Army Guard director tours Guard facilities in Hawaii

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Andrew Jackson

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

HONOLULU (3/19/12) -- Army Lt. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., the director of the Army National Guard, finished his first 100 days in his new post with a three-day tour of the National Guard Facilities in Hawaii.

His visit comes at the end of a two-week trip that took the general to South Korea and Guam.

Ingram spoke with leaders and Soldiers about the future structure and missions of the Army Guard in a series of meetings that spanned the length of the Hawaii tour.

As it stands right now the Army Guard is the strongest it has ever been, in its long history, Ingram said, “We have been actively engaged in war efforts for the last 10 years, we are well equipped and well trained.”

He hosted a town hall meeting with local leaders and traditional Soldiers at the Hawaii Army National Guard Headquarters in Kalaeloa. The Soldiers knew this was a unique opportunity for them to voice their concerns and questions to a man that is in a position to direct change. Key topics of discussion where mission requirements and preparation, and maintaining an aging infrastructure.

Army Brig. Gen. Gary Hara, HIARNG commander, briefed Ingram on the development plans for the upgrade of the Guard facilities on Kalaeloa, where the HIARNG is using buildings that once belonged to the Navy at the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station.

Senior officers and enlisted leaders from throughout the HIARNG were also invited to a special informal dinner where Ingram held round table discussions and answered questions. Meetings where also held with the staff of Joint Task Force – Homeland Defense, U.S. Army Pacific Command, and the Joint Operations Center for the Hawaii Department of Defense, where joint operations, force integration, and State Partnership Programs were explored.

Ingram also visited Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, where he met with Army Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Tom the first commander of JPAC to come from a reserve component. During the JPAC visit Ingram received a tour of the Central Identification Laboratory from Calvin Y. Shiroma, D.M.D., forensic odontologist, where he was briefed on recovery techniques, efforts and historical examples from all the major war efforts.

The final day of the Army Guard trip included an aerial tour of military facilities on the Island of Hawaii via a Hawaii UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, a walking tour of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s F-22 Raptors, and was concluded with an admiral’s barge tour of Pearl Harbor.

The Hawaii Guard’s innovative implementation of it many programs is surprising and impressive, Ingram said.

“You all are in great shape, and that is largely due to the quality of your leaders, they are a great group with lots of vision,” he said.

Building strong relationships with the Guard Bureau and the Pentagon is vitally important to our organization, said Army Maj. Gen. Darryll D.M. Wong the adjutant general of Hawaii.

“This visit allowed us to show our leadership what we are capable of, and what we are dealing with. It also helps to understand the man we will work closely with to help shape the future of the Army National Guard. This is a good partnership,” he said.