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Category: Idaho Military Divison
Idaho National Guard marksmanship team trains with local Treasure Valley sniper police
MELBA, ID, UNITED STATES
06.09.2019
Story by Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur
MELBA, Idaho – “Everybody wants to be a sniper, until it’s time to do the sniper stuff,” said Cpl. Brian Lueddeke, a sniper instructor from the Meridian Police Department. “It’s just what it is, right, the hard truth. We are called lizards because we are out there lying on the hot rocks baking ourselves, or we are up on a rooftop blanketed by snow in a blizzard.”
The Idaho National Guard marksmanship team participated for the first time in the urban and rural sniper training held in Melba by the Treasure Valley’s SWAT sniper element. The Meridian Police Department sponsored the course and the SWAT team instructors volunteered their time to produce the intense 50-hour, five-day course, held from June 3 through June 7.
Police officers from the Ada County sheriff’s office, Gem County sheriff’s office and Soldiers from Idaho National Guard completed their week of training with a certified qualification exam. These are essential skills necessary to operate effectively as a designated precision marksman, commonly referred to as DPM, or sniper.
The two most essential skills learned were marksmanship and field craft. Marksmanship is engaging select targets with consistent precision fire and the use of a bolt-action scope riffle. Field craft is the ability to effectively detect, observe and report critical information to their operational command while remaining in a concealed position.
“What are some things in the urban environment that can cause us problems when we are out on a mission? Sound. Yes, but that can also be a cover,” said Lueddeke. “People. Yes, the lookie-loos. Everybody flocks to where the police are and now you have all sorts of issues in the event that you run into an immediate threat situation and need to take a shot. Vision obstruction from buildings and wind compression problems can occur more frequently in the urban environment than in a rural environment.”
As the course concluded, a sniper now has the training and discipline to research an objective and pre-select locations where they can move into undetected to observe their objective.
“Everyone sees us as just shooters but that’s not really what it is,” said Patrol Officer Travis Woodbury, from the Nampa Police Department and a volunteer sniper instructor for the course. “It is a constant surveillance roll. We are information gathers before we are anything else. For example, if we gather enough information from a reconnaissance surveillance, and report it back, it might just be enough information to issue a search warrant from command.”
The city of Melba and Melba High School graciously volunteered classroom space, building rooftops and shooting ranges in support of the joint training.
The military and the police departments across the Treasure Valley have continued to work together throughout the years in real-world missions as well as in a training scenario like this one.
“The joint relationship between the Idaho National Guard and the Police Department is great. We love them, they love us,” said Patrol Sgt. Chris Bones, an Ada County SWAT member, who is also training to be on the sniper team. “I think what bolsters that relationship is a lot of deputies are either current military or former military, and that naturally forms a common bond, especially when we get into a training environment together.”
It may be the first sniper training for the Idaho National Guard marksmanship team Soldiers, but they foresee a future of continuous joint training.
The Idaho National Guard’s 2nd of the 116th Calvary Brigade Combat Team started their sniper program just over a year ago and formed their small sniper scout platoon.
“The marksmanship team is coming out here so that we can start building the foundation for future training within our own sniper program,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jared Frogley, the IDNG state marksmanship NCO in charge. “We are heavily involved with our sniper team and I believe we are going see this type of joint training continue.”
A successful first year for the Idaho National Guard STARBASE program
BOISE AIR TERMINAL AIR GUARD STATION, ID, UNITED STATES
06.07.2019
Story by Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur
GOWEN FIELD, Idaho – As summer approaches, the Idaho National Guard’s STARBASE Idaho program completed its first school year with a successful outcome of more than 1,700 fifth grade students who participated throughout the year in the well-known science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum, also referred to as STEM.
The five-week STARBASE Idaho program is funded by the Department of Defense and brings a nontraditional way of teaching students from around the Treasure Valley.
“This program is definitely designed differently than a traditional classroom setting, in that students are more actively engaged in the experiments through a more hands-on approach,” said Amy Cook, a current instructional aide at the STARBASE Idaho program.
Not all schools have the funding available to accommodate the growing and ever-changing technological side of the curriculum. This year, 23 Title I schools that were lacking sufficient STEM resources were able to participate in this program. Title I schools are government funded public schools that receive supplemental funds to assist with meeting students’ educational goals.
“As a teacher, I am finding success in students that maybe weren’t as successful in a traditional classroom because they can be more physically engaged here,” said Courtney Taylor, a current teacher at the STARBASE Idaho program. “It is reinforcing to know this program does work because not all students learn the same way. Not all students have access to the programs that explore this type of knowledge and provide these types of hands-on lessons.”
The past 12 months’ curriculum taught valuable skills and lessons to several elementary schools from six different school districts. The school districts of Boise, Caldwell, Kuna, Middleton, Nampa and West Ada bussed students onto Gowen Field to participate in the program, with the addition of several homeschooled students.
Students learned by being physically involved in the engineering and design process of 3D printing on computers. They wrote coding programs for robotics that incorporated the ability to overcome failure if their coding didn’t program the robot to follow the correct path. They mixed chemicals to cause reactions, learned about physical and chemical properties, states of matter, elements and atoms, nanotechnology, laws of motion, units of measurements, fractions, decimals, percentages, and much more.
“My favorite part of the program is that the students get the chance to learn through failure,” said Kimberly Avella, a current teacher at the STARBASE Idaho program. “If you don’t get it right the first time, you get the valuable lesson of trial and error through the failure process of these experiments.”
Additionally, the STARBASE Idaho program allowed for guided tours of Gowen Field and an opportunity to meet with Airman and Soldier STEM role models from aircraft maintainers, civil engineers, firefighters, armor instructors, army aviators and emergency and environmental managers.
Currently, 35 other states have STARBASE programs, which are federally funded and typically located on military instillations.
“We are also a nonprofit organization,” said Jim Heuring, director of STARBASE Idaho. “We can receive private donations and we do. We use some of that money we are receiving from private donors to pay for bussing for the schools that cannot afford to provide transportation. We also use the money for the extra supplies we may need.”
Congress votes on the Department of Defense bill for the program annually. Once the bill is approved, a cooperative agreement within each state pays for the facilities, equipment and supplies, as well as the staff and the teachers who are all State of Idaho Military Division employees.
“It is humbling to be a part of something that sparks their interests, to be able to see the students realize that there are so many different options available to them,” said Taylor. “From the beginning to the end, they seemed more and more eager to learn each day as the five weeks continued on. In such a short amount of time, it was just remarkable to watch them grow and to leave the program believing in themselves.”
116th CBCT arrives at the National Training Center
FORT IRWIN, CA, UNITED STATES
05.28.2019
Story by Capt. Robert Taylor
Soldiers from the Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team have mobilized to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, to participate in a large-scale exercise. This deployment is the state’s largest since 2015.
“The National Training Center provides some of the most realistic training the Army has to offer,” said 116th CBCT commander Col. Scott Sheridan. “This gives us the opportunity to exercise our warfighting functions in a way we can’t anywhere else. 116th CBCT Soldiers have trained extensively over the past four years and are ready to demonstrate their tactical and technical proficiencies in an austere environment.”
The 116th CBCT is comprised of more than 3,000 Soldiers, with roughly 1,800 Soldiers from 137 Idaho communities and 1,200 Soldiers serving in battalions from the Montana, Nevada and Oregon Army National Guards.
Through force-on-force simulated combat operations, Soldiers will have the rare opportunity to train against a near-peer force, provided by the U.S. Army’s 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Soldiers will also live-fire major weapon platforms, to include the M1A1/A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank, the M2A3/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the M109A6 Paladin and the M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge.
The NTC is one of the Army’s largest combat training centers and is roughly the size of Rhode Island. Its desolate climate and varied terrain will test the brigade’s ability to sustain itself in a large and austere environment.
More than 1,000 Soldiers in Army National Guard units from eight additional states and Puerto Rico, along with three U.S. Army Reserve units, will join forces with the 116th during the rotation to complete the brigade’s combat power. In addition, the Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing will provide close air support using A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft during the 116th CBCT’s simulated combat operations.
“Everybody in this task force is a member of the 116th CBCT regardless of the patch on your shoulder,” Sheridan told senior battalion leaders Sunday during a unit movement rehearsal.
The task force comprises an additional 56 National Guard companies, platoons or sections, to include the Arizona Army National Guard’s 158th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and the California Army National Guard’s 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion of the 140th Aviation Regiment.
The 116th CBCT last attended the NTC in 2015. The training rotation is the brigade’s capstone training event in its four-year training cycle before the unit is available to complete a real-world mission in 2020.
The 204th RTI claims the Idaho Governor’s Outstanding Unit Award
05.17.2019
Story by Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur
Idaho Governor Brad Little, along with Idaho Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, recognized the Idaho National Guard’s top unit and several exceptional individuals in a ceremony on Gowen Field, May 17.
Little and Garshak presented the Governor’s Outstanding Unit Award to the Idaho Army National Guard’s 204th Regional Training Institute Regiment.
The regiment was recognized for aggressively directing efforts across three primary focuses of strength management, accreditation visits and supporting the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team.
Additionally, the governor and Garshak presented the Idaho Distinguished Service Medal to Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Krapff, and the Idaho Meritorious Service Award to Ric Johnston and retired Chaplian Thomas Westall for their years of valuable service to the Idaho Military Division.
“This is a great opportunity to be able to recognize the impressive units we have here in the Idaho National Guard, as well as several individuals who have made notable contributions to our Soldiers, Airmen, our families and the mission,” said Garshak. “It’s always a great honor to have the governor, our commander in chief, here to make these significant presentations.”
Idaho Army National Guard deploys to Guatemala
Courtesy Story
Idaho Army National Guard
Approximately 30 Soldiers from Idaho’s 1st Battalion of the 183rd Assault Helicopter Battalion deployed to Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Sunday in support of Beyond the Horizon 2019.
These Idaho Army National Guard aviation Soldiers will spend their annual training period providing casualty evacuation support and equipment transportation for U.S. military engineers and medics as they build schools and set up medical clinics for the citizens of Guatemala from April 28 to July 27.
“This mission is an excellent opportunity for our Soldiers to deploy to a foreign country and do their jobs in an unfamiliar environment,” said Maj. Bryan Reid, the unit’s operations and training officer.
Nearly 150 pilots, crew chiefs, mechanics, petroleum specialists, signal specialists and supply personnel from the 1-183rd Assault Helicopter Battalion will rotate through Guatemala in two-week rotations.
“It is really exciting to get an opportunity to fly helicopters in a foreign country,” said 1st Lt. Colton Ankeney, the Beyond the Horizon 2019 project officer. “It will provide its own challenges and experiences that you can’t get training in the States.”
Beyond the Horizon is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored, joint foreign military humanitarian civic assistance exercise. Hundreds of Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve members from all services will participate in the annual exercise.
The mission helps build relationships with the host nation by working with its military to improve the infrastructure and medical wellness of their citizens. Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers will receive valuable training in a deployed location to maintain their individual and unit readiness.
Diversity inclusion creates winning organizations
05.03.2019
Story by Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur
BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho National Guard hosted a Joint Diversity Executive Council conference on April 30 in Boise to address the importance of diversity inclusion in the workplace. Key military and civil leaders from 14 states, one territory and the National Guard discussed solutions for stopping discrimination in their organizations.
“An organization with diverse experiences and cultures will be a winning organization,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Nolan, Idaho’s assistant adjutant general-Air. “It’s easy for an organization to grow stale when we continue the notion that everyone is and should be thinking and acting in the same way. The whole point to diversity inclusion is for us to realize that we, as an organization, already have an internal bias, but we have to open our minds to people we may see as different from us.”
The JDEC, made up of seven regions representing each state and territory, advises the chief of the NGB and adjutant generals on diversity and inclusion matters. Regions six and seven attended the two-day conference, which included Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and the territory of Guam.
Day one began with a diverse panel of Idaho National Guard Soldiers and Airmen sharing the experiences that have impacted their lives or caused roadblocks in their careers.
“I moved to Idaho from down south, where I did witness discrimination, but being here has been eye-opening and breath-taking,” said Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Henry, from the 2nd of the 116th Cavalry Regiment. “Here, I am just like everyone else, I don’t get treated differently. I don’t get looked at differently because of the color of my skin.”
Sgt. 1st Class Melanie Galletti, from the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, spoke about a time in her life she felt singled out due to her race and gender in her former unit.
“While in active duty in 2000 my battalion commander had me in his office for an in-briefing,” said Galletti. “I distinctively remember him saying to me ‘now I know about you Latino females’ and then after that I didn’t hear anything else he said, because those were the only words I could focus on. I joined the Idaho Army National Guard in 2010. Have I experienced any type of discrimination here? Absolutely not, not as a female and not as a Latino female.”
In 2017 Galletti became Idaho National Guard’s first female infantry Soldier.
Throughout the conference, several themes were highlighted to help eliminate discrimination, such as emphasizing diversity and inclusion, exercising open-mindedness, embracing change and being receptive to newer generations coming through while controlling hostile work environments.
“We have to continue to train our brains and it’s not just a nationality, religion or gender issue, it’s every form of discrimination,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Becky Burkhart, Idaho’s first female command sergeant major. “We have to remember that the person next to you in the foxhole – it doesn’t matter who they are – as long as they have your back. It is up to leaders to continue this concept. Here in Idaho, I have never been treated poorly for being married to another female Soldier.”
Burkhart has been married to her wife for more than four years.
“We have to accept that some derogatory things are going to happen, people are going to say inappropriate things and it’s how we handle it that matters,” said Galletti. “We need to close the doors for the opportunity of harassment to continue, by keeping an open mind and respecting our peers. If we are going to do this, if we are going to diversify, let’s just do it all the way through in every single aspect.”
Several leaders from local businesses took part by speaking during the two-day conference. They shared their insight on diversity inclusion programs and their efforts on overcoming discrimination issues. Participants in the event were Zion’s Bank, Boise State University, College of Idaho Cultural Experience and Insight, the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy, the Ballet Folkloric Mexico Lindo dancers, Idaho State Police, Boise Fire Department, the Basque Center and the Idaho State Museum forum on Native American and Indian tribes.
“Diversity and inclusion starts with our youth,” said Trevor Sparrow, director of the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy. “Programs like the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy start the process of opening the minds of youth to diversity and inclusion.”
Senior Airman Tanner Morales, a graduate from the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy and an aerospace propulsion technician in the 124th Maintenance Squadron, spoke about what he has learned after graduating from the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy.
“I don’t see people as what I am physically seeing standing in front of me, but I see them as what I can learn about them and learn from them,” said Morales. “I like the fact that I can fall back on someone that thinks differently than me. If I have a problem that needs to be solved, I may not be approaching it the right way, and having a person that has a different background than me may have a different way on how they articulate their thoughts. That to me is very valuable.”
Improving diversity inclusion is a top priority for Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, adjutant general of Idaho and commander, Idaho National Guard.
“We need to open our thoughts, our minds and our views on diversity,” he said. “We need to recognize the strengths it can bring in directly contributing to our greatness as an organization. I continue to embrace and appreciate every opportunity to strengthen our understanding of diversity, with the hopes of improving our organization here in Idaho.”
Idaho’s first female command sergeant major encourages soldiers to manage their own careers
BOISE, ID, UNITED STATES
03.31.2019
Story by Crystal Farris
Idaho Army National Guard
Command Sgt. Maj. Linda Burkhart was born in Eureka, California, and as a 10-year-old, visited her aunt and uncle who were working for the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho. During the trip she fell in love with Idaho and decided to move there one day.
Burkhart finally moved to Idaho when she was 32 and looking for a new direction in life. She worked for the United States Postal Service, where she met two Idaho National Guardsmen. Having always wanted to wear the uniform, Burkhart enlisted into the Idaho Army National Guard one year later on Nov. 18, 1994, as a signal specialist.
“I wanted to be part of something bigger,” said Burkhart. “I was looking for that one thing that would put my life in a good direction and the Guard did that for me.”
Burkhart has served in the Idaho Army National Guard for the past 25 years and earned the Army’s highest enlisted rank in 2014, when she became the state’s first female command sergeant major.
From spending her first drill getting dirty in the field as a private, to leading troops as a company first sergeant, Burkhart said her career has been memorable and full of opportunity.
“I’d come home filthy and tired from the field but excited because I felt I achieved something,” said Burkhart. “I love what I do and want to show Soldiers they can have fun in their jobs and get good things from their careers if they take the initiative.”
Taking initiative to manage her own career has been key to Burkhart’s success, she said, and was something her parents raised her to do. Whether that meant completing professional developmental courses or volunteering for positions of higher authority, she was willing to do what was necessary to move up through the ranks.
“We have to push ourselves to take initiative and create opportunities,” said Burkhart. “My parents taught my siblings and me to take charge of our lives and that has always been key.”
One of her most impactful career decisions came at the end of Burkhart’s second deployment. Upon returning home from Iraq in 2010, she was a sergeant first class with no platoon sergeant time. Knowing that leadership experience was important, she requested to be considered for a platoon sergeant position within the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team.
“I wanted and needed that opportunity if I was going to move up,” said Burkhart. “I went through the appropriate chain of command and requested to be considered. I told them I could do the job and they gave me the opportunity.”
Burkhart remained in that position for more than six years before becoming Joint Force Headquarters and Headquarters Company’s first sergeant.
She now serves as the Joint Force Headquarters’ first female land component command sergeant major, responsible for advising the state land component commander on all matters impacting the unit’s enlisted force, including assessing their morale, welfare and training.
“I continually see any position that I’ve been in as the opportunity to do more for the organization and the people in it,” said Burkhart. “I can’t say enough how much this organization and its people have given to me and the opportunities I’ve had and continue to have.”
Although Burkhart plans to retire in two years, she said she still has a lot to contribute to the organization and her fellow Soldiers before hanging up her uniform.
“We have a great organization but are not exempt from having occasional challenges,” said Burkhart. “I genuinely want to know how Soldiers are doing and attempt to make things better for everyone if it’s not going so well for them. I know this organization cares about me. I am trying to show others that the organization cares about them also.”
Part-time Guardsmen eligible to receive full-time healthcare after retirement
BOISE, ID, UNITED STATES
03.14.2019
Story by Crystal Farris
National Guardsmen and their families do not have to struggle to afford healthcare and can stay medically insured after retirement. Those who serve 20 years or more in the National Guard are eligible to receive lifelong medical benefits for themselves and their families through various TRICARE health plans.
These plans offer quality care at affordable rates, making it one of the most valuable benefits available to Guardsmen and an important reason to stay in until retirement.
“TRICARE is one of the best reasons to stay in the National Guard for 20 years,” said Col. Jim Hicks, Idaho Army National Guard director of personnel. “With these benefits you have the potential to save hundreds and thousands of dollars when you reach retirement.”
At age 60, retirees and their families can expect to pay as little as $48 a month for TRICARE, whereas others pay a minimum of $1,000 a month for outside insurance, said William Fackler, Idaho National Guard retirement services officer. Then at age 65, retirees can expect to pay close to nothing for TRICARE, he added.
Several healthcare plans are available through TRICARE depending on the retiree’s age. Each plan offers little-to-no out-of-pocket costs, deductibles or premiums; low catastrophic caps and costs per family; and more freedom to choose healthcare with fewer restrictions.
“People don’t want to worry about medical bills after they retire,” said Fackler. “I’ve talked to lots of veterans who got out before 20 years and they all regret it. I tell folks to stick around because those benefits will be well worth it later on.”
Idaho Army National Guard retiree and Family Assistance Center Specialist Tom Obstarczyk knows first-hand the value of being a TRICARE beneficiary after he accidently sawed two of his fingers off in 2003.
“I was lucky,” said Obstarczyk. “My surgeon at St. Luke’s in Meridian was able to reattach my fingers and it cost me nothing through TRICARE. Where else can you receive full-time medical benefits as a part-time employee?”
Once retired, members can purchase TRICARE Retired Reserve from any age until 60. At that time, retirees may either chose TRICARE Prime Retired or TRICARE Select Retired, which recently replaced TRICARE Extra and Standard. At 65, retirees are no longer eligible for the previously mentioned health care plans but may then choose to enroll in TRICARE for Life.
TRICARE Retired Reserve
Upon retirement, members with 20 or more years of service are eligible to purchase TRICARE Retired Reserve for themselves and their family until they reach age 60. The premium-based health plan offers beneficiaries the option to receive care from any TRICARE-authorized provider for $451.51 a month per member or $1,083.40 a month to include unlimited family members, in addition to deductibles and a $3,598 catastrophic cap.
TRICARE Prime and Select, Retired
Retirees ages 60 to 64 are eligible to purchase TRICARE Prime Retired if living in a prime area or TRICARE Select Retired for themselves and their families.
TRICARE Prime Retired is a managed care option that offers affordable and comprehensive coverage with fewer out-of-pocket costs. Eligible members will receive care from a primary care manager and pay $24.75 a month, or $49.50 a month to include their family, with no deductibles and a $3,000 catastrophic cap.
TRICARE Select Retired is a preferred provider network that offers beneficiaries the most freedom to choose any TRICARE-authorized provider. There are no enrollment fees, however, deductibles are $150 for individuals and no more than $300 per family, with a $3,000 catastrophic cap.
TRICARE for Life
Retirees age 65 and older are eligible to enroll in TRICARE for Life, which is a secondary healthcare coverage for individuals with both Medicare Parts A and B. The program offers members and families the ability to receive care from any authorized provider with no enrollment fees, deductibles of $150 per individual and no more than $300 per family, with a $3000 catastrophic cap.
Medicare costs individuals approximately $135.50 a month and may not cover everything. With TRICARE for Life, beneficiaries typically pay nothing out-of-pocket for services TRICARE pays after Medicare, giving retirees the confidence to quite working sooner, said Fackler.
“People are out there working after age 65 because Medicare is only covering so much of their health costs,” said Fackler. “After retirees turn 65, TRICARE for Life gets billed. Nearly 99 percent of the time whatever Medicare doesn’t pay, TRICARE does so that beneficiaries never see a bill.”
Additionally, retired Guardsmen and their families are eligible for TRICARE’s pharmacy program and various dental and vision healthcare plans.
TRICARE Pharmacy Program
All current TRICARE beneficiaries are eligible to use the TRICARE Pharmacy Program to receive affordable prescription drugs either through retail pharmacies or by a home delivery option. Using Express Scripts, individuals can receive a 90-day supply of medication at home for small copayments of $7 for generic or $24 for name brands.
Dental and Vision Coverage
Retired Guardsmen now have comprehensive dental and vision coverage through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program, which replaced the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program in January 2019. With this new program, beneficiaries may choose between 10 dental and four vision carriers, ranging in price between $40 and $120 a month depending on the plan. Coverage for vision includes routine eye exams, vision corrections without referral and eyeglass frames and lenses.
“Before this new program took effect, Guardsmen had no vision care option and only one available dental plan through TRICARE,” said Fackler. “Now beneficiaries have more options, which is important because not every dental provider took TRICARE.”
TRICARE Young Adult
While adult-children of current-serving Guardsmen are eligible for TRICARE health coverage until age 21, or age 23 if they are enrolled in college, those of retired Guardsmen are entitled to coverage until age 25. With TRICARE Young Adult Prime, beneficiaries receive care through a primary care manager and pay $358 a month, with no deductibles.
With TRICARE Young Adult Select, beneficiaries have the option to receive care using any TRICARE-authorized provider for $214 a month, with deductibles ranging between $51 and $154 per individual and between $102 and $308 per family, depending on a retiree’s rank. Both plans have catastrophic caps of $3,598.
Until Retirement
While TRICARE benefits after retirement may provide Guardsmen a reason to stay in the Guard for 20 years, another TRICARE health plan offers members a reason to stay in until 60.
Current members and their families are eligible to receive TRICARE Reserve Select, which offers lower healthcare rates than TRICARE Retired Reserve and comparable rates to TRICARE Retired Select.
“Soldiers are staying in the military for TRICARE Reserve Select,” said Fackler. “They would spend approximately $800 or more a month on other health plans if they got out before age 60.”
The premium-based health plan offers beneficiaries the option to receive care from any TRICARE-authorized provider for $42.83 a month or $218.01 a month to include their family. Deductibles range between $51 and $102 per individual or between $154 and $308 per family, depending on a member’s current rank, with a $1,028 catastrophic cap.
Preparing for Retirement
To receive benefits, retirees must enroll online for each TRICARE health plan prior to their age of eligibility at www.tricare.mil. Enrollment assistance is available through the Idaho National Guard’s Retirement Services Office at (208) 272-3815 and the Family Assistance Center at (208) 272-4330 or (208) 272-4355. Individuals can also find further information on retirement, transitioning and eligibility by visiting the previously mentioned website and services or by contacting the Idaho National Guard Retiree Outreach Program at (208) 258-4910.
Female armor officers prepare to lead Idaho Soldiers into combat
BOISE, ID, UNITED STATES
02.19.2019
Story by Capt. Robert Taylor
Idaho Army National Guard
The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team’s B Company, 2-116th Cavalry Regiment conducted gunnery Feb. 8-15 at the Orchard Combat Training Center, marking the first time female armor officers qualified in the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank in the Idaho Army National Guard’s history.
2nd Lt. Brooke Berard and 2nd Lt. Lauren Bolt graduated from the U.S. Army’s Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course Feb. 1 before returning to Idaho and accompanying their company to the field to conduct gunnery.
“After seeing the Abrams tank, I didn’t feel like I had another option,” Berard said. “Once I saw the tank’s power, that’s all I wanted to do.”
Both lieutenants will serve as platoon leaders for B Company, which is located in Nampa. As platoon leaders, each Soldier will command a platoon of up to 14 Soldiers and four Abrams.
Berard and Bolt are the first qualified combat arms female officers in the Idaho Army National Guard’s history. They follow other Idaho Army National Guard female Soldiers into the combat ranks since females were permitted to serve in all positions in the military in December 2015.
In 2016, 1st Sgt. Erin Smith became the first enlisted Soldier in the U.S. Army to graduate from the service’s M1 Armor Crewman School. In 2017, Staff Sgt. Kylene Huetra became the first female assigned to the 2-116th Cavalry Regiment as a tank crew member. She was recently reassigned as B Company’s supply sergeant.
Sgt. 1st Class Melanie Galletti graduated from the Infantry Transition Course in April 2017, becoming the first female Soldier in the state’s history to earn the Army’s blue infantry cord. She served as a squad leader in C Company, 2-116th Cavalry Regiment until she was reassigned to a position in a different company and subsequently promoted.
“I don’t care if you’re male or female,” said Lt. Col. Jason Gracida, commander, 2-116th CAV REG. “I care if you’re a good leader and Soldier. At the end of the day, you’re going to lead Soldiers into combat. I need to know if you’re a capable officer.”
Both junior officers know and understand their role on the battlefield.
“We close with and destroy the enemy with shock, mobility and firepower,” said Berard. “Not only do you have this firepower, you also have to make choices quickly.”
The M1A2 Abrams main battle tank is the Army’s most advance battle tank.
“When we get together and put rounds down range, and begin to maneuver as an element, there’s nothing more exhilarating,” Bolt said.
Bolt served as an 88M motor transport operator with the Nevada Army National Guard before transferring to the Idaho Army National Guard to become an armor officer. Both her parents also served in the military.
Gunnery tables often mean long days, with mechanical issues and winter weather causing delays, adding to the stress for new lieutenants conducting gunnery for the first time.
“Sometimes it doesn’t feel like work,” Beard said. “You’re tired but it’s so much fun.”
Snow Bash brings Idaho National Guard children together
Snow Bash 2018 brings Idaho National Guard children together, builds resiliency.
BOISE, IdahoJan. 31, 2018
Story by Capt. Robert Taylor
Idaho Army National Guard
The Idaho National Guard’s Child and Youth Services program hosted Snow Bash 2018 in mid-January to bring military children from around the state together in one place, Cascade, Idaho.
“A lot of this is teaching resiliency training to military kids so they know how to cope with deployments and know that there’s a support system always there for them,” said Katie Kohlbecker, whose dad serves in the Idaho Army National Guard.
During the four-day camp, military children spent time with other military children, playing games that encourage team building and leadership skills while participating in lessons in small groups that reinforce resiliency using lessons that fit the camp’s theme, which was Beyond Camp Wonderland.
“I really like it, it’s fun,” Elijah Maisey said. “Everyone is the same because we all have parents in the military. It’s different than interacting with kids at school because most kids at school don’t have parents in the military and don’t know what it’s like to have a parent gone.”
Masiey, whose dad serves in the Idaho Army National Guard, said his dad has only deployed once in his life but has traveled often throughout the country for his job.
Several key Idaho National Guard leaders visited the camp, including Col. Farin Schwartz, assistant adjutant general – Army/commander, Idaho Army National Guard; Col. Britt Vanshur, director of staff, Idaho Air National Guard; and Chief Master Sgt. Harold Bongiovi, state senior enlisted leader.
“It’s so rewarding for me to hear what this program has to offer,” Schwartz told campers. “It’s rewarding to see the development of the older kids who have transitioned from campers, to counselors to chaperons.”
Children enrolled in the Idaho National Guard Child and Youth Services program can attend the annual camp starting when they are 10. They are eligible to be a camp counselor at 14 if they’ve attended two camps previously and can become a chaperone at 18.
“I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am today without this program,” Kohlbecker said. “It’s taught me I have friends and support all over the state. It’s taught me to become a strong and influential leader, not only with the military kids here, but also taking those skills outside of here, whether it’s my school or other positions I hold.”
Kohlbecker has attended at least 10 camps and is the state’s alternate representative, the number two youth leader in the program. In addition, she also serves as her student council’s secretary.
The program’s next youth camp will be in June.