|
Trouble viewing this email? Click here to view it as a web page.
Healthy Mouth Movement offers free dental care to Veterans
Through the Aspen Dental Healthy Mouth Movement, volunteer dentists and team members devoted their time in Lansing, Michigan, Oct. 9, 2015, to providing much-needed dental care to Veterans – free of charge. Veterans seeking service were asked to complete a registration form and then entered the Aspen Dental ‘Mouth Mobile.’
Mouth Mobile is a colorful, fully-equipped dental office on wheels. The semi and staff travel to communities nationwide providing dental services in areas where care isn’t readily available. Aspen Dental works closely with Veterans’ organizations to reach those most in need of care.
Brian Krull of Eaton Rapids, Mich., got free ex-rays and a tooth extraction. He is medically retired from the active Army, and does not have dental insurance. “I knew I had a tooth that needed to come out,” Krull said, “but I didn’t have a way to pay. The volunteer dentists are helping us Veterans greatly.”
The Mouth Mobile serviced Lansing Veterans from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(U.S. Army National Guard photos by Sgt. 1st Class Helen Miller/Released)
|
Story by Capt. Corissa Barton, photos by Sgt. 1st Class Helen Miller
The Michigan National Guard’s Small Arms Readiness Training Section hosted the annual Adjutant General’s Match and Governors 20 competition, Sept. 26-27, 2015, held at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center, Grayling, Michigan.
The SARTS team has been hosting the event since 2013. This year, more than 100 competitors signed up for both the rifle and pistol events. The competition is important to the SARTS team for multiple reasons.
“Competition breeds excellence and we have worked really hard to make this a training event but also make it fun for the troops,” said Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Menard, noncommissioned officer in charge of the SARTS team.
The competition began early Saturday morning with registration, safety briefs, and course-of-fire orientation. The courses have changed drastically over the years in part, due to more emphasis from senior leaders on improving marksmanship skills.
The SARTS team spends countless hours training servicemembers in basic and advanced marksmanship tactics in order to provide subject matter experts to units across the state. They have proven to be an invaluable asset to the units of the Michigan National Guard.
“These guys really know what they are doing. They have trained my unit before and guys that have struggled to qualify improved drastically,” said Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson, Company D, 125th Infantry Regiment, Big Rapids, Michigan. “Their tips for improvement usually make a big difference in the way we shoot.”
For the SARTS team, the competition also provides a rare opportunity to gauge how well they are doing their job.
“It is a good way to see the results of Army and Air marksmanship training,” said Staff Sgt. Nikolas Discher, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Adjutant Generals Match and the Governors 20. “We are able to validate the training and put it into circumstances [the courses of fire] that would be seen overseas.”
The annual competition has been held in Michigan for more than 20 years and awards the top 20 percent of shooters with the Governors 20 tab; a state award worn on the left shoulder patch. The tab is one of only four permanent patches authorized for wear on the Army Combat Uniform. The competition was started in 1968 by the Missouri National Guard and has been adopted by numerous other states.
|
The 1073rd Support Maintenance Company is based in Greenville, Michigan. Their mission is to provide maintenance support throughout the state on a diverse range of equipment and vehicles. The unit has an authorized strength of 149 and currently has 132 members assigned. Two members, Staff Sgt. Sunni Haglund and Sgt. Amanda Durst, serve in a full-time status as the supply sergeant and administration sergeant respectively.
The 1073rd has contact maintenance trucks, wreckers, mobile forward repair systems and standard automotive tool sets (a trailer mounted tool-set). The company is staffed with vehicle, generator, air-conditioning/heating and electrical mechanics and small-arms repairmen. The unit also has members who support food service, administration, supply, and training as well as specialists in nuclear, biological and chemical protection against an NBC threat.
In 2004, the 1073rd mobilized with more than 200 troops to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. The company was stationed at Al Taqaddum Air Base and served as the main maintenance company for the forward operating base. They provided direct support maintenance and supply to units in western Iraq to include armament, communication, vehicle maintenance and facility power support for the base. They also performed recovery missions. In addition to completing more than 4,000 job orders, some members were called to provide convoy security for more than 100 missions through the al-Anbar province.
Durst said that all returning convoys stopped in the 1073rd motor pool for inspection of vehicles needing repair or maintenance. Vehicles with serious issues and damages were job-ordered and then repaired at one of the company’s various vehicle-type specific maintenance sections. The generator mechanics established a service schedule and emergency crews to ensure all generators on base were functional or repaired in a timely fashion.
The units’s supply support activity served as a warehouse that shipped and received thousands of products and ensured they were distributed accordingly.
During the deployment, four Soldiers received the Purple Heart Medal and several Soldiers were awarded the Combat Action Badge.
In 2009, the 1073rd was mobilized again. They arrived in February 2010 with 130 troops to Joint Base Balad, Iraq where they served in a force protection role. The mission included supervision of personnel from various nationalities who supported the bases’ public works, the JBB hospital and the business zones. A small platoon of Soldiers provided personnel security for senior officials who visited the post or traveled to other posts in the area. The drawdown of combat forces is Iraq curtailed the company’s mission returning the 1073rd to Michigan in August 2010.
The unit typically performs their annual trainings at various depots throughout the United States. They also support joint exercises at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
In 2013, while under the command of Capt. Daniel Daugherty, the 1073rd was selected by the Department of the Army as the Army Award for Maintenance Excellence recipient—the most prestigious award in the military maintenance community. The company competed in the medium-sized Military Table of Organization and Equipment category and was selected from competitors representing the best in the U.S. Army worldwide, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. To compete at the Department of the Army level, the 1073rd first won at the state-, the regional- and the National Guard Bureau-level (54 states and territories).
Officials selected by the Department of Defense inspected everything from the company’s weapons—to vehicles—to generators—to OSHA required material support data sheets; just about everything “inspect-able” at the Greenville Armory. Going into the competition, the 1073rd was a strong competitor as they had earned the second place AAME in 2012.
Photo Caption: Michigan Army National Guard Soldiers Spc. Matthew Dawson, from Lansing and Pfc. Joshua Radzwion from North Branch, perform preventive maintenance and service checks to the M40-A1 series gas mask at the Greenville, Mich., armory, Feb. 28, 2014. The soldiers are members of the 1073rd Maintenance Company which was a finalist in the Army Award for Maintenance Excellence competition and were undergoing the final phase of a Department of Defense inspection. It was later announced that the 1073rd was the overall winner of the competition which included the U.S. Army worldwide, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Denice Rankin/Released)
|
 |
|
Several Michigan military museums offer fantastic displays with a variety of themes, but only one documents the unique history of the Fort Custer Training Center in Augusta, Michigan.
The FCTC is federally owned and state-operated as a Michigan Army National Guard training facility. It was built in 1917 for military training during World War I and was named after Civil War cavalry officer Gen. George Armstrong Custer. The facility trained more than 100,000 troops during World War I and has trained many more since then. The Soldiers and their families have stories to tell and some of those stories, along with their accompanying artifacts, have been captured to share with visitors to the Fort Custer museum.
The museum is nestled among training facilities and offices on the FCTC property. There are currently no ‘open hours’ for public tours, in part, because FCTC is an active military training installation, but anyone wanting a tour needs only to register with a guide from the Fort Custer Historical Society and bring identification to show at the security gate when driving in. The museum currently fills the lower floor of a renovated World War II barracks that at one point in history, housed more than 100 Soldiers. Much of the construction is intact, including a large open bay for sleeping cots, and a row of shared showers, sinks and toilets – maintaining the original barracks ‘feel’ is all part of the Fort Custer ambiance.
“Of course we would like to make more improvements,” said retired Army Col. Jim Spackman, a museum volunteer and member of the Fort Custer Historical Society that established the museum in 2002 along with a vintage chapel and movie theatre that is still used today. “We would like to expand significantly and have plans in place to do so,” he continued. “What we lack, is funding.”
Spackman has had to turn donated items away because the historical society doesn’t have the special equipment necessary to preserve vulnerable items nor restore photographs or other paper-based items that will disintegrate over time. “We don’t have the equipment and frankly, we don’t have the skills either,” Spackman said. “The historical society isn’t a group of curator-trained professionals. We’re a bunch of old military guys who care deeply about our history and volunteer our time toward preserving it. We want to make sure that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren and generations beyond them understand their roots, their state, and how the men and women who passed through Camp Custer, now Fort Custer, felt about being here, what they went through in terms of training for battle and how they lived while they were here. If we don’t take action, some kind of action, to save these memories and these items, then they will be lost forever.”
The museum contents include vintage weapons, uniforms, boots, flags, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, and other items that soldiers would have brought with them when training for a war deployment. Cigarettes, old-fashioned candy, eating utensils, pots and pans, sleeping gear and playing cards are all parts of themed vignettes within the museum that create visual appeal.
Individuals interested in touring the museum can call Fort Custer at 269-731-6555 or visit online at www.fortcustermuseum.org.
|
 |
|
Maj. Gen. Reynold Hoover director of the J-2/6 National Guard Bureau addresses attendees at the International Cyber Summit held at Cobo Center in Detroit, Oct. 26, 2015. The 4th annual ICS, hosted by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder brought together experts from across the globe to address a variety of cyber security issues impacting the world of business, education, information technology, economic development, law enforcement and personal use. Cadets attending the Michigan Youth Challenge Academy (below) attended the summit to consider cyber technology and training as a career field.(U.S. Army National Guard photos by Spc. Eric Bandy/Released) |
507th Engineer promoted to company commander
 |
|
Jacob Michael Della Pia of Manistee, Mich., has been promoted to company commander in the Kalamazoo-based, Michigan Army National Guard 507th Engineer Battalion. Della Pia will command the Headquarters and Headquarters Company.
He has been a member of the Michigan National Guard for five years. Prior to his Guard service, Della Pia served two years active Army.
Della Pia attended the Western Michigan University Reserve Officer Training Course in 2008. He also attended Engineer Basic Officer Leader Course in 2008 and Engineer Captains Career Course in 2015.
Della Pia is a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2009-2010 and Operation Enduring Freedom, 2012-2013. During his tours, he served as a battle captain.
During his military career, Della Pia earned both the Iraq and Afghanistan Campaign Medals, 2 Army Commendation Medals and a Meritorious Unit Commendation.
In civilian life, Della Pia works for the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department as a Firefighter. He is the son of Mike and Joyce Della Pia of Manistee Michigan.
|
Deaths reported to the Michigan National Guard public affairs office. Rest in peace:
Lt. Col. Brian Botkin, died March 20, 2015.
TSgt. Ronald E. Morris, 127th Security Police Flight, served 1954-1989, died April 6, 2015.
Age 71, Warrant Officer and Volunteer Defense Force member, Dennis James Henning, died April 15, 2015.
MSgt. Jerrold Malseed, died April 15, 2015.
Age 73, Sgt. 1st Class Richard Culver, served with the 146 MP BN and other units over 42 years of military service, died April 29, 2015.
Age 92, Lt. Col. Pauline Bergeron, 127th Hospital, served 1956-1977, died May 7, 2015.
Age 60, William Cleary Jr., served 6 years U.S. Marine Corps, 1997 Army National Guard, died May 9, 2015.
Age 73, Robert Bishop, 3-238th Aviation, died May 16, 2015.
Age 83, CSM John "Jack" Calcaterra, 107th EN BN and 117th Quartermaster BN, served 1950-1992, died May 27, 2015.
Judith Storm, retired civil service technician, served 1983-2004, Co. C, 3/126 Detroit Light Guard Infantry Battalion, 46th Engineer Group, Flint, no date of death reported.
Age 77, Thomas J. Nevison, served U.S. Army 1957-1992, died Sept. 15, 2015.
|
