Children of National Guardsmen “survived” summer camp

Story by Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur
124th Fighter Wing

McCall, IDAHO – After a week away from their parents, 115 children of Idaho Army and Air National Guardsmen not only survived the “Survivor”-themed summer camp, they thrived. The event-filled camp was held Aug 12-16 and was designed to build resiliency and strength in youth of military families.

“This camp is a small token of our appreciation for these children,” said Brig. Gen. Farin Schwartz, assistant adjutant general-Army, Idaho Army National Guard. “We realize that we impact the lives of the youth and appreciate the sacrifice of each and every one of these children, and what they do to support their mom or dad when they are away.”

Idaho National Guard Child and Youth Programs invite children from families in the Idaho National Guard to a winter camp and a summer camp each year. This year’s summer camp theme was “Survivor – Camp vs. The Camper” held at Quaker Hill Camp in McCall.

Activities included archery games, art classes, creative STEM challenges, inner reflection classes, lakeside water activities, a peer pressure and stress management class, a ropes team-building course, team-building races, and a zip line confidence-building course.

“All activities here are fun, but they are based on strength and resiliency training,” said Lt. Col. Douglas Uphoff, IDNG family program director. “The parents of these children could be at risk for a deployment at any time. We are enabling the children to hopefully cope with the stress of their loved ones leaving.”

Older children had the opportunity to volunteer as teen leaders. The child and youth programs are designed with opportunities for youth to gain leadership skills, feel valued, and interact with their peers.

“I love this camp, I have made a lot of friends,” said Gabbie Barton, a participating child at the camp. “I have learned that I am strong.”

Many of these military children shared common experiences with each other during the activities and know each other from past events.

“This camp has been so fun and I learned a lot,” said Lillyan Lowery, whose mother serves in the Idaho Army National Guard. “I have made all of these new friends that I can hang out with after, like her, both of our moms are in the Army together.”

It doesn’t matter how long the deployment is, the goal is for campers to build networks including other children with a similar background. Children at the camp know that their newly bonded friends are also going through the same situation and might have similar issues.

“It’s not easy for children and spouses to have us be in the military,” said Schwartz. “But it is very necessary for us to go out and do what is needed in the defense of our nation.”

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Employers had outreach opportunities with the two-day ESGR Boss Lift

IDAHO ARMY NATIONAL GUARD, UNITED STATES
Story by 2Lt. Crystal Farris

More than 100 National Guard and Reserve employers and supervisors traveled to Gowen Field from across the state today to participate in the Idaho ESGR’s annual Boss Lift.

The two-day event gives participants a first-hand look into what their Soldiers, Marines and Airmen do away from work approximately 36 days of the year for military training.

“We enjoy tremendous support from our employers and the ESGR throughout Idaho and we do not take that for granted,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, adjutant general of Idaho. “Boss Lift is a great opportunity to create awareness of our missions in the Idaho National Guard and Reserves and to express our appreciation to those employers and the community who contribute to our mission readiness.”

ESGR aims to promote, recognize and develop employer support for Guard and Reserve service through employer outreach opportunities. As part of Boss Lift, Citizen-Soldiers, Marines and Airmen invited their employers to walk a day in their boots touring various training simulators, Gowen Field and Orchard Combat Training Center facilities and ranges, aircraft and other military hardware used by the Idaho National Guard and Reserve units for training. Additionally, Idaho Army National Guard, US Army, Marine Reserve and Idaho Air National Guard representatives were available to answer questions from employers on machinery and provide insight into the life of a military member.

Wendy Lovitt, who supervises Airman Melynda Scheller in her nursing job at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, said Scheller was really excited to invite her to Boss Lift.

“Melynda really wanted me to come so I could see everything that goes on in her Guard life,” said Lovitt. “See felt like my seeing it and being around it all would better help me understand things then if she were to explain them herself. I definitely feel more connected to her lifestyle after today.”

Training simulators offered employers a fun look into how service members develop tactical and technical skills in combat operations from a controlled in-door environment. The tour included the 124th Fighter Wing’s A-10 Thunderbolt II and the Idaho Army National Guard’s M4 rifle and HMMWV simulators.

The Idaho Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion of the 183rd Assault Helicopter Battalion flew employers in UH-60 Black Hawks over the vast terrain and world-class military ranges of the Orchard Combat Training Center. For some passengers, it was their first time in a helicopter and for others it offered insight into the austere conditions service members train in throughout the year.

“It is important for employers to understand what their service members do when fulfilling their military commitments,” said Cindy Reese, ESGR state chair. “This event gives them the opportunity to see what their employees do in these times, how they do it and why.”

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Idaho Military Division hosts Educator Day

Educator Day

Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur
Idaho National Guard

Gowen Field, IDAHO – The Idaho Military Division collaborated with the Idaho State Department of Education to host Educator Day at Gowen Field, Aug. 9.

Idaho educators spent the day learning how several Idaho Military Division programs help prepare students to achieve and shape their futures.

The one-day event gave more than 30 Idaho teachers and administrators the chance to learn about the unique career and training opportunities, benefits, incentives, family support programs and intangible skills the Idaho National Guard offers.

“I was interested in this program because I see the potential in many of my students,” said Wendy Venable, an eighth grade language arts teacher at Kuna Middle School. “Some students need to see all career options that may be more feasible than college, while others can take advantage of the tremendous benefits the Guard has to offer for college-bound students. Some of my students come from non-educated, low-income households that do not see college as a realistic possibility. What I have learned today is that the Idaho National Guard has something for all types of students.”

Sherri Ybarra, superintendent of public instruction, joined Maj. Gen. Michael J. Garshak, adjutant general of Idaho, for the program’s opening ceremony.

“I have tremendous respect for teachers and educators,” Garshak said. “I hope that they gained an increased awareness today for the opportunities the Idaho National Guard provides young men and women beyond high school.”

Throughout the day, educators toured Idaho Army National Guard and Idaho Air National Guard training simulators, facilities, vehicles, aircraft and other military equipment, including the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the UH-60 Black Hawk and the M1 Abrams Tank.

In addition, educators received short briefs covering the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and Family Programs, which support members of the military, veterans and their families. Participants also learned about scholarships and education benefits the Idaho National Guard offers Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen.

“The Guard and some of these programs are a great opportunity for these kids,” said 1st Lt. Warren Hull, 124th Aircraft Maintenance Officer and a pre-engineer, computer science teacher at East Junior High in Boise. “Often times the really, really book-smart kids will struggle a little bit in a nontraditional classroom and the kids that don’t fit the academic mold, do really well in my hands-on classroom setting.”

This seminar highlighted the Idaho Military Division’s educational programs. During the school year, hundreds of fifth grade students from Treasure Valley Title I schools participate in the division’s STARBASE program, which provides students with hands-on STEM training. The Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy, located in Pierce, provides 16-18-year-old students who have dropped out or are at risk of doing so, with a second chance to complete high school with their peers or earn a GED. More than 1,300 students have participated in the program over the past five years.

“A great teacher can change a student’s life,” said Senior Master Sgt. Milo Davis, Idaho Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention superintendent. “An informed teacher can affect virtually every aspect of their students’ lives by teaching them the important life lessons that will help them succeed beyond term papers and standardized tests.”

The event was the first time the Idaho Military Division invited educators to spend the day on Gowen Field.

“I am always looking for opportunities to build partnerships,” Garshak said. “The Idaho Military Division supports Gov. Brad Little’s priority of providing great education for our youth so that they can live, work and raise families here in Idaho.”

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Idaho Army National Guard returns from Guatemala

Courtesy story
Idaho National Guard

Approximately 150 Soldiers from Idaho’s 1st Battalion of the 183rd Assault Helicopter Battalion returned home Saturday after deploying to Huehuetenango, Guatemala, in support of Beyond the Horizon 2019.

During the operation, Idaho Army National Guard aviation Soldiers provided casualty evacuation support and equipment transportation for U.S. military engineers and medics building local schools and medical clinics.

“We had the opportunity to change lives and be part of a mission that brought dramatic change to the economic growth of Huehuetenango,” said Maj. Bryan Reid, the unit’s operations and training officer. “The experience was life changing and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate.”

Soldiers from the unit consisting of crew chiefs, mechanics, petroleum specialists, signal specialists and supply personnel rotated through Guatemala in two-week rotations from April 28 to July 27. They completed 50 missions and 210 flight hours, to include transportation of 600 passengers and 9,000 pounds of cargo.

In addition, the Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers conducted joint training with soldiers from the Guatemalan Armed Forces. The training gave participants the opportunity to share skills and practice loading injured individuals into UH-60 Black Hawks.

“The training provided unique opportunities that challenged everyone throughout our missions,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 K Kirkendall, Idaho’s aviation training officer. “I’ve never experienced flying missions in an environment such as this and it will forever leave a mark on my career as a pilot.”

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 participate annually to help build relations with the host nation.

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101st CST trains with Nampa Police Department

101st WMD

Capt. Robert Taylor
Idaho Army National Guard

NAMPA, Idaho – Soldiers and Airmen from the Idaho National Guard’s 101st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team responded to a training incident in Nampa to support the Nampa Police Department July 24.

The training event, held at the empty building that formally housed the Mercy Medical Center, tested the unit’s ability to deploy without notice to a local incident. The Nampa Police Department requested the 101st CST support to complement its own training at the facility simultaneously.

“It’s good to know what support we have nearby so we’re not having officers putting themselves into dangerous situations when we have other resources available,” said Nampa Police Department Sgt. Jason Cantrell.

The training scenario focused on a chemical lab that was discovered while the Nampa Police Department investigated reports of suspicious behavior. The department requested the 101st assistance because the regional hazmat team was unavailable, a scenario that could happen in the event of a real-world incident.

Cantrell explained it was more practical and safe to request support from the 101st to investigate unknown chemical agents than to send a police officer into the building wearing a gas mask. The 101st was able to report to the scene in less than two hours after notification.

The 101st trains year-round and often with local first responder agencies. The 22-person team is one of 57 CST units in the National Guard across the country. Each team provides unique expertise and capabilities to assist state governors in preparing for and responding to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents and natural disasters as part of each state’s emergency response structures.

“It’s nice to build relationships with first responders so we can put faces to names if there is a real-world event,” said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Bachmeier, the unit’s communication section chief.

The 101st has worked with the Nampa Police Department on real-world missions in the past. In March, the unit responded to the same parking lot after the Nampa Police Department received a bomb threat involving a nearby apartment complex. Units did not find any suspicious items or substances and police arrested a suspect in connection to the threat.

In February 2018 the 101st and Nampa Police Department worked together with other local agencies in a large-scale training event at the Ford Idaho Center.

“We enjoy our relationship with the 101st,” Cantrell said. “Training together allows us to be able to get a better understanding of their capabilities and operating procedures to facilitate something of this magnitude.”

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Brig. Gen. Nolan retires after nearly 35 years of service

Brig. Gen. Michael Nolan retires

By Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur
Idaho Air National Guard

Gowen Field, Idaho – After nearly 35 years of service, Brig. Gen. Michael A. Nolan, former Assistant Adjutant General-Air, Idaho Air National Guard, retired at a ceremony at Gowen Field on July 17. As his career comes to an end, Nolan realizes the bond and experiences he shares with others are what is most important to him.

“It’s the people you work with every day that you have a common experience with,” said Nolan. “This shared experience brings you close to each other as a team. It brings out the best in each of us, we come together, and we share together. As I retire, I will now be on the outside of this, but I will still have that shared common experience with all of these great people.”

Nolan was previously the commander of the 124th Fighter Wing at Gowen Field and was a pilot, flying missions with the F-4E and F-4G Phantom II aircraft and the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.

Before he joined the Idaho Air National Guard, Nolan was an F-4G pilot instructor in California and met several Idaho pilots there. He decided to turn down an active duty Air Force pilot bonus in October 1992 and seven days later he moved to Idaho to fly the F-4G assigned to the 190th Fighter Squadron.

“The best decision I ever made was to move here,” said Nolan. “My experience in the Guard has been remarkable and I felt really fortunate to be welcomed, to be given the opportunities I was given, and to be trusted.”

When Idaho’s mission changed in 1996, Nolan transitioned to an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot. Although he flew F-4 missions, the A-10 mission was his passion.

“The Warthog is a phenomenal machine,” said Nolan. “The A-10 mission had much more of an impact on me than my other flying experiences.”

Five years ago, Nolan flew his last A-10 flight as the 124th Fighter Wing commander and was promoted to command the Idaho Air Guard.

Nolan said that one of his greatest leadership moments as the Assistant Adjutant General was being involved in ending the concept of moving the Idaho Air National Guard to Mountain Home Air Force Base and transitioning to the F-15E mission.

“The Strike Eagle at Mountain Home is an awesome mission; it just wasn’t for us as a local, community-based Guard unit,” said Nolan. “Parallel to keeping us in Boise, was the fight to keep and modernize our A-10s.”

To Nolan, his military career was about more than just flying the F-4 and A-10 missions.

“People join the military for various reasons, for me it was that I wanted to fly jets, but then once you’re in the military you realize that you are part of something that is much bigger than yourself,” said Nolan.

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Two Idaho Guardsmen earn air assault badges

Capt. Robert Taylor
Idaho Army National Guard

Two Idaho National Guardsmen graduated from the U.S. Army’s Air Assault School June 28 at Camp Rilea, Oregon. Idaho Army National Guard Soldier Cadet Porter Haux and Idaho Air National Guard Airman Senior Airman Matthew McKee completed the 10-day course to earn their air assault badges.
In addition to completing air assault school, McKee also graduated from the Army’s Rappel Master Course July 3.

“They were both good courses,” McKee said. “It was a good experience.”

McKee, a tactical air control party specialist with the 124th Fighter Wing’s 124th Air Support Operations Squadron, spent eight years in the Army Reserve before joining the Idaho Air National Guard in January 2018.

He becomes the unit’s third rappel master, which gives the squadron the required number of qualified airmen to conduct its own rappel training. The unit plans to train with the Idaho Army National Guard’s 1-183rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, which flies UH-60 Black Hawks.

The battalion’s Black Hawks supported the training courses, which included the Army’s Pathfinder Course.

Haux, a junior in Boise State University’s ROTC program, said he attended the course to become a better Soldier.

“I figured air assault course was something that I could do to better myself and further my career while doing something few people learn how to do,” he said. “I got paid to learn how to rappel from a helicopter, which is something people probably would pay a lot of money to learn how to do.”

Haux has served in the Idaho Army National Guard since November 2017. His father, Maj. Kelly Haux, is an active duty officer.

“It’s been my dream to be a Solider since I was capable of dreaming,” Haux said. “I always wanted to be a Soldier like my dad.”

The air assault course featured 10 days of instruction in three phases; combat assault operations, sling load operations and rappelling.

In phase one Soldiers and Airmen received training on combat assault, aircraft orientation, aircraft safety, aeromedical evacuation, pathfinder operations and hand and arm signals. In phase two they learned to prepare, rig and inspect various military sling-loads for equipment and vehicles such as the M998 HMMWV and M1102 Cargo Trailer. In the final phase Soldiers received instruction on tying a rappel seat, hook-up techniques, lock-in procedures, belay procedures and rappelling.

Throughout training students received several written and performance-oriented tests, conducted multiple runs and foot marches and rappelled from multiple towers and rotary wing aircraft.

Towards the end of the course, Soldiers demonstrated what they learned while repelling from a Black Hawk 90 feet above the ground.
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Idaho National Guard marksmanship team trains with local Treasure Valley sniper police

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.”

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A successful first year for the Idaho National Guard STARBASE program

Starbase

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

116th Arrives in California for training

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.

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