Texas Gunfighters join in Hawaii ANG’s Sentry Aloha

Story by: Staff Sgt. Mindy Bloem

Posted: August 26, 2016

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Pilots, maintainers and various support personnel from the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing traveled to Hawaii to participate in Sentry Aloha, Aug. 17-26, 2016. 

Sentry Aloha is a large-scale, combat exercise that employs several different fighter and support aircraft from varying Air Force units, maneuvering together in a simulated wartime environment. 

Various aircraft – C-130s, KC-135s, C-17s, F-16s, F-15s, F-22s – lined the ramps along Hickam’s runway ramps in order to perform strategic joint combat operations.

“Part of the purpose of Sentry Aloha is to integrate with the other Guard platforms as well as some active duty units that are here to better understand how each other operates, so if called upon for some type of contingency, we have a backbone to fall on – that we’ve operated together, and we can all be force multipliers for each other,” said Lt. Col. Kristian Thiele, a 149th Fighter Wing F-16 instructor pilot. 

Performing these coordinated scenarios with other type of aircraft was a chance for the 149th FW pilots to broaden their scope of training.

“Back home, we typically fight F-16s against F-16s, so to get to work on the same team with other aircraft, both F-15s and F-22s, teaches everyone how the different systems work and how we can all work together, enhancing our strength,” said Lt. Col. Louis Davenport, another 149th FW F-16 pilot. 

Davenport is a traditional Guardsman who typically comes to the unit to fly the F-16 aircraft once a month during Unit Training Assembly weekends, or “drill” as it’s known among Guard members.  

“This really provides me an opportunity to get to know everyone and figure out what’s going on in the unit and to just get a greater opportunity for continuity of learning,” Davenport said. “I mean, I’m here flying at least one mission a day, so it really compounds our capabilities, at least for me, instead of being like, ‘well, that was great and now I’m going to do my other job.’ Now I’ve got two weeks of intense training.“

Since the primary mission of the 149th FW is to train and create combat capable F-16 pilots, this exercise also added unique value to the pilots’ distinctive skill set.

“We are definitely fighting some pretty difficult scenarios, learning a lot of good lessons based on those scenarios,” said Thiele. “We don’t necessarily get the opportunity to do a lot of this high-level integration with very robust threats so we are getting a lot out of it, and I think a kind of ‘re-blueing’ as we would call it in our community – getting to see a lot of these newer combat tactics and be involved in it.”

The fighter pilots weren’t the only ones involved in the exercise. Several supporting agencies from the wing traveled by military airlift to offer their assistance for this year’s training as well, which featured more than 40 aircraft from eight other states. 

Capt. Christopher Myers, a logistics readiness officer with the 149th FW’s Logistics Readiness Squadron, understands the kind of effort it takes to pull off an event of this scale. Myers, who was in charge of requesting airlift and arranging many of the logistical details that go into deploying nearly 80 personnel, began the planning several months in advance. 

“There’s a lot that goes into planning these things out – a lot more than people realize,” Myers said in regards to figuring out details like cargo, bus transportation, securing forklift operators, and all the other minutiae a trip like this entails. He likened it to putting out fires, where once you put one out, another one pops up. 

“It basically comes down to thinking through the entire process,” Myers said. “That’s the hardest part is trying to think through the whole process – all the variables and everything that can go wrong.”

The host of support is not lost on the fighter pilots training in this exercise. They know a lot of people are behind them to make a mission like Sentry Aloha happen. 

“Everyone has been able to launch their full complement of aircraft so we can conduct the mission because of the great support from not only the Sentry Aloha staff providing for us here but obviously also just the internal unit – the folks we bring along to make the mission happen,” Thiele said. 

And for Thiele, that team effort is much of what makes the Guard shine during these types of training events. 

“This is Guard-centric exercise, typically, but what I really think it shows is how important the Guard is to not only the overall structure of the Air Force but also the military in general and what we bring to the fight,” he said. “You’ve got F-22s here at Hickam that are on the leading edge of what’s going on here in PACAF (Pacific Air Forces) and PACOM (U.S. Pacific Command) and they’re a Guard unit. Same with the (F-15) Eagles that are down here, so getting to bring in some stateside guys, getting them a little taste into what’s going on right now in PACAF and PACOM, then seeing that from an entire Guard perspective how we can do stuff – I think it’s good for the Guard and good for everyone else to see how involved we are around the world.“

Exportable Combat Training Capability 16-5

Story by: Sgt. Michael Vanpool and Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Wheeler

Posted: Aug. 26, 2016
 

FORT HOOD, Texas - Nearly 2,600 soldiers from the Texas Army National Guard’s 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division, descended on Fort Hood for the Exportable Combat Training Capability program 16-5, Aug. 6-26.

The xCTC program is an Army National Guard brigade held training exercise designed to certify combat proficiency at the platoon level with support from First Army.

“The purpose of an xCTC is to train a National Guard BCT’s platoons to proficiency,” said Col. Jim Isenhower, commander, 189th Combined Arms Training Brigade, First Army (Division West).

The 56th includes infantry, scout, and artillery units. In addition medical, engineer, signal,and several support platoons comprise the brigade.

“Each of their platoons have very different missions and our job is to help them train to proficiency during their ready-year 3,” he added.

With support from nearly 300 Observer/Coach, Trainers (O/CTs) of the 189th Combined Arms Training Brigade based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, the Guardsman tackled multiple training lanes ranging from vehicle recovery and platoon defensive operations to mass casualty and route clearance procedures.

Each lane conducted multiple iterations following a crawl- walk-run strategy and was followed by an interactive after action review that ensured each participating platoon identified their deficiencies and applied those lessons learned to future repetitions.

“It’s been the best training I’ve seen in years,” said Col. David Webb, commander of the 56th IBCT for the past two years. “It’s shown me where our weaknesses are and what we need to work on in training-year 17.”

The multi-faceted brigade is spread across several hundred miles of the north, central, east and west regions of Texas. Annual training allows the brigade to work as one cohesive unit.

“The reality of the training far exceeded anything we could do on a drill weekend and with the OPFOR, and xCTC effects, there’s no hiding, your readiness is right there in black and white. Because of it we are phenomenally better then when we started on day one,” Webb added.

Capt. Joanna Van Engel, commander for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 949th Brigade Support Battalion, 56th IBCT, agreed with Webb about the training value and importance and stressed its role in increasing her unit’s readiness.

“It increased our readiness because when my Soldiers get realistic, real-world training they learn how to react as a team and that cohesiveness translates to a combat environment,” Van Engel said. “It also gives us the validation that we need that our troops can perform in a combat situation and it gives them confidence in themselves and each other.”

Van Engel and Webb both went on to attribute much of their unit’s success during the exercise to the 189th CATB OC/T support.

“I really appreciate what the OC/Ts did to create realistic training,” Van Engel said. “They gave us some very valuable guidance and were able to observe my troops from aspects that I can’t always get to. They really served as my eyes and ears.”

Following each lane iteration, the platoons gathered with the OC/Ts to have an interactive after action review. Notes were augmented with two and three- dimensional troop movements, as well as video recordings.

“Their method was to come out here, support us, and make us better and they helped us to be successful,” Webb added.

The Guardsmen and women were not graded, but given a benchmark. They were then trained and coached to improvement and proficiency.

“We are indebted to them for all of their help and mentorship and honest evaluation. The 189 just basically never said no. They facilitated anything that I asked them to. It’s been the best OC/T experience I’ve had, and I’ve had several.”

Since its  first rotation held in 2005, the xCTC program has been designed to provide tough, realistic training for participating brigades as well as methods for achieving company level and battalion battle staff  proficiency for ARNG units during pre- mobilization training.

The exercise also satisfies requirements for possible participation in future Combat Training Center rotations at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, or the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

Texas Guardsmen meet with active duty components to prepare for Associated Pilot Program

Story by: Sgt. Elizabeth Peña

Posted: Aug. 22, 2016

AUSTIN, Texas – Key leaders from the Texas Military Department and active-duty gathered at the round table, August 12, 2016, at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, for the Associated Unit Pilot Leadership forum.

The multi-year pilot program was designed to increase the readiness and responsiveness of the U.S. Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserves.

“So for today, and the last 15 years, we’ve been a National Guard that gets mobilized and we work closely with the active duty,” said Maj. Gen. John F. Nichols, the adjutant general of Texas, “but when we aren’t mobilized, we are really two separate partners. This program is trying to bring us more together more of the time.” 

This was the first event hosted by Texas since the AUP program was implemented. The meeting gave active duty leaders an idea of what the National Guard does and the different pay statuses that guardsmen can be in.

“Texas has a lot of involvement in the new program with the Army,” said Lt. Col. Stephen J. Koulouch, commander of the 62nd Engineer Battalion, based out of Fort Hood. “So this is a chance for the leadership of the Texas National Guard to kind of bring everyone involved to see each other’s faces.”

Under the new program, select reserve components will be joined with an active duty unit, based on job specialty. 

“We have the training schedule for the next fiscal year so we are actually sitting down and going through and seeing where we can integrate with some technical expertise,” said active-duty Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Miles, of the 62nd Eng. Batt., at Fort Hood, Texas. 

AUP will help minimize pre-mobilization time, creating a more efficient systematic and approach to future deployments.

“The purpose of the program is to increase readiness in the entire Army,” said Koulouch. “By design our guardsmen have a longer leave time required between mobilizing and actually deploying, and that’s okay, but the intent of this program is to kind of reduce that time that’s required and increase the readiness of some of these Guard units that are getting ready deploy.”

Soldiers can gain knowledge and experience from each other to create a stronger force across the board.

“As a commander of an active battalion,” said Koulouch. “We do many things well and we have many things we want to improve upon. As an engineer, I understand that the majority of the engineer forces in the Army are actually in the Guard and the Reserve, just by nature of the soldiers and their experiences.”

Recently, soldiers from the Texas Army National Guard's 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry Regiment in Austin, Texas, participated in a patch-over ceremony with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, an active duty unit stationed in Vicenza, Italy.

The patch-over-ceremony symbolizes the 143rd guard unit, becoming a part of the 173rd active unit. Texas guardsmen will wear the patch of the 173rd until 2019.

“We will always carry the historic lineage and honors of the 143rd Infantry Regiment,” said Texas Army National Guard Lt. Col. Kurt J. Cyr, commander, 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne). “But we are looking forward to beginning a new chapter of history for both the 143rd and the 173rd, together.”

For Texas this was the first big step under the new program. Three more Texas Army National Guard units are scheduled to join active duty units this year. The AUP forum gave key leaders a chance get familiarized and begin to exchange ideas about future operations.

“I appreciate the leadership from the Texas National Guard pulling all leaders from the active side and the guard side; it’s very professional,” said Koulouch. “Over the next two years as my brigade has the association with this unit I’m looking forward to other opportunities for us to benefit.”

Texas Guardsmen support neighbors, battle buddies in need

Story by: Pvt. Kourtney Grimes

Posted: Aug. 22, 20016

HOUSTON -- Texas Guardsmen from the 1st Battalion, 149th Attack-Reconnaissance Battalion in Houston, Texas collected and delivered supplies to fellow guardsmen who were affected by recent flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, August 21, 2016.

Within only two weeks, Louisiana has received more than seven trillion gallons of rain, damaging more than 60,000 buildings and forcing thousands of families out of their homes.

As a result, mare than 3,000 Louisiana Guardsmen were activated to help with flood relief across the state. Many of the soldiers called to duty had been displaced from their own home as well.

Thankfully, their neighboring partners in Texas were there to help.

“The units that are being affected are the same units that helped my family during Hurricane Katrina,” said Texas Army National Guard Cadet David Williams, 149th Attack-Reconnaissance Battalion. "Not only are these my brothers in arms, but also these are the people that helped me out when I was growing up in Katrina.”

This scene isn’t new to Williams, a current resident of Baton Rouge. Aware of the devastation that comes with flooding like this, Williams was determined to help.

“I called just about every phone number that I could get ahold of in Texas,” said Williams.

Williams, along with a few other Texas guardsmen, decided to start a supply drive for the displaced service members of Baton Rouge.

“It’s important to me because these are our brothers in arms who are answering the call, doing their duty and while they’re doing that, they are under a terrible situation,” said Williams, “losing their own property as well.” 

Williams and his fellow battle buddies coordinated the unit’s efforts, collecting three vehicle loads of supplies, including over 20 bags of clothes, appliances, tools, diapers, baby formula and food. The supplies were then transported more than 250 miles into Baton Rouge by three of the Texas guardsmen.

The donations were then sorted out by the needs of the specific guard families in a local chapel that was temporarily transitioned into a collection site.
“Some of the soldiers have over nine feet of water in their homes. I know, from personal experience after Katrina, what it is like to go through that and it’s a lot. It’s not just water going through your house. It will sit there for ‘X’ amount of days and the mud and sewage backs up and you’re going to find wildlife in your houses. It’s devastating,” said Williams.

Louisiana Guardsmen have rescued more than 19,040 citizens and 2,660 pets to date. As the mission transitions from life rescues and disaster relief to support and recovery, the job is not close to being over.

“What we’re looking at now is that the waters have receded and there are heroes out there, the guardsmen, who, throughout this whole operation have been volunteering their time at shelters, handing out food, cooking on the side of the road while people are going inside of homes, taking out all of the rotted wood and ripping out carpet and stuff like that,” said a Louisiana Guardsmen Sgt. 1st. Class Denis Ricou.

While the Louisiana Guardsmen continues to help local citizens, their battle buddies in Texas are making sure they are taken care of as well.

“It’s just a case of neighbors helping neighbors, such as Texas,” said Ricou. “It’s brothers in arms. They wear the same uniform - they just have a different state attached to them in the National Guard. It’s just a great show of force and the one team, one fight mentality.”

If you would like to donate, please bring your donation to the reserve building at Ellington Field, 14268 Scholl St., Houston, Texas 77034 or contact the Texas Military Department at ng.tx.txarng.mbx.pao@mail.mil for directions on donating.

Accomplishing the mission at all levels

Story By: Staff Sgt. Jennifer Atkinson

Posted On: Aug. 17, 2016

The success of the Army relies on strong leaders and skilled Soldiers to carry out their plans. For Soldiers of the 136th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, this year's annual training at Ft. Hood, Texas, offered the chance to improve proficiency in both.

“Col. [Scott] Mac Leod and I were talking about some of the needs we identified at the platoon sergeant and platoon leader level,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael Terzian, the brigade operations sergeant major, “and we wanted to give them the tools to better prepare for the operations we work on.” 

At the small unit levels, such as companies and platoons, leaders trained on troop leading procedures, a series of steps laid out to ensure no part of a planning a mission is neglected or forgotten, from receiving the mission to supervising and refining the training. Each step takes into account some aspect of the battle space that may affect the mission, including weather, movement, enemy, and support, and will affect even the smallest team of the organization.

“Right now, we're in the planning stage of the mission,” said Staff Sgt. Sampson Mejia, a squad leader for 3rd platoon, 836th Engineer Co. (Sappers). “We're gathering information, so we can push it out to the joes, and they can start preparing for the situation. We go through everything that's mission essential- light and weather data, our timeline, friendly and enemy units, and sustainment- our beans and bullets.”

TLPs are done at leadership levels, but the tasks are executed at the Soldier level and require precise knowledge of Soldier skills. To fulfill this requirement, Terzian scheduled warrior task training lanes for the enlisted members of the brigade.

“TLP is the process by which units prepare for training the following day,” said Terzian. “So we decided to run warrior training lanes concurrently, to give individual Soldiers something to work on, and make sure, as a platoon, all the Soldiers were involved.”

Warrior Task Training refers to skills taught in Basic Combat Training deemed critical to survival. Out of the 15 categories of WTT, “we picked four of them,” said Terzian, “and used the model of shoot, move and communicate, as well as taking care of your buddy.”

The four lanes selected for this training were performing a functions check on the M4 carbine, employ hand grenades, evaluate a casualty, and perform voice communications.

“I'm running the M4 task lane. Soldiers are clearing, disassembling, reassembling, and performing a functions check on the weapon,” said Sgt. James D. Patty, Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 136th Military Police Battalion. “Most of them are knocking it out in 30 seconds to a minute.”

Although Patty is a mechanic, he enjoyed sharpening his fundamental skills, as well as teaching other Soldiers. 

“For me, being out here to teach the M-4 is completely new,” he said. “I like doing new stuff, and our [military occupation specialty] isn't what we're teaching right now, so to come out here, relearn [a skill] and then teach it, it's very cool.”

This type of training is also a lot of bang for the buck, said Terzian, and continues the effort to promote good financial stewardship by the Texas Army National Guard.

“Surprisingly, this required very little money but was a big hit with the soldiers,” said Terzian, “so it goes to show that money is not the key ingredient to good training.”

The collaborative efforts of the troop leading procedures and the warrior task training units ensures Soldiers at all levels are prepared to execute their mission, whether stateside or abroad.

“Over the last 10 years, our units have done a lot of deploying, and we're good at it, but some of these skills are a little rusty.” he said. “This is a good opportunity to refresh those skills and build that foundation.”

Texan, Midwestern engineers deploy to Middle East

Story by: Adam Holguin

Posted on: Aug. 17, 2016

The 389th Engineer Company, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based out of Burlington, Iowa, and the 176th Engineer Brigade, a Texas Army National Guard Unit from Grand Prairie, departed the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group en route to a mission in the U.S. Central Command Area of Operations July 29.

The vertical engineers of the 389th will complete missions throughout the area of operations, and the scope and size will dictate which assets are utilized, something unit officials have prepared for and are expecting.

“We will have teams as small as team level elements go out and complete missions in different locations,” said Capt. David Jacobs, commander, 389th Eng. Co. “We were really particular in picking our leadership down to the squad and team leader level to have someone strong that we could trust to be out there with the Soldiers and take care of stuff on their own.”

The units each completed an array of training at their respective home stations as well as a month of preparation at Fort Bliss, with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security.

“Training out at McGregor Range helped give us a lot of work on our tactical skills and convoy skills. It was good to be out here and get that experience before we get ready to deploy,” Jacobs said. “There are a lot more resources down here as far as ability … it was a lot easier here to get any kind of training that we wanted.”

For Spc. David Rasmussen, plumber, 389th Eng. Co., who is deploying for the first time, the training was integral in preparing for this mission by not only improve soldiering skills, but also building unit cohesion.

“I feel more confident after this training” Rasmussen said. “I feel closer to my unit now, especially my squad and platoon … we think and act together and it’s not even a hesitation anymore, we just go and do it.”

While the 476th Eng. Bde. departed on the same flight, their mission will be different. The Lone Star State engineers will provide the brigade-level element to all engineers in U.S. Central Command.

“The mission we have is to serve as the theater engineer brigade for central command,” said Col. Charles Schoening, brigade commander, 176th Eng. Bde. “We will be managing most of the down trace engineering capabilities within the area of operations.”

Identifying what resources are needed for a given mission and identifying which elements get dispatched to complete the mission is the primary focus of the 176th Eng. Bde.

“Managing materials, managing men, managing equipment, managing expertise,” said 1st Lt. Bobby Maphies, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 176th Eng. Bde. “So that we send the right people to the right location for the right mission.”

The brigade also completed training and incorporated their duties into the fold.

“(What) really allowed us to hone our skills was our mission readiness exercise … we were provided the opportunity through different scenarios designed to run our staff through different basic injects and scenarios that we are going to see while we are in country,” Schoening said.

Having prepared in the desert climate on the training grounds of Fort Bliss for more than a month, the engineers of the 389th and the 176th are prepared for the environment and mission workload that awaits them in U.S. Central Command.

“Whatever missions are ahead of us, I feel like we will accomplish them no problem,” Rasmussen said. “We are good to go and we are ready to rock.”

“We are well prepared, well trained and we are really looking forward to getting started on this mission,” Schoening said.

Texas National Guard hosts Chilean Undersecretary 

Story by: Sgt. Elizabeth Peña

Posted: Aug. 17, 2016

AUSTIN, Texas -- Key leaders from the Texas Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and State Guard met with Paulina Vodanovic, Chilean Undersecretary of the Armed Forces, and other leaders during a key leader engagement at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, August 8, 2016. 

Vodanavic is third in the Ministry of Defense. This was the first visit to Texas and only her second visit to the U.S.
“Our focus was operational,” said Rodriguez. “Her experience and background is administrative and legal so we wanted her to understand the relationship the Chilean forces and the ministry of defense have with Texas at the operational level.”

The Texas National Guard has partnered with Chile since 2009 through the National States’ Partnership Program. The program is managed by the National Guard Bureau, and is designed to link a state’s National Guard with a partner nation’s military forces and government agencies in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship. 

“They basically select states and try to marry them up with nations that have similar capabilities or interest in what they are trying to accomplish,” said Texas Army National Guard Capt. Edgar Guerrero, State Partnership Program Coordinator for Chile.

For Texas and Chile, it creates opportunities for high-level exchanges and cooperation in civic-military activities, Armed Forces initiatives, national territory protection, military support to civilian authority, disaster response in case of emergencies, and handling of a humanitarian catastrophe.

One example of the collaboration efforts is Operation Lone Star, a medical preparedness exercise supported by local, state and federal officials, provided Texas and Chile the opportunity to partner in a real-world exercise that delivers medical care to underprivileged citizens. 

“The Chileans come to see how we provide care to disconnected or disadvantaged personnel,” said Guerrero. “They have Easter Island in which they have an indigenous population on an island that’s completely disconnected from the mainland that they go annually to provide care that we’re involved with as well.”

Last year, Texas National Guard and Chile completed approximately 14 military exchanges that included engineering, medical, and disaster response as well as best warrior competitions. 

Through these exchanges, Soldiers at ground level, all the way up to general officers gain knowledge and experience from one another. 

“In addition, with her being the policy driver in her country for the military,” said Rodriguez, “she is very particular, and interested at that level because she wants to make sure the policies that are developed at the institutional and higher level are exactly what the services need.”

The U.S. has been successfully building relationships for over 20 years that includes 70 unique security partnerships involving 76 nations around the globe. 

“Our State Partnership Program is very advanced,” said Rodriguez. The engagement level that the Texas Army National Guard has with Chile is not only at the general officer level but we are operating at the Ministry of Defense level. That’s truly where the impact is made, the decisions are made, and that’s where policy and laws are changed. We are making a significant difference through our SPP relationship not only for Texas but also for the U.S. and Chile.”

Texas National Guard Patch Ceremony to initiate Army of One

Story by: Michelle McBride

Posted On: August 14, 2016

AUSTIN, Texas - After months of planning, the first step in the process was underway. Once the “change patch” order was given, the Associated Units Pilot Program accomplished its first task.

Soldiers from the Texas Army National Guard 143rd Infantry Regiment in Austin, Texas, will participated in a patch-over ceremony with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, an active duty unit stationed in Vincenza, Italy, on August 14, 2016.

“We are honored that the Army has selected our unit to help generate reserve force combat power in support of Army total force policy,” said Texas Army National Guard Lt. Col. Kurt J. Cyr, commander, 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne).

In March, the U.S. Army announced the implementation of the Associated Units Pilot Program, which is meant to create relationships between specified units across the active Army, Army Reserve and the Army National guard. This will also allow them the opportunity to train together before deploying.

“This is going to be a great demonstration of how the total Army fights,” said Col. Gregory Anderson, commander, 173rd Airborne Brigade.

The Chief of Staff of the Army directed a change to the reserve component force to increase unit readiness, reduce response time and change pre-mobilization training strategy.

The battalion will participate in the Associated Units Pilot Program from 2016 through 2019 in association with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. This means the 143rd will become part of the 173rd’s formation and will wear their unit patch.

“Most ceremonies mark either recognition of achievement or a transition,” said Anderson. “This particular ceremony, for them to don the 173rd patch is symbolic of their relationship to us and our responsibility to them.”

After the ceremony, they will visibly be part of the same team, said Anderson. They will then begin working to train and build readiness together, both stateside and overseas.

“The pilot program will ensure that our communication and coordination of training and resourcing requirements to achieve combat readiness is maintained, and will assist in the building of trust and cohesion between

our two units, establishing a One Army ethos in our leaders, regardless of what component they come from,” said Cyr.

For reserve components, this relationship means adding additional training days to their yearly schedule which many see as beneficial for the

home states of the reserve components. For Texas, this means an increase in readiness throughout the state.

“This pilot allows us to have a formal relationship with regard to certain training and readiness authorities and responsibilities, but still remain under the command of our parent unit in Texas,” said Cyr.

Along with increased readiness, there are also many other benefits that come from training alongside the active component including the testing of new strategies, frequent rotations to combat training centers and an overall elevated level of experience and cohesiveness. This will allow components to deploy together and fight seamlessly in combat under an established command relationship.

“We will always carry the historic lineage and honors of the 143rd Infantry Regiment,” said Cyr, “but we are looking forward to the patch-over ceremony in August, and toward beginning a new chapter of history for both the 143rd and the 173rd, together.”

Texas Guardsman donates kidney to stranger

Story by: Sgt. Elizabeth Pena

Posted: August 12, 2016

SAN ANTONIO – Every day holds the possibility for a miracle, but Arthur Corenblith, 56, husband and father of two, was quickly losing hope and questioned how many days he had left to live.

Corenblith, an elementary school teacher was suffering from a genetic illness and needed a kidney transplant fast. He had been on the waiting list for what seemed like a lifetime.

 At 93 percent kidney failure, Corenblith was put on dialysis.

“At that time I had been on the list for four years and I was getting nowhere. I had gotten pneumonia, I had been in the hospital for over a month; I would connect to the dialysis machine every night for a year and a half, for nine hours and I was still teaching school as well; I would literally have to hold on to my podium while teaching.”

One of the hardest parts for Corenblith was missing out on his youngest son’s soccer season due to being on the dialysis machine every day.

“I really didn’t have a night anymore. My 13-year-old had to be driven to and from soccer practice by his coach,” he said.

 Friends and family tried donating to Corenblith but were disqualified due to medical history.

 His sister went as far as writing a sign on her car. “She put on her car, with shoe polish, my brother needs a kidney,” he said.

 Under a new policy made by the United Network for Organ Sharing in 2012, the fittest organs would be given to those likely to live the longest with the donated organ. The top 20 percent of kidneys would be offered to the top 20 percent of patients and the other 80 percent would work the same way.

“Literally the month I was supposed to get a kidney the national standards changed,” said Corenblith. “I had no idea what I was going to do.”

That’s when he decided to register in San Antonio to broaden his chances of finding a donor.

“I went to the Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital in San Antonio to register because I wasn’t getting anywhere in Houston,” said Corenblith.

“My brother-in-law had forgotten his luggage and had to return home to get it. On the way back, Brittany was at a gas station he stopped at.”

Unbeknownst to him, he had found his miracle.

 Texas Army National Guard Spc. Brittany Reppond, 21, a carpentry and masonry specialist for the 197th Special Troop Support Battalion, based out of Camp Bullis near San Antonio, was working as a sales person outside the local gas station.

“I saw on the back of a car ‘my brother needs a kidney’, said Reppond. “I’ve seen stuff like that in the past, but this time it was like God was calling me to do it.”

Reppond called the number on the vehicle and got all the information she needed from Corenblith’s sister.

“I prayed about it, I’d say for about a week. I told myself if I’m a match it’s God’s will, and I was a perfect six out of six,” she said.

 After getting approval from her chain of command, she began the process.

“I had to do a 24-hour urine sample and give a lot of blood, go on liquid diets, and get X-rays, cat scans and psychiatric testing,” said Reppond.

 Doctors from the San Antonio hospital asked that Corenblith meet Reppond for the first time to make sure she still wanted to follow through with the procedure.

“I was shaking on my way to meet her -- what do you say to someone who is going to do this for you especially after you have been waiting for so long?” said Corenblith. “The hospital told me afterward, this young woman is focused, she sets her sights and she goes for it, and that’s a testament to the National Guard as well.”

 “When I found out he had two kids I said, I have to do this, I can’t let them not have their dad because I don’t have my dad anymore,” said Reppond, who lost her dad in 2011.

 Even though Corenblith said he never felt good enough to receive someone’s kidney, Reppond gave him the reassurance he needed.

“I was really nervous,” said Corenblith. “Then I saw Brittany the day of the surgery, she was so calm and confident you could tell she’s a Soldier, those are all the things I’m not. She was just reflecting back to me all the things I needed, comfort, encouragement and happiness that she’s doing this for me.”

Months after the procedure, the two Texans still stay in contact with each other. Corenblith works hard to stay healthy through exercise.

“I got her a little stuffed monkey and I got a matching one,” said Corenblith. “I even went and bought a treadmill and it’s on my treadmill. I say to myself- I must be strong - this is Brittany’s kidney.”

 “I don’t regret it at all, I would do it again,” said Reppond.

 She has since moved to East Texas, is a volunteer in the Zavalla Fire Department, and is getting ready for EMT school.

“I want to be a paramedic,” said Reppond. “I like helping people I’ve been like that my whole life and the medical field, to me, is the best way to do it. This was a stepping stone for that.”

 “God made my crooked road straight,” said Corenblith. “Several times things looked very bleak for me, bad pneumonia, anemia, medications, National Kidney Allocation change and 1.5 years on dialysis - but God straightened it out in the end.”

Corenblith is now able to attend his son’s soccer practices and just returned from a weekend at Fiesta Texas, in San Antonio with his two sons, Mitchell, 23, and Cooper, 13.

“Even to this day, this very moment, I struggle hugely with how to thank her enough and what to say. She saved my life. It’s the most miraculous story in the world.” Corenblith said.

 To find out how you can become a donor log on to: http://www.organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/index.html

Texas Guardsmen go back to the basics with base defense

Story by: Staff Sgt. Jennifer Atkinson

Posted: August 12, 2016

Ft. Hood, Texas – Members of the 136th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, like all Soldiers in the Texas Army National Guard, have two primary missions: domestic support and overseas warfighting. During the brigade's  Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise at Ft. Hood, Texas, August 9-14, these experts in emergency response from the 636th Brigade Support Bn., the 836th Engineer Co. (Sappers), and the 136th Military Police Co., are getting back to the fundamental Soldiering skills they would use when deployed. 

“We're out here for two weeks, receiving training on route security, on base security, and on basic MP skills,” said Spc. Blake Davis, a military policeman stationed in the gunners hatch of a gun truck. “This training is more hands on, so I'm learning a lot.”

One of the primary “green” missions of the 636th BSB is the establishment and defense of the battalion staging area. The BSA serves as the central point for the battalion's tactical operations center, as well as communications services and basic sustainment functions, such as living quarters and field feeding operations for the entire brigade.

“Today we're doing a simulation of base defense,” said Maj. Kadett Derry, 636th BSB executive officer. “This is where we have the battalion staging area, where we have the basic elements that support the brigade. This is where we get attacked and at this point the enemy is coming in and we're trying to defend our position.”

One of the critical tasks in establishing a base defense plan is using the terrain to best advantage, establishing a defensible perimeter by placing Soldiers and vehicles in elevated positions with good visibility on any approaching enemy while offering cover and concealment to Guardsmen on the ground.

“We're protecting the base, making sure no one comes over [the perimeter],” said Blake. “After we receive positive confirmation, we're going to engage that target.” While on guard duty, Blake scanned the brush and scrub outside the concertina wire with binoculars, keeping a sharp eye out for unexpected movement or suspicious activity.

In addition to training to detect the enemy, the Soldiers also developed their ability to respond to an attack. To ensure a successful defense, the Guardsmen conducted “react to fire” drills and established response teams.

“Once the enemy hits, it's quite amazing what we do at that point,” said Derry. “We have a quick reaction force, they actually go out and engage the enemy. If anyone comes inside the line, we have a ready reserve force.”

Participating in the training allows younger or less experienced Soldiers the chance to increase their proficiency in these fundamental warfighting skills. 

“I'm learning from my NCOs,” said Blake. “I'm watching them and participating in other events so I can get practice.”

“We're getting ready for a different mission,” said Spc. Keith Hoffman, a wheeled vehicle mechanic from B. Co., 626th BSB. “This is different from our usual classes, and we get to learn what we're going to do overseas, so we can do both our jobs right.”

The Guardsmen will continue to train and refine these fundamental techniques until the drills become second nature.

“It's exciting to see our Soldiers out there on the line. It's a work in progress,” said Derry. “After every iteration, we're continuing to improve. It's amazing to see. We have some great soldiers.”