October 01, 2015

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Guard-related legislative initiatives move forward By Bobby Lumsden, NCNGA President  

Great news for all our North Carolina National Guard Associations (NCNGA) members about our recent legislative initiatives. Read More…

NCNG citizen-soldier: The right place at the right time North Carolina National Guard via DVIDS 

The Durham County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina National Guard both have important roles in public safety within the state of North Carolina. What they share in this case, is Pfc. David Earp, B Company, 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, who plays dual roles as an infantryman and a sheriff deputy. Read More…

October —Today in Guard History National Guard  

On Oct. 1, 1961, in response to Soviet threats against West Berlin, President John F. Kennedy mobilizes two Army Guard divisions, the 32nd Infantry (WI) and 49th Armored (TX) along with 264 non-divisional Army Guard units on this date. In addition a total of 163 Air Guard units are also mobilized. This mobilization marks several “firsts” in Guard history. It marked the first time Guard women were mobilized and deployed overseas. And it marked the first time Guard jet aircraft flew to duty stations in Europe. Read More…

Congress agrees on 1.3 percent military pay raise for 2016 Military Times 

House and Senate negotiators recently reached agreement on a $612 billion defense authorization bill for fiscal 2016 that includes a 1.3 percent pay raise for service members, trims to some military benefits and a dramatic overhaul of the military retirement system. The proposal also includes language requiring military facility commanders to develop individual policies for troops carrying firearms on base, in response to the mass shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July that killed five service members. Read More…

Will smaller Army mean more Reserve, Guard deployments? The News Tribune 

Part-time soldiers in the Army Reserve and National Guard might see more frequent deployments in a decade as the Army tries to maintain a global reach after its post-Iraq War downsizing. That’s one of the scenarios under consideration by a group formed to make peace between the active-duty Army and its Reserve branches amid tightening budgets. Read More…

Guard facility, WCC funds in bill Wilkes Journal-Patriot  

The House has approved the latest Senate version of legislation scheduling a $2 billion bond referendum in March for funding infrastructure improvements, including new N.C. National Guard “readiness centers” in Wilkes, Burke and Guilford counties. Sen. Shirley Randleman, a Republican from Wilkesboro, said the Senate’s substitute bill calling for the referendum was approved by the House in a 93-20 vote. Read More…

2 young men work to preserve artifacts at NC Aviation Museum The Courier-Tribune 

A pair of fellows who were not born until some 50 years after World War II ended have set their sights on preserving memorabilia from that war — and other military and aviation artifacts — at the N.C. Aviation Museum. Dalton Bequette, who is 23, and Patrick Lawrence, 19, say their immediate goal is to install air conditioning in the hangars to preserve decades-old items — uniforms, firearms, period newspapers and more. A less-expensive, but effective alternative, they say, would be to purchase sealed cases to better protect the fragile artifacts from dirt and temperature changes. Read More…

NC helicopter team prepares for the toughest rescues Citizen-Times 

It cuts an imposing figure in cloud-streaked blue skies, this Blackhawk, circling above with a whirring hum so loud the leaves fly up in tufts, as if cowering before this power. But to the stranded person far below — a hiker lost or injured somewhere in the state’s endless tracts of forest land, a victim of a hurricane or flood, someone isolated by a landslide — those wings sound hope. Read More…

National Guard supports local authorities with Pope Francis visit National Guard 

The D.C. National Guard provided security and traffic control support to local authorities throughout Pope Francis’ visit to Washington, D.C., his first visit to the United States as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. New York National Guard personnel provided similar support to local government when the pope visited sites in New York City. Read More…

Using National Guard could save money WNAX-AM 

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad testified recently before the National Commission on the Future of the Army. Branstad says billions of dollars have spent in the past decade to ensure Guard units are capable of carrying out military missions around the globe. And the governor says that money would be wasted if the military’s top brass decides to restrict the guard mostly to missions in the U.S. Read More…