NCNGA Weekly Guardsman for October 25, 2018
October 25, 2018
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Tarheel Retiree Homecoming NCNGA
On behalf of the North Carolina National Guard and the North Carolina National Guard Association, we are proud to support this year’s Tarheel Retiree Homecoming. The event will be held at Joint Force Headquarters on December 13, 2018. This annual event is one of our largest events for Retirees held throughout the year. We will be hosting various vendors, a briefing from JFHQ leadership and our annual lunch. Space is limited to 350 participants and we sell out early every year. We appreciate your service and look forward to your attendance. Registration forms are available here. Or you can register online below.
58th Annual NCNGA Convention and NCNG Combined Ball Registration will open November 1 NCNGA
Our North Carolina National Guard Association and Convention Committee are proud to announce that this year’s 58th Annual Convention will be hosted at the Hilton Raleigh North Hills in Raleigh, NC between March 16-17. This year we are collaborating with the NCNG and hosting the Combined Event/Ball. We encourage you to book early to reserve your room. Again, this year we will host our Membership Session on a Saturday and Sunday timeframe to minimize conflicts with those on a typical Monday-Friday work schedule and maximize attendance. We are currently wrapping up items like our agenda, entertainment and Convention theme. Once we have these locked in, we will post it on our Facebook page, Weekly Guardsman online newsletter, and on our website. You can sign-up for these resources on our homepage. We appreciate your support and encourage you to take full advantage of our Early Bird prices.
Guest columnist: North Carolina Guard thanks Kentucky for its help after Florence State Journal
Imagine you are a National Guard service member at home with your family when the phone rings. It’s your unit commander, who tells you that you are ordered to state duty for disaster response and have 24 hours to arrive at your unit and deploy to the disaster area.
You turn on the television to see what is happening, but your state is not in crisis mode or in a state of emergency. It’s blue skies and a beautiful day in your hometown and state. You then realize you’re going to North Carolina, hundreds of miles away, where a major hurricane is about to slam into its coastline.
Why would a guardsman leave his state to conduct disaster-response missions elsewhere? We are a Guard nation, a National Guard family, and when disaster strikes in our homeland, we rapidly answer the call to duty no matter the location.
The Kentucky National Guard did just that for the citizens of North Carolina, and their fellow guardsmen.
Training, gear shortfalls occurred prior to soldier’s death in Afghanistan, according to report ArmyTimes
Prior to the death of an Army EOD tech, his unit had repeatedly requested better equipment and training but were denied both due to a lack of funds, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.
Sgt. James Slape, 23, died Oct. 4 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, from an improvised explosive device. His Army National Guard unit, the 430th Ordnance Company out of Washington, North Carolina, had been in the country since April.
Prior his death, Slape’s unit had requested tools often used when clearing buried land mines and improvised bombs, the New York Times reported, though it remains unclear whether the lack of this equipment contributed to Slape’s death.
Before deploying, the 430th had to borrow equipment like rifle sights and radios from other National Guard units and received more items upon the soldiers’ arrival in theater.
Slape died in southern Afghanistan, a volatile region where the Taliban have remained historically strong throughout the 17-year war in the country. As an EOD tech, he was responding to help with a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle that had hit a roadside bomb.
HURRICANE MICHAEL: ‘Exchange on wheels’ opens at Tyndall AFB NWF Daily News
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE — The Army and Air Force Exchange Service opened its mobile field exchange at Tyndall Air Force Base on Sunday — the only store within miles supporting hundreds of service members as they rebuild after Hurricane Michael, according to a press release from Tyndall.
The “exchange on wheels” is a 53-foot trailer stocked with emergency supplies, toiletries, snacks and drinks. Command requested the MFE on Oct. 18. By Oct. 21, the mobile store, parked in the main express parking lot, was fully stocked and supporting a steady stream of service members, the release said.
Col. Scott Nall, Commander for the 245th Civil Engineer Flight with the North Carolina Air National Guard, was in the area helping with recovery efforts after Hurricane Michael. He ran out of some toiletries and was glad to see there was somewhere he could stock up.
“I stopped in to get a few things and get back to the task at hand,” Nall said. “Having this out here is priceless. Absolutely priceless.”
The MFE will remain at Tyndall indefinitely, until the main express is back up and running, the release said.
“With the main exchange and both expresses closed due to damage and no stores currently open within miles of Tyndall, we can make things a little more comfortable for those working to bring life back to normal on the base,” said Army Capt. Conrad Bellard, Exchange Commercial Transportation manager.
These Army units are next up for deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Europe ArmyTimes
Six brigades and one division headquarters are gearing up to head out on deployment later this year and in early 2019, according to Thursday releases from the Army.
Among them is the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, which stood up at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, this year, though senior leaders had been tight-lipped about where it would deploy first.
“We will build upon the success of the 1st SFAB and allies as we partner with Resolute Support forces and Afghan National Security Forces to build long-term stability through credible and ready security forces,” Brig. Gen. Donn Hill, the brigade’s commander, said in a release. “Our partnered security forces’ successes in the future will define our own.”
Become a Certified Medical Assistant (before Thanksgiving)! NCNGA
Have a great new career by the holidays and keep the laptop!
Wait…What? Career Pathways Institute has opened its Raleigh Campus, located with the North Carolina National Guard Association! We have spent years successfully providing education to employment training that gets our students into career-oriented jobs with high demand, high wage positions! Now, its available here in the RDU region conveniently at the NCNGA offices!
So… What are we talking about here? For a complete list of what we are offering this fall, check out website at https://www.cpi.institute. Programs are in classroom and online and include certifications business, healthcare, IT and our newest addition, the Roofing Academy!
PLUS, we can accept NC TAP Funds for tuition as well as help you find other funding sources!
Check out the information below for specific information on one of the Healthcare offerings, becoming a certified Medical Assistant!
Get 20% off a Treetop Adventure GoApe, courtesy of the NCNG! NCNG 
TREETOP ADVENTURE – Way more than just zip lines, Go Ape Treetop Adventure is a 2-3 hour exhilarating journey through the forest canopy. Experience unique suspended obstacles, Tarzan swings and breathtaking zip lines that will keep you flying through the trees – all with an incredible view. Supervision and other restrictions apply.
TREETOP JUNIOR (SELECT LOCATIONS) – Perfect for new adventurers of all ages, Go Ape Treetop Junior offers a 1-hour exhilarating outdoor adventure experience. Tackle elevated multi-action obstacles in the trees and close it out with an epic zip line. Supervision and other restrictions apply. Check out our website for locations with Treetop Juniors. LEARN MORE AT GOAPE.COM
Visit GOAPE.COM for the most up-to-date information on locations, pricing, height, weight, age and supervision requirements.
3rd NCNG Educational Foundation Cruise for Charity NCNGEF
The North Carolina National Guard Education Foundation is holding it’s 3rd Cruise for Charity! Royal Carribean will set sail on their Adventure Of the Seas cruise on January 19, from Ft. Lauderdale. Cabins start at $709, with a $250/person deposit. Some of the proceeds from each cabin will go to the NCNG Education Foundation.
Click below to register, or email rbliley@cruiseplanners.com for questions.
Prices are per person, double occupancy, based on availability and subject to change without notice.
October 25th — Today in Guard History National Guard
1993 Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, DC – Colonel Irene Trowell-Harris, from the New York Air National Guard, is promoted to Brigadier General on this date; thus becoming the National Guard’s first African-American woman to hold general officer rank. She served as the Assistant to the Director, Medical Readiness, Office of the Surgeon General, Headquarters, USAF. She started her Guard career as a flight nurse by joining the 102nd Aeromedical Evacuation Flight, NY Air National Guard in 1963. She steadily moved up in rank and responsibility, becoming the nurse administrator of the 105th Tactical Air Command Hospital in 1985. In 1986, she was appointed to command the 105th, the first nurse in Air Guard history to command a medical facility. Trowell-Harris was promoted Major General in September 1998, and later retired in September 2001.
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