The Hornet - October 2019

Hurricane

Dorian when disaster strikes, the North Carolina National Guard responds

North Carolina National Guard Quarterly Issue

October 2019 www.nc.ng.mil

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Director of Public Affairs Lt. Col. Matthew DeVivo matthew.r.devivo.mil@mail.mil

Inside this Issue:

Media Relations Maj. Matthew Boyle matthew.i.boyle.mil@mail.mil

Community Relations Maj. Michael Wilber michael.j.wilber2.mil@mail.mil

Visual Information Staff Sgt. Brendan Stephens brendan.p.stephens.mil@mail.mil

145th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Tech. Sgt. Nathan Clark nathan.t.clark.mil@mail.mil

Writers/Photographers Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan robert.b.jordan2.mil@mail.mil Staff Sgt. Mary Junell mary.e.junell.mil@mail.mil Staff Sgt. Leticia Samuels leticia.m.samuels.mil@mail.mil Sgt. Joe Roudabush joe.f.roudabush.mil@mail.mil Spc. Alonzo Clark Alonzo.l.clark2.mil@mail.mil

Social Media Sgt. Odaliska Almonte ncngpao@gmail.com The Hornet magazine is an authorized publication for members of the North Carolina National Guard. Contents of this publication are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the NCNG, United States Government or the Department of Defense. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Public Affairs Office of the NCNG. General comments and suggestions should be addressed to Mary.E.Junell.mil@mail.mil or call 984-664-6590.

Layout and design by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

On The Cover:

Hurricane Dorian made land-fall over Cape Hatteras, N.C., on September 6, 2019, at 8:35 a.m. EST, with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph (Category 1 storm). The National Hurricane Center called Dorian, “Life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds,� as well as the risk of flash flooding.

North Carolina National Guardsmen work together with N.C. Emergency Management to provide support to the citizens of North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

Operation Hickory Sting Pg. 11

Upward Minuteman Pg. 17

Hurricane Dorian Response Pg. 23

Old Hickory Veterans in the Netherlands Pg. 27

Also in This Issue: NC Air Guard’s Life-Saving Mission , Pg. 9

Don’t Forget!

You can click on the story descriptions above to go directly to that story! Than click the home button to return here!

NC Air Guard in Germany, Pg. 10 Hickory Sting, Safety First, Pg. 15 Tarheel Challenge Graduation, Pg. 33 Engineers in Botswana, Pg. 35 The New ACFT, Pg. 42 Click to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Where is SFC Jordan?

Can you find the tiny version of Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan hidden among these pages? Our well loved photojournalist is hiding somewhere in the Hornet!

Staff Sgt. Nathan Bogert, Alabama National Guard, and Spc. Andrew Brotherton, North Carolina National Guard,spent the week of 13 - 19 July, going against top competitors from across the nation at Camp Gruber, OK, in the 2019 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition.

Members of the 145th Civil Engineer Squadron prepare debris clearing equipment for activation in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian arriving in North Carolina later in the week, at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Sept 3, 2019.

Photos by Master Sgt. Nathan Clark

On 21 September 2019, current and former B Company “Killer Bees�, 1-130th Attack Helicopter Battalion Soldiers and their families attended a reunion on the Battleship USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC. This reunion was organized to celebrate 15 years since their successful deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as part of Task Force Panther.

North Carolina Army National Guard Soldiers of Bravo Battery, 5th Battalion, 113th Field Artillery Regiment arrive at Piedmont International Airport, Greensboro, N.C. July 13, 2019. More than 120 North Carolina Army National Guard CitizenSoldiers return to North Carolina Saturday morning after a year-long deployment to the Middle East, in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve. Photos by Sgt. Wayne Becton

News From

North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team familiarization training with North Carolina National Guard Aviators and Soldiers, North Carolina State Highway Patrol helicopter pilots and crew and first responders from multiple state and local agencies was held at Badin Lake at Camp John J. Barnhardt, on the William C. Cannon Scout Reservation, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Aug, 28, 2019. Photos by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan

Congratulations to 16 newly promoted 2nd Lieutenants of class 61 as they are commissioned from the Officer Candidate Class at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, located on Fort Bragg on Aug. 24, 2019. Photos

by Staff Sgt. Leticia Samuels

The North Carolina Air National Guard celebrates its 72nd birthday with a cake cutting on September 18, 2019 at Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh, N.C. The U.S. Air Force officially began on September 18, 1947. Photos by Spc. Alonzo Clark

Around the Nest

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed Senate Bill 420 into law on July 25, 2019 during a ceremony at the North Carolina National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Photos by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

North Carolina

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Moldovan National army Lt. Victor Suceanu, a field artillery officer, fires a M777A2 Howitzer during a visit to the 139th Regional Training Institute at Fort Bragg on Aug. 12, 2019. The North Carolina National Guard has partnered with Moldova for over 20 years as part of the State Partnership Program. Photo by Staff Sgt. Leticia Smauels

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Texas

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North Carolina National Guard Soldiers, civilian contractors, and hotel employees stand together wearing El Paso Strong shirts that support the victims of the Aug. 3, 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. The Soldiers and civilian contractors were in Texas to support the Rapid Fielding Initiative for the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team.

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NC Air National Guard Embarks on Life-Saving Mission Amidst Conversion Story by Staff Sgt. Laura Montgomery

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s the North Carolina Air National Guard has oriented its mission with C-17 Globemaster III aircraft over the past two years, the 145th Airlift Wing and 156th Airlift Squadron have gained a real-world mission that positively impacts those in need across the globe.

Members of the North Carolina Air National Guard prepare and work diligently in their first real-world mission while converting to C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, towards assisting other Air Force Active Duty, Reserve, and Guard units as they take part in the Aeromedical Evacuation Patient Distribution Channel; a mission that is constantly in force moving patients, and casualties of war inflicted wounds, in need of transport from one medical facility to

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another across the world.

“Typically there are two (C-17 Globemaster III aircraft) in rotation.

While one is finishing up its mission bringing patients from downrange to Germany to Joint Base Andrews, the other one is picking up mission critical aeromedical evacuation assets (equipment) from Joint Base Andrews to take back to Germany,” stated 775th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight Commander, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Shawn Suber.

“All Aeromedical Evacuation Crew Members are trained to operate on C-17s, in which the airframe is faster, bigger, and configured for a better and more comfortable flight for patients and crew.”

The mission for the Aeromedical Evacuation Crew Members is to provide time-sensitive en-route

care for casualties between medical facilities globally with medically trained air crew. With such a mission, there are many moving parts and units helping to make sure everything runs smoothly. An integral group to this mission includes aircraft maintenance personnel who ensure the airframes are fit for each run to and from various locations.

“Our biggest challenge is keeping the aircraft moving, it depends on the type of repair issue but we work to make sure it’s properly taken care of,” stated Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Phillips, 145th Maintenance Operation Flight superintendent. ”It’s good to know that our unit can be of assistance, help when needed, and we’re there for the individuals that need it for a safe, airworthy flight.”

Currently, there are 31 units assisting in the Aeromedical Evacuation Channel including four active duty, 17 reserve, and nine guard units. Each unit

that participates runs about a 90-day or four-month mission, so the units rotate over time with each other.

Patient distribution from 2018 to present includes a total of 2,362 patients; 12 urgent casualties, 46 priority, which need treatment within 24-hours, and 2,304 routine needing treatment within 72 hours.

88 of the 2,362 patients were victims of battle injuries.

“Although Aeromedical Evacuation Crew Members are accustom to seeing wounded and sick warriors, there are times they are touched emotionally,” stated Lt. Col. Suber. “These emotions derive from both empathy for the injury/ illness and knowing we are in a position to help and provide a level of care and service.”

While the North Carolina Air National Guard maintains a steady pace and drives forward through the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft conversion, taking on a real-world mission, in the midst of it all is a chance to show what the unit is truly capable of handling.

“It’s going excellent so far, this is a great insight for the (145th Airlift) Wing and we’re learning a lot,” stated Chief Master Sgt. Phillips.

“This shows the Air Wing our first real world mission (with the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft) that we can accomplish this even while going through conversion.

We can handle more than we thought, but we’re doing it and I’m proud of the whole Air Wing.”

235th Air Traffic Control Squadron Stands Up in Germany

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jorge Lizardi, 235th Air Traffic Controller Squadrons (ATCS) and Airman 1st Class Gabriel Archambault, 260th ATCS receive cad welding training in Ramstein, Germany, June. 4th, 2019.

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ecently, nearly 50 members of the 235th Air Traffic Control Squadron joined with members from the New Hampshire and Maine Air National Guard heading to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to assist the 1st Combat Communications Squadron, an active duty unit, with training on setting up, utilizing, and tearing down a mobile air traffic control tower and deployable tactical air navigation system.

With so many units communicating and working to train together, much information was learned and shared during the experience.

“New Hampshire’s come here before on one of their AT’s (annual training), so we got to know a little bit about them,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. James Bellissimo, controller for the 235th Air Traffic Controller Squadron, “Our controllers hangout with theirs and the maintenance hung out with maintenance so it was like building a team where we talked about different ideas from different places. They may have a certain way of doing something that helps us out and we may have a way of doing something that helps them out.”

While the units were assisting an active duty station, an expeditionary guard component works very differently from the active side.

“My biggest gain from this experience was the fact that I learned that, being a mobile unit with expeditionary skills, which have

nothing to with your job like loading aircraft, packing pallets, and coordinating aerial ports and aircrew, a lot of those are crucial skills,” said Staff Sgt. William Lucas, radar airfield weather systems technician with the 235th Air Traffic Control Squadron. ”It’s easy to view yourself as just an air traffic controller or radar airfield weather systems technician, but that’s not the case in an expeditionary environment; you are a truck driver, you’re setting up tents, fueling generators, any number of things.”

Lucas joined the North Carolina Air National Guard nearly three years ago after leaving the Maintenance Group at Pope Army Airfield; he has, along with his parent and sibling, all served in the Air Force in some form.

“I just wanted to try something new, and being in the military in the reserve capacity gives you the unique opportunity to do so,” said Lucas.

Every job comes with perks and challenges.

“My favorite part of this job is when you have an issue that’s been plaguing this radar for months and you’ve been beating your head up against it and you finally have this ‘Ah-ha’ moment,” said Lucas. “At the end of the day, we say it looks good, but one thing that’s important to remember as a radar airfield weather systems technician is we’re serving the controllers, it’s what they like to use. The job’s not done until they say that we can use this safely.”

With constant technological changes and differences between airfields at each base, air traffic controllers are in a constant state of training.

“My biggest challenge in air traffic control is the training, because it never stops,” said Bellissimo. “It’s stressful at times. Every air field is different; so if I go to a different tower I have to go back into training and learn how they do it and re-learn certain things.”

The multi-unit stand-up trained in different activities including setting up the mobile tower, generator training, mobile tactical air navigation system training, site survey training, and cad welding training.

“We were there to help 1st Combat communications, so we brought our mobile tower there and showed them how to use an MSN-7; it was a lot of people’s first time actually seeing the equipment and getting hands on with it,” said Bellissimo. “It was a good experience to see our whole unit mobilize and go to a European country and act like a real-world deployment, coordinate and welcome active duty and be welcomed by active duty, and we helped each other out.”

It was a successful training mission resulting in cohesive unit learning and teaching between the Guard and Active Duty forces.

“I thought it was really cool,” said Lucas.

“It was a prime example of total force integration because you always see active duty taking the lead on showing the guard and reserves things, but it’s a two-way street.”

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Sgt. Earnest Jarman (bottom) and 2nd Lt Steven Chelton (top), both assigned to the 1-252 Armor Regiment, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, move to a safe location after a simulated chemical attack by the opposing force in the Mojave Desert during their 19-09 rotation at the National Training Center (NTC) on July 12, 2019.

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vt. 1st Class Andrew Horn, a forward observer assigned to the 1-252 Armor Regiment, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, watches for enemy targets during their 19-09 rotation at the National Training Center on July 9, 2019.

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usty sand blows through the mountains of the Mojave Desert as Soldiers assigned to the 630th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (630th CSSB), 236th Brigade Engineer Battalion (236th BEB) and the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team (30th ABCT) work together as one heartbeat to defeat the Opposing Force (OPFOR) during rotation 19-09 at the National Training Center (NTC), at Fort Irwin California, June 27 – July 20, 2019.

The 30th ABCT or “Old Hickory’s” mission focuses on combined arms maneuver and collective gunnery as they move through various scenarios established and implemented by the active-duty staff stationed at Fort Irwin.

“We design a rotation based on that individual unit’s training objectives and where they may be heading next,” said Army Col. Carl Michaud, the deputy commander of the NTC. “The National Training Center designs this as a brigade collective event; all the elements of a brigade, the three maneuver battalions, the cavalry squadron, the aviation detachment, the engineers and artillery all working together in a collective environment to achieve the brigade’s mission.”

Michaud continued to discuss the various real-world threats incorporated in the training to include a cyber threat, an integrated air-defense threat, how social media can affect the operational environment and engaging a physical enemy requiring strategic maneuvering.

“Old Hickory” acts as the fighting element that strategically

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engages and pursues the OPFOR. The 630th CSSB supports the 30th ABCT by providing transportation of commodities such as food, water, ammunition, equipment, and mechanical parts even at the risk of encountering simulated Improvised Explosive Devices, direct and indirect fire from the enemy and mortar attacks.

In addition to the 630th CSSB providing the main support commodities, the 236th BEB provides combat, general, and geospatial engineering capabilities by utilizing organic engineers, military intelligence, signal, chemical biological radiological and nuclear personnel to the 30th ABCT. An additional 600 soldiers not organic to the BEB include an explosive ordinance disposal unit, a military police company and a recon company from the Moldovan army.

“Our role in this situation is to help manage and plan for the enablers,” said Maj. Roland Lamb, the assistant operations officer assigned to the 236th BEB. “This is really important because being in a National Guard unit we do go to the field but not to this scale. This brings complexity to the situation. Working through the things we have planned and putting them into action, [allows] you to see things that you didn’t see when you were planning them on paper. Its good to work through that.”

A critical part of units rotating through the NTC is the observer controllers (OC).

The OC’s provide vital feedback to units involving performance; identifying possible issues and advising them on multiple

avenues to increase readiness.

“We observe, control and train,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Lake, the senior maneuver support training command sergeant major assigned at NTC. “We are looking at the organization from the outside.

We advise them and assist them to make the organization better and also meet their training objectives.”

The NTC training area contains an uncluttered electromagnetic spectrum and sprawls over 1,000 miles to facilitate large-scale maneuvering for Abrams tanks and other heavy wheeled and light mechanized vehicles, and it possesses restricted airspace for aviation assets. This recipe cooks up the ideal site for the largest Army training exercises across the United States.

“We are key to the success of the overall Army for the longterm,” said Lake. “We bring them the best scenarios toward what they would see in a decisive action fight. No one can simulate what we do here at the NTC at home station.”

NTC is living up to its reputation as being the location to conduct near real-life combat conditions and scenarios that test a warriors’ readiness requiring them to utilizing their military occupational specialty in a highup-tempo environment.

“We add all of this together in combined arms operations and this brigade [30th Armored Brigade Combat Team] will get a very good training event that will stress them from the brigade commander down to that brand new soldier that just showed up,” said Michaud.

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North Carolina National Guard Safety Officer Mr. Hugh Wilson takes notes on vehicle incidents July 8, 2019 during the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team Operation Hickory Sting, at Ft. Irwin, Ca, National Training Center. Soldiers recount their actions taken during the incidents for the safety report.

Photo by Spc. Brianna Lawrence

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Operation Hickory Sting: Mission First, Safety Always

orth Carolina National Guard’s (NCNG) 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team has crates full of nearly every imaginable part and tool, several different types of wheeled and armored vehicles and weapon systems from Abrams Main Battle Tank to a M4 carbine, but they can’t replace what no Army can function without, the Soldier, and that is the reason they turn to Mr. Hugh Wilson.

Wilson, a senior NCNG Safety Officer and retired NCNG first sergeant, traveled with the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team (30ABCT) to the National Training Center for Operation Hickory Sting, June 27-26 July. At NTC the 30ABCT will receive the best, most current combat training available in the U.S. Army in order to prepare them for its deployment overseas later this fall.

“Safety keeps as many Soldiers in the fight as possible,” Wilson said.

A typical day begins early for Wilson, as he drives to the NTC Command and Control facility. Inside he meets his NTC peer, Ricky

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Story by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan

Ingram, a safety and occupational health specialist. Together they scour reports of injuries and damaged equipment transmitted from 30ABCT units scattered across hundreds of miles of ranges and training areas in the NTC Mojave Desert.

They apply five decades of military experience and advanced safety training to find any pattern or re-occurrence that could help predict and prevent future accidents.

Rules, regulations and laws are checked and rechecked making sure their reports to commanders in the field are as accurate and authoritative as possible.

“Safety is very important, you have to get ahead of it (risk) before it gets worse,” Ingram said.

The latest report finished, Wilson drives to several of the training areas where the 30ABCT is preparing for their next combat mission. He walks to clusters of command tents surrounded by Soldiers and vehicles positioned for the next mission.

He met with senior leaders of several units personally to insure the latest data on trends

is hand delivered and discussed face to face to include the 30ABCT’s most senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Elmer Harmon.

“You go as far as you need to, it is helpful to keep it (training risks) under control,” Harmon said to Wilson at their meeting.

Wilson continued the tour, meeting with other unit leaders, shared his reports and learned more about training conditions first hand. He viewed the scene of an accident and inspected routes the Soldiers will travel during the next several days.

His 13-15 hour work day ends with a staff meeting to senior NCNG leaders at NTC. He reports his latest findings and trends to better prepare Soldiers and leaders for the next days training.

“It is about keeping maximum (Soldier) readiness,” said Wilson. “Being a Soldier can be a dangerous job, and there are risks. My job is to ensure all 30ABCT soldiers learn and adhere to the Army’s standards, and if they do, I have no doubt the 30ABCT will be ready to stand and fight anywhere in the world.”

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Service members with the Botswana Defense Force secure the area around an airplane during a training exercise at Thebephatshwa Air Base in Botswana on July 17, 2019.

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Upward Minuteman More than 170 Soldiers and Airmen with National Guard units from North Carolina, Alabama, and New Jersey traveled to Botswana to partner with approximately 300 Botswana Defense Force service members at the Thebaphatswa Air Base, July 9-18, 2019 as part of Operation Upward Minuteman 2019.

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

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Botswana Defense Force service members use riot shields to protect themselves against a simulated mob of angry citizens during a training exercise at Thebephatshwa Air Base in Botswana on July 16, 2019.

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pward Minuteman 2019 was a U.S. Africa Command exercise promoting the U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Program on the African Continent.

This was the first iteration of Upward Minuteman, an exercise established to strengthen security institutions, promote multilateral sharing of information, and develop interoperability among partner nations. It is currently planned as a five-year program involving U.S. National Guard units from other states and their African partner countries.

“The exercise was designed to advance relationships between Botswana Defense Forces and the United States Forces, to

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foster trust and partner capacity, and exchange military best practices while maintaining critical skills,” said Maj. Gen. Innocent S. Phatshwane, the Botswana Defense Force Air Arm Commander, during the exercise’s closing ceremony. “This will enable our Defense Force to continue to play an increasingly important role in our nation through the lessons learned from this exercise.”

The exercise matched U.S. National Guard and Botswana Defense Force firefighters, military police, special forces, musicians, engineers, medical personnel, and leadership together for a week of training before a two-day training exercise meant to test how well the BDF

Firefighters with the Botswana Defense Force and the North Carolina National Guard work together to put out a fire and rescue victims from an airplane during a training exercise at Thebephatshwa Air Base in Botswana on July 17, 2019.

absorbed the training.

During the final event, the BDF conducted security searches at their gate, reacted to a mock riot situation, responded to a simulated car crash with two victims, and culminated with a scenario involving a hijacked aircraft and fire.

Air Force Col. Shawne Johnson, 145th Mission Support Group Commander, with the 145th Airlift Wing, and the commander of U.S. Forces for Upward Minuteman 2019, was hopeful that the culminating exercise would show how successful the training had been leading up to the two-day, handson event.

“It’s been great,” Johnson said.

“The Botswana Defense Force

really enjoys the training from my perspective. They absorb everything, they want to learn, they want to be the best defense force they can be.”

One of the biggest players during the final training exercise was the firefighters, who responded to the vehicle crash and airplane fire scenarios. The North Carolina National Guard firefighters who trained the BDF had covered firefighting and rescue tactics leading up to the big event, including using equipment to remove victims using hydraulic rescue tools to cut through the frame of a car.

“It actually worked out better than I expected,” said Staff Sgt. Tim Layton, the fire chief with the North Carolina National

Guard’s 430th Engineer Fire Fighting Team. “The teamwork aspect was superb.”

Layton was part of a team that traveled to Botswana in March 2019 to plan the training for Upward Minuteman 2019.

During that time he sat down with the BDF Station Fire Officer and they planned out their part of the overall training event.

The day before the final exercise the NCNG and BDF firefighters spent all day practicing vehicle extrication techniques.

“Our BDF partners caught on very quickly on the techniques that we normally use and it showed today,” Layton said.

“They are eager to learn, they are gear to help and assist the

American Forces and they really enjoy the camaraderie and the teamwork that we have.”

Layton said he hopes that the partnership can continue and lead to annual training events in the future, as his Soldiers also benefited from the training with the Botswana Defense Force.

“This has really helped us as a unit and a team develop our skills as instructors,” Layton said.

“It has helped us learn how to pass on all of what we’ve learned to someone who may not know our particular methods and techniques.”

In addition to the training events, engineers with the North Carolina National Guard’s 882nd Engineer Company installed a booster pump to

increase water pressure, replaced a section of 4-inch sewer pipe with 6-inch pipe, and installed a separation chamber for a sewer system in one location called the Pink House Project, while they simultaneously worked at the BDF Warrant Officer Barracks repairing sinks, replacing counter-tops, replacing faucets, repairing drains, installing new shower-heads, replacing a hot water heater, replacing light fixtures, replacing a toilet, installing door locks and repainting more than a dozen rooms.

They also repaired backboards and installed new hoops on the basketball court.

The engineers did more than just repair infrastructure at the

Thebaphatswa Air Base, they taught the BDF how to do the repairs themselves making them self-sufficient for the future.

“A lot of it is to better the situation for the BDF, that is the way I take it personally,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Hastings, the Construction Site Supervisor at the Warrant Officer Barracks location. “The BDF is learning how to conduct maintenance, how to clear these water lines, what to do when something else breaks and how to fix or replace it.”

Throughout Upward Minuteman Soldiers and Airmen were proud of the work they were doing with their BDF partners in Botswana, but for the engineers, there is an added sense of pride

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usicians with the Botswana Defense Force and the North Carolina National Guard’s 440th Army Band play traditional and popular music together for an audience of U.S. Army and Air National Guardsmen, and service members and their families with the Botswana Defense Force during a cultural celebration at Thebephatshwa Air Base in Botswana on July 13, 2019.

that came with completing a physical project.

“We do a lot of hands-on work so you feel very accomplished,” said Sgt. Presley Kiger. “We can see what we’re doing, you can see that we’re making a difference.

It’s a big satisfaction to us knowing that we can leave this behind for them to use and if we hopefully do come back in the future it would still be here and we can see that it’s in progress or maybe they’re adding on to it.

We hope that they will build off of this project.”

The Botswana service members and not just learning from their U.S. counterparts, they are jumping in and at times getting dirty and wet right alongside them. When a water pipe broke during the excavation of the sewer line at the Pink House Project, BDF service members immediately jumped in and began repairing the line.

“It’s a very good working relationship that we’ve created this week, they’re willing to jump right in with us and get their hands dirty just as we are,” Kiger said. “We learn things and they learn things from us, so it's been a good experience”

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Although the goal of the event was to provide valuable training for the BDF, one of the most important things built throughout the Upward Minuteman 2019 training exercise was the relationships between the U.S. Forces and the Botswana Defense Force service members.

“Not only have they participated greatly in the training, they are very hospitable people,” Johnson said of the BDF. “We’ve developed relationships but more importantly we’ve developed friendships from all across the spectrum of both the U.S. and the Botswana Defense Force.”

The most obvious of these partnerships was the relationship that developed between the members of the NCNG’s 440th Army Band and the Botswana Defense Force Band who played two concerts together in addition to daily practices.

The first concert was part of a multicultural celebration where the bands played separately and together after only one day of rehearsal.

As part of the show, BDF band member Goabaone

Ramoswete learned to sing Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing' in English and Sgt. Christian Emory with the 440th Army band learned a traditional song in Tswana, the official language of Botswana.

“I learned a lot from them, it was very nice,” Ramoswete said.

“I enjoyed working with them, I

was very happy that she learned the song in a short time and sang it, very happy to hear her singing my language.”

Emory said she had one day to learn the song which was the highlight of the joint concert.

“It’s been awesome working with the Botswana Defense Force band,” Emory said. “They have

been so helpful and they taught me the words very quickly.”

In addition to working with the BDF Band, the 440th Saxophone quartet and later the brass quintet played at the home of Craig L. Cloud, the U.S. Ambassador to Botswana.

Like the band, many expressed their desire to continue the

partnership with the Botswana Defense Force and build on the relationships established during Upward Minuteman 2019.

“It is my understanding that if this exercise was successful, which I 100% believe it has been, that they are going to continue to do this throughout the African continent with other state

partnerships from other states,” Johnson said.

South Africa is scheduled to host the next Upward Minuteman exercise in 2020.

There are currently 13 State Partnerships between the United States and African Nations: North Carolina and Botswana; California and Nigeria; New

York and South Africa; Michigan and Liberia; Utah and Morocco; Vermont and Senegal; Wyoming and Tunisia; Kentucky and Djibouti; Massachusetts and Kenya; and Indiana and Niger.

The North Dakota Guard is partnered with three countries: Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

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Dorian

North Carolina National Guard service members joined forces with N.C. Emergency Management and state partner agencies from the central and eastern portions of North Carolina, as they prepared for, responded to and began recovering from the effects of Hurricane Dorian Sept. 4-8, 2019.

Story by Spc. Hannah Tarkelly

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urricane Dorian’s destructive path was aimed at the Tar Heel State as it made its way up the eastern US coastline beginning the morning of Sept. 6 leaving the Crystal Coast with flooded homes, power outages and devastating wreckage. Hurricane Dorian began its destruction on the Tar Heel State when it made landfall at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as a category one storm.

However, in wake of this natural disaster there were experienced, trained and motivated professionals ready to assist people affected by the storm before, during and after its approach, landing and departure.

As Hurricane Dorian proceeded up the Atlantic Ocean, the NCNG mobilized droves of service members and tactical vehicles and aircraft to support the Governor,

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North Carolina and South Carolina National Guardsmen and members of the North Carolina Search and Rescue Task Force 2 prepare for departure in a CH-47 Chinook at an airport in Kinston County, Sept. 6, 2019. Photos by Spc. Hannah Tarkelly

N.C. Emergency Management and state partner agencies.

“We’ve had fuel cans and MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) all on stand by for the past few months in preparation for the hurricane season,” said U.S. Army Pvt. Robert Taylor, of the 823rd Quarry Team, 505th Engineer Battalion, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.

NCNG personnel and equipment were strategically positioned at various armories along the eastern portion of North Carolina.

The personnel and equipment were part of force packages, which were identified, organized and distributed to counties projected to be impacted by the storm.

The strategic placement of the force packages was accomplished with the help of the NCEM Eastern Branch.

“We’re very proud of our partnership with

Staff Sgt. Robert Shook of the 882 Engineering Company gives a safety brief on the convoy and the route to Ocracoke Island. They are transporting Light Medium Tactical Vehicles which are needed to cross the flood waters in the Outer Banks. Photo by Spc Abraham Morlu

the (North Carolina) National Guard. Not only are they our daily partners, but they’re also our disaster partners,” said Dianne Curtis, the NCEM Eastern Branch Office Manager. “We’re proud to have them in the East, standing ready to support the citizens.”

The NCNG service members also worked alongside swift water rescue teams and local fire departments to provide essential equipment used for disaster relief efforts, such as Light Medium Tactical Vehicles and establishing distribution points for food, water and communication devices.

The Guard provides them access to flooded roadways where it’s not feasible to run boats when needed to travel over a long distance, said Bart Bell a member of the Swift Water Rescue Team from the Charlotte, North Carolina Fire Department.

“The North Carolina Emergency

Management and organizations, like the Charlotte Fire Department and the National Guard, all work together really well,” said Bart Bell. “Bringing all those assets together beforehand lets us work more efficiently to make whatever happen that we need to when the time comes.”

The New Bern Fire Department, New Bern Police Department, NCEM personnel, swift water rescue teams and Soldiers of the 823rd Quarry Team were one of many dynamic teams brought together to provide relief efforts to the local communities along the Crystal Coast.

The NCNG is a ready, reliable, responsive and relevant force prepared to assist the Old North State and federal government at a moments notice.

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George Hamm, a WWII Veterans who served with the 30th Infantry Division, holds a flag out a window during a parade through the City of Maastricht in the Limburg Province of the Netherlands that ended in a festival on Sept.

14, 2019 in celebration of 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Limburg Provence by 30th Inf. Div. Soldiers in September of 1944.

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Old Hickory Veterans Honored in the Netherlands 75 Years After They Helped Liberate the Region North Carolina National Guard Soldiers escorted four WWII veterans and their families to participate in the 75th Anniversary celebrations in the Limburg Province of the Netherlands, September 11-17, 2019.

Story and Photos by Staff Sgt Mary. Junell

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WWII Veterans who served with the 30th Infantry Division were honored with a parade through the City of Maastricht in the Limburg Province of the Netherlands that ended in a festival on Sept. 14, 2019.

WWII Veterans who served with the 30th Infantry Division, their family, and Soldiers with the North Carolina National Guard, visit the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium on Sept. 15, 2019.

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Sarah Giachino kneels at the headstone of a fallen 30th Inf. Div. Soldier who her father served with in WWII at the Henri-Chappelle American Cemetary and Memorial in Belgium on Sept. 15, 2019.

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T

ony Jaber, a WWII Veterans who served with the 30th Infantry Division, looks out over the rows of headstones at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium on Sept. 15, 2019, where more than 300 Old Hickory Soldiers who died during WWII are buried.

N

orth Carolina National Guard Soldiers escorted four WWII veterans and their families to participate in the 75th Anniversary celebrations in the Limburg Province of the Netherlands, September 11-17, 2019.

The veterans served in the 30th Infantry Division, known as Old Hickory, and helped liberate Belgium and the Netherlands from German occupation in September of 1944.

Throughout the week the Old Hickory veterans were honored with ceremonies, dinners, hugs, and an old fashioned tickertape parade through the city of Maastricht.

Although the Soldiers and WWII veterans enjoyed all of the festivities, the smaller, more personal moments are what they were honored to be a part of.

“The most emotional part for me was when George Ham visited the spot where his battle buddy was killed,” said Maj. Kevin Hinton, the deputy commander for the NCNG’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion. “George served in Charlie Company, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division and that’s who I served with in Iraq in 2004.”

Hinton, who is currently the vice president of the 30th

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Infantry Division Association, said he felt a connection to what the WWII veteran was going through.

“Part of George’s emotion is that he was supposed to be that guy, but he switched positions,” Hinton said. “There’s probably some survivor’s guilt on his part, and I’ve been there. I understand that feeling.”

The N.C. Guard Soldiers were all veterans of the same unit, having served in Iraq with the now reorganized 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, and acted as representatives of the Guard and the 30th Infantry Division Association, a membership group for veterans of the unit.

The trip impacted not only the 30th Inf. Div. Veterans, but also the currently serving Soldiers who were part of the liberation celebrations.

“It gives value to my own sense of service and what I’m doing now by serving,” said Col. Wes Morrison, the North Carolina Army National Guard Chief of Staff. “I see that folks appreciate, across the world, what the United States Army has done for the world at different times.

Your service means something and it means something to not just Americans, but people across the world.”

The group was able to visit the same places where the 30th

Infantry Division fought back the German occupation and other places where they were able to rest after almost 90 days of being on the front lines.

One of those places was the Rolduc Abbey in Kerkrade, which was used as a rest center for Soldiers after the area was liberated. While there, some of the current Soldiers took a photo

in the same courtyard where a formation of Old Hickory Soldiers took a photo 75 years ago.

Hinton hoped that this trip would help build a bond between the new generation of Old Hickory veterans and the people of the Limburg province in order to continue the tradition into the future.

“It’s a part of the history of the 30th and the North Carolina National Guard,” Hinton said.

“We need to educate our young Soldiers on the history of what the 30th has done. When the WWII veterans are long gone, the U.S. and the Netherlands will still exist and we have to maintain this and remember what they did. Like someone

said in one of the speeches, the beginnings of the European Union started with the liberation and the desire for Europe to never go through that again.”

As the Soldiers, veterans, and their families prepared to travel home, many were heard to say “see you in five years,” anticipating the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the

liberation.

Even though the WWII veterans may no longer be able to make the trip, Morrison thought it was important that the tradition continues.

“If we honor the veterans of the past, we bring more value to the service that we have today,” Morrison said. “You wear the uniform in the current unit,

you're wearing Old Hickory. You now have the responsibility of that lineage and history of that unit on your back. We can’t let them down. The history they created here, the high bar, high standard for performance of duty and what they did here, 75 years ago is something we have to keep in the back of our minds all the time.”

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Story and photo by Spc. Alonzo Clark

Tarheel ChalleNGe Cadets New Lives Begin C adets of North Carolina

National Guard’s Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy (TCA) New London received their diplomas as they walked across the stage September 13, 2019, at the Stanly County AgriCivic Center in Albemarle, North Carolina.

Cadets went through a military style program for 22-weeks that was divided into two phases: the residential phase and the non-residential phase where the 117 Cadets spent 12 months updating their mentors about their progression.

The academy speaker of the commencement, retired Col. Edward Timmons gave a speech about holding close the values and principles that were taught to them.

“What you do everyday will affect your tomorrow,” Timmons said. “It will impact your future.”

The honor graduate and Cadet Commander of TCA, Cadet Antony Bou did not plan on participating and

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said he could not imagine the program having such a positive impact on his life.

“Before TCA, really I wasn’t going to school because my school became overcrowded and I felt like I was incapable of learning,” Bou said. “So I got a job working as a dishwasher, and after months of it, I realize that’s not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, just working a dead-end job.”

Bou’s mother suggested TCA to him and she believed his attendance would motivate him to better his life.

According to the TCA website, one out of five high school students dropout in North Carolina. Cadet Kyisem Newkirk, Jr. mentioned how he did not make school a priority.

“My situation was not paying attention in school, I would just go to school just to be there,” Newkirk said.

Timmons said that of the graduating class, 41% were going to community college, 30% enlisted in the military,

Selected graduating Cadets of the Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy smiles as they took their last photo together on Friday, September 19, 2019 to the 52nd graduating class at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center in Albemarle, North Carolina.

53% would be entering the workforce, 7% are relieved from high school credit recovery, and 17% graduated with honors.

Newkirk is a part of the 30% who enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a machinegunner.

Previously, Newkirk failed the entrance military exam, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) multiple times shortening his chances of having any opportunities to enlist.

“With the ASVAB, I didn’t do well on it at all,” Newkirk said. “I’ve been working on trying to go to the Marine Corps for four years ever since my 8th grade year, but I never did put in the work to do it. I took the ASVAB eight times and the highest I scored was a 15. The next time I took it, I scored a 68.”

The program instills teens and drop-outs to be selfdisciplined, respectful, and to motivate themselves to the best individuals they can be.

Bou was one of the teens who absorbed all that was taught, and applied it to achieve his goals.

“So I was here and scored insanely high, from a 1.3 GPA to now I am the valedictorian,” said Bou. Bou plans on joining the Navy to work as an aviation mechanic or on a nuclear submarine within the next 5 to 10 years.

Of the 117 graduates, 67% scored above 1000 on the SAT and completed over 10,000 community service hours.

Bou’s ended the graduation with his honorary speech leaving words of encouragement to his class.

“Be all you can be. Strive to be all you can be,” said Bou. The North Carolina National Guard currently has 40 ChalleNGe Academy programs in 28 states including Puerto Rico and D.C. TCA began its program in 1994 in Salemburg and in 2015 established the New London campus.

north carolina National guard

employment center The North Carolina National Guard Employment Center’s purpose is to increase career opportunities for all Reserve Component Soldiers, Veterans, Spouses, and qualifying dependents by developing proactive positive relationships with North Carolina employers and connecting our service members with those employers through all available channels in order to obtain stable careers and optimal retention.

If your resume has not produced results, it’s time for a change. Local HR representatives have given your employment counselor the tricks of the trade and they have the connections to get you interviews.

We can’t give you the job but we can give you the tools to be successful.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE • Resume Preparation

• Vast Employer Network

• Career Counseling

• Access to Networking Events

• Interview Prep • Military Work Translations

• State Wide Employment Assistance

Sign up online at ncngemploymentcenter.com or contact us at (984) 664-6463.

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NC Guard Engineers Build Projects and Relationships in Botswana Story and Photos by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

More than 170 Army and Air Guardsmen from North Carolina, Alabama, and New Jersey are training in partnership with their Botswana Defense Force counterparts during Upward Minuteman 2019, a U.S. Africa Command exercise promoting the U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Programs on the African Continent.

The training, which runs for about two weeks in July 2019 and will continue through the middle of July, includes security forces, military police, Army musicians, firefighters and engineers.

The engineers, with the North Carolina National Guard’s 882nd Engineer Company, are using real-world plumbing and constructions projects to enhance the facilities at the Thebephatshwa Airbase in Botswana, and train BDF service members how to continue these type of Spc. Adam Bates, with the North Carolina National Guard’s 882nd projects in the Engineer Company, shovels dirt from around water and sewer future. pipes while his Botswana Defense Force counterpart advises, in preparation for replacing a sewer line at Thebephatshwa Air Base in Botswana on July 11, 2019.

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Botswana Defense Force service members repair a broken water line during a project to replace a sewer line with North Carolina National Guard Soldiers in the 882nd Engineer Company, at Thebephatshwa Air Base in Botswana on July 11, 2019.

By

the end of Upward Minuteman 2019, the 882nd Soldiers, in partnership with the BDF counterparts will have installed a booster pump to increase water pressure, replaced a section of 4-inch sewer pipe with 6-inch pipe, and installed a separation chamber for a sewer system in one location called the Pink House Project, while simultaneously working at the BDF Warrant Officer Barracks repairing sinks, replacing countertops, replacing faucets, repairing drains, installing new showerheads, replacing a hot water heater, replacing light fixtures, replacing a toilet, installing door locks and repainting more than a dozen rooms.

They will also have repaired a backboard and installed new hoops on the basketball court.

But, they are doing more than just fixing the facilities, they are teaching the BDF how to do the repairs themselves in the future.

“A lot of it is to better the situation for the BDF, that is the way I take it personally,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Hastings, the Construction Site Supervisor at the Warrant Officer Barracks location. “The BDF is learning how to conduct maintenance, how to clear these water lines, what to do when something else breaks and how

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to fix or replace it.”

The Botswana service members and not just learning from their U.S. counterparts, they are jumping in and at times getting dirty and wet right alongside them. When a water pipe broke during the excavation of the sewer line at the Pink House Project, BDF service members immediately jumped in and began repairing the line.

“It’s a very good working relationship that we’ve created this week, they’re willing to jump right in with us and get their hands dirty just as we are,” said Sgt. Presley Kiger, a horizontal engineer working at the pink house project. “We learn things and they learn things from us, so its been a good experience” In 2011 the 882nd spent time in El Salvador and in 2017 they went to Romania, both times completing construction projects, but this is the first time many of the Soldiers have worked side by side with service members from the country they are working in.

“It is a great experience. They get to partner with someone from a different country. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of these Soldiers,” Hastings said. “Here, they get to work together and we can learn from each other.”

In addition to the experience of partnering with foreign service members, the projects themselves are also a learning experience for

the 882nd engineer Soldiers.

Capt. Kevin Jones, 882nd Engineer Company Commander said the projects are a great training opportunity for his new Soldiers and that they will leave here more knowledgeable in both their technical skills and their people skills.

“It is useful from the training aspect but at the same time, so

we can build a relationship with our different partners,” he said.

“When we work with them in the future, they will know how we operate. I think that the biggest part of being here is to build the relationship.”

Upward Minuteman 2019 is the first exercise of its kind, helping build a relationship between the North Carolina

National Guard and the Botswana Defense Force, as well as setting an example for future training events like it across the region.

For the 882nd Soldiers, their construction projects will act as a tangible legacy that both forces and builds on in the years to come.

“We do a lot of hands-on work

so you feel very accomplished,” Kiger said. “We can see what we’re doing, you can see that we’re making a difference. It’s a big satisfaction to us knowing that we can leave this behind for them to use and if we hopefully do come back in the future it would still be here and we can see that it’s in progress or maybe they’re adding on to it. We hope

that they will build off of this project.”

There are currently 13 State Partnerships between the United States and African Nations: North Carolina and Botswana; California and Nigeria; New York and South Africa; Michigan and Liberia; Utah and Morocco; Vermont and Senegal; Wyoming and Tunisia; Kentucky and

Djibouti; Massachusetts and Kenya; and Indiana and Niger.

The North Dakota Guard is partnered with three countries: Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

The U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Program began in 1993 with partnerships between the NG of designated states and newly independent Eastern European countries.

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Hurricane Dorian: 92 people cted were transfered by aircraft to impa

n 545 Guardsme ss the state ry efforts acro ve co re d te or supp

areas

15,000 lbs of commodities were tran sported by NCNG helicopt ers

72 hours

of flying UH-60 Blackhaw k and UH-72 Lakota aircr afts

H

HU

39

dep M V E ES

loyed

30

ter v a w ig h

eh i c

loyed p e d l es

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facts and figures OCRACOKE ISL AND 26 Guardsmen deployed to the island to support recove ry operations in cluding: Commodity & Supply Distribu tion General & Mari ne Life Debris Rem oval Route Clearanc e

Hurricane Dorian made land-fall over Cape Hatteras, N.C., on September 6, 2019, at 8:35 a.m. EST, with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph, making it a category 1 storm. The National Hurricane Center said Dorian would have“Life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds," as well as the risk of flash flooding.

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oC Alonz . c p S by Story

Military Fitness Trainer Instructors teach the students on the first day how to properly prepare and instruct safety techniques and appropriate grading for the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) taking the test themselves later in the afternoon.

The new test consists of measuring endurance and strength with six exercises: three-repetition maximum deadlift, standing power throw, hand release push-ups, leg tuck, sprint-drag-carry and a twomile run.

Staff Sgt. Ashley Collier, Training Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) at the Main Command Post-Operational Detachment (MCP-OD) of Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C. is glad that she has taken away valuable information from the course.

"I have taken away just a

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general overview of what the ACFT is, and how to perform, grade and teach the exercises correctly to others," Collier said. "It is just a lot to it than just a pushup, situp, and a twomile run. We have to make sure our soldiers are safe."

The students test their knowledge the next day on what they learned as they instructed volunteers taking the ACFT. North Carolina National Guard Fitness Manager, Mr. Bobby Wheeler said MFTs have similar characteristics of a personal trainer at their units.

"They can talk about nutrition, they can give people guidance on nutrition, but they can't prescribe or diagnose certain things like a licensed dietitian can," Wheeler said.

Along with the assistance of other MFT Instructors, his goal is to have MFT Level II students

lark

ready to train Level I MFTs as graders.

The instructors also teach the students ACFT program planning by using the Physical Readiness Training (PRT) smartphone application and manual as a guide to preparing guardsmen to physically train on drill weekends.

As a retired field artillery Master Sergeant of the North Carolina National Guard, Wheeler is motivated to see this new change for the Army.

"Now that I am a civilian, I still love to help soldiers, and I'm trying to help change the culture of the guard where physical fitness is not a punishment, it's actually a lifestyle along with nutrition," Wheeler said.

Throughout history, the Army's physical standards have changed tremendously.

According to the Mountain

Tactical Institute, the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) has been used since the 1980s.

In 2012, a proposal to change the APFT focused on having a study to figure out what needed to be changed to test based on combat fitness demands through the Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). As of late Fall 2015, TRADOC made plans to brief senior leadership on the study's results.

One of the MFT Instructors, Master Sgt. Stacy Garner, Operations NCO of the 690th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB) in Kinston, N.C. mentioned how the ACFT is essential today.

"The old APFT is just pushups, sit-ups and run, but now we do more than that in combat," Garner said. "Adding the other five events correlates more in combat situations."

Garner enjoys her personal

Master Sgt. Stacy Garner, with the 690th Brigade Support Battalion, pulls weights on a sled as part of the sprintdrag-carry event during a practive Army Combat Fitness Test at Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina on Sept. 24, 2019. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

fitness regime that consists of a variety of different workouts such as CrossFit, spin, aerobics, running, and yoga.

She believes the North Carolina National Guard can adapt from the new physical fitness test standards.

"I think the change is going to be a culture shock at first because we are not used to doing this, we are used to preparing a month out for the PT test," Garner said.

She mentioned how guardsmen do not have to sign up for a gym membership to prepare for this test, but they can be creative and use other resources like using a sandbag for the sprint drag carry component.

MFT Instructor and Military Police Operations NCO with the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB), Sgt. 1st Class

Nicholas Helms focused on the mindset soldiers need.

"The primary thing, I think the soldiers need to take back is the safety and the motivation behind it," Helms said. "I think as far as leaders, our primary goal is to instill that positive motivation and make that climate for the new ACFT." North Carolina National Guard is making strides to purchase the necessary equipment needed and provide set locations for all soldiers can test.

"It's been a little bit tough, since we don't have the equipment yet, but we were able to purchase four lanes and before that, we were using a mix-mosh of equipment from myself or other trainers to train people," Wheeler said.

Wheeler mentioned the guard already purchased

the equipment, but they are waiting for the shipment by a contractor sent from the National Guard Bureau to arrive in January 2020.

In between the months of February and March, units are scheduled to have their equipment and soldiers will have the opportunity to take the diagnostic in the four quarter of 2020.

The MFT students are determined to train their units prior taken the diagnostic ACFT. As for Collier, she has a plan on how to get her unit ready.

"I'll definitely get our command involved and put it on the schedule," Collier said.

This test stresses the importance of preventing injuries and will motivate soldiers to be excited to be present to work at their units and be more involved.

"I think once they wrap their head around the actual ACFT and to see what they are struggling at and they see what they are good at, they will get more motivated about it," Helms said. "There is a lot of misinformation out there and a lot of worries. So, when they have not done it, they will say, ‘whew, I'm going to fail this.'

And once they take it, then they will say, ‘I can actually do this.

I know what I have to work towards."

Wheeler inspires soldiers to adapt to the change so they can be successful in the future.

"We have all the tools, but it is just a matter of getting all on-board, embracing the change and then moving forward," Wheeler said.

The APFT will go away and the ACFT is marked as the record test in 2021.

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MR. KRISTIAN S. HALL North Carolina National Guard JFHQ Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) Office Phone: 984-664-6909 SARC Confidential Cell: (919) 410-1960 Email: kristian.s.hall.mil@mail.mil

MS. K.M. PATTERSON North Carolina National Guard JFHQ Victim Advocate Coordinator (VAC) Office Phone: 984-664-6707 SARC Confidential Cell: (919) 410-2284 Email: kiila.m.patterson2.mil@mail.mil

The Mission of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program The SHARP program helps to achieve the goal of the Secretary of Defense to eradicate sexual assault and sexual harassment from the military. SHARP helps to create an Army culture where all Soldiers have the values, tools, and skills to prevent sexual violence. SHARP also provides sensitive care and confidential reporting for victims of sexual assault while holding offenders accountable for their actions.

The goals of the SAPR Program are to: (1) Create a climate that minimizes sexual assault incidents, which impact Army

personnel, Army civilians, and Family members, and, if an incident should occur,

ensure that victims and subjects are treated according to Army policy.

(2) Create a climate that encourages victims to report incidents of sexual assault

without fear.

(3) Establish sexual assault prevention training and awareness programs to educate Soldiers.

(4) Ensure sensitive and comprehensive treatment to restore victims’ health and Well- being.

(5) Ensure leaders understand their roles and responsibilities regarding response

to sexual assault victims, thoroughly investigate allegations of sexual assault, and take

appropriate administrative and disciplinary action and subjects are treated according to

Army policy.Â