By Vaughn Larson, Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs
MADISON, Wis., Sept. 12, 2017 — As the nation marked the
16th anniversary of the terror attacks in New York City, the Pentagon and
Shanksville, Pennsylvania, more than 2,500 Wisconsin National Guard troops
began loading up into military trucks or aircraft, as they made their way to
Florida to assist Hurricane Irma relief efforts.
Wisconsin Army and Air Guard members will continue
deployments to Florida through Sept. 14. They will remain in the region as long
as they are needed.
Multi-State National Guard Response
Across the National Guard, more than 15,500 citizen-soldiers
from at least seven states are in place supporting relief efforts of Hurricane
Irma throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina
along with the territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands. Another
4,500 guard members are in transit to hurricane-stricken areas.
The National Guard has been credited with evacuating more
than 1,000 U.S. citizens from the Dutch Caribbean islands of St. Marten Sept.
9-10, by the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Airlift Wing, New York Air
Guard's 106th Rescue Wing and the Puerto Rico Air Guard's 156th Airlift Wing.
"Among the first of those who responded to the attacks
in New York City were members of the National Guard," said Air Force Maj.
Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, Wisconsin's adjutant general. "Since that day, the
National Guard has shown day after day that it is ready and capable of meeting
our nation's needs at home and abroad. Today, as we help our fellow citizens in
Florida recover from a natural disaster, is no different."
The Wisconsin National Guard's 32nd "Red Arrow"
Infantry Brigade Combat Team had been identified as one of the units nationwide
available to assist in the Hurricane Harvey recovery effort in Texas. The Red
Arrow brigade was redirected as Hurricane Irma approached Florida.
Joining the 32nd Brigade on state active duty in helping
Florida are the 157th Manoeuver Enhancement Brigade's 1157th Transportation
Company and the 64th Troop Command's 112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment,
along with other Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard elements.
The Wisconsin National Guard is traveling approximately
1,400 miles to render assistance under the auspices of the Emergency Management
Assistance Compact, the nation's state-to-state mutual-aid system. Florida Gov.
Rick Scott used EMAC to ask Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for Wisconsin National
Guard assistance. Walker, in turn, issued Executive Order 254 Sept. 8, which
authorized Dunbar to call Wisconsin National Guard troops to state active duty
to assist Florida.
"Assisting civil authorities and first responders is
one of the National Guard's core missions," Dunbar said. "This is
what we train for, and regular domestic operations exercises help prepare our
troops to respond when needed."
Army Sgt. 1st Class William Kocken, a readiness
noncommissioned officer and platoon sergeant from Company A, 1st Battalion,
127th Infantry, agreed.
"We're excited about it," he said. "It's what
many of us sign up to do -- to help others. It's what we like doing. It's part
of serving the country -- being able to step up and help those in need. Morale
is remarkably high."
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Rafael Conde, the Wisconsin Army
National Guard's senior enlisted advisor, said the troops he spoke with are
ready to go.
"They want to do this mission," Conde said.
"Very few times do they actually get to do this kind of mission at this
kind of scale."
"We have a lot of skilled people here who have a lot of
knowledge -- we're doing our best to maximize that," said Air Force Master
Sgt. Kitrina Vargas, an air cargo specialist with the 128th Air Refueling Wing
in Milwaukee. Vargas was at Volk Field yesterday helping approximately 600
soldiers load gear onto aircraft bound for Florida.
"We're going to make this mission happen," Vargas
said.
"We are ready to roll down to Irma," said Army
Staff Sgt. Justin Sonnentag of Evansville, Wisconsin, a member of Company D,
132nd Brigade Support Battalion, located in Madison, Wisconsin, as his unit
prepared to convoy to Florida yesterday morning.
Army Spc. Andurina Sickinger, of Battery C, 1st Battalion,
120th Field Artillery, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, said she was excited to help.
"This is what I signed up for," she said. "I
really want to help people there. I feel for everyone -- that they've lost a
lot of things. I want to do what I can to help."
Conde noted that many administrative members put in many
hours over the weekend to coordinate deployment of Wisconsin National Guard
troops to Florida on short notice.
"It's a massive, massive move," Conde said.
"I couldn't be prouder of the soldiers and airmen that are accomplishing
their mission right now."
Amid Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and multiple
firefighting missions, nearly 31,000 Guard members are deployed across the
United States and its territories.
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Barnett of the 105th Mobile
Public Affairs Detachment, Kansas Army National Guard, contributed to this
article.)
No comments:
Post a Comment