The Hornet

January

The Hornet North Carolina National Guard

2015

Former Marine now calls the NCNG his family Pg. 32

Chaplain (Maj.) Culbreth Takes Her Hair on Her Own Terms Pg. 18

Combined Arms Training at Fort Bragg Pg. 26 Carolina Thunder Pg. 14

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Director of Public Affairs Lt. Col. Robert Bumgardner robert.h.bumgardner.mil@ mail.mil

Deputy Director of Public Affairs Lt. Col. Matthew DeVivo matthew.r.devivo.mil@mail. mil

Visual Information Branch Chief

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Rey joseph.e.rey.mil@mail.mil

Media Relations

Capt. Matthew Boyle matthew.i.boyle.mil@mail.mil

Community Relations

Capt. Richard Scoggins richard.s.scoggins.mil@mail. mil

Writers/Photographers Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan robert.b.jordan2.mil@mail.mil Staff Sgt. Mary Junell mary.e.junell.mil@mail.mil The Hornet magazine is an authorized publication for members of the North Carolina National Guard. Contents of this publication are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the NCNG, United States Government or the Department of Defense. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Public Affairs Office of the NCNG. General comments and suggestions should be addressed to NCNGPAO@gmail.com or call 919-664-6590. Layout and design by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell.

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Content Air Guardsmen Return Home Pg. 12 Airmen with the 145th Airlift Wing return home to Charlotte, N.C. after a four month long deployment.

Carolina Thunder Pg. 14 NCNG Apache crews participated in a multi-state exercise in South Carolina.

V for Valor Pg. 16 Two Soldiers with the 514th Military Police Company receive awards with the V device for Valor.

Chaplain Fights Breast Cancer Pg. 18 Chaplain (Maj.) Melissa Culbreth fights breast cancer for the third time and takes her hair on her own term.

Combined Arms Training At Ft. Bragg Pg. 26 NCNG Apache crews participate in a combined arms exercise at Fort Bragg with active duty Soldiers.

Marine Finds Family in NCNG Pg. 32 Spc. Joseph Gonzalez finds friends and a home when he joins the NCNG after leaving the Marine Corps and a six-year break in service.

Breaking Ground Pg. 34 Renovations started on a new Tarheel Challenge Academy in New London, North Carolina.

On the Cover

Spc. Joseph Gonzalez, an infantryman with A Company, 1-120th Infantry Regiment, stands in the terminal at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Nov. 23, 2014, waiting to board a plane for a deployment to the CENTCOM region in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Gonzalez joined the North Carolina National Guard after a six-year break in service where he previously spent four years in the Marine Corps.(Photo by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell)

Greetings from North Carolina National Guard’s Public Affairs Office.

We hope you, your family and friends enjoyed the Christmas and holiday break. Our team here at the state public affairs shop has been busy gathering stories and information for the second issue of The Hornet.

This issue highlights many of our community outreach events held by units in the field. These programs effectively support one of N.C. Guard’s strategic objectives; “Develop and Strengthen Relationships.” NCNG units from detachments to brigade size are active members in their local communities. In 2014, NCNG Army and Air units conducted well over 180 community outreach events like: Tarheel Challenge Youth Academy, NASCAR’s Coke a Cola 600, Veterans Day parades, static displays, guest speakers, the N.C. State Fair and so much more. There’s no doubt, NCNG’s high performing community outreach missions will continue into 2015.

NCNG stayed busy training for domestic operations and combat roles in the war fight overseas. Combat aviation units of the 449th Theater Aviation Brigade maintained their readiness and relevancy by participating in “Carolina Thunder.” Our readiness, reliability and relevancy was again validated with over 100 Airmen of the 145th Airlift Wing returning to Charlotte from a highly successful deployment to the Middle East, and over 180 Soldiers of the 1-120th Infantry Regiment recently deployed to that same region.

The Hornet is distributed to all NCNG major commands via e-mail with a web-link that directs readers to a web version. It is also available for download at our public web page, at http://www.nc.ngb.army.mil/Pages/ default.aspx We welcome your ideas for stories, Guard topics, etc to make this publication even more informative and enjoyable to read. Send your ideas to: NCNGPAO@gmail.com I encourage you to visit NCNG’s social media sites. Simply internet search “NCNG facebook, NCNG flickr, NCNG youtube and NCNG twitter” to see videos, photos and more stories about YOUR Guard. Enjoy your magazine: The Hornet Always Ready, Ready Team –Lt. Col. Matt DeVivo, editor.

We Want Your Submissions!

Are you an artist, writer, photographer or comic creator? We want you to send us your work for consideration in our future issues. Send submissions to NCNGPAO@gmail.com with “Magazine Submission” in the subject line. Make sure to include your contact information with name and unit.

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News From Around T Welcome home to Airmen of the 145th Airlift Wing who recently returned form deployment.

“They are heros in our midst.”

Commander of the NCNG’s 130th Maneuver

Enhancement Brigade, Col. Erik Kohl, in reference to Staff Sgt. Andrew Braxton and Sgt. Benjamin Bullard, both with the 514th Military Police Company, who received awards for Valor based on their actions in Afghanistan on Oct. 1, 2012. See Pg. 16 for more on this story.

The North Carolina National Guard Education and Employment Center received an award from the Center for America, for outstanding commitment and leadership in helping National Guard members and veterans gain civilian employment. The EEC works with NC Guardsmen, their families and veterans to connect them with employers, help with resumes and prepare them for interviews.

Their office is located at Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh, N.C.

The Education and Employment Office helped over 852 Soldiers and Family member find jobs since opening their doors in July of 2013.

Check us out on:

Follow the NCNG on Twitter! @NCNationalGuard Follow our journalists!

www.youtube.com/user/ NorthCarolinaGuard 4

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www.facebook.com/ NCNationalGuard

@SSGRJ @PhotosInGreen @CaptRS2

The Hornet’s Nest NCNG’s 1st Female 2-Star!

PT in the Cold!

Use these tips from Master Sgt. Robert Wheeler to make sure you get the most out of your PT in the cold.

Warm Up

Start out with 5 min. of rotation exercises - not stretching - followed by light jogging.

Hydrate

North Carolina Native and career Army Officer Elizabeth Austin was honored during her pinning ceremony at Joint Force Headquarter, in Raleigh, N.C. on Oct. 24 and is now the first North Carolina National Guard female Soldier to earn the rank of Major General. Austin has served more than 36 years with the NCNG and is now the Assistant Deputy Commanding General, Army National Guard, Army Material Command.

“The National Guard is the foundational strength of the Army and the foundation of liberty.”

Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk NC Adjutant General

Come celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher!

Visit the Museum, listen to history lectures and watch reenactments January 17-18

And rehydrate. Cold temps. trigger your body to increase urine out put, which can cause dehydration. Drink water or an energy drink every 15-20 min., especially if you are running longer than 30 min.

Clothing

Dress in layers, stay away from cotton with traps moisture, fish with a wind blocking layer and don’t forget hat and gloves; you can take them off if you get warm. A head lamp and hand warmers are useful too.

Take a Buddy

Join a group or say hello to those you see. Camaraderie is a great motivator!

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Waynesville N.C. Soldiers with the North Carolina National Guard’s 211th Military Police Company march down the street in downtown Waynesville on Oct. 19, 2014, prior to the start of a welcome home ceremony held in their honor.

Family, friends, and locals lined the street to cheer on the Soldiers, marching bands and other groups marched down the street ahead of the MP Soldiers.

The unit recently returned home from a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo

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Raleigh N.C. Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, the Adjutant General of North Carolina and Steve Troxler, the North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, ride in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle during a parade on Military Appreciation Day at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, on Oct. 22, 2014.

Hundreds of fairgoers waved flags and thanked the Guardsmen walking in the parade for their service. (Photo

by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell) 8

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Charlotte N.C. Sgt. 1st Class William McDowell warms up while standing on pit row at the Charlotte Motor Speedway prior to performing at the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Race with the North Carolina National Guard’s 440th Army Band, Oct. 11, 2014. The 440th Army Band also performed God Bless America during pre-race festivities. (Photo

by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell) 10

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Airmen with the 145th Airlift Wing were welcomed home by friends and family at the North Carolina Air National Guard facility in Charlotte North Carolina on Nov. 6, 2014 after a four month long deployment. Airmen from the 156th Airlift Squadron, 145th Maintenance Squadron and 145th Logistics Readiness Squadron preformed airdrops with humanitarian aid including bottled water and food which was delivered to displaced citizens in the vicinity of Sinjar Mountain Range, Iraq. (Photos by Air Force Master Sgt. Patricia Moran, 145th Public Affairs)

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a n i l o r a C nder Thu Photos by Staff Sgt. Brendan Stephens

On Nov. 17, 2014 National Guard Aviators from North and South Carolina participated in Carolina Thunder, a multi-state, multi component collective training exercise taking place at McEntire Joint Guard Base in South Carolina. This exercise involves more than 700 participants from the Carolinas and Georgia.

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for Valor Story by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan

“Attention,” rang out over the drill hall at the Capt.

Christopher Cash Armed Forces Reserve Center, in Winterville, North Carolina, Dec. 7, 2014.

North Carolina National Guard Soldiers of the 514th Military Police Company stand rigidly and about 30 friends, family members and guests look on in admiration as Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Braxton and Army Sgt. Benjamin Bullard march to the center of the formation to be honored for valor in Afghanistan.

“They are heroes in our midst,” said Army Col. Eric Kohl, commander of NCNG’s 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, to the crowd during the ceremony.

Several Soldiers of the 514th with Afghan Uniformed Police while on patrol were attacked by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, Oct. 1, 2012. Three Soldiers were killed and three others were wounded. During that attack, Braxton and Bullard earned their valorous medals.

“We lost very great Soldiers, they should be remembered,” said Bullard.

The ceremony is brief. The Soldiers salute and Kohl pins the medals, a Army Commendation Medal for Bullard and the Bronze 16

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North Carolina National Guard Military Police Officers Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Braxton, left, and Army Sgt. Benjamin Bullard, right, after a ceremony held in their honor at the NCNG's 514th Military Police Company headquarters at Capt. Christopher Cash Armed Forces Reserve Center in Winterville, N.C., Dec. 7, 2014.

Star for Braxton to the Soldiers’ uniform. Each medal has a small ‘V’ signifying that the medal was awarded for courage in battle.

“The ‘V,’ is very humbling, it sets them apart,” said Kohl.

A few words from Kohl tell a story so few know. Braxton’s exceptional courage and dedication to mission helped save the lives of three wounded Soldiers. Kohl also recounted the heroism and leadership of Bullard’s service.

“When they told me I got it, the only person I told was my father and Bullard,” said Braxton.

Bullard shares his modesty, “I did not tell anyone.”

Since Sept. 11, 2001, two other N.C. Guardsmen have received valorous awards in support of the Global War on Terror; both Silver Stars. Over 21,200 Soldiers and Airmen of the N.C. National Guard

have mobilized and deployed overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

A message from the desk of: Stephanie W. Nissen, LPC, NCC North Carolina National Guard State Behavioral Health Programs Director

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL POWER OF LEADERSHIP During this holiday season as I think back over the past few years, I am filled with pride at the absolutely tangible steps made by the Department of Defense (DOD), the North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) and each of you, aimed at reducing the stigma of seeking help for mental health or behavioral health concerns. Policies have been written, systems have been developed and retributions have been curtailed across the military on behalf of both active and reserve component members seeking behavioral health counseling. Always looking for ways we can do better, I want to share some thoughts with you.

It is widely accepted that mission readiness not only incorporates physical readiness, but mental or emotional readiness, Family readiness and spiritual readiness. These individual readiness links are much more than the sum of their parts. All are interrelated. The combined strength of one’s emotional, physical, spiritual and social wellbeing is completely dependent on the strength of each link. The mission readiness chain cannot be any stronger than its weakest link.

I believe a lesser known fact is that research shows that members of any organization will feel about the organization, or tenets of the organization, as their supervisors or leaders feel about it. Leaders set the tone and example. This applies when speaking of stigma in military settings. If NCOs, first line leaders, unit Commanders and above in our organization do not support or believe in the tenets of behavioral health and wellness in mission readiness, then Service members will not believe in it eitherand will not even try it.

I was once told by an early mentor in the NCNG, “You must be careful what you tell a Service member to do, because they will do it.” This is now my message to you. NCOs, Commanders, Battle Buddies and Wingmen, you must be careful of the example and tone you set for your troops, because you may be unknowingly blocking, with commanding influence, a Service member’s only portal to mental health and wellness. Social psychology is POWERFUL. You are POWERFUL. Preventing behavioral health crises and suicide by stomping out stigma, supporting survivors and increasing wellbeing and resilience in our force is everybody’s responsibility. We must all make sure we are sending good messages to those who listen and follow our every word. The consequence is great for Service members, their Families and our Family if we lose sight of this mission and they lose hope. We must continue to fight the good fight.

Thank you ALL for your leadership and HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the Integrated Behavioral Health System!

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Chaplain Fights Breast Cancer on Her Own Terms Story and Photos by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

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Chaplain (Maj.) Melissa Culbreth, the brigade Chaplain for the 449th Theater Aviation Brigade, stands in a field at Serenity Grace Farms in Franklinton, North Carolina, shortly after shaving her head Oct. 12, 2014. Culbreth started chemotherapy for her third bout with breast cancer the week before and wanted to take her hair on her own terms before it fell out.

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Culbreth laughs with friends and family while shaving cream is rubbed onto her now bald head.

On Oct. 12, 2014 in Franklinton, North Carolina National Guard Chaplain (Maj.) Melissa Culbreth sat laughing and joking in a chair on the front porch of the farm where she works, while her signature red hair was braided into five braids.

“I wanted to take my hair on my own terms,” Culbreth said. “Instead of letting the chemo take it.”

This was the second party she has held to shave her head shortly after starting chemotherapy for breast cancer; the first was in March of 2010, when she was less then two months home from a deployment to Iraq with the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team.

“I’m not sure which is going to be harder,” Culbreth said, “not knowing what is going to happen over the next 18 weeks, or knowing what is going to happen over the next 18 weeks.”

Culbreth, who now serves as the brigade chaplain for NCNG’s 449th Theater Aviation Brigade, began The porch was full of friends, family and fellow her most recent round of chemotherapy the week Soldiers watching and waiting for the braids to be cut before her party. This is her third diagnosis and third off and collected. round of chemotherapy.

Sgt. 1st Class John Setera, who had deployed to “I know what chemo is like because I’ve done it.

Iraq with Culbreth in 2009, draped a black, plastic To know I’m going to be doing that again, and going hairdresser’s cape around her and grabbed the clippers. through all the side effects. Again. Right now that’s Chunks of Culbreth’s hair fell down the front of the probably the hardest part. cape and onto the floor at her feet.

At the head-shaving party Culbreth had in 2010, 20

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Culbreth holds five braids after they have been cut from her hair before shaving her head.

Friends braid Culbreth’s hair into braids that will be kept by loved ones as a reminder.

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Culbreth holds the hair that has just been shaved from her head.

about 17 people shaved their heads to show their support. At this party, four people shaved their heads and many had a strip of their hair dyed pink. Culbreth said she has lost track of the total number of people who were not able to make it to the party who have done the same.

“It’s been cool,” she said. “It’s been people from a girl I went to middle school with and high school with, to Soldiers I deployed with to Iraq, to present day forks that I served with in Charis Foundation and worked with as therapists.”

About 30 people gathered at the farm to celebrate Culbreth and support her in her fight, including Sgt. Carrie MacCollum, with the 1132nd Military Police Company, another of the Soldiers who deployed with Culbreth in 2009.

“She’s being the boss of the situation,” MacCollum said. “She’s not letting cancer beat her, she’s beating cancer. She took it upon herself to shave her head and she’s taking her hair, not cancer. So she’s beating this and we’re all here to support her with that. We’re beating it with her.”

Culbreth spent the evening surrounded by her family of friends and Soldiers who she draws on for

Culbreth, is pictured before and after she shaved her head.

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support.

“The military is my family,” Culbreth said. “That’s who I have depended on since I got in, in 2006. They are my brothers and sisters. I wouldn’t know what to do. Some of the first people I told were buddies that I deployed with. My unit, my brothers and sisters in the guard, my participation in the 30th Infantry Division Association, those are the people I depend on.”

“The whole guard is family thing seems like a pithy saying, but I’m living proof that it’s more than that, that its true and its honest or there wouldn’t be so many people here tonight.”

Culbreth has spent 8 years in the North Carolina National Guard as a chaplain, being part of the support system for other Soldiers. She said that sometimes being a chaplain it feels as if she is invisible, but at the party she realized how many people care.

“Sometimes you feel invisible,” she said. “You’re the fire extinguisher; break in case of emergency.

When [life gets hard], everybody wants you there, but sometimes you wonder if people notice in the meantime, and the answer to that is yes, because tonight shows people care. And that’s really important to me.”

“The military is my family.�

- Chaplain (Maj.) Melissa Culbreth The Hornet

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Fire Fighting Airmen Story and Photo by Capt.

Charles Fitzpatrick

Firefighters run into burning buildings, not out of them.

It takes a very special individual to do that. To run into a burning metal tube loaded with several thousand gallons of jet fuel with hundreds of people trapped inside takes a very, very special team.

On Oct. 5, 2014, more than 20 Fire Fighting Airmen of North Carolina Air National Guard’s 145th Civil Engineering Squadron trained with over a dozen government agencies and private industry partners to practice a unified response to a disaster.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport Operations group turned a patch of concrete into a nightmare complete with two crashed airliners, flames and mass causalities.

Flames and smoke rise off the crash site as the Airmen with their partners in the Federal Aviation Administration, Charlotte Fire and Emergency Management, Police, Medic Emergency Medical Technician service and local airport employees begin the realistic exercise.

“It is not just about flames, you attack a fire, you save lives, maneuver, triage and get people to safety,” said Air Force Master Sgt. 24

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A Fire Fighting Airman with the North Carolina Air National Guard’s 145th Civil Engineer Squadron assists a simulated casualty during a disaster exercise with over a dozen government agencies and private industry partners at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Oct. 5, 2014.

Daryl Cook, fire chief of the North Carolina Air National Guard.

There are nearly 100 injured passengers who must be moved to safety without injury to the victim.

Medical experts must decide instantly who gets what treatment.

Fire fighters are in a race against time as flames can rapidly turn a jet plane into a toxic oven.

Expert makeup and a little acting from the Red Cross volunteers playing crash survivors trapped in the airplane or scattered across

the runway add to the realism of this training. The rescue maybe a simulation but it is an athletic feat to repeatedly carry an adult while wearing full fire fighting gear including helmet and fire resistant suit.

The North Carolina Air National Guard has partnered with the Charlotte Fire Department since the 1950’s.

“We are a joint organization, it is so important to train together,” said Cook.

The NCNG Museum Needs Your Artifact Donations!

The North Carolina National Guard Museum needs your artifact donations in order to tell the story of your service with the proud history and traditions of the North Carolina National Guard.

The new museum is seeking artifacts from all eras, including: uniforms, insignia and awards, weapons,

accoutrements, gear, photographs, and even captured enemy relics. The museum already has a very small collection, much of which is currently on display in the atrium at Joint Force Headquarters, but much more is needed in order to tell the story of Our North Carolina National Guard.

To donate artifacts of any kind, please contact: Capt. Sean Daily, Deputy Command Historian Office Phone: 919-664-6199 E-mail: sean.r.daily.mil@ mail.mil

Guardsman goes to Viking Star II Story by Capt. Matt Boyle NCNG JFHQ Master Planner Maj. Leland Pearson assists Allied partners in Viking Star II. Earlier this year Pearson attended Viking Star II at Camp Nymindegab, Denmark with members of the Virginia National Guard, the Wisconsin Army National Guard, The Queens Own Yeomanry, a United Kingdom Army Reserve Reconnaissance Regiment and the Danish Home Guard. Viking Star II is an annual training event that trains and validates Multi-National Forces in raid, reconnaissance, urban assault and coalition interoperability missions.

Pearson was assigned as the Chief Planner to the Regimental Headquarters, where he used his experience from multiple deployments and as a full time staff member of the NCNG JFHQ

to streamline the operation order process, while coordinating, preparing and distrusting follow on orders as required by the exercise.

“What I learned from Viking Star II, was not a ground technique or a tactic, but that the most important thing about working with any of our partners is the importance of terminology and how it effects communication and

Sgt. Gary Spencer Office Phone: 919-664-6214 E-mail: gary.c.spencer2. mil@mail

the common operating picture,” said Pearson.

“For example we had a hour long conversation about a report line before the group got on the same page that it was the same thing as a phase line.”

Viking Star II is a Department of Defense Reserve Officers Foreign Exchange Program, which started in 1985.

Maj. Leland Pearson, (far right) stands with other Viking Star participants.

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Staff Sgt. Dwight Williams, a member of the ground crew with the 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion inspects the forward avionics bay on an Apache Helicopter during a training mission at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Sept. 23, 2014. The 1-130th ARB supported a joint training exercise intended to validate the 14th Air Support Operations Squadron and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

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COMBINED ARMS TRAINING AT BRAGG Story and Photos by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

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Two North Carolina National Guard Apache Helicopters fly towards artillery rounds exploding on target.

“Marked by artillery,” squeaks across the radio from one of the Joint Tactical Attack Controllers on the ground. “Do you have visual on the artillery?”

“Roger, we have the artillery impact.”

“100 meters right, in the tree-line,” gives the signal for the Apache’s to fire dozens of rockets and hundreds of 30mm rounds into their target.

In a real world scenario this would take place in a war-zone; Army, National Guard and Air Force working together on the battlefield, but on this day, they were training.

T

he 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion out of Morrisville, North Carolina, the 14th Air Support Operations Squadron and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team all worked together to complete several iterations of this scenario Sept. 22-25, 2014 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, validating the skills of 14th ASOS. “You hear the radio call, you hear the JTAC controller, you hear the feedback, the artillery hits, the Apache comes in, he shoots rockets and 30mm,” said Maj. Benny Collins, an Apache Pilot with the 1-130th ARB. “That’s steel on target, when you have the machines and they’re hitting the targets, you get chills.”

The pilots are not the only ones who enjoy watching the rounds hit targets.

“My favorite thing is watching the things explode,” said Tech. Sgt. Nathan Smith, with the 14th ASOS. “But also, the integration we get, working with the Army, working with the helicopters, working with the air craft, everything that’s flying, all the guns shooting.

It’s kind of a rare feat and it is kind of exciting at the same time.”

The North Carolina Apache pilots are no stranger to joint training. Just this year they have worked with Rangers, Marine Corps Special Operations and the Special Forces, preparing them for future missions.

“It’s important because how we train here is how

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we’re going to fight when we go overseas,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Carl Glover Jr. “If we do it wrong here than those bad habits are going to transfer to where we go overseas when it’s a two-way range.”

“Any time we get to do live fire training integrated to this extent with ground JTAC’s and Artillery and possibly air force, it validates all the training we’ve done at our level as a battalion by putting the rounds exactly where the guy on the ground needs us to put them.”

With so many moving pieces, the pilots and ground forces are faced with the additional challenge of working across several military components.

“Everything’s a stress test, especially when you incorporate live munitions with it you always want to do the right thing, as an Apache pilot, you strive to be the best person, best pilot, best attack aviator you can,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Derek Williams, a pilot with the 1-130th ARB. These types of missions require a lot of preparation and precision from the pilots and ground crew but most of them agree that no obstacle will stop them from loving to fly or completing their mission.

“It’s a lot of stress and a lot of hard work and dedication that is required by pilots, especially with the Apache helicopter, but every one of our guys they

An Apache Helicopter belonging the North Carolina National Guard's 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion prepares to land at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Sept. 23, 2014.

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Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Benton, an Apache pilot with the North Carolina National Guard's 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, performs preflight inspections before taking off from the flight facility in Morrisville, N.C., on Sept. 22, 2014

stepped up to it, they knew what was required when they came in,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Derek Williams, who works full time as a pilot instructor for the NCNG. “They do an excellent job and they meet the standard almost every single time they fly, every flight, thousands of hours a year. I think we do a pretty darn good job of evaluating and making sure everyone does meet the standard. But everyone does their own

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part in making sure they’re ready.”

For a two-hour flight, the pilots and crew spend three to four hours planning the mission, in addition to the hours of preventive maintenance required by an Apache helicopter.

“There’s performance planning, mission loads, briefings, approvals, flying in local air-space, national air-space; it requires a lot of work,” Williams said. “But

once you get into that helicopter, and you get to fly with the people you get to fly with and you get to do what you love to do, it’s entirely worth it. At the end of the day, we all signed up to do something that is a calling, it was meant to be for all of us to be here and work together.”

All those flight hours and preparation had made is possible for the 1-130th to prove themselves as a ready,

reliable force that can be called upon both for training and in war.

“The fact that we’re operating the same machinery the active duty uses and doing the same mission using the same joint publications and doctrine, working with the same outside agencies, shows that we are on par with any other Apache unit from any other component doing this job,” Glover said.

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Marine Finds Family in the NCNG Story and Photo by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell When Spc. Joseph Gonzalez walked into the North Carolina National Guard Armory to talk to a recruiter about joining the Guard, he was overweight.

The former Marine had already talked to and been turned down by several other recruiters when he asked them about returning to military service after a six year break. Even Sgt. 1st Class William Robertson, the NCNG recruiter in Jacksonville, North Carolina, expressed his doubts.

“He [Robertson] was like - 'wow, there’s no way you’ll make weight, but, if you come back here next week and you’ve lost weight, I’ll keep working with you,’” said Gonzalez.

With Robertson’s mentoring, coaching and support, Gonzalez went back every week a little lighter.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Gonzalez, who lost almost 100 pounds in nine months. “He actually took the time and he didn’t have to.”

Gonzalez, who now serves as an infantryman in A Company, 1-120th Infantry Regiment, spent four years in the Marine Corps and Robertson’s willingness to help him is just one example of the way Soldiers in the National Guard take care of each other like family.

“They are my friends. It’s different,” said Gonzalez.

“When you get out of active duty, people are pulled from all across the country and you tend not to see those people again. But I see these guys all the time. I see them at the mall, I see them when I’m at the movies, I see them at a restaurant when I’m out with my wife. To know that they’ll always be there and they’re in every community around me, it’s such an ingrained organization into the fabric of America.”

After six years out of the service Gonzalez said he missed the experience and wanted to be part of something bigger.

“That’s one of the reasons I joined,” said Gonzalez. “I joined for the experience, to be Spc. Joseph Gonzalez, an infantryman with A Company, 1-120th Infantry Regiment, stands in the terminal at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Nov. 23, 2014, waiting to board a plane to the CENTCOM region for a deployment in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

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part of something greater, to be in this uniform, with people I know and with family, extended family. I’ve worked with these guys for the past few months on active duty, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world than with them.”

As Gonzalez expressed how he felt about his fellow Soldiers, the rest of his unit sat near him in rows of chairs at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, waiting to get on a plane heading for the CENTCOM region where they will deploy in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

This will be his third deployment. The previous two being Iraq in 2005 and 2007 while he served in the Marine Corps.

“We’re doing something bigger than what we do normally,” said Gonzalez. “Outside of this mission I’m just Joseph Gonzalez, who fell on some hard times. I work a full-time job and a part time job to keep things together.

But here, I’m Gonzo, everybody loves me and life is simple. And as much as I miss my family, I’m doing this for everyone. I’m doing this for my friends, my community, my country and my family.”

Gonzalez lives near his unit in Jacksonville and he is proud of the fact that being in the N.C. Guard means he can not only support federal missions like the deployment to CENTCOM, but that he can make a difference in his community as well.

“The guard experience in itself is unique,” said Gonzalez. “I’ve done state missions and it is a privilege to serve not just your country, but your community and actually help out people. I couldn’t put a value on that. It is different than going and patrolling the streets of Iraq like I did. To see the amount of vested interest that the state has in protecting its people, it’s quite a site to see.”

“We, the Guard are your neighbors,”said Gonzalez.

“They’re the people you see every day and you can’t beat that.”

1-120th CAB Deploys to Support Operation Spartan Shield Photos By Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

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Breaking Ground Story by Lt. Col Matt DeVivo

A ground-breaking ceremony was conducted here, Oct. 31, 2014, to celebrate the beginning of the renovation process in which the New London Choice Middle School will transform into North Carolina’s second Tarheel Challenge Academy. The ceremony was attended by local, state and N.C. Guard leaders.

NCNG’s Tarheel Challenge Academy’s central campus became a reality thanks to the combined efforts of the National Guard Youth Challenge program, the N.C. Guard, state legislatures, Stanly County leaders and New London officials. The 20-acre property will undergo a $1.9 million renovation before its inaugural class begins in August 2015. The academy will have a 300 bed dormitory with 19 classrooms, administrative offices and athletic fields.

To help address the state's high school dropout problem, the N.C. Guard determined a need to increase the annual number of Tarheel Challenge graduates with a second site centrally located in the state.

“This second NCNG Tarheel Challenge site will provide more western and central N.C. at-risk youths the opportunity to redirect their lives and become productive, employed, law abiding citizens of North Carolina,” said state representative Justin Burr, a 34

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steadfast supporter and general assembly advocate for Tarheel Challenge.

Based on Tarheel Challenge briefs to the general assembly and other officials, the potential exists for the New London campus to provide a $7.5 million economic impact to the county and local community with up to 145 new jobs.

“When this school closed over four years ago, a part of the town died with it,” said Tate Daniels, the mayor of New London. “With the opening of this academy, our town has new life and excitement for its future.”

Even though the North Carolina National Guard sponsors the Tarheel Challenge Academy and it is structured in a quasi-military school setting, cadets have no military obligations for attending.

“We have a vested interest in Tarheel Challenge because it is the single most value-added program the NCNG provides to the communities of our state,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, the adjutant general of North Carolina.

“Our commitment to this youth program and our communities is resolute. Partnering together we have the awe-inspiring opportunity to positively change the lives of thousands of at-risk youths.”

N.C.’s Tarheel Challenge is a six-time national award winning

program in which 75 percent of the funding ($2.25M) is provided by the federal government. This funding eases the burden on North Carolina taxpayers and gives a valuable resource to young adults in need of direction and support.

High school dropouts are a huge drain on taxpayers because dropouts typically become dependent on Medicaid and social service agencies, or they find

Local, officials, to include Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, and other Tarheel Challenge Academy supporters break ground on the building which will hold the new Academy in New London, North Carolina.

themselves as another criminal statistic.

Another benefit from this central campus is that it will have strong ties with the Stanly County school system and the State Community College System, which will ensure further opportunities for graduates to improve their lives through education.

“I fully support and look forward to partnering with Tarheel

Challenge,” said Dr. Terry Griffin, superintendent of Stanly County Schools. “A youth program that effectively develops a path for young adults to earn their high school equivalency diploma and possibly attend community college or vocational schools is a win for that individual, their family, their community and the state.”

North Carolina's Tarheel Challenge Academy began

in 1994 in Sampson County.

Over the years the academy has gradually increased its capacity and graduation goals. A total of 3,806 young men and women have graduated from the N.C. program with 72 percent receiving their GED. When the New London campus opens, NCNG’s Tarheel Challenge Academy graduation rate will increase from approximately 270 graduates per year to over 500.

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