. Some get called nearly a dozen times.

“Most employers support our members and welcome them back. But sometimes the employer has expenses, such as hiring temporary replacements. This tax credit would help ease that pain a little for them.”

Introduced to Congress in early 2021, the passage of H.R. 1854 Reserve Employers Comprehensive Relief and Uniform Incentives on Taxes Act of 2021 [or the RECRUIT Act of 2021] is a significant legislative priority for ROA leadership in the coming year.

This bill would allow employers with less than 500 employees a new payroll tax credit for 40% of the wages paid to a member of the National Guard or a reserve component of the armed forces.

For more information, or to review ROA’s legislative priorities, visit https://www. roa.org/page/legislativeagendas.

AFRC CREW CHIEF OF THE YEAR STRIVES FOR ‘WELL-ROUNDED AIRMAN’ CONCEPT

BY BIANCA STRZALKOWSKI

Tech. Sgt. Cody Plopper, who serves with the 927th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, was named Air Force Reserve Command’s Crew Chief of the Year in 2021. His award nomination cited such career accomplishments as enabling successful counter drug operations; prepping aircraft for Tropical Storm Eta and Hurricane Isaias; and securing on-time POTUS support. He also assisted an injured wingman by administering rapid first aid and applying trauma response, according to the document.

Plopper, 29, originally enlisted for active duty with the Air Force in 2011. He says he began considering military service after his brother joined the Army. The two spoke about the education benefits that would allow Plopper to attend college — an opportunity he initially wouldn’t have been able to afford, he says.

“I always knew I wanted to go to college, but a lot of the universities I was looking at were out of my price range, and that’s when I talked to my brother about the military and the availability of them paying for school,” he said. “It started as a way to open up new opportunities, travel the world and prepare for future career paths.”

Plopper says he met with a recruiter “who talked up the flying-crewchief aspect of things where, wherever the plane goes, we go. I get to travel the world, and as a small-town kid that was an exciting idea.”

The Lufkin, Texas-native was eventually stationed in Florida. He extended his contract for a year after his initial six-year obligation to “feel out” if pushing to the 20-year retirement mark was right for him. Plopper says he ultimately transitioned to the reserve side for stability.

“I found it (active duty) was kind of a stressful life, as far as having a family,” he said. “At the time, I had my wife and my son, and she was finishing up her degree to become an engineer and there was just a lot going on. Active duty required a lot out of you; in aircraft maintenance, there was a lot of moving shifts, so sometimes you would think you have your whole day planned out and then maybe next month you’re on a different shift. And not being in Texas, we didn’t have family here and it was a constant changing of babysitters. … We needed something more stable.”

An airman who was named crew chief of the year said enlisting in the military was a “win-win”— allowing him to see the world while providing a path to college.

‘We had more stability’

Plopper learned about the Air Reserve Technician (ARTs) program at MacDill Air Force Base that allows a standard Monday through Friday work schedule, with the benefit of retaining the uniform and the airframe he was qualified for. ART jobs “span a broad spectrum to include commander, flight instructor, aircraft mechanic, aircraft maintenance officer, nurse, loadmaster and human resource officer,” according to Air Force Reserve Command’s website, with 10,000 professionals across more than 100 occupations.

“I could continue doing the job that I was enjoying … with a lot of the similar benefits like health care,” Plopper said. “I got hired on in a higher position because I knew what I was doing with the airframe. … The family didn’t have to get uprooted, and we had more stability.”

He added that there was a culture difference, too, with it being “a more family friendly environment” that he described as taking stress off his personal life. The stability also allowed him to work on his education amid a growing family. At the time he spoke with Reserve & National Guard Magazine, Plopper was actively entertaining his 10-week-old

4 TIPS FOR ENLISTED AIRMEN TO ADVANCE

For junior enlisted airmen looking to progress in their careers, Plopper said drive and a good attitude are important. He offers the following advice:

1. There must be a willingness to come into work and learn new things. As a junior enlisted, you’re not going to be the subject matter expert on your aircraft; there’s still something you can learn and get better at. If you want to stand out from your peers, you have to be willing to take on more than just your job.

2. Become a member of the junior enlisted council and consider serving on the board.

3. In the workplace, volunteer to take on more duties and learn the job of other specialists to make you a better maintainer.

4. Explore off-duty learning opportunities, whether that is an A&P license or educational opportunities. Be a well-rounded airman.

daughter who cooed in the background during the interview. He also recently completed a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida, which he said will open the door to graduate programs.

As for what helped him stand out to be named top in his field, Plopper says it was the managerial-type roles he took on when he first transitioned to the reserves.

“I was placed in an expediter role, essentially in charge of logistics on the flight line. So, we make sure that our maintainers, whether they’re crew chiefs or a certain specialty shop — we have avionics, communications experts, electronics, whatever the case may be — we essentially drive around in a vehicle and make sure they get to whatever job needs to be done. It’s a lot of balancing manpower and jobs.”

His unit’s proximity to CENTCOM and SOCOM also means interactions with dignitaries like the president of the United States.

Plopper’s standing as a designated crew chief allows him to be assigned to a specific aircraft that bears his name.

“I ensure that aircraft has a good reliability rate, cleanliness, etc. You essentially take pride in it like it’s your own vehicle,” he said.

And, because he is a flying crew chief, he goes on the road with his KC-135 Stratotanker for real-world missions — including adding assets to the frontlines overseas and aiding other aircraft by extending capabilities through aerial refueling.

From aviation to medication

Curiosity of how things work has always extended beyond aviation for Plopper, who declared a long-term goal of pursuing a medical career. His bachelor’s degree, which was funded through post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, is in biological health sciences and checks off prerequisites needed for his next program.

“Throughout school I always knew I wanted to do something medical; anatomy and physiology has always been very exciting to me — how things work, which I think correlates to the airframe as well,” he said. “I do find it interesting how the plane works in itself but I love finding out everything about how the human body works, with it being different person to person.”

He is specifically focused on becoming a physician assistant (PA), and he credits the Air Force with helping him on his path. MacDill, he explained, has an aeromedical evacuation squadron that interests him because it “does everything essentially a paramedic would do on an aircraft.”

Once he starts his PA program, Plopper said his focus will shift fulltime to school, but he will be able to maintain his reserve status throughout the duration. After completion, he has several options including “going the civilian route” or exploring a PA position for the Air Force Reserve.

Tech. Sgt. Cody Plopper stands in front of a KC-135 Stratotanker on the flightline on July 10, 2021.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Tiffany A. Emery

OP TEMPO

FOX NEWS host talks evolution of reserve component

BY JESSICA MANFRE

Pete Hegseth is a familiar face across the FOX News Channel, where he joined the network as a contributor in 2014. But before delivering commentary and analysis to millions of viewers, he was a soldier in the Army National Guard.

Hegseth didn’t come from a military family, but he considered service throughout most of his youth. After graduating high school, he attended Princeton University over West Point –admittedly due to his passion for basketball. The itch to wear the uniform never went away, he said.

He signed up for Army ROTC on his college campus in the spring of 2001 and committed to an Army National Guard contract. Hegseth says he has watched as the role of reserve forces evolved from generation to generation.

“Vietnam created this perception of the National Guard which was almost cartoonish,” he said.

The attacks of 9/11 would change that.

“It was a validator for me and an entire generation,” Hegseth said.

After completing college and basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Hegseth was deployed to Guantanamo Bay for a year guarding suspected terrorists.

“Then I came home and I went back to my civilian job,” he explained. “But it was one of those moments where I didn’t feel at home in the civilian world because our generation was mobilized for war now.”

He switched units and volunteered to deploy to Iraq as an infantry officer.

“All of this is a tiny sliver of what the guys and gals have been a part of over the past 20 years, which has intermixed the Guard and reserve with the active component,” he added.

More than 337,000 soldiers from the Army National Guard

have been mobilized since 9/11, according to the National Guard Bureau, with more than 221,000 deploying to Iraq and more than 116,600 to Afghanistan. Data for the Air National Guard was not available at the time of reporting.

“Not only do you have the possibility of deployment and integration into the total force, you have these still traditional state obligations. Now increasingly, unfortunately, in the last couple of years the civil unrest has led to the National Guard being called,” he said. “But it was the attacks of 9/11 which brought the recognition of what the Guard and reserve really does. I was fortunate enough from, from my view, to be a small part of it.”

Despite the increased op tempo, challenges continue for guardsmen and reservists in terms of resources, and community and reintegration can feel isolating, he said. Hegseth was open about his experiences, particularly after returning from Iraq.

“I went from being in a combat zone to being in an apartment in Manhattan and without any contact other than phone calls here or an email here or there with the guys who I had served with, and it was jarring,” he said. “I didn’t do much and I drank a lot trying to process what I had been through while dealing with a civilian world that frankly just didn’t seem to care.”

Attitudes towards the Iraq War had turned negative, particularly in New York where he was working and living.

“It took me a while to get my footing,” Hegseth said.

It wasn’t long before he realized he no longer wanted to maintain his career on Wall Street.

“The hardest part for me was finding my next chapter of purpose. What you do in uniform is so purposeful,” he said. “I met a Marine at an event in New York, and he happened to run a vets organization for Iraq and Afghanistan vets called Vets for Freedom.”

The men connected immediately, and it wasn’t long before the Marine veteran asked Hegseth to run the organization for him.

“I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know if it would work,” he laughed. “I actually didn’t set out to be a part of a veterans organization. I thank God for those chance meetings that happened.”

Hegseth kept pushing and believing it could work. He led the nonprofit from 2007 until he left in 2012, when he went back on active duty and volunteered

to deploy to Afghanistan. Then, two years later, he joined FOX News.

“I take very seriously the responsibility that I have as one of the few people in the media with military and combat experience,” he said.

Today, Hegseth remains part of the Individual Ready Reserve. He said he is proud of his time in service and the work he’s able to continue to do on behalf of the military community through FOX News. As for what he would advise veterans struggling to find their purpose, he implored them to recognize their worth.

“There is another chapter, and that chapter includes honoring and living up to the legacy of what you did in

uniform,” Hegseth said. “The country needs fighters, if you will, metaphorically, here in our country, as much as they needed us overseas, and it’s gonna be vets and it’s gonna be reserve and Guard and retired, active-duty folks, and others who carry that mantle forward.”

He also encourages them to tell their story. On FOX Nation, he hosts “Modern Warriors,” which highlights post-9/11 veterans and their stories. The series also had a special — called “We Were Soldiers” — that honored Vietnam War veterans.

“Thank God for Vietnam vets who made good on their promise to say, ‘Never again will a generation of warriors be treated that way.’ They were the first ones to embrace us when

we came home,” Hegseth said.

He turned his work into a collection of inspiring stories from 15 of America’s greatest heroes, called “Modern Warriors: Real Stories from Real Heroes.” It is available for purchase on Amazon and through all major book retailers.

His final words to the newest generation of guardsmen and reservists touch on gratitude.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve got seven young children under my stead, and I hope any number of them, as many as possible, are willing to make that same decision,” Hegseth said. “It’s selfless service to be able to say you’re willing to write a check in full on behalf of your nation.”

There is another chapter, and that chapter includes honoring and living up to the legacy of what you did in uniform, Hegseth said.”

NATIONAL GUARD BIATHLON TEAM COMPETES ON INTERNATIONAL STAGE

BY ANDREA DOWNING PECK

When the U.S. Biathlon team arrives at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, four members of the Vermont Army National Guard may be pursuing a different kind of “chest candy” than “M-Day” counterparts with more typical day jobs.

Army athletes Spcs. Sean Doherty, Leif Nordgren, Vaclav Cervenka and Deedra Irwin all anticipate hearing their names called when U.S. Biathlon announces its Olympic roster.

The 10-member Team USA will be composed of four biathletes and one alternate on both the men’s and women’s sides. The contingent has been vying for selection this winter by competing in International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup races throughout Europe, as well as two-time trials this month.

Biathlon

requires ‘pretty savvy’ competitors

An Olympic event since 1960, biathlon combines cross-country skiing with small-caliber rifle marksmanship. A uniquely grueling sport that requires endurance, precision and mental fitness, biathletes compete on courses up to 20 km (roughly 12 miles) long for men and 15 km (roughly 9 miles) for women, as well as on relays, all of which include at least two shooting bouts at targets 50 meters (164 feet) away. If targets are missed, either penalty minutes are assessed or competitors ski a penalty loop.

While breathing techniques help athletes calm themselves and lower their heart rates as they switch from racing to shooting mode, Doherty said the “nuances to getting

a great shooting stage” are numerous. Wind can be a major factor, but a cheering crowd, a slippery shooting mat and other distractions also can impact a competitor’s precision.

“The wind is a challenge since we shoot relatively, in terms of bullets, slow ammunition, and the wind affects the shot quite a lot,” said Doherty, a two-time Olympian who made his first “podium”– a top-three finish – last March with a third-place finish in the BMW IBU World Cup mixed relay in the Czech Republic. “We have to be pretty savvy in our ability to adjust the sights and compensate for the wind, and then you have a lot of other factors … I usually just try to keep it simple and control what you can.”

Cervenka maintained the mental challenges of biathlon

are often under appreciated by those outside the sport.

“At the end of the day, it’s just hitting targets,” he said, “but that’s the difference between a good result and a bad result. So, the mental game is way more than you think it would be in a sport that is one of the most athletically demanding sports there is.”

Meet the team

All four Olympic hopefuls joined the National Guard in 2019, with a place on the National Guard Biathlon Team awaiting them. The National Guard Biathlon Team’s headquarters are at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site (CEATS), a Vermont National Guard installation in Jericho, Vermont, which also is home to the Army Mountain Warfare School.

Spc. Deedra Irwin, a human resources specialist with 86th Troop Command, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard.

Photo by Don Branum

Like his teammates, Cervenka was competing full time on the IBU circuit before joining the Guard. In a sport that demands not only elite athletic ability but also deep pockets to fund travel, equipment and facility fees, Cervenka said the Guard has been a financial lifeline as he works his way to the top tier of U.S. National teams.

BIATHLON TEAM RESOLUTION TIPS

“It was one, ‘What else am I going to do? Screw it,’ moment. And, I went for it,” the 22-yearold said of his decision to join the Guard. “Since then, I could arguably say it’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Financially, it has let me not so much worry about how am I going to pay for this trip. Now my worries are how can I get the best training. At the end of the day, that’s what’s going to separate you at the highest level.”

Unlike most of her competitors, Irwin was a latecomer to biathlon. Her early focus was on running, and she originally joined her high school ski team as a way to improve her fitness for track. She wasn’t introduced to biathlon until age 25, after competing on her college track and Nordic ski teams.

weekend drills or completing courses to maintain an MOS or vie for promotion.

If your New Year’s resolution includes a pledge to get in shape, National Guard Biathlon Team members have tips for getting moving:

“I don’t think you need to become a super human overnight. It’s not feasible,” Spc. Vaclav Cervenka said. “If you set small goals and meet them, you’ll start seeing progress. And, once you see progress, the ball starts rolling and you’ll want to get out and do more. Baby steps.”

“Changing behaviors is the biggest part of keeping a routine,” agreed Spc. Deedra Irwin, a 42A Human Resources Specialist, with a degree in exercise science. “Do a little at a time, like walking for 10 minutes a day, and build that up. It’s a lot easier to maintain if you keep it simple.”

Spc. Sean Doherty suggests fun, not drudgery, should be your exercise mantra. “You don’t have to suffer on a treadmill,” he said. “That’s miserable. Do something fun. That gives you a lot higher chance of sticking with it and creating a habit. Get out cycling, paddling or other enjoyable activity. Don’t count calories. Count the enjoyment factor.”

“For me, it’s definitely a catchup game on the shooting side,” said Irwin, 29, who quickly ascended up the ranks on the U.S. National Team. “What is nice is I didn’t really shoot before, so I didn’t have a ton of bad habits. But overall trigger time, compared to a lot of people on the World Cup or even in the United States, I’m pretty far behind because I got started in biathlon so much later.”

Most members of National Guard Biathlon Team live at CEATS, where athletes’ dorm, strength-training facility, gym, shooting range and competition loops create a top-notch training center. A typical training day involves morning and afternoon conditioning sessions focused on cardiovascular endurance, shooting exercises and combination shooting.

Cardio workouts can range from long-distance running to cycling and roller skiing, a sport that replicates the movement of cross-country skiing. Athletes also must remain in good standing with their Guard units, which might mean attending

‘We’re not a total underdog’

National Guard members who make the U.S. National Team are placed on full-time orders, which Cervenka said motivates soldiers to continue to race at a world-class level.

“Do well and you are going to continue to be on full-time orders,” said Cervenka, a 12W Carpentry and Masonry Specialist. “For the people who are trying biathlon and trying to make it through the hierarchy of national teams, it’s something to strive for. So, it’s a good setup.”

At age 32, Nordgren is the “old guy” on the U.S. National Team. During the 2021-22 season, he is writing the final chapter in his biathlon career. Nordgren plans to retire at season’s end so he can attend Warrant Officer Candidate School, with the goal of being selected for helicopter flight school next summer.

While the National Guard has provided him much-needed support as an athlete, he said his motivation for joining the Army always included creating options for life after biathlon.

“Even though this is going to be my last year competing,” he said, “I already have a great setup and a great path for next year.”

But before that day arrives, Nordgren hopes to conclude his biathlon career on a high note.

“Biathlon is a sport that is especially rewarding of experience,” he said. “So, that’s one thing that helps me going forward. I have 12 or 13 years of experience, which isn’t the end all, be all, but it definitely helps in this sport.”

Doherty, 26, made his name in the sport at an early age, racking up 10 medals at the Youth and Junior World Championships. As the 2022 Olympic Winter Games approach, Nordic and European nations will remain the favorites to take home medals, but Doherty likes Team USA’s chances.

“We have some really competitive guys,” he said. “We’ve had a great summer of training. I’m quite optimistic that we’re in a position to mix it up. We’re not a favorite, but we’re not a total underdog.”

More information about biathlon is available at www.teamusa.org/usbiathlon.

Vermont Army National Guard soldiers who are members of U.S. Biathlon team dry fire biathlon rifles during a practice session at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in November 2021. Photo by Don Branum

AIR FORCE VETERAN FOR FILING MILITARY, CIVILIAN TAXES SHARES TIPS

BY LEANN STEWART

Understanding withheld income

Curt Sheldon, a certified financial practitioner and president of C.L. Sheldon and Co., said one of the most important aspects of having

more than one source of income is the possibility of underwitholding, or failing to withhold enough income tax throughout the year to completely pay the amount of taxes they owe.

“It is a complicated process which stems from how withholding tables work,” said Sheldon, who served more than 27 years in the Air Force as a fighter pilot.

To prevent this surprise bill when tax season rolls around, Sheldon said to spend time working on W4s to ensure withholdings are adequate. Two IRS resources –the Tax Witholding Estimator and Form 1040-ES – can help determine the right amount of federal income tax to withhold.

“If you discover you will owe money when utilizing either of these resources, you can adjust the numbers so the IRS takes

additional money out for the remainder of the year to cover those taxes,” he said. “As a result, you won’t owe those additional dollars when you file.”

Combat zone deployments

Deployments to combat zones, according to Sheldon, are a good time to “pour your combat pay into a Roth IRA and Roth TSP.”

Navigating taxes while juggling careers in the military and civilian sector can present challenges, but one Operation Desert Storm veteran who transitioned to the finance industry has provided tips to ease the burden.

“That tax-free income goes into an account whose growth is not taxed, and is tax-free when you remove it,” he said. “These two accounts are the only of their kind, and I highly recommend taking advantage of both of them.”

If possible and financially feasible, one should max out his or her Roth IRA and Roth TSP, according to Sheldon.

“Every individual is in a different financial situation: some are providing for large families, some are paying off debts, and some are single with no

expenses,” Sheldon said. “Of course, one should always place providing for their family first. But if you are in a combat zone, it is best to invest and save as much as you possibly can because of the tax-free nature of your income and the Roth IRA.”

Writing off expenses

When writing off expenses as a guardsmen or reservist, Sheldon said troops can file unreimbursed expenses from the time the individual deploys to when he or she returns home – as long as the expenses are within the federal per diem rate.

2021 TAX STATEMENT MYPAY SCHEDULE

This includes unreimbursed mileage, food and lodging expenses.

State income-tax awareness

Another pitfall to be aware of is the various state income-tax laws if one drills in a different state than one resides in.

“If the state he drills in taxes state income, that soldier’s drill pay will be taxed, and he might not expect that because his civilian income in the other state is not taxed,” Sheldon said.

One client Sheldon worked with lived in Virginia but drilled in Connecticut, and Connecticut taxed his drill pay even though he was a Virginia resident.

“If the state chooses to tax guardsmen or reservists, there is no way around that,” Sheldon said. “Be aware that you may have to file separate returns if that is the case.”

Well-kept retirement secret: IRR 78-161

Federal Civilian Employee W-2 (DOD/Non-DOD)

“A little-known rule” for retirement, according to Sheldon,

is that military members who receive a retroactive VA disability less than 50% can amend returns from previous years, reducing taxable income.

“I had a client who did this and his taxes went down 40%,” Sheldon said.

If this is the case, the service member can file Form 1040-X, which is the Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. The individual should write the VA offset that should have been taken out previously under ‘Other Income’ – this will be a negative number. Lastly, they must annotate the negative amount as ‘IRR 78-161’ for reference.

Individuals can learn more by researching Internal Revenue Ruling 78-161 and adjusting the amount reported on Form 1099-R.

For more information or to see when W2s and other tax forms will be made available, visit https://www. dfas.mil/legislativeaffairs/ taxstatements/

Members of the North Carolina National Guard’s Staff Judge Advocate Office help prepare and file federal income tax returns in 2021 at NCNG headquarters.

Photo by Robert Jordan/North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs

Navy reservist navigates acting career amid deployments

BY KARI WILLIAMS

Lt. Cmdr. Ari Huber has blown kisses at Meryl Streep, has a credited role in “Top Gun: Maverick” and still serves in the Navy Reserve – mostly recently returning from a three-month deployment in the Caribbean.

Huber, who has been a reservist since 2017 following eight years on active duty, commanded the USNS Burlington from U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, U.S. Fourth Fleet. He oversaw more than 60 sailors from three unit organizations — security detachment, operational intelligence fusion cell and an engineering crew — on a ship also crewed by Military Sealift Command and about 25 civilian mariners.

While deployed, the Burlington responded to the Aug. 14 earthquake in Haiti that resulted in more than 2,000 deaths and thousands more injuries.

“To get to go do that for once, this makes a lifetime of wearing the uniform worth it,” Huber said.

Commanding the Burlington

The Burlington crew aided hundreds of Haitians over the course of roughly 30 days. They also held subject matter expert exchanges and conducted training with the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago special operations forces.

“It was an incredible opportunity to see how the cultures of our two navies were disparate in terms of countries, but almost the same in terms of honors and past times,” Huber said.

Chief Petty Officer Taylor Hart led the unmanned aerial vehicle detachment and served as the operations and intelligence officer. He said the biggest takeaway was being able to respond to the Haiti earthquake as the “first U.S. asset on scene.”

But also over the course of four days in the Dominican Republic, the Burlington crew

held classroom training, practical exercises on the beach – where they tired the SEALS by having them perform calisthenics then mat wrestle before a simulated casualty scenario – and fun runs aboard the ship.

“Here we got to get hands-on training in a safe environment, COVID friendly, and were able to teach them a lot about how we did things … [and] how we were able to learn from them as well,” said Hart, who assisted Huber in planning the training.

The deployment also included five counternarcotics operations, which Huber said were “super interesting.” The Burlington is not a warship, but he said it was tasked with being the barrier between the land and drug runners.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARI HUBER

“Later on we were able to finally vector a warship from the Dominican Republic and leveraged our relationship with Dominican Republic SEALS to interdict drug runners,” Huber said.

‘The gig that everyone kind of waits for’ Navigating deployments alongside his burgeoning acting career – to put it plainly, Huber said, “sucks.” However, anyone with a “gig-oriented” role outside of the military is their own boss.

“If you go through lulls or ruts in an entrepreneurial career, you’ll forget some of that professionalism … There’s nothing like a deployment to remind you of, ‘Here’s some of the small detail stuff I should be doing on a daily basis,’” Huber said.

Through his agent, Jean-Marc Carre, Huber secured his first acting gig – a commercial with Zinus Mattress – on his first audition. Carre told him not to expect that to happen all the time. And yet, it happened again on his second and third auditions.

“Granted, saying that – I’ve had a lot of rejections since then,” Huber said. “It was just sort of this beginner’s luck.”

He later had to turn down an offer he said “everyone kind of waits for” – a hosting opportunity for a History Channel show –because it coincided with the Caribbean deployment.

“It was a heartbreaker,” he said. “I was already in this position … [but it] ended up being a really good deployment. We helped out the Haitians tremendously.”

Carre said that while that opportunity “was actually a pretty good one,” he knew from the beginning that Huber would have blocks of time where he would be unavailable because of his reservist career.

“It was a disappointment on both sides, but there’s nothing we could do about it,” Carre said.

Steering the acting ship

Still, Huber’s roles have been on an upswing, landing roles in “Top Gun: Maverick” and the December 2020 Netflix film, “The Prom.”

Huber is credited as Island Bar Patron in the “Top Gun” reboot – a role he said was “all luck” due to his previous stint at Navy Office of Information West (NAVINFO). The film was shot on Naval Air Station North Island, the same location as NAVINFO. I Bar, the

famous North Island aviator bar, was recreated and Huber was “heavily featured in the scene.”

He had a similar role on the set of “The Prom,” which stars Meryl Streep and James Corden. In a memorable filming moment, Streep was exiting the room, blowing kisses at the crowd as Huber was “sort of star struck.”

“Without thinking about it, I just raised my hand

up and grabbed a kiss,” Huber said, noting that the scene was ultimately cut from the film.

Now that Huber is back stateside, Carre said he is being submitted for projects he could be a good fit for. Carre, who served as a corporal in the French army during the Cold War, said Huber has been “very proactive” in securing gigs independently since he returned from the Caribbean.

Upcoming roles include co-starring roles in Lifetime crime reenactment show and an Oxygen show. More information about Huber’s acting career can be found at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9261695/

GETTING ACFT READY

BY CRYSTAL KUPPER

An athletic training facility in Tennessee is helping local National Guardsmen get into the best shape of their military careers.

D1 Training, a franchised brand, is located in Hardin Valley, just outside Knoxville. Devin Driscoll, a former WWE wrestler, has been an owner since 2018 — but his appreciation for the military began long before that. He was attending Fordham University on Sept. 11, 2001, less than 20 miles from the twin towers.

“My uncle served in the Navy, and I’ve had a lot of friends who have served,” Driscoll said. “But especially since 9/11, I’ve had a passion for giving back to those who have served.”

In March 2020, Driscoll met Staff Sgt. Chris Fairchild, of the Tennessee Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion. Fairchild wanted to develop an eight-week training program specifically designed to achieve a passing score on the latest Army Combat Fitness Test. Driscoll was immediately interested.

“D1 has a reputation of training the top athletes,” Fairchild said.

“On my initial meeting with Devin, I toured the facility and met all the trainers and instantly knew that we found a home. The atmosphere is contagious and instantly motivates you to leave your best on the field.”

Hit it hard

Driscoll signed a yearlong contract with the Guard, creating a formal-yet-unnamed program for Fairchild’s recruits and any other nearby guardsmen. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, approximately 20 men and women, ages 18 to 35, get together. For one hour, they perform exercises aimed at improving their fitness test scores: high-intensity interval training, sled work, hex pulls, deadlifts and the like. They move from the weight room to turf as necessary, a massive American flag keeping watch from the wall.

“Our trainers find their deficiencies, find out where there

D1 TIPS FOR FITNESS

IN THE NEW YEAR

Looking to shape up in the new year? Focus on a few small changes in your daily routine:

Think about your “why.” Are you setting a New Year’s resolution revolving around fitness just because you’re “supposed” to? Good chance it will fail unless it means something personal. Take a few moments to explore your motivation, then remind yourself frequently.

could be improvement, then train off those deficiencies and retest,” Driscoll said. “The biggest difference is when you train with a purpose and with a program designed off your deficiencies, you can really see large gains and increase your performance.”

Fairchild is a prime example. Though he said he “was in pretty decent shape” when he began training at D1 in November 2020, his fitness scores began climbing afterward – first to 567 out of 600, then to 594.

“The training is elite, and I am living proof that someone can achieve a max score and overall better your health and wellness,” Fairchild said.

But it hasn’t just been Fairchild improving. Five current Guard members went from failing the ACFT diagnostics to passing, scoring over 450. Additionally, eight people have enlisted with Fairchild thanks to referrals from D1 training.

Win-win

D1 has gotten involved with the National Guard in other ways, too. The facility hosted the first-

ever mobile 20th Group Special Forces Readiness Evaluation in a one-day tryout. The event generated 67 leads. D1 also hopes to host a future event for elite local high school athletes to compete against each other using the ACFT standards.

“At D1, we have such a good reach because we’ve penetrated the market locally,” Driscoll said. “It’s been a great way to build the Guard’s brand deeper within the community.”

It’s all added up to a win-win situation, Fairchild added.

“The classes have made a huge impact on our National Guard soldiers and warriors,” he said. “The D1 training has laid the groundwork for our warriors to be physically prepared when boots hit the ground at basic training.”

Driscoll sees the relationship between D1 and the National Guard continuing well into the future.

“This is the right thing to do,” he said. “I think right now there’s not enough people supporting our military, and if we can bridge that gap, that’s a win for us.”

Try something new. Why not shake up your normal ho-hum? Try a new sport, enroll in a new exercise class, try a new route, take along your dog — just as long as it’s different.

Just get moving. Maybe you’re not going to run a marathon anytime soon. Just try moving your body five minutes more than yesterday. Get 100 more steps in. Lift weights 10 more times. The point: any increase in movement will help.

Outsource. Sometimes, an accountability partner is all you need — and it’s OK to hire one. Try a trainer for a week or two and see how they can help you reach your fitness goals.

Set a goal. Speaking of fitness goals, write them down. How about a 5K in three months with your best friend? A new max in your weightlifting? A PR in your swim time? Entering a dance competition for the first time? It doesn’t matter what, just aim, then fire.

Give yourself grace. Did you skip a day? You’re not a loser, you’re just human. Try telling yourself, “I may have temporarily gotten distracted, but I am getting back on track tomorrow through _____.” Talk to yourself the way you would talk to your best friend, not an enemy.

Bea Arthur’s Marine Corps service ‘evidence of badassery’

Despite public denial, service records show ‘The Golden Girls’ actress rose to the rank of staff sergeant in the Marine

BY KARI WILLIAMS

Fellow Marines surely were thankful that Bernice Frankel was a friend, traveling down the road and back again – as a truck driver in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve during World War II.

Frankel - better known as Bea Arthur - portrayed the brazen Dorothy Zbornak on “The Golden Girls” and staunch feminist “Maude” as that show’s namesake. She flat-out denied her military service while alive, but service records maintained at the National Archives confirm she was, in fact, a friend and a confidant for the U.S. Marine Corps.

“Her service becomes like evidence of badassery,” said Dr. Kate Browne, author of the 2020 Wayne State University Press book, “The Golden Girls.”

Despite the public denial, Browne said there’s no question that Arthur’s stint in the Marines made sense.

“I think there’s a loyalty,” Browne said. “[She’s] got that sort of quality, being an introvert with people and, later in life, being so politically active with different causes, it makes sense to me if there were a call for service in WWII, she would answer that call.”

Bea-coming a Marine reservist

And answer it she did, applying to join the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve at 20 years old, mere days after its creation.

A letter Arthur penned in February 1943 stated that she worked at Phillips Packaging Co. while interning at Cambridge Hospital after graduating from high school.

“I soon realized that I didn’t care for lab work at all, so I came to New York and got a job doing office work for a loan company,” she wrote. “The work was pleasant, but I didn’t make enough to support myself. So Monday, the fifteenth, I left and found another job at Sperry’s [sic] as an inspector. I was supposed to start work yesterday, but I heard last week that enlistment for women in the Marines was open, so [I] decided the only thing to do was join.”

The women’s reserve was established in February 1943, providing the opportunity for roughly 20,000 women to serve in 200 different capacities.

In 1941, Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers, a Red Cross volunteer during World War I, introduced the bill that established the Women’s Army Corps. The following year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Public Law 689, which created the Navy Women’s Reserve. The Marine Corps also fell under the Department of the Navy, according to Kalli Martin, National WWII Museum research historian.

“It’s important to note there, [the public law] didn’t require it, it just allowed it,” Martin said of women serving in the Navy.

Amid the hesitation that Martin said existed in the ’40s regarding allowing women in the military, the Marine Corps was the “most reluctant.” It wasn’t until Nov. 7, 1942, that Commandant Lt. Gen. Thomas Holcomb approved the formation of the women’s reserve.

“Everything kind of moves quickly from there,” Martin said. “[They] have to start figuring out how many women do they need, what are they going to be capable of.”

Corps Women’s Reserve during World War II.

COURTESY THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Photo courtesy University of North Carolina at Greensboro Women Veterans Historical Project

Despite the Marines’ hesitancy in letting women in the branch, according to Martin, it was the only branch that didn’t call its female members by an acronym. While options such as Dainty Devil Dogs, Glamourines, WAMs, Women’s Leatherneck Aids and Sub-Marines were tossed around, Holcomb wouldn’t use any of those. Women who entered the Marines were just that.

And the reserve’s biggest contribution, according to Martin, was that it helped dispel myths that women didn’t have a place in the military beyond being nurses. Even more impressive, she said, they did so during wartime.

“They were trailblazers,” Martin said. “They were setting the stage for women to become permanent members of the military.”

Still, those interested in serving initially could not be married to a Marine (Arthur later married a fellow Marine) and weren’t

allowed to have children under 18 years old, Martin said. Other qualifications included being at least 60 inches tall, weighing a minimum of 95 pounds and ranging in age from 20 to 35.

“As you see in Bea’s profile, I think 21 was the minimum age you had to have parental consent, which is interesting because men going into the military at 18 could enlist without parental consent,” Martin said.

Called to active duty

In a letter dated March 18, 1943, Arthur was called to active duty and instructed to report to the U.S. Naval Training School, Hunter College, in the Bronx, eight days later.

Russell Davis, of the Maryland Unemployment Compensation Board, penned a letter of recommendation for Arthur, having known the Frankel family for several years.

“She has always been looked upon as a leader by all her associates in the school and in the community,” Davis wrote, “and in my opinion, possesses every qualification for leadership in the organization to which she is now making application.”

Arthur also underwent two personality appraisals. The first, conducted by Ensign V.K. Outwin, cited Arthur’s appearance as alert, trim and neither positive nor negative; her speech as fluent and distinct, while argumentative; and her general behavior as over aggressive, frank and open.

The second appraisal – from an officer whose signature is illegible – reported Arthur’s appearance was well-poised with military bearing posture and meticulous good taste; her vocabulary limited and conversation reserved; and her general behavior as ingratiating, frank and open.

Men’s service records, according to Martin, did not include “equivalent personality profiles,” possibly because the Marine Corps was still trying to figure out the inclusion of women.

While sexism could have played a role in the appraisals, according to Martin, the focus on personal appearance does make sense.

“There was such a concern about women losing their femininity going into the military,” Martin said. ”... Each branch put a lot of effort into playing up the femininity of their enlistees.”

Rising through the ranks

Arthur was promoted to private first class on May 1, 1943, while assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Company E.

Having enlisted in the Marine Corps to be a truck driver, according to her service records, she requested a transfer in June 1943 to Motor Transport School

in North Carolina, believing she would be “of more value to the Marine Corps in this duty because of past experience.”

She reported to Camp Lejeune the following month and was one of two women promoted to corporal from the Specialist Schools Detachment, Marine Corps Women’s Reserve Schools. In December 1943, she joined 11 others in another promotion, this time to sergeant.

While women taking on roles as dispatchers and truck drivers, as Arthur had done, were common, Martin said it was unique that Arthur requested those roles.

“Especially considering young women from New York City had probably never driven before,” Martin said.

Plus, Browne said those specialties go “against the narrative of women in the service.”

While a member of the Aviation Women’s Reserve Squadron 17, out of Cherry Point, North Carolina, Arthur married fellow Marine Robert Aurthur and requested a name change to Bernice Aurthur.

In January 1945, Arthur was again promoted, this time to the rank of staff sergeant. She was honorably discharged Sept. 26, 1945.

Becoming a staff sergeant, Martin said, shows Arthur’s skill, talent and leadership.

“The fact that she was able to attain that, she must have been very good at what she did,” Martin said.

Denial of service

Despite her talents, Arthur’s denial of her Marine Corps career, according to Browne, makes sense from a “generational perspective” and how women in the military have been viewed in the past.

“I don’t hear a lot of women of the silent generation or contemporaries of Bea Arthur that would say, ‘Yes, I’m a veteran. I served.’ That’s reserved for men,” Browne said.

Martin, however, viewed Arthur’s statement more as a dismissal than a denial. Still, she said it’s “not uncommon for people to downplay their service.” In Arthur’s role as a public figure, Martin said that might have been the case.

“I do find it odd for someone to completely deny,” Martin said, “but I don’t know that that kind of goes to her as a person, she felt it was taking away from people who had seen combat. It’s hard to know.”

To Browne, it’s more interesting that Arthur didn’t talk about her service, given the length of her enlistment.

“I think it’s interesting she’s having all these experiences, and once

she went to acting school, that’s what she stuck with…,” Browne said. “[I wonder] if she maybe intended to stay in service and couldn’t or didn’t for some reason. It seemed like this was a turning point in her life and work where she was ready to commit to something more long term.”

That long-term commitment led to several sitcom guest spots, her role as Maude on “All in the Family” in the early 1970s that turned into a spin-off

lasting 141 episodes before landing “The Golden Girls.” She received a combined 15 Emmy nominations and awards, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on “Maude” and “The Golden Girls.”

It’s also possible, according to Browne, that because of her involvement in liberal and progressive causes, that Arthur didn’t want to be associated with military service.

When contacted via email, Arthur’s son Daniel Saks declined to be interviewed, but wrote that she “almost never” spoke about her time in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, “beyond saying she could drive any vehicle.”

And though Arthur’s service and denials both are matters of public record, Browne can’t help but wonder, “How interesting would it be if she were proud of that service?”

Army recruiter details benefits of active, reserve service

BY ANNE MARIE HUNTER

Army recruiter Sgt. 1st Class Damian Robinson enlisted in the military in 2008. Since then, he has moved from Active Guard Reserve to the Army Reserve and back four times. These transitions, which included a tour in Iraq, were pivotal steps for his military service and leadership responsibilities.

“When returning to part-time units, I was able to take the acquired knowledge and apply it to the Army Reserve, making units more well-rounded and mission capable with lessons learned,” Robinson said. “The leadership experience I gained while on active orders did not change the slower tempo that the reserve generally has, but it made that slower tempo more efficient in training soldiers during the weekend.”

Robinson joined the reserves after high school. He says the part-time requirements allowed him to focus on, and succeed in, his college education. For both his associate and bachelor’s degrees, he took advantage of education benefits, which are available as soon as a soldier completes basic training.

“I received my education debtfree, and I will never have the burden of student loan debt because I was in the reserve,” said Robinson, who is currently a recruiter in Kansas.

Benefits for reservists and guardsmen cover housing and tuition exclusively; virtually all education expenses are covered for AGR students.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs website, the following is required for the Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve:

• A six-year obligation in the Selected Reserve;

• Completion of initial active duty for training;

• Good standing in a drill unit;

• A high school diploma or equivalency.

For those who served on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001, you may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Below are eligibility requirements, according to VA:

• Served at least 90 days on active duty (either all at once or with breaks in service) on or after Sept. 11, 2001, OR

• Received a Purple Heart on or after Sept. 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged after any amount of service, OR

• Served for at least 30 continuous days (all at once, without a break in service) on or after Sept. 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged with a service-connected disability, OR

• Student is a dependent child using benefits transferred by a qualifying veteran or service member.

Housing loans

As a family man, other Army benefits are also key for Robinson, who purchased a home using a VA loan. Because of that, he had no down payment and low interest rates.

“I’ve done this twice now,” he said.

Qualifications for the loan program – eligible to service members and veterans for refinancing or purchasing a new home with zero down – vary.

VA requires guardsmen and reservists to have served at least six years in the Selected Reserve, and:

• Honorably discharged, OR

• On the retired list, OR

• Honorably transferred to Standby or Ready Reserve, OR

• Continues to serve in the Selected Reserve longer than six years, OR

• Served at least 90 days on Title 10 orders during wartime, OR

• Discharged or released from active duty due to a serviceconnected disability.

Preparing for retirement

As a soldier’s career advances, retirement benefits also are distinct across these categories of service.

“Active-duty soldiers can retire after 20 years and draw their full pension immediately,” said Robinson. “Reservists and Guards[men] are also eligible for retirement after 20 years but can’t start drawing their pensions until they’re 62.”

Understanding benefits

In his role, Robinson not only recruits new soldiers, but provides counseling for those making the transfer from full- to part-time service.

“For transfers, AGR go through their branch manager to request a release from active duty to go back to part-time status,” Robinson said. “To move from part-time to full-time, they submit a request packet with their unit.”

Soldiers also go through the Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program, which Robinson said “prepares soldiers with beneficial training for the next steps in their transition, such as Veteran Affairs processing, resume writing, career services, along with education and vocational programs.”

Whether AGR or Reserve/ National Guard, Robinson helps soldiers find direction and a home in the Army.

“I’ve put in a lot of people into the military that otherwise would not have thought about it,” said Robinson, whose grandfather served in World War II, and whose father and brothers are also Army veterans.

“I’ve been at the right place and right time and helped a lot of people come into the Army. They’ve wrapped their lives around the benefits and service, and I’ve helped the military find talent to accomplish their mission.”

For more information about benefits for full- or part-time military service, visit myarmybenefits or www.benefits. va.gov/guardreserve/active-reserve.asp

COURTESY SGT. 1ST CLASS DAMIAN ROBINSON

COURTESY SGT. 1ST CLASS DAMIAN ROBINSON

CAN YOU DIG IT?

Veterans excavate for military artifacts, providing long-term benefits

BY DAVE PAONE

What they do would make Indiana Jones proud.

“They” are American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR) and “what they do” is conduct archaeological fieldwork, giving service members work experience, as well as long-term social and psychological benefits.

But of course, Indiana Jones

is a romanticized, Hollywood depiction of what archaeology is.

“Archaeology is a team effort, which is a big reason that AVAR exists,” said Dr. Stephen Humphreys, founder and CEO of AVAR and an Air Force veteran.

“Archaeology digs feature a lot of people doing a lot of different jobs on site and working eight hours a day in difficult conditions.

Indiana Jones does not do that.”

But for AVAR, it’s not just participation, it’s what Humphreys calls “rehabilitation archaeology,” which is where the long-term benefits come into play.

“Archaeology is unusually capable of putting people together in this intense social environment and creating groups in a way that’s not

too dissimilar from a deployment or a basic training experience,” Humphreys said.

A 2015 study, “The biopsychosocial benefits and shortfalls for armed forces veterans engaged in archaeological activities,” published in 2016 in “Nurse Education Today,” determined that archaeology offers “multi-

Army veteran Ben Powers and National Park Service archaeologist Christine Nestleroth use a Munsell soil color chart to accurately describe the soil they are excavating.

Photo by Glenn Reign

factorial hope for veterans searching for ways to ease the transition to civilian life and recover from military stress and trauma.”

The digs, according to Humphreys, “tend to be beneficial” for veterans who might feel “disconnected” or not be as active in the veteran community anymore.

“We give them a chance to work together with people who understand what they’ve gone through while they’re doing a really important mission” said Humphreys, a 40-year-old Wichita Falls, Texas, native.

Digging into passions

Humphreys served six-and-a-half years in the Air Force, reaching the rank of captain as an aircraft maintenance officer.

After leaving the service in 2010, he and his wife, Clarissa, had the opportunity to go on a dig in Israel. They reasoned it would be a chance to travel and check out the country.

“Had no idea what archaeology was about,” Humphreys said. “Had no interest in it whatsoever and then as soon as I started digging, I just thought, ‘Wow, this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.’”

Humphreys founded AVAR in 2016, combining his three passions — history, archeology and veterans — into one charity.

Because of that, 1st Sgt. Sandra Johnson, who oversees a medical company in the Minnesota Army National Guard, participated in her first dig with AVAR in May 2019 in the Saratoga National Historical Park in New York.

In conjunction with the National Park Service and the American Battlefield Trust, AVAR searched a battlefield from the American Revolution to see what pieces of history they could find and to map out how the actual battle took place.

“It was awesome,” Johnson said. “We learned how to use metal detectors; we learned how to grid and mark finds.”

The team discovered items like musket balls and case shots – “artillery that the Germans shot out at us” – according to Johnson.

“We would take the artifacts back and they taught us how to clean them and how to catalog them,” Johnson said.

Joint-effort experiences

In July and again in October, AVAR excavated two sites in Sicily where two U.S. planes were shot down during World War II. The pilots were the only occupants, so the digs were essentially to find their remains and hand them over to the DOD.

The digs were a joint effort between AVAR and the Defense

POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Johnson served as a medic on one of the digs.

The National Parks Department forbids anyone from digging up battlefields or even walking around them with a metal detector.

“A lot of what we’re doing is getting these permits, these governmental permissions, and we’re applying for funding through grants,” Humphreys said. “That’s what archeologists really do, just as much as we move dirt.”

Service members on active duty can also work with AVAR. Humphrey said AVAR was recently accepted into DOD’s Skillbridge Program, which allows active-duty service members to work with an “approved civilian agency” during the last six months of their service with commander approval.

Johnson highly recommends this. “You’re meeting other veterans where you have similar interests, you’re making new friends and you’re learning valuable skills,” she said. “I try to go on at least one a year if possible.”

Minnesota Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Sandra Johnson (left) and Air Force veteran and EMT Karen Reed served as medics for the AVAR team during the July-August Sicily excavation. Photo by Mackenze Burkhart

million requested for personnel   $2,386

70,300

14,776 planned end strength average number of Total Selected Reserve officers

Source: Air Force Reserve FY22 Budget Estimates

55,432 average number of Total Selected Reserve enlisted   $599,000

cost for mobilization training