NCNGA Weekly Guardsman for February 14, 2019

Are you or your spouse in transition from the military, seeking meaningful employment or thinking about a new career? The North Carolina National Guard Association (NCNGA) can help. In an effort to improve career opportunities for its members the NCNGA is looking for 8-10 Soldiers, Airmen, or Spouses to participate in a five part career support course conducted by Patriots Path. In this course you will define new career goals, map out job search strategies, identify opportunities, create personal marketing approaches and connect within the community to peers, mentors and coaches for continued networking and support. Each of the five in-classroom, interactive workshops are held in corporate boardrooms or training facilities offering students added connectivity to employers who are committed to supporting the. In addition to the five group classes, student also participate in one-on-one breakout sessions with assigned mentors and coaches to cover more personalized resume writing, mock-interviews and job shadowing.

If you are interested in participating in this program please contact Larry Coleman at larry@ncnga.org or 984-664-0308. Possible Course Locations included the Triangle and Triad area and there is no cost to association members and spouses for this course.

NCNGA Educational Foundation Reverse Drawing NCNGA

You could win $5000.00!!!. Join the NCNGA Educational Foundation on Friday, March 15th (before the start of the Annual Convention) at 6:00 pm at the Claude T Bowers Building at JFHQ for their annual Reverse Drawing! Tickets are only $50.00 and include dinner for 2. Each 25th ticket drawn wins $50.00 and there will be sideboard drawings for $100.00 and $200.00 as well as a raffle for a ticket GUARANTEED to be in the final 10 of the drawing. Loads of fun and camaraderie! Only 300 tickets are sold so get yours soon! To purchase your ticket, contact Ken Tyndall at the NCNGAEF office at (919)-815-3390 ext. 5. Cash, checks, or charge cards accepted. Come and join us. All funds are used for scholarships that benefit the NCNG and their family. NCNGAEF is a non-profit 501(c)3.

Convention Update! Keynote speaker and member showcase! NCNGA

Ladies and Gentlemen, your North Carolina National Guard Association is excited to confirm Secretary Hall as the Keynote speaker during the business session of the convention. We are also excited to announce our Member Showcase that will follow his comments on Saturday afternoon. As of today we have three great guests with more pending. The showcase will allow for our members to tell their story on how the National Guard impacted their story outside the Guard. We will also host a Q&A session as part of the panel. Registration details are on the attached flyer, live link is below. The keynote speaker and Members Showcase are Saturday Afternoon starting at 1:00 P.M.

Register for the Inaugural 113th Special Troops Battalion 5K Fun Run/Walk to be held at Jamestown Park on the 7th of April. Walk or run for fun! Event proceeds will go to help fund the 4th Annual 113th Sustainment Brigade’s Logistics Ball. All participants will receive a t-shirt, racing bib, and the fastest male and female will receive a medal. There will be food and drinks available on site (cash only). Full details and registration can be found here!

Educational Foundation Now Accepting Scholarship Applications NCNGA

Each year, the Educational Foundation awards scholarships based on available funds. The scholarships range in value from $400 for Community College attendees, to $10,000 scholarship we award in partnership with the State Employees Credit Union. Most Community College scholarships are $400, while the typical four-year college recipient is awarded $1,000.

The Educational Foundation raises funds and accepts donations for several General Scholarships. In addition, the Educational Foundation awards a number of scholarships that honor and memorialize prior members of the National Guard and their families.

There are two applications: Regular and Academic Excellence, which are described below. Completed applications can be mailed to the office at: NCNGA Educational Foundation/ 7410 Chapel Hill Road/ Raleigh, NC 27607. Applications must be completed in full and include the required income information, school transcripts, etc.

Need to connect with financial, health, employment or other services in your local community? Military OneSource’s state consultants bring help directly to you, offering outreach services to support members of the military community when and where they need it most. While many Military OneSource services are easily accessed with just a phone call or a click, state consultants can help if you need more in-depth information or support in your own backyard. To learn more visit Military OneSource.

The Minuteman Muster 5K & 8K NCNGA

The Minuteman Muster 5K & 8K is part of an open house event at the NC National Guard Military Center (near the NC Fairgrounds). The event includes includes USATF Certified 5K & 8K Races, a National Guard & Emergency Services open house, and fun activities for everyone. Presented by Celito.net Take the Challenge and run BOTH the 5K & 8K races. This year teams of 4 high school runners can compete in the 5K for FREE!

Runners and spectators will enjoy an open house featuring military, emergency management, and law enforcement equipment displays, a rock climbing wall, and other fun activities.

Enjoy the premium race experience provided by Precision Race with state of the art Jaguar timing, real-time race results, and automated finish line photography. The Minuteman Muster 5K & 8K races are part of the Triangle Race Series.

This year the registration price is lower than ever, but the race shirt is available as a $15 option. It will be the same design and type running shirt, but a different color.

TACP Annual 24 Hour Challenge! TACP

On Thursday, 28-29 March 2019 the Tactical Air Control Party Association will host a 24-Hour Challenge the YMCA Park in Albemarle, NC. This annual event raises money for the Families of fallen heroes. You can show your support by running, walking or just hanging out. This can be done as a team or individual. Registration is available now!

Champion of Marines, Congressman Walter Jones has died Connecting Vets

North Carolina Congressman Walter Jones, a strong supporter of the U.S. military and whose district included Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, died Sunday as the result of an undisclosed illness. He was 76.

“Congressman Jones was a man of the people,” a statement from his office in Greenville announcing his death Feb. 10 read. “He was a champion for our men and women in uniform and their families, always mindful of their service and sacrifice.”

First elected to the House of Representatives in 1994, Jones served 12 consecutive terms in Congress and was a strong advocate for the Marine Corps, veterans, and their families.

“I had the honor of working with my fellow North Carolinian and friend Walter Jones for 30 years,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a statement “His love for the men and women who wore the uniform knew no bounds. He was a public servant of uncommon humility and decency. “

One mountain National Guard unit is back home after a nearly year-long deployment to Cuba. The community will have the chance soon to officially welcome them, and say thank you.

A ceremony will take place Saturday afternoon to show appreciation for their service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Thomas Herman recently finished the 10-month deployment to Cuba, along with 150 other members of North Carolina’s 210th Military Police Co., based near Sylva in Jackson County. Most came home in October.

“This is the first time the whole unit has come back together as a whole,” Herman said.

Herman said from then to now provided a chance for soldiers to debrief with their families under the military’s Yellow Ribbon program. But now, come Saturday, there will be a unified welcoming celebration, and a chance for the community to say thanks for their security and enforcement operations at Guantanamo Bay.

Herman said it was one of the better deployments.

4,839 Miles In His Shoes DVIDS

During a drizzly Super Drill at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, January 13, 2019, the familiar taps echoed on the floor as U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Francis Strother rounded the corner into his office where Tech. Sgt. Nathan Clark and I eagerly awaited to hear his story unfold; his 4,839 mile journey from Liberia to The United States of America and how he became an ambassador for the North Carolina Air National Guard.

Born in 1974, Monrovia, Liberia, Tech. Sgt. Strother grew up as a pastor’s son with his cares and needs met. He and his family lived with modern comforts including a driver, and a cook. In 1989, a civil war broke out, lasting 8 years, and claiming more than 200,000 lives. At the age of 14, he became the provider for he and his two brothers as they separated from their father.

“One day, I was arrested by a soldier who thought I was a rebel, and before my dad left, he told the soldier I was not a rebel,” said Tech. Sgt. Strother. “I was wearing jeans and, in Liberia, there is a stigma that if you wear jeans you are a rebel. A woman who lived nearby, and spoke the same language as the soldier, told the soldier I was not a rebel and she tried to give him money to let me go. He told her they were going to kill me. They tied me up and took me to the beach-side barracks in Monrovia. My brothers and father were crying. The tied me up so hard my chest was popping out and I just felt like my spirit was leaving my body. My dad went to his store, grabbed all the money out of the register, and gave it to the man. They let me go and I told my dad that it would be better if we split up because if they [soldiers or rebels] found a house full of men like us, they would think we are against them. We stayed with a lady and her children that lived nearby and was a friend of my father; we had nothing, no food.”

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Visit GOAPE.COM for the most up-to-date information on locations, pricing, height, weight, age and supervision requirements.

1779 – Kettle Creek, Georgia – A force of about 700 “Tories” (Americans loyal to the King) are moving through the backwoods of Georgia when their column is ambushed by Colonel Andrew Pickens leading his South Carolina militia. At first the American troops are hard-pressed as the loyalist soldiers rally behind a fence. But once the British commander is killed his forces flee the field, leaving about 70 Tories dead and 70 more captured. Patriot losses were nine killed and 23 wounded. More significant, this removed the last royal threat from western Georgia during the war.

Help Wanted! NCNGA Looking for Part-Time Editor Volunteer NCNGA

The Association is looking for a volunteer for about six hours a month. The Association is seeking a part-time editor to work on the Tarheel Gaurdsman. If you or someone you know is experienced in InDesign or similar software please contact Katie at 919-851-3390, extension 2 or by email: Katie@ncnga.org.

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