The 142nd Field Artillery Brigade from Arkansas and four support battalions from South Dakota strained resources here during June. Then came dealing with the aftermath of such large-scale training. Each year, approximately 118,386 soldiers—in units of all kinds, including the infantry, artillery, airborne and special… Read More »Environmental broom follows big exercises at Guernsey
As the Army does indeed run on its stomach, and with two large operations in June—which meant thousands of hungry soldiers—the importance of food preparation services and packaged foods reached new heights here. This year, the dining facility, run by a locally-owned business, Twisters, took… Read More »Camp Guernsey cooks meet hungry demand
Wyoming Army aviators and medics took to the skies in training to save lives as part of an annual exercise called Golden Coyote, June 15-19. Wyoming Army National Guard soldiers of G Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, travelled to Custer State Park Airport to… Read More »Wyoming aviators, medics train to save lives
“When Operation Desert Storm happened, everyone had to move their equipment and get it shipped overseas. After that, units started falling in on equipment that was already staged in theater,” he explained. “So we’re relearning how to do this, and really at the crawl stage… Read More »Arkansas Army Guard working on the railroad at Guernsey
“We’re really excited, and hoping we’ll be able to use these on our deployment,” said Spc. Kellen Marlow, an infantryman with C Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment. “It will be sweet.” His classmate and fellow unit member, Staff Sgt. Donald Larkin, thought so too.… Read More »Guardsmen fly into new ways to do their jobs
Wyoming’s most significant contribution to the war came from that battalion of infantry, consisting of four companies, augmented by an artillery battery. The 1st Wyoming Infantry Battalion’s four companies were: Company C, from Buffalo; Company F, from Douglas; Company G, from Sheridan; and Company H,… Read More »120 years ago the Wyo. Guard goes to war for the first time
“Leading from the front I wanted to be one of the first to take it” Pafford said. The new test is designed to assess all components of fitness of soldiers through their abilities to perform unit-specific combat related tasks and to change the focus of… Read More »Pafford gets taste of Army’s new fitness test
Esmay reported in April 1938, that an appropriations bill, sponsored by the War Department, was before Congress asking for $500,000 to begin construction of permanent facilities at the camp. Meanwhile, Guard troops, under the supervision of Maj. C.G. Carroll, Quartermaster Corps and United States Property… Read More »Camp Guernsey turns 80 this year (Part one)
It’s been six years since a fire jumped the fence at Camp Guernsey, and since then many efforts have been made to ensure it doesn’t happen again at a place inherently involved in the risky business of enabling military members to practice blowing things up.… Read More »Camp Guernsey turns up the heat on fire mitigation
A conversation with Chief Master Sgt. Moore, the new state command chief for the Wyoming Air National Guard. Chief Master Sgt. Moore shares a little bit about himself, how he arrived at his new job, and what his priorities are for the enlisted men and women of the Wyoming Air Guard.Â
A decade later the Wyoming National Guard was called to serve its country for the first time. In 1898, the United States entered the Spanish-American War and the federal government enlisted volunteer units from the states. On April 25, Wyoming was tasked by President William… Read More »Wyo Guard turns 148
On Feb. 14, members of the Wyoming National Guard’s 84th Civil Support Team participated in an exercise with the Cheyenne Police Department bomb squad and the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office joint explosive ordinance disposal unit, at the Sherard Water Treatment Plant. During the exercise, the… Read More »84th Civil Support Team participates in joint exercise
Joint training exercise Arctic Eagle consisted of National Guard service members from around the nation and a contingent of Canadian reserves. In one of their training scenarios, the Canadian forces practiced patrolling the Alaska oil pipeline with Wyoming troops. Aside from host state, Charlie Company… Read More »Wyoming infantry gets dose of winter warfare training
Among the exhibitors at the library that night, were several high school students, who once attended STARBASE, who are still involved with robotics, and were honing their machines and skills for the annual First Tech Challenge competition held every February in Casper. Trowa Elbert-Armstrong, a… Read More »STARBASE rolling with robots for Cheyenne youth
The four participating graduates returned to Camp Guernsey for three weeks. During that time, they not only built two guard shacks to be used at entry control points at one of the training areas, but also helped mentor and train cadets at the Camp Guernsey-based… Read More »WCCA, WCA partner to improve Guernsey training area
Take a few minutes to look back at the busy year that was 2017.
Listen to Brig. Gen. Rader share some amusing stories about his 39-year career and some parting words of wisdom recorded on the day of his retirement.
Wyoming National Guard biathletes helped build the skillsets of wounded American military veterans while the para-athletes taught a lesson in humility.
The veterans came from all over the United States. Some are blind. Some are missing limbs. Some are battling the effects of traumatic brain injuries and a myriad of other maladies, but they are a dedicated bunch eager to learn and master a new sport.
Jenny Rigg, Director of Psychological Health for the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard talks about what it means to be resilient while embracing change.
The Joint Forces Readiness Center played host to a Wyoming Vietnam War veteran panel that was organized by PBS on Monday. Three veterans, all current residents of the state, discussed their war experiences on a record-to-air taping that will be aired Friday in conjunction with Ken Burns’ “The Vietnam War” documentary.
With the Wyoming Air National Guard’s plan to practice combat missions during last week’s annual training at Camp Guernsey came additional emergency response requirements and an opportunity for Air and Army firefighters to partner as “one guard.”
In 1870, five years after Cheyenne was founded, the Wyoming National Guard was authorized to protect and safeguard the people of the Wyoming Territory.
Flash forward to today, as the city celebrates the 150th anniversary of Cheyenne’s birth, the Wyoming National Guard, with multiple Army and Air Guard units assigned here, continue the legacy started so many years ago.
The annual Wyoming National Guard Open House, held July 26, drew an estimated 4,500 to the 153rd Airlift Wing’s base, in Cheyenne.
He expected the call, but didn’t know at what hour it might come. As Capt. Adam Oswalt’s phone rang, he awoke, slung his feet over the edge of the bed, and sat up. It was 4 a.m. and it was time to train.
Two Wyoming Army National Guardsmen were awarded the Dustoff Association’s Rescue of the Year award in a ceremony at the Army Aviation Support Facility Friday, in Cheyenne. The award was given for a medical evacuation mission in Afghanistan almost two years ago.
When you think of recruiters, a few images come to mind. Top on the list is an image of a staff sergeant or technical sergeant visiting a school during lunch or an assembly and presenting a slideshow of fun looking jobs. You may also recall recruiters handing out tri-folds during fairs or parades.
If you’re a traditional M-Day soldier with children you know the impact that drill weekends, schools, annual training, temporary duty assignments, and deployments can have on your family.
Children are typically carefree; no job, no bills to pay, no worries. However, that is not true for the military child.
Military children don’t typically fall into the carefree category. At any given time their lives can be in a state of change; living in a single-parent or no-parent household with parents deployed or geographically separated due to military obligations, changing schools and living in turmoil are just a few things military children deal with on a regular basis.
June 1914. Europe enjoyed its last calm summer before turmoil engulfed the continent.
An assassin’s bullet ended that in Sarajevo, a part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, would die from gunshot wounds from Gavrilo Princep, which plunged Europe into the Great War, or, as it became known decades later, World War I.
We’ve all heard it, seen it or experienced it, the stereotype of National Guard soldiers being lazy, over the weight standards or unmotivated.
But, what can we do to avoid living up to this stereotype?
Lt. Col. Michael Carden knew early in life that he wanted to join some branch of the military. Inspired by his uncle, a former Marine and telecommunications specialist; Carden, as early as 10, had already developed a love for electronics and programming computer games.
In 1869, Wyoming became the first state to grant women the right to vote. More than a century later, the Equality State continues to be a trendsetter for women – it houses Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry, which employed the first female infantry soldier in the country.
Wyoming Army National Guard soldiers responded to a request from the governor and Wyoming Homeland Security to mitigate flooding in Worland and surrounding areas.
There are a lot of different jobs in the military, and prior to World War II, many recruits were placed in positions not well suited for them, thereby wasting time and money for retraining.
Thirteen Wyoming Air National Guard airmen were part of a roughly 7,500-strong force of citizen-soldiers and airmen from 43 states, three territories and the District of Columbia brought to Washington, D.C., last week to support local civilian authorities as well as federal government agency partners for the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump.
Despite the fierce terrain, high altitude and wind gusts of up to 54 mph, approximately 75 Guard members from nine western states skied and shot their way through the National Guard’s Western Regional Biathlon at the Casper Mountain Biathlon Center in Casper, Wyoming, Jan 10-14.
University of Wyoming ROTC cadets, and Wyoming Army National Guard soldiers, Chelsee and Chris Dellinger didn’t know anything about biathlon when they got married five years ago, but now the sport is a big part of their daily life together.
The Alaska National Guard’s Pfc. Travis Cooper topped the field at the 2017 Western Regional National Guard Biathlon Competition Sprint Race Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Casper Mountain Biathlon Center. He crossed the finish line first among more than 70 biathletes representing nine states.
The Wyoming Military Department experienced an active 2016.
In August 1990, military members around the globe were preparing for the first major international conflict after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Later that year, the Wyoming National Guard stepped up to support two equally important operations: Operation Desert Shield and Operation GUARDian Angel.
Approximately 70 members of the 133rd Engineer Company, Wyoming Army National Guard, began their November drill weekend a little differently, by being exposed to pepper spray. That began 20 hours of training for members of the Wyoming National Guard Response Force.
Master Sgt. Diane Smith was awarded as an Outstanding Contributor to Law Enforcement at the annual Wyoming Military Department’s Governor’s Reception
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes numerous behind-the-scenes personnel from varying community organizations coming together, forging partnerships, to foster preparedness.
The Cheyenne Veterans Administration Medical Center recently hosted a Hero Appreciation event, which saw hundreds of community members come out to support community organizations filled with local heroes, including first responders, educators, clergy and military members.
“Our community is very blessed with some great people and awesome resources that are designed to help folks get through the worst of crises. In times of turmoil, knowing who our unsung heroes are and what services they provide within the community, allows us to not only build relationships, but also to work more efficiently to maximize our beneficial efforts,” said Sam House, public affairs officer for the Cheyenne VAMC.
“We held this event because recognizing our community heroes is extremely important. Our teachers and clergy are often the first to find out about family problems, while our emergency services personnel often work through the aftermath or a crisis with assistance from other entities such as the military.”
One such military entity, the Wyoming National Guard’s 84th Civil Support Team, was one of the dozens of organizations present to support the event. The 84th CST exists, in part, to support civil authorities at a variety of incident sites that might include chemical, biological or nuclear components.
“The nature of our job is to support local first responders in whatever capacity is needed and within our mission scope,” said 1st Lt. Sarah Brewer, a nuclear medical science officer with the unit. “Fostering community relationships allows for a clear understanding of how we all fit into one big picture. Part of what makes our team unique is that golden rule that we always work for a first responder.”
Throughout the fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, 2015, and will end Sept. 30, the CST has responded to 13 incidents, had 11 stand by missions and nine assists, including supporting events such as the National High School Finals Rodeo and University of Wyoming football games.
“The immense skill set (unit members) bring to the table assists local responders, allowing us to plug into the local response structure seamlessly,” said Lt. Col. Holly Shenefelt, 84th CST commander.
1st Lt. Sarah Brewer, nuclear medical science officer with the 84th Civil Support Team, Wyoming National Guard, talks with a community member Sept. 17, 2016 at the Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Medical Center during the inaugural Hero Appreciation event. The event served to bring together heroes from the community to include educators, first responders and military members, in order to thank them for their service while allowing them to serve the community and communicate their missions and capabilities (Wyoming Air National Guard photo by Capt. Megan Hoffmann)
However, the CST isn’t the only Wyoming Military Department entity that supports the community in various emergency preparedness endeavors. The Counter Drug program works hand-in-hand with various civilian agencies throughout Wyoming to combat the manufacturing, importing and distribution of illicit drugs; the Civil Air Patrol serves in a number of statewide search and rescue missions; Wyoming Army and Air National Guard aviation units field missions to include fire suppression, extracting stranded or lost persons from austere locations, and air dropping supplies and personnel.
It’s never just one person, one organization or one partnership that serves to facilitate emergency preparedness across Wyoming communities. It takes numerous civilian and military agencies, partnering together, to make our communities and state safe, secure and ready for whatever they may face.
“Any sort of tragic event doesn’t end at the time the event ends, and the residual effects may persist for quite some time. Our unsung heroes are the ones who put in extra hours and behind-the-scenes work to build our communities back up,” said Brewer.
Read More »Community partnerships highlight heroes and preparedness
In 2011 the Department of Defense released plans to address an issue for service members – retirement.
National leaders decided that the military retirement system, was in need of a revamp, and embarked on a multi-year study which analyzed all facets of the current retirement system, and led to the proposal of the Blended Retirement System in the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act.