Senior Master Sgt. Mike Arellano from the 149th Fighter Wing, Texas Air National Guard, gives a Chilean girl a gift and a smile during a visit the children’s ward at the Leonardo Guzman Regional Hospital, Antofagasta, Chile, Oct. 11. Salitre is a Chilean-led exercise where the U.S., Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, focus on increasing interoperability between allied nations. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Elizabeth Gilbert/released)

 10/16/2014 - ANTOFAGASTA, Chile -- More than 30 military members from five countries visited the Leonardo Guzman  Regional Hospital children's ward in Chile, Oct. 11, as part of a community outreach event for SALITRE 2014.
 
 The U.S., Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are participating in this year's exercise, which is being hosted by Chile at  Cerro Moreno Air Force Base, Oct. 6-17. The military members brought gifts and spent time visiting with the hospitalized  children.
 
 "We did a good thing here. Hospitalized children can always use a little sunshine and a friendly smile to help their healing  process," said Col. (Dr.) Richard Vatt, flight medicine, 136th Medical Group, Texas Air National Guard, a traditional  guardsman, who is in Chile augmenting for the 149th Fighter Wing flight doctor during SALITRE 2014., "Parents all over  the world love their children, it's not any different here in Chile."
 
 The hospital visit is considered to be a social responsibility by the Chilean air force, who hosted the visit. It is a way to  establish community relations between the local residents and the military.
 
 "This visit [to Leonardo Guzman Regional Hospital] is to show our local community that SALITRE 2014 is not all about  combat missions, but a humanitarian mission as well," said Vilma Vega Berrios, internal communications, Chilean air  force. "It is our way of connecting with our communities."
 
Among the military members visiting the hospital was Maj. Andrew Davenport, F-16 pilot, 149th Fighter Wing, Texas Air National Guard, a traditional guardsman and a full time internal-medicine doctor in private practice, who speaks fluent Spanish. He comfortably communicated with the children, understanding their complaints and responding with a kind smile and words of encouragement.
 
The military members from each country went from room-to-room handing out gifts such as toys, balls, patches and hats, as each child eagerly waited to accept them. The parents were grateful for the early Christmas presents and they too had big smiles.
 
"The concern the parents have for the care of their child--it's universal," Vatt said. "It's an experience I will not forget."

Pfc. Wil Ledford is credited with saving the life of his roommate after an accident in their apartment. Ledford, of Grapevine, Texas, is a newly trained Combat Medic in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard. (Army National Guard photo by Capt. Mike Perry)

 Story by Maj. Randall Stillinger

Soldiers from the Texas Army National Guard’s Regional Training Institute (RTI) fire a 25mm round from a Bradley fighting vehicle at Fort Hood, Texas, Sept. 25, 2014. Six soldiers completed the range for the final event of their transition to 19D cavalry scout military occupation specialty (MOS), one of several MOS certifying schools Texas’ RTI runs. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Martha Nigrelle/ Released)

 Story and photo by: Capt. Martha Nigrelle

 Fort Hood, Texas (Oct 1, 2014) - Many soldiers say going to the range is fun and a good chance to refine marksmanship  skills. For soldiers from the Texas Army National Guard’s Regional Training Institute, the Bradley live-fire range was also  an opportunity to shoot a 25mm chain gun from the Bradley, a lightly armored, tracked military vehicle and was the final  event standing between them and a new military occupational specialty. 

 Six soldiers, five from Texas and one from the Illinois Army National Guard, spent three weeks training with the Texas  RTI, and just two days after completing the Bradley live-fire range, earned the title of 19D or cavalry scout in a graduation  ceremony held at Camp Mabry, in Austin on Sept. 28, 2014. 

 During the Bradley range iteration, several Texas Military Forces’ leaders came out to visit the soldiers and observe the  training.

 There are approximately 1,000 cavalry scouts in the Texas Army National Guard, said Maj. Gen. William Smith, Deputy  Adjutant General – Army and Commander of the Texas Army National Guard. Training soldiers for this job in Texas is  financially beneficial.

 “It’s a huge advantage,” said Smith. “If we bring them to Camp Mabry or Camp Swift, we have quarters and rations and  it’s much cheaper. The other advantage is we don’t waste a lot of time sending them somewhere else.”

 Maj. Gen. Kenneth Wisian, Deputy Adjutant General – Air and Commander of the Texas Air National Guard, also visited soldiers on the range.  Wisian talked about the importance of understanding the capabilities of other components, outside the Air Force when working in a joint environment. For him, the visit wasn’t just an opportunity to see the troops, but also a chance to conduct joint training, by observing one of the Army’s capabilities up close. 

“This is the basic level joint training that they always try to teach you in school,” said Wisian. “There is nothing better than hands on training with the other components.”

The Texas RTI is a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command certified school and is open to any member of the active, National Guard or reserve element of the U.S. Army. RTI can train and certify soldiers in infantry, cavalry, field artillery, combat medic and a few signal specialties. Instructors are all members of the Texas Army National Guard and spend approximately three to five years training soldiers that come to RTI said Staff Sgt. Michael Dixon, an RTI instructor.

“The instruction is even better because it is more one-on-one,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Weedon, RTI Command Sergeant Major, Texas Army National Guard. “We have really worked hard to get our instructors trained for these courses as opposed to bringing people in on a temporary basis.”

The Texas RTI primarily trains transition and noncommissioned officer professional development courses for each level of NCO. 

“I just love doing this,” said Dixon. “Training soldiers and making our force better for tomorrow.” 

Sgt. 1st Class Kerry Goering slits Sgt. Jared Brooks' hazmat suit open so he can exit at the technical decontamination station during an evaluation by Army North while Steve Wisniewski watches. The evaluation certifies the 6th CST with both the National Guard Bureau and the state of Texas as proficient in incident response procedures and protocols. (Photograph by Staff Sgt. Jennifer D. Atkinson, 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team)

Story by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Atkinson

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Sept. 25, 2014) - With long shadows cast across the blank theater screen and orange plastic hazmat suits glowing in the glare of portable halogen lights, two Soldiers from the 6th Civil Support Team, Texas Army National Guard, moved slowly through the dark building, searching for the device prompting this “incident response.”

Circling an out-of-place orange safety cone, Sgt. Jared Brooks radioed details back to the command post, confirming the target, while Staff Sgt. Jorge Hernandez stood at a safe distance. Both steadily ignored the shrill beeping of monitors nearby to concentrate on the cone.

Turning the cone over, Brooks uncovered a nest of wires, batteries and containers, taped together in a dangerous tangle - the source of the toxins causing alarm.

Nearby, evaluators from Army North watched every move, from the approach of the building, to the use of various monitoring devices, to the search to the contact with the command post. At each step, Brooks or Hernandez answered questions about proper procedures, such as marking the door to indicate the team had moved through it, or how to notate each cleared area.

For Brooks and Hernandez, this was more than training, this was an evaluation of all the hard work and training in the past year- not just theirs individually, but the Austin-based CST as a whole.

“Right now, we're watching to make sure they're doing it right,” said Anthony Elmore, an ARNORTH evaluator. With tightly-controlled doses of reactive chemicals to set off the detection equipment, the realism is increased, he said. The evaluation is to certify to the National Guard Bureau that the CST is proficient in standardized incident response procedures.

“The gases make it harder, gives them a time-constraint. These guys have to make real-time decisions, just like they would in real life. There's not a lot of time to sit and think about it” he said, as his fellow evaluator hooked up a detector to a clear bag containing reactive gas. “It's not going to hurt anyone, but it makes it a lot more real.”

Neutralizing the threat might seem like the biggest hurdle to clearing a site, but for Brooks, just finding the object can be daunting.  

“It's not always easy to find,” said Brooks. “There's a lot of room out there to hide in,” he said, gesturing to the theater and surroundings.

After finding and clearing the hazard, Brooks and Hernandez head outside to the technical decontamination area, manned by Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Goering, another CST member suited up in a tan plastic suit, a bright blue oxygen tank on her back. The technical decontamination area is for the responders, said Goering, rather than larger numbers who might have been affected.  

“We're trying to get the Soldiers out of the affected suits without contaminating them, or spreading any more contamination, as we do it,” she said.

In the entrance to the decontamination tent, Hernandez slipped his boots off, scrubbing down with water while standing in a large rubber catch basin. Coming out of the tent, Goering swabbed his suit, testing it for remaining residue. The suit was slit open and folded down on itself open so Hernandez could exit without contamination from the outside of the suit.  

Still wearing an oxygen tank and face mask, his clothing soaked with sweat from the heat inside his suit, Hernandez waited to one side while Brooks followed the same procedure, then both headed off to the medics to get a post mission checkup. Evaluators nearby watched each step closely, making sure Goering cleared each Soldier to proceed to the next step.

Since the bright orange suits are “level A” suits, rated for vapors, Goering's suit was a “level B” suit, rated for splashing hazards.  

“Ideally, the vapor would have dissipated between the buildings and here, so that's not really a threat to me,” she said. “But if it hasn't and it gets in the water, the level B suit protects me.”  

The CST isn't just about detecting threats, said Col. Lee D Schnell, commander of the 136th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. 

“Their capabilities are as sophisticated as any out there, especially the mobile lab. It's as good as anything you'll find at a university or college.”

Although there were no civilian partner agencies on site for the evaluation,  the CST is closely integrated with the first responder community. 

“This team gives smaller communities a resource they might not have access to normally,” said Schnell.  “Larger cities have fire departments with the equipment, but little towns don't, so we can help them if they need it.”

The year-round training shows in the high level of skill throughout the CST, said Schnell.  

“If I had one thing to tell someone about the CST,” he said. “It's that they're professionals. Just absolute professionals.”

A soldier from the 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard observes a section of the Rio Grande River at sunset. He is serving at the Texas-Mexico border in support of Operation Strong Safety. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Randall Stillinger)

 Story By Maj. Randall Stillinger

Story by: Sgt. Suzanna Carter

Posted: September 21, 2014

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Texas Military Forces, in partnership with state and local authorities, gained valuable training experience from the 16th iteration of Operation Lone Star in the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo, Texas, Aug. 4-8, 2014.

Texas State Guard, a component of the Texas Military Forces, in particular, put into practice the second step of its shelter, recover and return emergency response plan during this annual, medical and emergency preparedness exercise that covered five sites throughout South Texas.

"[Civil authorities] would have us come in, work with them, and we would run the operation of the shelter, managing the clients within it, meeting their needs, keeping them safe in a disaster situation," said Capt. Vicky Nunn, 39th Composite Regiment, 1st Battalion, Texas State Guard. "[Meeting client needs] is what you'll see here. It's recovery training."

The interagency collaboration necessary to activate Operation Lone Star, one of the largest medical and emergency preparedness missions in the country, benefits from the inherent value in utilizing the Texas Military Forces to serve the citizens of Texas.

"It's a good value for the State of Texas because as Citizen Soldiers, we're able to be activated, come down, provide the care, and then go back to our civilian jobs after that," said Army Capt. Adam Wood, a field surgeon with Texas Medical Command, Texas Army National Guard. "So the amount of resources and time and money it takes to use us in that tactical situation is significantly less than it would be to use the active duty side in that same tactical setup."

Brig. Gen. Sean A. Ryan, commander of the 71st Troop Command, Texas Army National Guard, also emphasized the role of the Texas State Guard in the planning and implementation of this collaborative training exercise.

"We have more relied on our Texas State Guard to the point where we're pretty much ready to turn it over to [them] to do all the planning, the preparation, the training" for Operation Lone Star, Ryan said. "I think it has really helped us to exercise … the Texas State Guard to really do their mission. They are a huge part of what we do during a natural disaster."

Texas Army, Air and State Guard involvement in Operation Lone Star also fosters vital relationships with state and local agencies that they would work with in an emergency situation.

"This is just another incident in a different county with different relationships with other authorities," Nunn said. "Because we may be deployed here at some point if they need us, I think it is very important to build those contacts."

Service members often form relationships with patients who return to Operation Lone Star every year for the critical health services that are provided.

"Some of our Soldiers look forward to coming back here year after year to see individuals who might be returning and to see the updates in those families and how their children have grown and how their lives have changed," said Army Maj. Jerri Gates, senior behavior health officer with Texas Medical Command, Texas Army National Guard. 

Spc. Marcus Fernandez, 39th Composite Regiment, 1st Battalion, Texas State Guard, said that interacting with patients was all part of the training experience that prepares him and other service members for future emergency response situations.

"We see, throughout the week, so many different things that if we have to open a shelter, anybody that comes to the door, we should be able to handle it because we have this experience," he said. 

Area residents who visited Operation Lone Star expressed appreciation for the services that were available through the collaborative training exercise.

"Seeing the men and women in uniform is an awesome blessing, because everyone is walking around with a smile, very happy," said Zulema Silva, a Brownsville resident. "It's just a happy feeling to see y'all here, helping us and providing us with services that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. Again I appreciate everything that you all do for us in the community."

Story by: Sgt Suzanna Carter

Posted: September 19, 2014

LAREDO, Texas –Texas Military Forces with international, state, and local officials, celebrated the successful collaboration among multiple agencies to plan and implement Operation Lone Star 2014 during a ceremony at the medical point of distribution (MPOD) in Laredo, Texas, Aug. 6, 2014.

Brig. Gen. Sean A. Ryan, Texas Army National Guard deputy commander, senior members of the Chilean military and a Chilean emergency response organization, and other officials toured the medical and emergency preparedness exercise site following the ceremony to see the cooperation among the various organizations represented.

"We're directly working with the Department of State Health Services … the state judges that you see, the superintendents, the leadership of a lot of the emergency services that we would be interacting with in the communities," in the event of an emergency or disaster, Ryan said. "[These partnerships have] just gotten better every year."

Chilean military and emergency response representatives visited the Laredo MPOD to gain a greater understanding of interagency collaboration for disaster response as part of a standing partnership between the Texas Military Forces and Chile.

"Operation Lone Star is what we consider a remote type of emergency disaster response scenario," said Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel Rodriguez, the bilateral affairs officer who coordinated the Chilean representatives' visit through the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile. "With all the earthquakes and recent wildfires they've had in Chile, a lot of their areas are considered to be remote. So they're just kind of taking some lessons learned and doing some subject-matter exchanges with the personnel at Operation Lone Star who have been doing this for years."

While Operation Lone Star is a valuable training exercise for medical and emergency preparedness, it also provides much needed medical services to underserved residents in Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. These services include vision, hearing, and diabetes screenings, immunizations and physical health assessments. Five MPODs in Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley offered these and additional.

Sgt. Marlene Duncan, 100th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Texas Army National Guard, right, role plays as a civilian media reporter during Operation Saber Junction held at Hohenfels in Nuremberg, Germany, Sept. 10, 2014. The 100th MPAD supported 17 countries, including the U.S., with realistic civilian media coverage; giving leadership a better understanding of how to work with civilian media in an operational environment. (U.S. Army National Guard photo courtesy of the 100th MPAD)

 Story by Sgt. Adrian Shelton

  NUREMBERG, Germany (Sept. 12, 2014) - Public Affairs soldiers from 100th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Texas  Army National Guard, in Austin, Texas, traveled to Nuremberg, Germany to capture the activities of thousands of troops in  a joint exercise called Saber Junction, August 23 – Sept. 12, 2014.

Maj. Gen. James K. "Red" Brown, commander of the 36th Infantry Division, and Col. Rick Adams place the Valorous Unit Award on the "colors" of the 1-149th Attack-Reconnaissance Battalion during a ceremony held at Ellington Field. The unit was awarded this high honor for exceptional performance during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 1-149th is an AH-64 "Apache" battalion assigned to the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade and earned the award for their 2006-2007 deployment to Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Randall Stillinger/Released)

The 1st of the 149th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB) was recently awarded the Valorous Unit Award (VUA) for combat actions in the skies over Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Considered the unit equivalent of the Silver Star, the award was presented nearly seven years following their actions in Iraq. 

The 1-149th, along with E Troop, 1-104th Cavalry (Mississippi) and A Company, 1-135th ARB (Missouri), deployed for a year with the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) in 2006 providing AH-64 “Apache” helicopter support as a Corps-level asset across the country. 

Citing the battalion’s significant impact on the war in the volatile Al Anbar province in western Iraq, the citation states, “the tenacity of the aircrews to engage the enemy and the constant drive of the units’ support elements enhanced the ability of coalition forces to bring the fight to the enemy, destroyed the enemy’s initiative and provided a safer and more secure existence for the people of Ar Ramadi, Iraq.”

The 1-149th’s success stems from their support of various units from across the U.S. military during the “pre-surge” and into the “surge” phases, one of the most deadly periods during the war. 

“The units performed superbly as a corps-level attack helicopter battalion, providing aerial weapons teams to the United States Army brigade combat teams, the Marine Expeditionary Force and Naval SEAL teams,” the citation states.

During combat operations, the battalion’s fleet of aircraft sustained significant damage due to the aircrew’s willingness to fly low and stay close to the fight, often drawing fire away from the ground troops they were supporting. In addition to the VUA, aviators from the 1-149th received 12 Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFC) and 39 Air Medals for Valor in the skies over Iraq. 

Two of the DFC’s were awarded after what became known as the Battle of Donkey Island on June 30th, 2007. 

During a ground attack against 20 insurgents guarding a weapons cache in Ar Ramadi, a U.S. Soldier was wounded by enemy forces. Medevac aircraft were unable to transport the critically-wounded soldier to a treatment facility. 

A 1-149th “Apache” landed on the battlefield and placed the wounded Soldier in the front seat of the aircraft. The co-pilot/gunner strapped himself to the aircraft fuselage, outside the cockpit, and the pilot flew the aircraft and wounded soldier to a medical facility.

Col. Rick Adams, commander of the Austin-based 36th CAB, served as the 1-149th’s commander during the Iraq deployment. 

Adams, of Austin, said, “I was honored and humbled to serve with such a capable team of men and women. Their endurance and tenacity saved lives while turning the tide of combat in Iraq.” 

The deployment to Iraq was Adams’ third tour, fighting with both active duty and National Guard Apache battalions. 

“I would not trade the Soldiers, skills and dedication of the 1-149th,” Adams said.

During the ceremony, the award streamer was placed on the battalion’s guidon by Col. Adams and 36th Infantry Division Commander, Maj. Gen. James K. “Red” Brown. 

The ceremony also included the official welcome home of B Company, 1-149th ARB which recently returned from a combat deployment to Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. 

Adams, who visited B Company during their recent deployment, said he was “absolutely impressed by the graduate level of combat they had mastered. From our time in Iraq, I knew they were highly skilled and courageous warriors, but now they were doing it in extremely challenging, high-altitude environments, which requires perfect power management.” 

“I was further impressed by the fluid and seamless integration they made with the special operations teams they supported,” Adams said.

The 36th CAB returned home from a deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom just before Christmas. 

Current proposals under consideration by the Department of Defense include the option of having the 1-149th transfer their Apache helicopters to the Active Duty forces. 

The full citation awarding the Valorous Unit Award to the 1-149th ARB:

For extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy of the United States: During the period Aug. 22, 2006, to July 8, 2007, 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, and the cited units, E Troop, 1-104th CAV and A Company, 1-135th ARB displayed extraordinary heroism in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The units performed superbly as a corps-level attack helicopter battalion, providing aerial weapons teams to the United States Army brigade combat teams, the Marine Expeditionary Force and Naval SEAL teams working in Ar Ramadi, Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The tenacity of the aircrews to engage the enemy and the constant drive of the units’ support elements enhanced the ability of coalition forces to bring the fight to the enemy, destroyed the enemy’s initiative and provided a safer and more secure existence for the people of Ar Ramadi, Iraq. The dedication of the Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment and the cited units, to continuously accomplish the mission in the face of imminent danger, is in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and brings great credit upon the units, the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Multi-National Corps-Iraq and the United States Army.