National Guard mourns loss of four Airmen

By Army National Guard Sgt. Darron Salzer and Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Carver

National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. (7/3/12) – The 145th Airlift Wing of the North Carolina Air National Guard is mourning the loss of four Air National Guard Airmen, and the serious injury of two others, after their C-130 Hercules crashed in southwestern South Dakota approximately 6:30 p.m. Mountain time July 1.

Paul K. Mikeal

"We are deeply saddened that four of our outstanding Airmen lost their lives while battling wildfires over the weekend in South Dakota," said Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau. "Our thoughts and our prayers go out to the family members and friends of those who were lost, and we wish a speedy and full recovery of those who survived this tragic event.

" The aircraft – equipped with a U.S. Forest Service-owned Modular Airborne Firefighting System – was assisting with the White Draw wildfire near the town of Edgemont, S.D., when it crashed. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation

The men who lost their lives are Air Force Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, a pilot from Mooresville, N.C. with the 145th AW; Air Force Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, pilot from Belmont, N.C.; Air Force Maj. Ryan S. David, a flight navigator from Boone, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, a flight engineer from Charlotte, N.C.

Joseph M. McCormick

"Words cannot express how much we feel the loss of these Airmen," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Tony McMillan, the 145th AW commander. "Our prayers are with the families, as well as our injured brothers as they recover."

In a statement July 2, President Barack Obama said he knows that Americans across the country share in his concern for the well being of the surviving crewmembers and deep condolences for the families of those who lost their lives.

"They are heroes who deserve the appreciation of a grateful nation," Obama said.

Ryan S. David

Mikeal was assigned to the 156th Airlift Squadron as an evaluator pilot and had more than 20 years of service. He leaves behind a wife and two children. McCormick was an instructor pilot and chief of training for the 156th Airlift Squadron. He was married with four children.

David was an experienced navigator and was also assigned to the 156th. He joined the North Carolina Air National Guard in 2011 after prior service in the active-duty U.S. Air Force. His wife and one child survive him.

Cannon had more than 29 years with the 145th AW and was a flight engineer with the 145th Operations Support Flight. He was married with two children.

The names of the injured have not been released. Both of the injured Airmen remain hospitalized.

Robert S. Cannon

The crew and its aircraft, along with two other 145th C-130s and three dozen Airmen, flew from Charlotte, N.C. to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 30 to assist with fighting forest fires in the Rocky Mountain region. They were due to move to a base in Cheyenne, Wyo., on Monday.

"The support of civil authorities during natural disasters is a key and unique mission of the National Guard," said Army Maj. Gen. Gregory Lusk, the adjutant general of North Carolina National Guard "The MAFFS mission is probably one of the seminal missions of the Air National Guard, representing interagency coordination between the Guard and the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense organizations to suppress the fires."

According to Forest Service records, the agency has been working with the North Carolina Air National Guard on fire suppression missions since the early 1970s.

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue declared that flags be flown at half-staff today.

Navy Secretary to Host USS South Dakota Naming Ceremony

From Defense Media Activity-Navy

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will host a ship naming ceremony in honor of USS South Dakota, June 23, at 2 p.m. CDT at the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial in Sioux Falls, S.D.

South Dakota, a Virginia-class submarine designated SSN 790, is the third ship to bear the state's name. The second ship was a battleship that stood as the lead ship of her class and earned thirteen battle stars during her extensive service in the Pacific theater during World War II.

This next-generation attack submarine will provide the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation's undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. Virginia-class submarines will have enhanced stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities, and special warfare enhancements that will enable them to meet the Navy's multi-mission requirements.

The future USS South Dakota will have the capability to attack targets ashore with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert long-term surveillance of land area, littoral waters or other sea-based forces. Other missions include anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare; mine delivery and minefield mapping. It is also designed for special forces delivery and support.

SSN 790 will be built at Electric Boat in Groton, Conn and will be 7,800 tons and 377 feet in length, have a beam of 34 feet, and operate at speeds greater than 25 knots submerged. It is designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship, reducing lifecycle costs while increasing underway time. Virginia-class submarines are built under a unique teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News.

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at 703-697-5342. For more information about attack submarines, visit http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4100&tid=100&ct=4.

For more news from Secretary of the Navy, visit http://www.navy.mil/SECNAV.

Army National Guard Soldiers train with Denmark soldiers at exercise Golden Coyote

Story by Danish Army Home Guard 1st Lt. Nikolaj Grøn

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Soldiers from Arizona Army National Guard recently teamed up with Danish army soldiers from the Danish Home Guard to refine first-aid skills as part of the South Dakota National Guard's Golden Coyote training exercise in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Soldiers from the Arizona Army Guard's 860th Military Police Company, conducted the training with the Danish platoon for two days. Soldiers from the two units participated in a joint instruction in first-aid, which was conducted by both Danish and American instructors.

For many Soldiers from the two units, the training marked the first time they trained with soldiers from other countries. For the soldiers of the Danish Home Guard, this also marks the first time they are participating in an exercise in the U.S.

"It has been a great opportunity to train with the Danish soldiers," said Spc. Jackie Rivera, of the 860th MP Co. "We have been integrated fairly easily and the instruction in first-aid went really well."

The training focused on how to assess a wounded person and how to control bleeding, said Danish army Pvt. Thorvaldur, a first-aid instructor with the Danish Home Guard.

"The Americans are pretty good. They know what they are doing and that makes it much easier," said Thorvaldur. "My assistant was quite good and a capable person. The Golden Coyote exercise is a great opportunity because we get to train with units and material that we can't do at home."

Besides first-aid training, the two platoons have also conducted joint training of standard operating procedures, cordon and search and mounted attack techniques.

South Dakota National Guard kicks off international exercise Golden Coyote

By Army National Guard Maj. Anthony Deiss

South Dakota National Guard

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota National Guard's 28th annual Golden Coyote training exercise is underway in Rapid City and the southern Black Hills, with more than 2,200 service members participating from across the country and the world.

The two-week training exercise, which began June 9 and is scheduled to continue until June 23, allows military forces to conduct combat support and combat service support missions in a realistic training environment and provide valuable services to the public.

Created in the mid-1980s with the cooperation of the National Forest Service and Custer State Park, the exercise provides relevant training opportunities in support of overseas contingency operations and homeland defense. Golden Coyote has developed into one of the nation's top training opportunities for National Guard, Reserve and active-duty forces, as well as military personnel from foreign countries.

"This exercise is a great opportunity for units to tailor their training to their needs," said Army Brig. Gen. Jeff Marlette, commander of forces for Golden Coyote. "Nationwide there are very few exercises that are designed for National Guard, U.S. Reserve and international forces to come together and train. It helps to prepare units to be able to go abroad and support operations overseas, as well as train on homeland security missions right here in the United States."

There are 37 units representing 17 states, and six foreign nations participating in the exercise from multiple branches of military service – Army, Navy, and Air Force – working together to create an invaluable training experience. This includes medical, chemical, transportation, signal, aviation, military police, engineer and quartermaster units. These military forces train on their equipment and employ tactics to prepare them for any future overseas deployment.

"Military forces are able to participate in numerous warrior training tasks and battle drills, such as urban combat operations, medical aid, and day and night convoy operations," said Army Maj. Travis Eastman, exercise coordinator.

Units can also participate in combat patrols, fire arms training and reacting to improvised explosive devices, Eastman said.

Participating units also complete various projects that help improve the forest and local communities. Local residents receive numerous benefits of the many engineering projects being conducted during the training exercise.

Units will be repairing roadways, providing reclamation of hazardous wilderness areas and hauling cut timber from the forest.

"We have transportation units moving timber cut by the National Forest Service for fire control purposes to Native American reservation communities who can use it as firewood," Eastman said. "Our engineers will also repair hazardous wilderness areas and make them safe for public use, and re-surface local roadways that have fallen into disrepair."

"This exercise is a great testament to how we come together with the civilian public," Marlette said. "We coordinate with the National Forest Service, Custer State Park and other local agencies, and the event allows both their agencies and us to be better prepared to meet homeland security missions and provide services to the public."

This year's exercise also includes members from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Suriname.

"The training aim for this exercise is the interoperability with our allies and synchronization between different work forces and equipment," said United Kingdom Territorial Army Maj. Andrew Inglis, Headquarters, 71st Engineer Regiment. "We are looking to provide aid to your civil community here; mainly to conduct route construction, hauling missions and other construction projects.

"As combat engineers we are soldiers first, so we will take part in the exercise's warrior lanes," said Inglis. "The majority of [soldiers] here will probably deploy in the next two to three years, so this is a method of the sub-unit commander to look at his people and make sure they are ready to deploy."

"The international units here provide us an opportunity for joint operations that we will conduct serving our counties abroad," Marlette said.

South Dakota Army National Guard assists in hiker rescue in Badlands National Park

South Dakota National Guard

BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. – Soldiers with the South Dakota Army National Guard assisted the National Park Service in the rescue of an injured hiker in Badlands National Park, near Interior, S.D., Thursday, June 7.

The Soldiers, using a UH-72 Lakota helicopter, conducted a cable-hoist extraction of a park visitor who was hiking, fell and was injured on Notch Trail, according to the National Park Service.

Dave Johnson, 57, from Audubon, Pa., was hiking alone when he ventured off the trail and slipped and slid into a crack. Park officials stated he started hiking at 7:30 a.m. and had been trapped and unable to get help until he was discovered by other park visitors at approximately 10:30 a.m. He was experiencing severe leg and back pain along with numerous cuts and scrapes.

Park rangers and the Interior Volunteer Fire Department were first on scene after hiking in about three quarters of a mile to find Johnson. Multiple agencies responded to the incident including Kadoka and Philip Ambulance Companies, Jackson County Sheriff’s officers and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

The call for assistance to the South Dakota Army Guard came at about 11:30 a.m., after Park Service and emergency response personnel determined the safest and most appropriate method of rescue would be by helicopter. One of the deciding factors was the difficulty of bringing a litter down the wood/cable ladder that connects the upper and lower parts of Notch Trail, said Park Service officials.

This was the South Dakota Army Guard’s first live-rescue mission in the state with the new UH-72 Lakota helicopter, which was fielded in May 2011. The Guard, along with the National Park Service and other agencies, trained for this exact scenario about a week earlier.

“We trained for this type of scenario on May 30,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Frank, pilot-in-command. “That’s how important the interagency coordination and training is. The rescue mission went very smooth.”

The flight crew hoisted the patient out to a nearby parking lot where other agencies provided medical care before transferring him to Rapid City Regional Medical Center.

For the flight crew, the extraction was all just part of their mission. “This is what the Guard the does – help people,” said Army Staff Sgt. Anton Oerlline, a crew chief with the South Dakota Army Guard who was part of the mission. “The training we go through prepares us to be able to respond and assist to an emergency quickly and efficiently.”

The crew was glad they were able to assist with the mission.

 “We were happy to be of assistance to the emergency crews on the ground and to help get the patient the care he needed,” said Frank.