NCNGA Weekly Guardsman for February 22, 2018
February 22, 2018
Home | About | Legislative | Benefits | Media | Contact
TOP NEWS
NCNGA Convention and NCNG Military Ball NCNGA
This year’s events are scheduled to be the just as great as the beautiful views in our host city of Asheville. Register today to attend our largest event of the year and join your friends for fun and fellowship.
The events are over the weekend of March 17th & 18th. With increases in attendance, we have expanded our accommodations to include Four Seasons by Sheraton (22 Woodfin Street in Asheville) (828) 253-1851. They will honor our per diem rates ($107 + tax) if you mention that you are attending our Convention. We look forward to seeing you… Register Here. You can also book a room for the overflow hotel for the convention.
Appalachian National Guard Specialist thanks faculty for their support with ESGR Patriot Award AppalachianToday
When Jake Keller ’17, a student in the Master of Music Therapy program at Appalachian State University, told Dr. Cathy McKinney in 2014 he was considering joining the North Carolina Army National Guard, McKinney, who is the director of the music therapy program in Appalachian’s Hayes School of Music, promised him the department’s full support.
Keller, who is from Gaffney, South Carolina, became a specialist in the 878th National Guard Engineering Company and soon found out what McKinney’s promise meant. Classmates, faculty and staff rallied around him and his wife, Hannah, especially as his March deployment to Iraq approaches.
“I’m really glad that people didn’t try to avoid the subject. They were really curious about being in the Army National Guard,” he said. “Just showing that curiosity was helpful because it showed they cared. They offered ideas of how I could use music over there.”
The U.S. Air National Guard will soon be able to conduct airborne assessment of natural disasters across wider areas and greater distances than ever before now that UTC Aerospace Systems has successfully completed an Operational Assessment of its DB-110 airborne reconnaissance system on the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper. Conducted in fall 2017 by the 174th Attack Wing at the Syracuse Air National Guard Base, the assessment addressed the system’s utility for domestic operations missions, such as defense support for civil authorities during natural disasters. UTC Aerospace Systems is a unit of United Technologies Corp.
DPS lukewarm to idea of using National Guard for prison security
WRAL
A proposal by a coastal lawmaker to use the North Carolina National Guard to bolster prison security is receiving a lukewarm response from state prison leaders.
The district of Rep. Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, includes Pasquotank Correctional Institution, where four prison workers were killed and 10 others injured in a failed escape attempt last October. Another corrections officer was killed by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institution last April.
A subsequent investigation by federal regulators found chronic staffing shortages at those and many of the state’s 55 prison facilities. Vacancy rates in the system are around 20 percent, and despite a recruitment push by the Department of Public Safety, the system is losing workers to retirement and attrition faster than it can replace them.
VIDEO: NC Army National Guard members honored ahead of deployment WSOC
In just days, more than 150 soldiers with the North Carolina Army National Guard will deploy to the Middle East.
Those soldiers were honored at a special sendoff in Kings Mountain on Saturday. The 878th Engineer Company, out of Kings Mountain, will be deploying on Tuesday to Kuwait and Iraq.
Families of the soldiers told Channel 9 how proud they are of them.
“Mainly, you’re excited. You’re ready to get it started,” said Ethan Kuster, who is deploying for the first time. “We’ve been training a long time. We’ve got a lot of motivated soldiers that have great leadership teams.”
US Army awards medals to 3 JROTC cadets killed in Parkland shooting CBS12
The U.S. Army awarded medals for heroism to three JROTC cadets killed in last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, CNN reported.
Peter Wang, Alaina Petty and Martin Duque received the Medal of Heroism for their actions last week, CNN reported. Students say Wang died while holding a door open to help his classmates escape the deadly gunfire. He was reportedly wearing his JROTC uniform when he was shot to death on Valentine’s Day.
Gov. Rick Scott asked the Florida National Guard to pay respect to the JROTC members, their families and loved ones by attending their funerals.
Oldest Active National Guard Unit Observes 283rd Anniversary DoD
On Feb. 17, 1735, Morgan Morgan was commissioned as a captain and commander of a new company of riflemen formed in what is now present day Berkeley County, West Virginia, the First Virginia Regiment, better known today as the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 201st Field Artillery Regiment.
The 201st Field Artillery Regiment is recognized as the oldest active Army National Guard unit and the longest continuous serving unit in all of the Army, underscoring that even before America was a country, the patriotic men and women from what would become the state of West Virginia have been committed to service of the state and nation from the start.
In 1775, then General George Washington issued a call for “Virginia Volunteer Riflemen” by stating, “Let me plant my banner in West Augusta [West Virginia] and I will surround it with fighting men who will drive the invaders from our land.”
Farmville NC Boy Scouts holding annual chili cookoff at local NG Armory WITN
Boy Scout Troop 25 is holding its annual ‘Feast of the East’ 2018 Chili Cookoff on Saturday, February 24.
25+ cooks will face off in support of the scouts.
For $5 admission, guests can sample all the chili you want from 5pm-7:30pm at the National Guard Armory located at 4370 W Horne Ave. in Farmville.
Drinks and cobbler will also be on sale for $1 each and “troop chili” will be for sale to take home for $5.
All proceeds will stay with Troop 25 and are used to offset the cost of the scouting program, including summer camp, and to purchase and repair camping equipment and maintain the facility.
Help Support our NC National Guard Members! NCNGA 
Support our North Carolina National Guard members by participating in our 57th Annual NCNGA Convention as a vendor or sponsor (March 17th – 18th). Gain great exposure for your services, products and company by participating in our largest event of the year. Click here for more details…
Participating organizations include:
- Companies offering products and services for military contracts
- Nonprofits interested in recruiting membership
- Organizations looking to market products and services directly to individuals and their families
- Colleges and Universities looking to offer higher educational opportunities
- Businesses looking to hire Soldiers and Airmen transitioning to civilian jobs
- Organizations wanting to support our military here in North Carolina
February — Today in Guard History National Guard
1847 Buena Vista, Mexico – A small American army under the command of General Zachary Taylor defeats a much larger force commanded by General Santa Anna, President of Mexico. About ninety percent of Taylor’s army was composed of state volunteer (Guard) units, several of which were heavily engaged in the fight. The 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Clay, Jr. (son of the famous former secretary of state and speaker of the House of Representatives) was killed while commanding his men in blunting the Mexican assault. The 1st Mississippi Rifles, under the command of Colonel Jefferson Davis (future secretary of war and president of the Confederacy) and the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry charged into the flank of the Mexicans and routed them off the field.
The Weekly Guardsman
Recent Issues | Subscribe | Unsubscribe |
Craig Lloyd, Executive Director, NCNGA, 919-851-3390, ext. 4 | Contact
Katie Westbrooks, Editor, NCNGA 919-851-3390, ext.2 | Contribute news
Thomas Arndt, Webmaster
North Carolina National Guard Association
7410 Chapel Hill Road | Raleigh, North Carolina 27607 | 919-851-3390 | Contact Us