Commentary courtesy of the Texas Military Forces

AUSTIN, Texas (May 17, 2014) - Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles “Rex” Driggers of Mount Pleasant, Texas, a former commander of the Texas Air National Guard, was inducted into the Texas Military Forces’ Hall of Honor during a ceremony held at Camp Mabry, in Austin, May 17, 2014.

Located inside the TXMF Museum, at Camp Mabry, the Hall of Honor was created as a permanent tribute to recognize TXMF members who have made lasting contributions of an outstanding nature to the organization. Induction into the Hall of Honor is the highest form of recognition that may be bestowed upon an individual and is widely recognized as a crowning achievement of a distinguished career.

Driggers, who served his state and nation with honor and distinction for 37 years, beginning in 1955, was one of four honored during the induction ceremony.
He made an extraordinary contribution to the transformation of the TXMF by initiating and commanding the introduction of the C-130 Hercules tactical aircraft at the 136th Airlift Wing, Texas Air National Guard, in Fort Worth.

Driggers changed the outlook and focus of the Texas Air National Guard when he instituted combat training and encouraged closer cooperation with the active duty Air Force. He led Texas ANG aircrews and support personnel from the 136th to participate in Red Flag combat training exercises.

This training outlook improved coordination between the active duty and guard air forces, and was a foundation that was built upon during aerial operations during the Gulf War. This was instrumental in achieving mission success.  

During his time as Texas ANG Commander, Driggers elevated the role and contributions of the Air Guard into TXMF statewide operations. He oversaw the development and construction of Air Guard’s state headquarters building, at Camp Mabry. This led to greater cooperation and missions involving Texas ANG units and the TXMF leadership team.

 “This is a great day for the Texas National Guard,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. John F.  Nichols, the Adjutant General of Texas, recognizing the honorees. “You give service the definition of what it means to be free.”

Commentary courtesy of the Texas Military Forces

AUSTIN, Texas (May 17, 2014) - Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Harold L. Higgins Jr., the former State Chief Master Sgt., Texas Air National Guard, was inducted into the Texas Military Forces’ Hall of Honor during a ceremony held at Camp Mabry, in Austin, May 17, 2014.

Located inside the TXMF Museum, at Camp Mabry, the Hall of Honor was created as a permanent tribute to recognize TXMF members who have made lasting contributions of an outstanding nature to the organization. Induction into the Hall of Honor is the highest form of recognition that may be bestowed upon an individual and is widely recognized as a crowning achievement of a distinguished career.

Higgins, who served his state and nation with honor and distinction for more than 30 years, beginning in 1965, was one of four honored during the induction ceremony.

He had a profound impact on the TXMF by promoting the Professional Development of all Airmen.  Serving as First Sgt., Wing Command Chief and ultimately the Texas State Command Chief, his focus was to provide senior leadership with a professional and capable enlisted force to meet the ever increasing demands, both domestic and deployed. 

Higgins promoted a joint environment at every opportunity, working closely with the State Senior Enlisted Advisor, while also working nationally with the Air National Guard Command Chief Master Sgt.  

During his tenure, the first Command Chief/Command Sgt. Maj. Conference was established to understand the unique, as well as, common issues and seek opportunities for benchmarking successful resolutions. 

Higgins was also appointed as a Region coordinator on the ANG Enlisted Field Advisory Council representing eight states.  As such, his actions touched all ranks from Airman to Chief Master Sgt. by instituting programs such as a the Enlisted Performance Feedback, the National Command Chiefs Orientation Course and a distance learning program. 

His objective to serve Texas and the men and women of the TXMF was accomplished flawlessly and today his legacy lives on in the pride and professionalism of all that wear the uniform and their call to duty.

“This is a great day for the Texas National Guard,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. John F.  Nichols, the Adjutant General of Texas, recognizing the honorees. “You give service the definition of what it means to be free.”

Commentary courtesy of the Texas Military Forces

AUSTIN, Texas (May 17, 2014) - Retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Clyde Worrell, the former State Command Sgt. Maj., Texas Army National Guard, was inducted into the Texas Military Forces’ Hall of Honor during a ceremony held at Camp Mabry, in Austin, May 17, 2014.

Located inside the TXMF Museum, at Camp Mabry, the Hall of Honor was created as a permanent tribute to recognize TXMF members who have made lasting contributions of an outstanding nature to the organization. Induction into the Hall of Honor is the highest form of recognition that may be bestowed upon an individual and is widely recognized as a crowning achievement of a distinguished career.

Worrell, who served his state and nation with honor and distinction for more than 40 years, beginning in 1965, was one of four honored during the induction ceremony.

He made an extraordinary and positive difference in the continual transformation of the TXMF by instituting a promotion process in Texas establishing noncommissioned officer promotion boards at the battalion, brigade, division and state level for different ranks, producing a more professional NCO corps promoted on the basis of stringent qualifications and performance.  

Worrell changed the outlook and focus of the organization by instituting a requirement for NCO education to be tied to rank progression, and lobbied successfully at the national level for the creation of Guard/Reserve-friendly course offerings to be completed locally and during drill periods.  

He also shaped the organizational environment for the future by implementing a National Guard Bureau requirement to select, train, promote and assign enlisted personnel through  statewide implementation of meetings and processes designed to make the requirement Texas-specific and soldier-friendly, producing a generation of trained and ready NCO leadership. 

 His contributions created the framework of a professional NCO corps in Texas that has excelled in garrison and in combat.

“This is a great day for the Texas National Guard,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. John F.  Nichols, the Adjutant General of Texas, recognizing the honorees. “You give service the definition of what it means to be free.”

Posted: 15-MAY-14

The City of Sugar Land and the Texas State Guard will hold a full-scale hurricane exercise May 30 through June 1.

Areas of focus will include mass sheltering, evacuation and hazmat response. Exercise participants will work through scenarios that focus on the following objectives:

Resource Coordination: determine strengths and weaknesses in the current plan governing on-scene command and control, emergency operations center operations and coordination of response resources.

Access Control: review plans for area perimeter control, staging and incident command post security.

Sheltering and Housing of Pets: ensure the safety of people and animals.

Hazmat Response: Identify and contain chemical release and ensure the safety of surrounding communities.

The Texas State Guard will provide the necessary manpower to create a realistic shelter operation at Wheeler Fieldhouse in Mercer Stadium, 16403 Lexington Blvd. Partners supporting the exercise include Fort Bend ISD, City of Stafford Emergency Management, Fort Bend County Red Cross and Brazos River Authority.

The exercise will result in a large presence of military personnel and equipment, as well as radio traffic simulating a disaster response.

The purpose of the exercise is to provide participants with an opportunity to evaluate current response concepts, plans and capabilities. The exercise will focus on local emergency responder command and control coordination, critical decisions, notifications and integration of state and federal assets necessary to save lives and protect public health and safety.

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/fort_bend/news/city-of-sugar-land-and-state-guard-conducting-hurricane-exercise/article_5bcfbd88-e460-538d-a0f7-9e6c26586a13.html

4th Regiment Welcomes Home New Officer

Story by: CW2 Janet Schmelzer, PAO, 4th Regiment
 
Posted: 10-MAY-14

FORT WORTH, TEXAS--On May 10, 2014, 2LT Arto Lehtonen, 4th Regiment, Texas State Guard (TXSG) received his commission following his graduation from the recent Class 13 of the Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas. He returns to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment to assume his new responsibilities as an officer.

Born in Halikko, Finland, Lehtonen grew up on a small dairy farm with his eight siblings. His parents encouraged their children to work hard, study their school lessons, and be responsible individuals.  He joined the local 4H club and served as club president.  He liked to read history books and tinkered with an old tube radio.  "I guess I can say that my dream jobs were either," he remembered, "an engineer or a soldier."  After high school he joined the Finnish Army (military service is mandatory for all males in Finland).  After his service in the army, he then went on to attend the Technical Institute of Turku, graduating with a BS in Telecommunications. 

In 2005 his employer, Nokia, relocated him to Texas and both he and his wife Lilli became naturalized citizens in 2012.  He now is employed by BenefitMall, Inc. as a software developer. 
 
In 2011 Lehtonen joined the TXSG because "I wanted to give back to this society and the TXSG mission sounded like something that I wanted to be involved with."  He has served as a squad leader and platoon sergeant. In deciding to apply for OCS, "I wanted to grow as a leader and OCS is the best leadership training you can get in the TXSG." From OCS he learned both theoretical and practical leadership skills, "some of which I have even been able to use in my civilian job." The most challenging part of OCS, according to Lehtonen, was Military Decision Making Process and Troop Leading Process.  This four-month project required writing WARNOs and OPORDs and the presentation of a briefing on how the processes were used to produce those orders.

Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Griego In this image, members of the Exercito Brasileiro or Brazilian Army, conduct a tour of the Round Rock Armed Forces Reserve Center, home of the Joint Task Force 136 (Maneuver Enhancement Brigade) April 8, 2014. The delegation, which included Maj. Anaditalia Pinheiro Viana Araujo, 1st Lt. Aline Campos Dia, and Sgt. 1st Class Jao Batista Junior, conduct the vist to learn about the brigade's Homeland Response Force Mission, which bridges the gap between civilian first responders and National Guard support efforts. Photo by National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Griego.

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Griego

Gov. Perry inducts 9 into Texas Women’s Hall of Fame
Posted on: May 6, 2014 | By Lauren McGaughy

http://blog.chron.com/texaspolitics/2014/05/gov-perry-inducts-9-into-texas-womens-hall-of-fame/

First Lady Anita Perry, Secretary of State Nandita Berry and Houston-area state Rep. Senfronia Thompson were just three of the honorees Gov. Rick Perry inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

The biennial awards were handed out to nine women in a ceremony held in Texas State Senate Chambers. The inductees, chosen for the leadership they exhibited in everything from business and health advocacy to community and public service, will be featured in the state’s Hall of Fame permanent exhibit at Texas Woman’s University in Denton. The names of more than 100 notable women have been added to the list since it was established in 1984 under then-Gov. Mark White.

During his keynote address, Perry said the successes of these women are all the greater for having been made in the face of often overwhelming societal barriers. He said the Hall of Fame is a place for the state’s greatest, many of whom were “non-conformists.” “Yes Senfronia, I’m looking at you,” Perry joked, referring to Thompson, the longest-serving woman and African-American in the Texas Legislature.

After the ceremony, Thompson said her greatest achievement has been standing up for Texas citizens who can’t afford lobbyists, whom she calls the “little dogs.” When asked about her long career – she was first voted in in 1972 and has been re-elected 21 times – she said serving in the state Legislature is more than just a job to her. “It’s not work to me. It’s something I fell in love with.” Thompson arguably received the loudest standing ovation of the inductees Tuesday, the video presentation of her life and leadership ending with her proclaiming indigent and uneducated Texans are “not asking for a handout. They’re asking to be lifted up.”

Newly-minted Secretary of State Nandita Berry also was honored for her accomplishments in the business and legal fields. During his speech, Perry specifically touched on Berry and her path – from her arrival in the U.S. 25 years ago with less than $200 in her pocket, to her naturalization, thriving legal career working for Fortune 500 companies and international law firms and, finally, her appointment as Texas’ first Secretary of State of Indian descent in January.

Perry also honored his wife, Anita, with a leadership award. During her video presentation, Anita Perry noted her long career as a nurse and her efforts to promote economic development, child immunization and anti-domestic violence programs during her years as First Lady of Texas. Gov. Perry also thanked his wife for saying yes to his marriage proposal, more than 16 years after they first started dating.

The recipients are chosen from nominations submitted and reviewed by a panel of judges. Past honorees include former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, basketball star Sheryl Swoops, astronaut Sally Ride, George W. Bush counselor and ex-U.S. State Department Undersecretary Karen Hughes and Ann Richards, Texas’ most recent female governor.

Below is a full list of the 2014 inductees to the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame:

- Nandita Berry (Business Award): Texas Secretary of State, the first of Indian descent, appointed Jan. 7, 2014; former counsel at Locke Lorde LLP in Houston. – Lillie Biggins (Health Award): President of the non-profit medical center Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, Chair of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Board of Directors.

- Joanne Herring (Community Service Award): Houston-area socialite, businesswoman, philanthropist and cultural ambassador; active in Afghanistan and Pakistan and a key driver in U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson’s efforts to convince Congress to support Afghan fighters against the Soviet incursion.

- Ret. Col. Kim Olson (Military Award): President and CEO of Grace Under Fire, a nonprofit serving female veterans; retired Air Force colonel and one of the first female military pilots to command an operational flying squadron; after serving on the Joint Staff and under the Secretary of Defense, she became the Director of Human Resources for the Dallas Independent School District. Also served in Texas State Guard as IT and personnel systems head.

- Anita Perry (Leadership Award): longest-serving First Lady of Texas; former nurse and current advocate for Texas economic development, childhood immunizations, breast cancer awareness, and anti-domestic violence and sexual assault programs; founded the Texas Conference of Women in 2000.

- Dr. Ann Stuart (Education Award): Chancellor and President of Texas Woman’s University; has grown university enrollment 85 percent under her tenure, which began in 1999; supporter of programs benefiting animals and natural spaces, like the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and Dallas Zoo.

- State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (Public Service Award): longest-serving woman and African-American in the state Legislature; Houston attorney; author of anti-hate crime and human trafficking legislation and laws creating a minimum wage and state drug courts; former public school teacher.

- Deborah Tucker (Community Service Award): Founder of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence; former school teacher and founder of the Austin Center for Battered Women, the nation’s first shelter for abused women and their children.

- Carolyn Wright (Public Service Award): Chief Justice for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals; first African-American head of a Texas intermediate court of appeal and first black woman to win a multi-county election in the Lone Star State; civil, family and criminal judge with 30 years experience; Houston-born recipient of the Yellow Rose of Texas award for community service.

4th Regiment Soldiers Train in Disaster Rubble

Story by: CW2 Janet Schmelzer, 4th Regiment PAO

Posted: 26-APR-14

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS -- The 4th Regiment, Civil Affairs, Texas State Guard (TXSG) was in  Grapevine, Texas, Saturday, April 26, 2014 for life-saving skills training and a mock disaster exercise. Soldiers used life-saving skills to treat mock victims.

The exercise was designed to be as close to real world events as possible. There were four mock training areas: triage, first aid, search and assessment, and extraction. The soldiers had to triage mock victims.  Then they had to search and assess the disaster area, administer first aid, and extract victims from a mock collapsed building.  The soldiers had to prepare a victim for transport, and transport the patient from the danger zone to a safe zone.  Soldiers had to climb through collapsed walls, go through rubble (rocks, dirt, and boards), through narrow tunnels of rubble moving along on hands and knees, and work in small and confined spaces, all of which was designed to replicate a tornado strike. Soldiers had to remain aware of their surroundings and safely treat mock victims as they would in a real world emergency.

Working with the 4th Regiment were soldiers from the TXSG Dallas-Fort Worth Medical Response Group, Arlington firefighter and Texas Task Force One Team leader Billy Hirth, and  Grace Cares, a volunteer disaster relief organization.