DVIDS – News – 2022: A yr of milestones and achievements for Pa. Nationwide Guard

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – It was one other historic yr for the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard in 2022.

All year long, Troopers and Airmen of the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard deployed around the globe, responded to quite a few home missions – together with COVID-19 assist missions and excessive climate – and performed their normal readiness coaching.

“It was really a historic yr for the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard,” stated Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant normal. “We reside right here, prepare right here and serve right here, because of the unwavering assist of the households and employers of our nice service members.”

In 2022, roughly 850 Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members deployed in assist of ongoing contingency and power safety operations in Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Romania, amongst different places.

The Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard additionally supported home operations, mobilizing roughly 150 personnel in Pennsylvania to help native authorities with the COVID-19 pandemic response and excessive climate occasions.

Fort Indiantown Hole continued to play a significant position supporting Nationwide Guard actions because the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard’s headquarters and first coaching website. The set up hosted 129,885 personnel in fiscal yr 2022 and was as soon as once more among the many busiest Nationwide Guard coaching facilities within the nation.

Home Operations

The Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard confronted comparatively few excessive climate occasions or civil disturbances in 2022, whereas greater than two years of COVID-19 response missions got here to an finish. Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members are all the time on responsibility on the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard’s joint emergency operations middle. The middle maintains steady communications with the Nationwide Guard Bureau and PEMA with the intention to anticipate future necessities that may very well be assigned to Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard Troopers and Airmen.

Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members continued to answer the COVID-19 pandemic into 2022. The yr started with the appointment of Brig. Gen. James McCormack in Jan. as twin standing commander to supply command and management of federal COVID-19 response groups, together with an active-duty Air Power medical response workforce in York, Pa., and a medical help workforce in Scranton, Pa.

Whereas the Pa. Guard’s public vaccination mission resulted in June 2021, Guardsmen continued to supply assist to long-term care amenities all through the commonwealth dealing with employees shortages, with roughly 180 on orders from early February till March 23.

After two years and 6 days, the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard’s COVID-19 response mission ended on March 23. In all, greater than 1,400 Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members supported COVID missions throughout the commonwealth. A few of them have been on orders a number of instances, and a few have been on orders for months at a time.

Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members offered: staffing assist to 161 long-term care amenities totaling 16,683 shifts, over 7,566 hours of labor throughout 106 days of voluntary COVID mapping assist, coaching in private protecting gear becoming and testing and suggested on an infection management practices to three,760 long-term care facility personnel, Level Prevalence Testing for over 32,499 residents and employees of long-term care amenities, assist to over 20 COVID-19 vaccination websites and personally administered about 82,400 vaccines, normal staffing assist to 5 Expert Nursing Facility Regional Decompression Websites, totaling over 718 shifts, and extra.

“Over the previous two years, Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard Troopers and Airmen have risen to the problem and demonstrated unwavering dedication to their communities through the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated Pennsylvania Adjutant Basic Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler. “I’m really pleased with their devoted service and sacrifice throughout this unprecedented time.”

In assist of the Pennsylvania Emergency Administration Company, the Pennsylvania Division of Transportation and the Pennsylvania State Police, greater than 100 service members with the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard ready for attainable winter storm help missions at a number of places across the commonwealth Jan. 16.

A helicopter crew from the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard’s Jap Army Nationwide Guard Aviation Website positioned a bunch of misplaced hikers on Might 24. The incident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. after Muir Army Airfield’s operations tower was contacted by Dauphin County emergency dispatchers, who acknowledged that three hikers have been misplaced on the Rattling Run Path in northern Dauphin County close to Fort Indiantown Hole’s coaching space.

Abroad missions

In 2022, the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard continued to play a key position in supporting the general U.S. army mission abroad.

Greater than 150 Troopers from 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Fight Workforce deployed in assist of Multinational Power and Observers, a world peacekeeping group that helps supervise the implementation of the safety provisions of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. They have been cut up throughout a number of places inside MFO’s footprint, which is primarily in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The Troopers departed Pennsylvania March 4 and returned Dec. 21, simply in time for Christmas.

Roughly 250 Troopers with 1st Battalion, 109th Area Artillery Regiment, fifty fifth Maneuver Enhancement Brigade deployed to Lithuania in assist of Defender Europe 22 and NATO train Flaming Thunder in Might.

Roughly 200 Troopers with the 252nd Quartermaster Firm, 728th Fight Sustainment Assist Battalion, 213th Regional Assist Group departed Pennsylvania June 5 to deploy to the Center East. The 252nd Quartermaster Firm’s mission consists of offering each perishable and semi-perishable normal provide, retrograde assist, petroleum provide, water provide assist and bathe and laundry providers to supported models.

Seven Troopers with the 192nd Firefighting Detachment, 337th Engineer Battalion, fifty fifth Maneuver Enhancement Brigade have been honored throughout a ceremony at Fort Indiantown Hole June 28 earlier than deploying to Europe.

Greater than 500 troopers with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, twenty eighth Infantry Division have been honored throughout a deployment ceremony Oct. 9 on the Zembo Shrine Auditorium in Harrisburg, Pa, earlier than leaving for a year-long deployment to the Center East. They’re serving in assist of Operation Spartan Defend and U.S. Central Command’s mission of accelerating regional safety and stability in assist of putting up with U.S. pursuits.

Greater than 250 Troopers from the 1067th Composite Truck Co., 228th Transportation Battalion, 213th Regional Assist Group returned from a deployment to the Center East in October. The 272 Troopers departed Pennsylvania on Nov. 30, 2021, to start a month of pre-mobilization coaching at Fort Hood, Texas, earlier than deploying in assist of Operation Spartan Defend and Operation Inherent Resolve.

Coaching for Excellence

The Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard is consistently coaching to be all the time prepared, all the time there in assist of our warfight overseas, home operations at residence and our partnerships with allies and authorities companies in any respect ranges.

Fight medics with the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard participated within the TC8-800 medic sustainment course Feb. 17 to March 3 at Fort Indiantown Hole. This course gave the 17 individuals the chance to coach along with different medics outdoors their residence models with out taking on time throughout drill weekends the place most coaching is performed.

Greater than 20 members of the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard joint employees together with companions from the Pennsylvania Emergency Administration Company piloted a three-day staff-training course March 7 to 9 led by trainers from U.S. Northern Command. The trial course is a part of the Joint Employees Coaching Course, which updates, trains and evaluates employees on emergency preparedness contingencies and disaster motion planning via a collection of notional eventualities utilizing Joint Publication 5-0 as a framework.

Greater than 45 Penn State College college students competed in a Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard Wi-Fighter Cyber Problem occasion March 16. The idea of the cyber challenges, that are performed by the Pa. Nationwide Guard’s Defensive Cyber Operations Ingredient Workforce, is to construct the group’s understanding of the way to guard themselves and the companies they work for. Troopers from the DCOE constructed and developed the problem to enhance the abilities and understanding of the people who participated within the problem.

The Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard grew to become the primary Nationwide Guard within the nation to subject the brand new Tactical Dismounted Digital Warfare and Alerts Intelligence system. Eight Pa. Nationwide Guard Troopers educated at Fort Indiantown Hole March 13 to 17 on the TDEWS, which stuffed a significant hole within the coaching of Troopers within the intelligence Army Occupational Specialties.

Thirty Troopers and Airmen attended the Ranger and Sapper Evaluation Program (RSAP) from April 21 to 24 at Fort Indiantown Hole. The aim of RSAP is to evaluate service members who need to attend the Army’s Ranger or Sapper faculties and put together them for what they’ll face after they get there.

On Might 17 and 18, in what was believed to be the first airborne coaching performed at Fort Indiantown Hole in about 10 years, tactical air management celebration specialists from the 148th Air Assist Operations Squadron joined active-duty TACPs from the 14th ASOS from Pope Army Airfield, N.C., as they jumped out of CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the twenty eighth Expeditionary Fight Aviation Brigade.

Over 4,500 service members with the 56 Stryker Brigade Fight Workforce accomplished a month-long rotation on the Nationwide Coaching Heart at Fort Irwin, Calif., June 16 to July 15.

Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members joined quite a few army and civil companies for a large-scale Dense City Terrain train in Philadelphia. The train, which ran from July 25 to 29, was performed by Process Power 46, a 600-personnel chemical, organic, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) response factor, comprised of Nationwide Guard models from states throughout the nation. The train continued a collection of planning and execution workouts designed to coordinate and rehearse emergency response actions within the occasion of a CBRN assault in a dense city setting.

Troopers from the scout platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Firm, 1st Battalion, one hundred and tenth Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Fight Workforce, performed live-fire, air assault coaching at Fort Indiantown Hole on August 3. The Troopers started with a four-mile ruck march uphill to start out their mission.

Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard Troopers obtained coaching Nov. 8 and 9 on a new robotic system that permits them to remotely examine potential hazards. 4 Troopers every from the 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Fight Workforce and 876th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Fight Workforce obtained coaching on the newly fielded Widespread Robotic System – Particular person, or CRS-I, a 32-pound, tracked robotic with a number of cameras and an extendable arm that’s “man-packable” and may match right into a medium ruck sack or an assault pack.

Almost 400 Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members within the state’s Homeland Response Power performed a collective coaching train Nov. 17 to twenty at Fort Indiantown Hole. Troopers and Airmen from Army and Air Nationwide Guard models from throughout the state participated within the train, which included a mission command factor and a subject factor at Fort Indiantown Hole’s “rock pile.” The state of affairs for the train was a chemical, organic, radiological or nuclear, or CBRN, occasion in a big metropolis.

Strengthening Partnerships

The Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard maintained its many partnerships in 2022, together with the partnership with the nation of Lithuania via the Nationwide Guard’s State Partnership Program; quite a few partnerships with native, state and federal companies and different army parts; and partnerships civil organizations.

“It’s outstanding to replicate on the unimaginable bond and friendship that has fashioned between the service members of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard,” stated Maj. Dustin Wolfgang, State Partnership Program Director. “As we method the thirty-year milestone of mutual cooperation via the State Partnership Program, we are able to see examples of this identical bond increasing past military-to-military cooperation and into civilian-to-civilian cooperation. The longer term appears to be like vibrant for continued shut cooperation between Pennsylvania and Lithuania and I’m grateful to be part of it.”

The Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard and Lithuania have been partnered via the Nationwide Guard’s State Partnership Program since 1993.

Pennsylvania Adjutant Basic Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler and Senior Enlisted Chief Command Sgt. Maj. Jon Worley visited Lithuania to fulfill with Lithuanian army leaders and go to Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members deployed there Might 17 to 21.

Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler met with President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania on the First Troop, Philadelphia Metropolis Cavalry armory throughout Nauseda’s go to to Philadelphia July 2.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces liaison officer to the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard met with Pennsylvania Air Nationwide Guard engineers and senior leaders Aug. 24 at Fort Indiantown Hole. Maj. Mantas Kazakevičius, Lithuanian Land Forces Headquarters operations officer, met with 193rd Regional Assist Group commander Col. Susan Garrett and the commanders and management of the 201st RED HORSE Squadron; the 201st RED HORSE, Detachment 1 (from the 111th Assault Wing); the 193rd Particular Operations Civil Engineer Squadron; 271st Fight Communication Squadron; and the 193rd Particular Operations Wing chief of wing plans throughout an engineer functionality trade assembly.

Brig. Gen. Arturas Radvilas, who assumed command of the Lithuanian Land Power in July, visited Fort Indiantown Hole and attended a twenty eighth Infantry Division departure ceremony Oct. 9 in Harrisburg. Radvilas was joined by Brig. Gen. Modestas Petrauskas, Lithuanian protection attaché to america and Canada, and Command Sgt. Maj. Darius Masiulis, Lithuanian Land Power command sergeant main.

Pennsylvania Adjutant Basic Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler visited Penn State’s Scholar Veteran Heart on Sept. 16. The middle, positioned within the college’s Ritenour Constructing, opened in November 2019. It features a pupil veteran lounge, a pupil veteran research space, a convention room and multi-use rooms that present area for pupil veteran organizations, assist teams and programming.

The Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard held its annual “Guard Day on the Capitol” Sept. 20 in Harrisburg, Pa. to showcase the mission and capabilities of the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard to state legislators, employees and guests via quite a few shows. Home and Senate resolutions proclaimed September 20, 2022, to be Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard and Veterans Day in Pennsylvania. This yr’s theme is “Collectively We Serve,” highlighting the shut cooperation among the many Pa. Guard, the Pa. Division of Army and Veterans Affairs and different state companies.

A bunch of elected officers from surrounding communities visited Fort Indiantown Hole on Oct. 18 to study extra about what goes on on the set up. The group included 12 officers from Dauphin, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties. After receiving briefings on the Group Membership, they visited the Jap Army Nationwide Guard Aviation Coaching Website, the place a few of them had the chance attempt a helicopter simulator. The briefings lined quite a few subjects, together with the set up’s amenities and capabilities, the various kinds of coaching performed right here, environmental stewardship and an replace on the access-control level building venture.

Leaders from the Lithuanian Ministry of Protection and Embassy of Lithuania met Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard leaders and cyber professionals Oct. 27 and 28 at Fort Indiantown Hole and at Biddle Air Nationwide Guard Base in Horsham, Pennsylvania, to debate strategic planning, cyber protection and areas of future cooperation. Lithuanian Vice Minister of Protection, Margiris Abukevičius, and his advisor, Tadas Sakunas, joined Monika Koroliovienė, Protection Counselor, Embassy of Lithuania, and Grasp Sgt. Valdas Kačerauskas, Deputy Protection Attaché, Embassy of Lithuania, through the go to to tour cyber protection amenities.

About 20 international army officers, who function protection attaché for his or her respective nations, toured Fort Indiantown Hole amenities Nov. 16. The group obtained an outline of the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard, with a particular emphasis on its partnership with Lithuania as a part of the State Partnership Program, in addition to the distinctive roll the Nationwide Guard performs in serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the nation. The go to was a part of the Protection Intelligence Company’s Fall 2022 Operations Orientation Program to spotlight alternatives to foster partnerships and cooperation.

The Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Šimonytė, referred to as the partnership between the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard and the Lithuanian Armed Forces a “true friendship” throughout a go to Dec. 5. Šimonytė, in addition to Lithuanian officers together with Audra Plepytė, the Lithuanian ambassador to the U.S., obtained a fast tour of Fort Indiantown Hole and a briefing on the capabilities of the Pennsylvania NG. Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, the Adjutant Basic of Pennsylvania, hosted the go to which included a flight in UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from troopers with the Jap Army Nationwide Guard Aviation Coaching Website.

Achievements and Milestones

Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard Troopers, Airmen and models earned recognition for his or her many successes and achievements in 2022.

Just some months after coming back from a year-long deployment to the Center East with the twenty eighth Expeditionary Fight Aviation Brigade, Sgt. Dominic Caccese was named one of many greatest collegiate rugby gamers within the nation. Caccese was picked to be a captain of the rugby membership at West Chester College on the finish of his sophomore yr. Throughout his latest senior season, his workforce made it to the D1AA Nationwide Championship, he was chosen to play for the Mid-Atlantic All-Star workforce and Goff Rugby Report listed him as one of many high males D1 gamers of the autumn of 2021.

Two Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard Troopers earned spots on the Nationwide Guard’s All Guard Endurance workforce. Lt. Col. Deborah Fisher of Joint Power Headquarters and Sgt. 1st Class Erich Friedlein of the 166th Regiment Regional Coaching Institute certified for the workforce after a contest in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 15.

Employees Sgt. Andrea Whelan, a Soldier with the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard’s twenty eighth Expeditionary Fight Aviation Brigade, was inducted into the Lebanon County Ladies’s Corridor of Fame throughout a luncheon on the Fairland Church Fellowship Corridor March 23. In accordance with the Lebanon County Fee for Ladies, annually they acknowledge the voices, work and contributions of excellent ladies of their group, usually ones who’re unsung heroes. Whelan was acknowledged for her army service and was the recipient of the Army Award.

Sgt. 1st Class Amadou Traore of the Pennsylvania Army Nationwide Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion was named the Army Nationwide Guard Director’s Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the 12 months on the Director’s Energy Upkeep Awards Competitors April 1 in St. Augustine, Florida. Traore, a local of the Republic of Mali in West Africa, barely spoke a phrase of English when he got here to the U.S. in 2009.

Lily Palfrey was acknowledged as one of many Nationwide Guard Bureau’s greatest volunteers of 2020 and was introduced her award throughout a ceremony on the twenty eighth Expeditionary Fight Aviation Brigade’s armory right here, April 10. Lily is the daughter of 1st Sgt. Frank Palfrey, the senior enlisted chief of Headquarters and Headquarters Firm, twenty eighth ECAB. She was named the winner of the 2020 Nationwide Guard Bureau Youth Volunteer Award whereas her father was in the midst of a year-long deployment to the Center East.

Fifteen Pennsylvania Army Nationwide Guard Troopers from across the state competed within the 2022 state Greatest Warrior Competitors April 11-14 at Fort Indiantown Hole. Spc. Brandon Mitchell, with the 337th Engineer Battalion, fifty fifth Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, gained the perfect Soldier portion of the competitors. Employees Sgt. Jesse Picklo, with the 1-109th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Fight Brigade, gained the perfect noncommissioned officer portion of the competitors. Sgt. 1st Class James Cummings, with the 166th Regiment Regional Coaching Institute, gained the Command Sgt. Maj. Jay H. Fields NCO Management award.

The Pennsylvania Air Nationwide Guard chosen its annual Airmen of the 12 months for 2022: Airman of the 12 months Employees Sgt. Akini B. Cyrus, 111th Assault Wing, Horsham; Noncommissioned Officer of the 12 months Tech. Sgt. Mike Mullen, 111th Assault Wing, Horsham; First Sergeant of the 12 months Grasp Sgt. Katrina M. Wetzel, 193rd Particular Operations Wing, Middletown; and Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the 12 months Senior Grasp Sgt. Kristin J. Graby, 193rd Particular Operations Wing, Middletown.

Greater than 85 Troopers and Airmen from the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard took to the vary on Might 21 for the annual Governor’s Twenty marksmanship competitors. The Governor’s Twenty is an occasion that challenges the accuracy of opponents with a collection of M4 Carbine and M17/18 or M9 Pistol. The highest 20 finishers earn the correct to put on the coveted Governor’s Twenty tab on their uniforms.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf was joined by Pennsylvania Adjutant Basic Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler and Penn State College President Neeli Bendapudi to have a good time the success of the PA GI Invoice throughout a ceremony July 26 at Penn State. Often known as the Army Household Training Program, the PA GI Invoice permits Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard members to earn school advantages for his or her partner and youngsters. The PA GI Invoice was the primary program of its type within the nation when Wolf signed it into legislation on July 1, 2019. In the present day, greater than 3,300 dependents of Pennsylvania Army and Air Guard members are enrolled for the chance to obtain free or low-cost increased schooling.

Airmen from the 193rd Particular Operations Wing transmitted their last broadcast from an EC-130J Commando Solo Sept. 17, bringing to shut a 54-year chapter in unit historical past. The wing is transitioning from the EC-130J to the MC-130J Commando II, which flies clandestine, or low visibility, single or multiship, low-level infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of particular operations forces, by airdrop or airland and air refueling missions for particular operations helicopters and tiltrotor plane, intruding politically delicate or hostile territories.

A brand new helicopter coaching touchdown pad at Muir Army Airfield was devoted to Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Ruffner and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jarett Yoder throughout a ceremony Sept. 17 at Fort Indiantown Hole. The 2 pilots have been killed April 9, 2013, when the AH-64 Apache helicopter they have been flying crashed throughout a flight mission in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. They have been serving on a fight deployment with Bravo Firm, 1-104th Assault Reconnaissance Battalion, twenty eighth Fight Aviation Brigade throughout Operation Enduring Freedom.

Two Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard Airmen and a retired Airman obtained the distinguished Maj. Octavius V. Catto Medal throughout a ceremony Oct. 1 on the Union League of Philadelphia. This yr’s recipients are 2nd Lt. Jaelin Smith of the 111th Assault Wing, Senior Grasp Sgt. Richard Fanning Jr. of the 193rd Particular Operations Wing and Grasp Sgt. (Retired) Deborah Krall, previously of the 171st Air Refueling Wing. The Catto Medal acknowledges members of the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard who distinguish themselves as leaders via group assist and public service.

The highest 4 finishers of the Pennsylvania Nationwide Guard’s summer season photograph contest have been honored throughout a ceremony at Edward Martin Corridor Oct. 23 at Fort Indiantown Hole. Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, the Adjutant Basic of Pennsylvania, personally introduced certificates of appreciation to the 4 troopers and expressed his appreciation for his or her contributions in telling their models’ tales.

Fort Indiantown Hole was as soon as once more among the many busiest Nationwide Guard coaching facilities within the nation in fiscal yr 2022. Through the fiscal yr, which ended Sept. 30, FTIG hosted 129,885 personnel for a complete of 688,833 complete man-days of coaching. Man-days are a computation of the variety of personnel multiplied by the variety of days they educated on put up.

Solely Fort Pickett, Virginia, had extra man-days, with 1,051,377. Nevertheless, 638,721 of these days are categorized as “Non-DOD/Non-Authorities” man-days due primarily to Fort Pickett’s mission of housing Afghan refugees. When it comes to precise army coaching, FTIG led the way in which in FY22 with 655,336 man-days. FTIG was the busiest general coaching middle in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021 and has been within the high three yearly since 2013.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Wayne Corridor (717) 861-6254, or e-mail ng.pa.paarng.listing.pao@mail.mil