RESILIENCEA Decade of

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Brigadier General Craig BennettCommander of the N.H. Army National Guard

Brigadier General Carolyn ProtzmannCommander of the N.H. Air National Guard

Major Greg HeilshornState Public Affairs Officer, N.H. National Guard

First Sergeant Michael DaigleDeputy State Public Affairs Officer,

N.H. National Guard

Captain Sue LambPublic Affairs Officer, 157th Air Refueling Wing,

N.H. Air National Guard

STAFF114th Public Affairs Detachment,

N.H. Army Guard, and157th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office

and Communications Squadron,N.H. Air Guard

Bob UlinPublisher

Marie LundstromEditor

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Darrell GeorgeAdvertising Sales

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A note about resiliency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2None of us had ever shot a .50-cal . . . . . . . . . 3

Retired Master Sergeant Nancy Young

We used the Guard in the right way . . . . . . . . 5Retired Major General John Blair

A sense of importance to being deployed. . . . 7Sgt. 1st Class Shannon Kulakowski

I wanted to cover the story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Bob LaPree

Then, no one understoodwhat Guardsmen did. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Lieutenant Colonel Laurie Farris

It has made our relationship stronger. . . . . . 12Michelle May

The days were long, but the year flew by. . . . 13Grant Munson

People look out for each other here . . . . . . . 14Sue Brown

My little piece made a difference . . . . . . . . . 15Staff Sergeant Christopher McWilliams

New Hampshire as a state is stronger. . . . . . 17Governor John Lynch

N.H. marksmen on target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

SFS personnel hone skills at Fort Devens . . . . 20

To Helena and back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

3rd Battalion soldiers sweepBest Warrior competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Rojek and Concord Family YMCA worktogether to improve military family fitness . . . 25

Never leave an airman behind . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Army Promotions &Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Air Promotions &Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Summer 2012

The Honorable John H. LynchGovernor of New Hampshire

Major General William Reddel IIIAdjutant General of theN.H. National Guard

New Hampshire National Guard MagazineState Public Affairs Office, N.H. National Guard

1 Minuteman Way • Concord, NH 03301(603) 225-1340

Submissions: We encourage story and photosubmissions. Please send articles and photos withcutlines to:

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1Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine

On the cover: Past issues of the NHNGMagazine attest to the dedication andsacrifice of New Hampshire’s citizen-soldiers, airmen and families over thelast 10 years.

NHNG Website: https://www.nh.ngb.army.milwww.facebook.com/pages/New-Hampshire-National-Guard/101586059766

2 New Hampshire National Guard Magazine / Summer 2012

A Note About Resiliency

The last 10 years were unprecedented for the New Hampshire National

Guard on so many different levels. We fought wars on two fronts, supported

U.N. peacekeeping missions, and ferried nearly a third of our force to New

Orleans in the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. We also

responded to three, 100-year storms at home. Overnight, we went from

benchwarmers to starters performing both our state and federal missions

concurrently.

Starting with 9/11, we decided to re-examine the decade through the

words of those who defined it. How have we changed? What have we learned

about ourselves? Was it worth it? Are we better off?

1st Sgt. Mike Daigle and I interviewed 10 people throughout the spring

of this year. Our original list was more ambitious, but the constraint of time

and space always has a say in our final product. In this issue of the New

Hampshire National Guard Magazine, you will hear from the soldier, the

airman, the general, the reporter, the pilot, the wife, the son, the behavior

health specialist and the governor. While they are not a complete account

of the New Hampshire National Guard experience, we think the interviews

collectively represent a diverse perspective and a powerful message about

resiliency.

We edited the responses for clarity and length only.

–Maj. Greg Heilshorn,State Public Affairs Officer

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 3

Retired Master Sgt. Nancy Young served with the N.H.Air Guard’s 157th Logistics Readiness Group.

Following 9/11, I pretty much had the feeling, when we foundout it was caused by terrorists, it would lead to war. We – the157th Air Refueling Wing – started combat air patrols, and I dida three-month active duty tour to support that mission. Likeeverybody else I was upset – how could anyone come onAmerican soil and do such a thing?

At the time of my deployment to Iraq, the Army was runningshort of people in some career fields. Someone had the idea tostart using Air Force and Navy people to fill those positions.They called us, ‘in lieu of’ soldiers. So the military took people,in groups of five, from different bases. Some were Guard, somewere reserve and some were active duty. They threw us alltogether and made platoons out of us.

The Army soldiers had the advantage of training as a unitand deploying as a unit. We were made up of all kinds of differentunits and forced to work together. And working with the Armyis different. I started my career in the Army Reserve so I kind ofknew what it would be like.

When the five of us arrived in Kuwait, they put us in a bigcircus tent. I actually liked it because I was with my guys. Theywere like brothers to me. But when we got to Balad, the Air Forcemade us separate. They said there would be no co-habitation.So right away I was ripped from my comfort zone.

I was put in with a good group of women, but it was still ashock to me. The Air Force seemed to only step in when theywanted to impose their rules on us; otherwise, they just let theArmy do what they wanted with us. We were like the bastardchildren nobody wanted to claim.

We had very little training. That was a detriment. None of ushad ever shot a .50-caliber. We did get some training, a little bit,in Kuwait. We were told we would be doing convoys for coalitionforces; some of us would be on gun trucks, and some would bedoing line haul missions. When we got to Iraq, all of us did guntruck missions.

Staff Sgt. Mike Steer and I went into Gun Truck Platoon 2.Master Sgt. Phil Cote, Tech. Sgt. Dave Guindon and Staff Sgt.Chris Moisan went into Gun Truck Platoon 1.

We were trained on the fly, which probably isn’t the best wayto get trained in a war zone.

On my first mission, on the way back to Balad from Baghdad,we were attacked by insurgents. We were in a 35-minute firefight.That was the first time I really thought some of us were not goinghome. At Balad we were mortared on a daily basis. You almostgot used to it – until you heard someone actually got killed in amortar attack.

We used to joke with each other that none of us wanted todie in a porta potty.

We were on missions with the 744th from New Hampshire.It was good for us because they were from New Hampshire – wehad that bond. We worked well together.

From the time we arrived in Kuwait, Dave Guindon startedchanging. He used to be one of the funniest people to hangaround. He started being more and more withdrawn. He seemedto have resentment for the position the Air Force put us in.

We were told the only thing that would keep us alive on amission was to keep moving, even if someone was in the way. Itwas like everything we were being taught was against everythingwe had learned about being good human beings.

In one of Dave’s earliest convoys there was an improvisedexplosive device strike. His window was blown out, and hesuffered some hearing loss. I think that added to everything: thestress of being in Iraq, the stress of constantly being under attackand the stress of the missions. I saw grown men cry, they wereso scared of going outside the wire.

I didn’t want those people in my truck if they would breakdown in combat.

But Dave wanted to go on missions. He seemed to haveproblems in his down time back at the base. We knew he washaving problems.

We all decided that Dave needed to see a psychiatrist tohelp him. So Phil Cote brought him to the Army psychiatristwho refused to treat him because he was in the Air Force. Wethen brought him to an Air Force psychiatrist. In my opinionthat was a big mistake. At least the Army doctor had some ideaof what happened outside the wire. The Air Force people didn’tgo outside the wire.

The only alternative was to get him home or to Germany.We pleaded with our command, but they said no. We contactedour leadership in the 157th at home, but they said they nolonger had control of us. No one would do anything for him.

Coming home was the happiest day of my life, except for thebirth of my son. In less than 24 hours, I had the worst day of mylife when I received word that Dave had taken his own life.

I have been on convoys where I have seen people killed rightin front of my eyes – but Dave’s death had the biggest impacton me.

None of us knew why it happened.I felt that if we had the debriefs at the demob station, like

the Army did, they could have maybe seen that Dave neededsome additional counseling.

I have been home a long time now. It took some adjustment.I had a hard time going back to drill, but I did and finished my20 years and retired.

Unless people had family or friends serving, the Americanpeople didn’t seem to know there was a war going on. Ourcountry seems very disconnected and disinterested in what mili-tary people go through and sacrifice.

It was my duty to go. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. Iwish things had turned out differently for us. A lot of things fellthrough the cracks. �

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None of us had ever shot a .50-cal

Nancy Young, then a master sergeant with the 157th Air Refueling Wing,receives an inoculation during a medical screening at Pease Air National GuardBase in Newington prior to deploying to Iraq in 2004. Photo: 1st Sgt. Mike Daigle,Deputy State PAO

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 5

Retired Maj. Gen. John Blairwas the Adjutant General of theN.H. Guard from 1994 to 2004.He served as a combat medevacpilot in Vietnam.

When we were attacked on 9/11, Iknew it was going to lead to somethingelse, and I knew it was going to lead to alot of people being deployed. I rememberpeople being supportive even though weclosed our armories and posted guards.At the time, we didn’t know if it was aninsurgent attack, but people wanted to dosomething. We opened our armories forblood drives. I anticipated that we’d goover, get the job done, and do it quicklybecause we had such strong support ofthe mission. Once we were over there, Idon’t think the country continued thesame support, and the only ones bearingthe pain were the military and theirfamilies – the pain of combat.

The country still says they support thetroops. I believe they do, but not as muchsupport for the mission. I imagine if Iwere still in, I’d feel the same way. I wentthrough a period where I was thinking,do these people want to be defended, dothey care enough to be defended, anddoes our military have the gumption togo in and carry it out and not drag it outfor 10 years? I went through my war, andwe quit and got nowhere. I feel we aredoing the same in Iraq.

I think about Jeremiah (Holmes)every day. I have two grandsons who go toschool at St. Thomas Aquinas (in Dover)which is on the same road as the cemetery.I think about Jeremiah every time I driveby it. I think about that day and the daysI lost my friends from my medevac unit.There were five of us that were in themedical service corps that went to Vietnamon the same day, and I was the only onewho returned on a scheduled flight. Twowere KIA, and two were WIA andevacuated on an Air Force medical flight.

I’m so saddened to hear about all thesuicides that are occurring even thoughwe are doing all these things with reinte-gration. What a waste for the family andthe country. For the families especially.Guindon’s suicide really bothered me.He didn’t have a chance to receive any ofthat help. These young guys who had thePTSD problems while I was there wereyoung and unprepared emotionally forwhat they would face. Take Guindon’sgroup. These guys were Air Force. Theyworked in the motor pool. Then they wereexpected to provide convoy security. Thatmust have been quite an awakening to beplaced in a ground combat role.

I recently visited two of my buddiesin Florida – one guy I hadn’t seen in 43years. We served together in Vietnam. Imet one in Jupiter, and we talked from10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon.Both were warrant officers in the 283rdMedical Detachment, Pleiku. Both ofthem had PTSD. Everywhere we went,

we were shot at and picking up peoplewith all levels of injury. That’s prettyhard on a young kid. I was pretty old at23. It just didn’t hit me the same way.They were 19, 20 years old. Just youngkids. I had college. They went from highschool to flight school to Vietnam. I wasa medical service corps officer. I wastrained for this. I was ready for it. Wewere glad to see each other. It was goodfor all of us.

Looking back on the Guard’s roleover the last decade, I think the Guardand the country are very much better forit. We used the Guard in the right way.The Guard responded rapidly and did sowell. They have proved themselves. Ihope it’s not forgotten. �

We used the Guard in the right way

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Editor’s note: Sgt. Jeremiah Holmes wasthe first NH Guardsman killed in Iraq. Hedied on March 29, 2004, when his vehiclestruck an IED.

Retired Maj. Gen. John Blair makes a point during an interview April 12 at his home in Barnstead.Photo: 1st Sgt. Mike Daigle, Deputy State PAO

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 7

Sgt. 1st Class Shannon Kulakowskiis a platoon sergeant in theMountain Infantry Company.

When 9/11 happened I had just gotoff active duty. I was living in Hawaii atthe time, going to school. I rememberthinking, “Great, I just get off active duty– something is happening, and I am goingto miss it.” I was in the Hawaii Guard atthe time, and I did end up taking part inthe Noble Eagle mission.

At the time, I thought there would bea war, but I didn’t think it would go on for10 years. I thought it would just be some-thing to avenge the attack on us.

I am from New Hampshire, but Ididn’t have any idea what the Guard didhere. I had no idea there was a mountaininfantry company. I had run out ofmoney in Hawaii, so I moved home andjoined the Guard here. My first drill wasApril 2002.

In spite of my impression of theGuard, I found it to be a very professionalunit. I was actually taken aback by theprofessionalism.

It seems funny to say now, but we wereall almost in a panic because we thoughtwe might miss out on everything (the war).There was good training in CharlieCompany, but none of us knew what ourinvolvement would be. We all wanted tobe part of that first group that went toAfghanistan.

When we finally got our alert to deployto Iraq, we didn’t think we would be partof the fight. We thought we would betower guards or something like that.Looking back, we were incredibly naive.

It was a tough deployment. Becauseof all of the units being called up at thetime, we were short handed so we had tohave some fills from other units. I wasthinking I was going to end up going towar with the butcher, the baker and thecandlestick maker. I thank God we hadthe leadership we had. They kept us alltogether.

The deployment ended up beingcompletely different than we expected.We were attached to an active duty MPbattalion.

We felt like red-headed stepchildren,being attached to an active duty airborneunit. But our people were amazing.

I thought we had the most professionalcompany in the battalion. That happenedbecause of our leadership. It meant a lotto us that we were kept together for the

deployment. Our pre-deployment traininghelped a lot.

Every time we talked about it, wewould say, “How did we get so lucky?”We had one of the most dangerous jobsin Iraq, but we had good equipment andgood people. We looked at the 744thtrucks and saw their homemade armorplates. Our unit had injuries but for themost part they weren’t debilitating.

We had old timers who had been inthe unit and new people. We had peoplewho walked around with a swagger beforethe deployment but then came home anddecided war wasn’t for them.

In 2007, I deployed with an embeddedtraining team. It was a good deployment.It was quiet. We worked with a police unit.It was frustrating. Every time the govern-ment starts a program, they seem to getit wrong for the first few years.

We worked with soldiers from Finland,Sweden, Norway and Germany. They weregreat. They were the most professionalsoldiers I have ever worked with. Theywere able to work without the bags ofcash and the power of the U.S. military.They used diplomacy.

In 2009, Charlie Company deployedagain, this time to Afghanistan. I enjoyedit. I had a great platoon. I feel like if Igot out of the military tomorrow, I would

be able to say I have done everything Iset out to do. I am very proud of that.

Again the Charlie Company guardianangel protected us. The units before usand the units that followed us all tookcasualties.

People sometimes say that civiliansdon’t know what it is like in the military.I would say there are people in the mili-tary that don’t know what war is like,even if they deployed.

I can’t get over how great our guysdid. They made me look great. Some ofthe guys may be going through bad timesbecause of what they went through, butthey are all proud of what they did.

I can’t speak for everyone, but there isa sense of importance to being deployed.If you survive combat, you feel prettygood about yourself.

As soon as you come home, that is allover. It is almost like the people at homedo too much for us. Handing people acheck for their late rent is just developinga pattern.

It should be the chain of commandthat helps people because they knowwhere the problems are in the unit.

We shouldn’t be working with thesoldier just after deployments. We shouldwork with them all the time, before, duringand after. Because guess what—if yourlife is f—ed up before you leave fordeployment, it is going to be f—ed upwhen you get home.

And I know lot of people are betterfor being deployed. I know I am. Somethings on deployment suck, but I think forthe most part, maybe 90 percent, peopleare glad they went.

It is a sense of pride. We have donesomething only a tiny percentage ofAmericans have done. I moved a platoonin combat. It kind of hardens you.

I am a little more political. I feel moreinvested in what is going on in the world.

I think the wars were worth it. We arenot going to know for a long time. Justlook at the Arab Spring. We upset theapplecart. I hope what we did changesthings, but I don’t know if I will see it inmy lifetime.

This experience will define my gener-ation. We have developed the leaders ofthe future. I hope we have more of avoice now.

We were soft before. Now we havebeen to war. I have trained my entire adultlife. All of us who served in the NationalGuard can say, “We were there.” �

A sense of importance to being deployed

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Sgt. 1st Class Shannon Kulakowski

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 9

Bob LaPree was a staff photo-grapher for the Union Leadernewspaper who embedded withN.H. Guard units in Iraq andAfghanistan.

I was at the Manchester AirportSept. 12, 2001. Charlie Company, 3rdBattalion, 172nd Infantry (Mountain), wasdoing security. Seeing them there made merealize things were going to be different.I assumed there would be follow-on attacksby Al Qaida. Fortunately, that didn’thappen.

I didn’t really see the Guard becomingsuch a huge component of our militaryeffort. I didn’t see us becoming involvedin two long wars.

But I knew that as a New Hampshirephoto journalist, I wanted to cover thestory as intimately as I could. And I knewI could get the support of the paper (TheUnion Leader) because of their commit-ment to military people.

It would be different covering theNational Guard part of the militarybecause it was made up of members ofour community. I wanted to make surepeople knew what was going on. There isa disconnect between civilians and peoplewho perform military service.

Needless to say, I was proud of theway the paper was quick to take up thecommitment to send me to Iraq and thenAfghanistan with Charlie Company.

For a journalist, it is rare to be ableto do such an in-depth, long-term story athome and abroad. It is the most importantwork I have done in a 40-year career. Ithas had such an impact on readers. It hasalso been a way for me to honor the mili-tary for their commitment and service.

I was really pleased to see the Guardhad such a high level of professionalismand skill, particularly given people’simpression of the Guard from the Vietnamera. They are the real deal. I was alsotaken by the quality of the Guard’s leader-ship that I have met in the last 10 years.As a civilian, you can kind of step backand be an observer. It is interesting to seehow the officers reacted to their men.The leaders I observed were genuine.I also saw that the sergeants’ corps wastop notch.

Initially, while I was in Iraq with ourunits, soldiers seemed quite cautiousaround me, especially the young ones. It

didn’t help when after the first story Isent home, there was a photo of a soldierwithout his eye protection, and he got introuble for not wearing his glasses.

They were hesitant to hang aroundme, but once I had been there a while andhad gone outside the wire with them, I wasable to overcome their initial skepticismof me.

In Afghanistan I was embraced morequickly by the soldiers. I assume it wasbecause of my history with the unit. Itwas good because it made me feel likeless of an outsider. Most often in my pro-fession, there is a strong line between thejournalist and the subject. It is differentin a combat area where you are livingwith the people you are writing about.

It is tricky business working with a bigorganization like the military. It has itsown culture, rules and mindset, particu-larly regarding how they feel about thepress. For example, when we were in Iraq,the public affairs officer at the base toldme the commanding officer was readingmy dispatches every day. It makes youlook over your shoulder a bit becauseyou know they control your access to thestory. And access to the story is the onlything you have as an embedded reporter.You want to maintain that access so youcan get the story. It adds to the tension.Fortunately, the rules are not that strict,so I was able to tell the story.

I am really proud about what I havebeen able to do – personalize what washappening and not letting people forget.

As far as what has been asked of oursoldiers, I think they will have burdens tocarry for the rest of their lives. Themultiple deployments seem like such aheavy burden.

When I meet a veteran of these wars,I always ask how they are doing. I knowwhat they do is tough. I think I understanda little of what they feel. Most people seemto cope pretty well but not without stressand strain for a while. I remember onesoldier I had met in Iraq. I ran into himthree years later. I asked how he wasdoing, and he said, “I finally slept throughan entire night without nightmares.”

It seems like the younger guys handleit better. It is hard to know what is insidepeople. Sometimes people seem to get alittle far away when they talk about it.

One of the things about Guardsmenis they are basically civilians in a war.They don’t have exactly the same mind-set as full-time soldiers. They go from apeacetime lifestyle to a full-time war. Itseems to add a dimension to their experi-ence that the full-time military doesn’thave to deal with.

In the big scale of things what wehave done as a nation has not had a par-ticularly beneficial effect on the countrieswe have tried to help. As a great power,we have great responsibility. We need tobe more effective in bringing positivechange to the countries we want to influ-ence. Invading and occupying countries isseldom a positive experience, althoughsometimes it is justified. �

I wanted to cover the storyB

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Bob LaPree, former staff photographer for the Union Leader, sits in the turret of a humvee while embeddedwith Mountain Company in Iraq in 2004. Photo: 1st Sgt. Mike Daigle, Deputy State PAO

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 11

Lt. Col. Laurie Farris is a KC-135pilot for the 157th Air RefuelingWing. She currently serves as thedirector of operations for JointForce Headquarters.

I was a stay-at-home mom – mycivilian job, if you will. I was actually golf-ing that day. My kids were in school.Everybody was calling in. I do rememberI was on alert that night at the base, andI think I flew the next day: combat airpatrols over New York City and D.C.We refueled F15s and F16s. It was asurreal moment seeing the hole there.We did a lot of CAPs. From 2 a.m. to 8a.m., I’d come home and put the kids ona bus to school.

You never thought you were going todo a CAP mission over your own country.Overseas, you can understand why youare doing it. Over Turkey or northernIraq, you never felt that vulnerable. Youcould still see the big cloud of dust.

Then, no one really understood whatGuardsmen did.

Not too long after, we began settingup an air bridge overseas. There was a lotof uncertainty. We didn’t know where wewere going or how long we were going tobe gone. Who do you send first? Do yousend the guy with the new baby, the guywho is going to lose his civilian job? Wewere trying to figure out a fair way ofdoing it. So we did a lottery. Gen. Reddelwas the squadron commander then, andhe said he would go first. I’ll never forgetthat. That impressed me. That wasleadership. He had an airline job, twokids at home and a wife that worked. Myname was drawn to be part of the secondrotation, so I knew I was going in theFebruary time frame. I will never forgetflying overseas on the day of the SuperBowl. It was the Pats’ first Super Bowl.We had a commercial airliner feeding usupdates. Funny what you remember, likeVinatieri’s kick.

When I first got the call that I had toleave, I was at the bus stop, and I remembera mother saying, “You’re a mother. Youshould stay home with your children.”I knew my children would be all right fortwo months, but I knew I didn’t want mykids growing up in a country afraid ofterrorists. It was my turn. It was my dutyas a citizen-soldier. It’s tough to leaveyour kids and not have them understand.My daughter was 7; my son was 4. Thatwas hard. My husband was in the military,

so he understood. He rearranged hisschedule to be a stay-at-home dad.

In 2003, we had returned from adeployment in Qatar. We flew flags onthe plane. We had a flag to present to theUNH hockey team. The presentation wasarranged to coincide with President Bush’sspeech in one of the hangars at Pease.We presented it to the coach before thepresident was introduced. We were onstage already. I was thinking this is oncein a lifetime, so Bush comes by, and I

asked him if I could have a hug. He saidsure. I thought the secret service wouldcome. Then he said, “Now turn and waveto the crowd.” I have that picture in myoffice. I need to mail it to him to see ifhe will autograph it.

I believe we helped turn the tide. Myfamily is stronger. My friendships arestronger. The people I work with are likemy brothers and sisters. I think the citizen-soldier came out stronger than ever andare the future of this country. �

Then, no one understood what Guardsmen did

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In 2003, then-Maj. Laurie Farris, a pilot with the 157th Air Refueling Wing, and President George W. Bushwave to the crowd before the president's speech in a hangar at Pease Air National Guard Base inNewington. Photo courtesy of White House

12 New Hampshire National Guard Magazine / Summer 2012

Michelle May is the wife ofCommand Sgt. Major Victor Mayand long-time volunteer with theNHNG Family Readiness Program.

I was with a (dental) patient. Iremember the patient, and I rememberone of the doctors told me about thetowers. The first thing I thought of was mychildren and what do they know and whatis being told to them. They were at school.I was thinking of that. I remember my soncalling me. All this stuff on the news, andI told him to shut off the TV, and we’ll talkabout it when I get home. I didn’t thinkof Victor, of his unit, at all until after allthe talk and discussion and how things atthe airports were going to change andhow the world was going to change. That’swhat I remember from 9/11.

I remember Victor saying, “This ishuge. It will change New Hampshire.” Ourtwo kids were in junior high at the time.The school hadn’t told them anything.There’s no one who doesn’t know wherethey were or what they were doing on thatday. My children don’t remember what itwas like before 9/11. It’s all they know.

I remember there was talk for a longtime about the possibility of my husband’sunit deploying. They were building themup. There was a lot of training. His first

It has made our relationship strongerM

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deployment was in 2006. I still was indenial up to the very day he left. Right upto the minute, I was in denial. I becamereally active shortly after 9/11. As a spouseof a Guardsman, I always thought itwasn’t going to affect us too much. It wasa part-time job for him. I needed to knowmore for myself and my family – thelanguage, the acronyms. For me, that’swhen I started to become more active withvolunteering for the Guard and get closeto my husband in that respect.

It helped me. I was able to grow andwas able to help people when they werein a heightened state for their spouse orson or daughter deploying. We had tomake the best of it. The year he left wasthe year my youngest one graduated fromhigh school, and then I had to get herready for college. Our oldest was alreadyout of the house. My household went fromfour to just me. I had that Army familythat I developed over the years. At thatmoment, when I was by myself, I knewwhat that support meant.

I look back now and the time does gofast in hindsight. At the time, it didn’tfeel like it. Victor’s first deployment was18 months. Six months of pre-trainingand 12 months in country. The toughestpart for me at home was just having tobring my daughter to college by myself.

That was not right. We were supposedto be doing this together. I had to bemarried to my cell phone. If my daughtercouldn’t reach me, she started to worry.If I couldn’t reach her, I would start toworry. And not being able to reach Victorwhen I wanted to made it that muchmore difficult.

The best thing was when it was overand obviously making so many friendswith families going through the samething. One family was going through thesame scenario as we were. We’ll be friendsforever. It was different the second time.Our communication was so muchdifferent. We Skyped all the time, wherebefore the only communication was AKOinstant messaging and sending packages.I felt like I was sharing more about whatwas going on at home. My daughter wasmarried, so I lived with her. His tour wasshorter, so that was a relief. I still stayedactive with the Family Readiness Group.It was a different group of people. I neverstopped being active.

I never watched the news when he wasgone. That’s my advice. I couldn’t evenwatch “Army Wives” when he was overthere. It’s a humbling experience to gothrough. As a military family, it bringseverybody together. We’re not on a post.It’s not like you can all meet at the gym.If I go to the monthly gathering, I’ll beable to connect with someone goingthrough the same thing. For me, I gotsatisfaction and fulfillment from doingthat, and being more of a veteran, I couldhelp other people. There were a lot moreparents this time around. There were alot of young soldiers.

In my marriage, all the times I’ve beenapart from my husband has made ourrelationship stronger. It’s not always easy,of course. We’ve been married 27 years.That’s a long time. As hard as it was, ithas made us stronger people and has madeour relationship stronger. Our childrenvalue and respect their father. It’s allthey’ve ever known. My son just joinedthe National Guard. It was a hugeaccomplishment for him.

I supported the decision to go intoIraq. We had to do something. Wecouldn’t just take it and never do any-thing about it. But even though we had toretaliate, nothing is going to replace thepeople taken. Hopefully, we made animpact and left some good things. Weneed to protect ourselves now. We needto take care of home. �

Michelle May is congratulated by N.H. Guard senior leadership during a volunteer awards ceremonyApril 15 at Joint Force Headquarters in Concord. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Mark Wyatt, 157 ARW PA

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 13

Grant Munson, 17, is the son ofChief Warrant Officer 4 GeorgeMunson, a pilot with the 238thMedevac Company.

My parents didn’t tell me we werebeing attacked. I was in second grade atthe time and when I came to school,everyone was freaking out. I had no ideawhat was going on. I was pretty awestruckthat somebody could do that. It was scaryalmost – the fact that they could get aplane like that seemed too easy. I didn’treally think about my dad leaving. I was7 years old at the time.

In 2004, my dad got called up for thefirst time. He had been in Desert Storm,so I knew a little about what he did fromhis stories. I was really sad that he had togo, but not too bothered by it. I was scared,but not as scared as maybe I should havebeen. It was cool that he was doing that,and I was really proud of him.

I remember having to do extra workaround the house, and when he’d call,there would be that ping sound and thedelay over the phone. We’d email a lot,too. I remember playing a lot of videogames. My mom wasn’t too much of anuisance. I could get away with things a

The days were long, but the year flew by

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little more. Sometimes, when we hadevents at school where I would see otherdads, it was hard. Everyone was reallysupportive.

The time kind of flew by. The dayswere long, but the year flew by. Thesecond time he deployed in 2010 wassimilar. I have two sisters and a brother.I’m the oldest. We all kind of helped ourmom out. We all get along pretty well sothat helped. The best part was only hav-ing one parent at home and being able toschmooze one parent instead of two. WeSkyped. It was nice to see him and talk tohim, but sometimes it was too much of agood thing. The hardest part was nothaving my dad around for hunting,fishing and skiing, or sitting aroundwatching a game.

I would tell other kids who have adad or mom deploying to find somethingthat will keep your mind off it. Videogames. Friends. I’ve always been a socialperson, so my friends were important.It’s not always going to be smiles andrainbows. You just have to cope. Like Isaid before, the days and weeks arepretty long, but the year is pretty short.

Everyone would ask what he did. Iknew he was flying helicopters and

rescuing people, but I kind of wished hehad big guns on his helicopter. I could seemyself flying or fighting, if college doesn’twork out. I do like paintball. I coulddefinitely head in that direction. My fatherhas made a decent career out of it. �

Grant Munson

14 New Hampshire National Guard Magazine / Summer 2012

other subculture do people look out foreach other as they do here. There is anincredible level of dedication to eachother. Leadership’s willingness to come tome about issues and convincing me theywant to help has been consistent. Gettinghelp isn’t used punitively, and gettinghelp isn’t being seen as a weakness.

Being on call 24/7 has been hard –it takes its toll on you. If I am playing atennis match, I check the phone formessages when I stop to take a drink sothere is no delay getting back to people –sort of having no time when I don’t haveto worry about getting a call.

Having a chaplain here is incrediblyhelpful. All of the resources here makeus a pretty strong team. The motive forus is to help people. Really, everyoneseems to care about other people.

On the military side, the willingnessto drop everything, to put themselves andtheir families second, surprises me everytime. It shouldn’t impress me any more;it does happen every time. And they don’tquestion it when they are called. In mostother worlds, people would be thinkingthey should get overtime. It doesn’t occurto anyone here. They just do what theyhave to do.

One of the things we struggle with isthe people who come in with pre-existingconditions. What everyone needs to knowis that people are who they are beforethey come into the military. People comingin with a problem and then getting readyto go to a war zone make it a biggerproblem. Although we have also hadpeople who deploy with problems comeback stronger. Everyone reacts to traumain a different way. On the other hand,just coming in to sign on the dotted lineand then go to war is pretty impressive.Even with no combat exposure, it is a bigcommitment.

In general, the organization is full ofexamples of strength and resilience:service members who have deployedmultiple times, spouses who manage thehouse alone for a year at a time, kidswho manage their sports and their schoolwork while taking on additional responsi-bility at home – it is an extraordinarygroup of people.

A lot of times people assume deploy-ment equals coming damaged, when infact, we are full of examples of growth.

On Sept. 11, I was running errands.I had a CD playing in the car. I went intothe town offices – they had a radio on, andthat is how I found out what was going on.I was shocked and scared. I wanted to getmy son, even though he was in a safelocation. I wanted my family with me.

As the child of a fire chief, I grew upknowing bad things happen no matterwhat you do. Military people have thatsame awareness. I don’t think most ofthe country has that same sense.

Regarding whether it was worth it –there is no easy yes or no answer. I don’tthink doing nothing was an option. Butbeing connected to a gold star mom –when I look into her eyes, I would haveto say no. �

People look out for each other hereSue Brown is the director ofpsychological health for the N.H.Guard.

My job is dealing with crisis – that isthe whole job really.

I came here to work with the military.My dad was in the Army Guard; mybrother was active duty Army; my grand-father was in the Navy, so I always hadan interest. I wanted to help servicemembers access substance abuse andmental health services. I was honored tobe chosen to help people in the military.

Since I have been here, I have learneda lot about the services available. Havinga background in psychiatric services andsubstance abuse has helped.

It has been surprising to me howmuch I have been affected by the senseof community here, of family. And howmuch I have been affected by the deploy-ments, people coming home, peoplekilled in action. It has made me feel veryconnected; anything that has impactedservice members has impacted me.

In private practice, there is a verysharp line between the therapist and thepatient. Here, I can see a co-workerevery day and then see them as a client,as someone who needs my help.

It has been kind of inspiring, generally.People’s drive, motivation, strength, all ofthe military values – seeing people live bythose values is impressive. Being here aslong as I have, seeing a soldier’s willing-ness to ask for help and leadership’s levelof support is like no other setting. In no

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Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 15

Staff Sgt. Christopher McWilliamsis the training NCO for theMountain Infantry Company.

I joined the Guard in May 2001.Service is a family tradition. My father wasan active duty sergeant major, my grand-father was a master chief in the Navy, mybrother is active duty Army.

I did two deployments with the SouthCarolina National Guard – to Djibouti onthe Horn of Africa in 2002 and to Kuwaitin 2002-2003. When I came home, Irealized I had kind of a dead-end job, soI moved to New Hampshire to try some-thing new. I had family up here.

Three days after reporting for duty toCharlie Company, we received our alertorder so I never did get a new job. Wewent to Iraq. I was a gunner on mountedpatrols. I enjoyed it. Sometimes there weremany tedious hours of boredom, but therewere also those moments of sheer terror.After so many years of training, it wasgood to finally put some of it to good use.

At the time, it seemed like my littlepiece of the effort was making a difference.I still feel like my little piece of it, althoughvery small, did make a difference.

I didn’t get to come home with therest of the company. I was medicallyevacuated out to Germany. My squadwas ambushed on Nov. 14, 2004. It wasan IED-initiated ambush. I took a bunchof shrapnel in my shoulders and back, alittle in my face.

Since I had lost a lot of blood, theycouldn’t treat me in Iraq or Germany.Due to a mistake in my orders, I endedup at Fort Dix instead of Walter Reed. Ieventually was treated at the BostonMedical Center.

I never did get back to normal – I stillsuffer some limited range of motion.

While still on orders, I applied for ajob in military personnel and was selected.I started the day I came off military orders.Then I worked as a re-integration NCO –the equivalent to what Soldier Outreachdoes today. I think I helped a few peopleout. Like in most cases, the squeakywheel gets the grease.

In April 2009, we were notified thatwe would be deploying to Afghanistan. Itwas quite a different experience from Iraq.We were more engaged with the localpopulation. We were at a small outpostwith the Afghan Army.

For Charlie Company, it was more ofa traditional infantry mission. In Iraq, wehad been at a sprawling base where you

couldn’t help crossing into another unit’sarea. In Afghanistan, we controlled apretty big battle space.

By then I had progressed in rank andwas the battle NCO for the company.Now at home I am the training NCO forthe unit.

To sum up how I feel about all of thedeployments – life goes on. You can’tdwell on the things that happened. I havepretty much focused on rebuilding myfamily. I am alive, I have a job, life is good.And I am enjoying time with my son.

If I were to advise a young soldiergoing to war, I would say, “Put your mindto the task and do your job.”

I am proud of my service – proud ofmy individual and unit accomplishments.But there is more to life. I think mybiggest task is being a father.

On the strategic level, I have no ideaif all the war was worth it – that is not myrealm. On a personal level, it was worthit. I think every soldier, regardless of hismission, should feel some personal pridein having an impact on something greaterthan himself. �

My little piece made a difference

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Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 17

New Hampshire as astate is strongerJohn Lynch is serving in his last year as the governor ofNew Hampshire. In 2010, he was re-elected to a recordfourth straight term.

I heard about the attack over the radio. I was on my way toLee for a meeting for the University System of New Hampshire.I was chairman of the board of trustees. I was in Lee in time tosee the second plane crash into the tower. I was in disbelief. I washorrified that so many innocent lives were lost. At the same time,I had a feeling of pride. As people were running out of thebuildings, firemen, policemen and other first responders wererushing into them. I was angry that we were attacked, but itwas a day of pride because people were risking their lives tohelp others.

My understanding of the National Guard then was that it wasmade up of citizen-soldiers whose primary mission was to servein New Hampshire on an as-needed basis. Once I becamegovernor, I was aware of the transition that was beginning tohappen with our Guardsmen who were deploying to Afghanistan,Iraq and the Middle East, which, from my understanding, was adifferent role.

I was at nearly all the ceremonies for soldiers leaving andwhen they came home. I spent a lot of time talking to soldiersand their families, and gained a deep understanding of thesacrifices involved. Especially for the families. It was a tremen-dous sacrifice on their part. In some cases, soldiers missed thebirth of their child. Others missed birthdays and anniversaries.I remember a mother telling me that the only time her daughtergot to see her dad was by Skyping. She didn’t realize he was areal dad until he came home.

The loss of soldiers killed in action was extremely difficult andsad for the families and the state. I met with many of the familiesof our fallen. There is a void in the hearts of New Hampshirecitizens over the deaths that occurred. We can take some comfortin knowing they were committed to a greater good.

The Guard responded at home as well. Since I’ve beengovernor, we’ve had three 100-year floods, an ice storm, windstorm and a tornado. Each time the Guard was there to dowhatever they could to be helpful. There was never a questionabout whether it was their job or not. Just the presence of theGuard made people, families, communities, and myself feelcomforted – that everything was going to be all right.

Because the Guard has been so visible over the last eight yearswith the contributions they’ve made here after disasters and thesacrifices they’ve made overseas, people have enormous respectfor the Guard.

There’s no question that New Hampshire as a state is betterfor it, and the Guard is more prepared because they’ve beenasked to do things they’re typically not asked to do. The Guardis more integrated with state agencies, first responders and non-profits. That’s a plus for New Hampshire. The Guard is alsomore prepared for their soldiers and airmen returning fromoverseas. They know better what kind of support and resourcesthey need.

The men and women of the National Guard who were in Iraqand Afghanistan and the Middle East were over there protectingus and our liberties and freedoms. So, if we get to enjoy those

liberties and freedoms every day, then certainly being over therewas worth it.

I would tell the next governor that being the commander inchief of the New Hampshire National Guard is a very importantpart of the job. I would urge the next governor to really go outof his or her way to immerse themselves in the Guard. Get toknow the soldiers. Get to know their families. They do so muchfor us. The least we could do is be there for them. I’d reallyurge the next governor to take that job very seriously. �

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Gov. John Lynch discusses the N.H. National Guard during an interview at theState House in Concord on May 8. Photo: 1st Sgt. Mike Daigle, Deputy State PAO

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18

N.H. marksmen on target

1st Lt. Mark Fazio, a member of the marksmanship teamrepresenting the New Hampshire National Guard at theU.S. Army Small Arms Competition in Fort Benning, Ga. inMarch, shoots during a pistol match. The team competedagainst soldiers from other Guard and reserve units, activeduty Army and Special Forces units.

Capt. Allen Corey II, a member of the marksmanship team representing the New Hampshire

National Guard at the U.S. Army Small Arms Competition in Fort Benning, Ga. in March, shoots

during a pistol match. The team competed against soldiers from other Guard and reserve units,

active duty Army, and Special Forces units.

New Hampshire National Guard Magazine / Summer 2012

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 19

It is often said that there are two typesof people on the battlefield: marksmenand targets. The members of the NewHampshire National Guard’s marksman-ship team, part of the sustainment trainingbranch, not only pride themselves inbeing marksmen, but recently showcasedtheir expertise to distinguish themselvesin a national Army-wide competitionin March.

Four members of the team traveled toFort Benning, Ga., where the best shootersfrom Guard, reserve, active duty andSpecial Forces components come togethereach year to compete in the U.S. ArmySmall Arms Championships. As a team,the soldiers earned 19th place out of 57teams and distinguished themselves in thepistol competition by earning 4th place.

“Although the primary focus of thesustainment training branch is to provideeffective marksmanship training to indi-viduals and units of the New HampshireNational Guard, when it comes tocompetition at the regional and nationallevels, the intent is to send a team thatwill represent New Hampshire well, whichI feel our team successfully did,” saidCapt. Allen Corey, a member of the team.

In addition to their success as a team,the members – Capt. Allen Corey,1st Lt. Mark Fazio, Sgt. 1st Class ShawnMacPherson and Sgt. Daniel Hebert –had personal victories as well. Fazio tookthird place as an individual in the overallpistol competition. Additionally, Hebert

and he both earned excellence in compe-tition points, which are critical to theircareers as competition shooters and is abig deal at this level of the competition,according to Corey.

“These points help the soldiers receivecredit points toward the Excellence inCompetition Pistol Badge. Many soldiersdo not know this, but this award is wornon your dress uniform, supersedes thequalification badges and is a permanentaward,” said MacPherson, who alsodistinguished himself by placing 23rd outof 357 competitors in the individualcompetition.

Another fact that soldiers may notknow is that these soldiers reached thislevel of competition by starting at thestate level here in New Hampshire, andthey can train with these shooters throughthe STB’s marksmanship program.

The primary focus of the sustainmenttraining branch is to provide effectivemarksmanship training to individuals andunits of the New Hampshire NationalGuard. The marksmanship program isdesigned to take soldiers from each unit,hone their skills, turn them into subjectmatter experts in marksmanship, so they,in turn, take those skills back to theirunits. Soldiers who are given permissionfrom their units make the commitment todrill with the STB at Fort Devens andfocus solely on marksmanship fromroughly March to November dependingupon the weather.

This gives soldiers the chance tobecome the marksmanship SMEs for theirunits, and also gives them the chance asshooters to place in the state competition,right where the team who traveled to thechampionships in Fort Benning started.

“Competition is one aspect of whatwe do, but we also focus on providingtraining to individual soldiers as well asunits. Soldiers that train with ourprogram will ultimately return to theirunit as subject matter experts in

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Whitney Hughes, 114th PAD

From left, Sgt. Daniel Hebert, Sgt. 1st Class Shawn MacPherson, 1st Lt. Mark Fazio and Capt. Allen Corey II are members of the NHNG Marksmanship Team whocompeted at the U.S. Army Small Arms Competition in Fort Benning, Ga. in March. The team competed with Guard, reserve, active duty and Special Forces soldiers.

Sgt. 1st Class Shawn MacPherson, left, and Sgt.Daniel Hebert, both members of the marksmanshipteam representing the New Hampshire NationalGuard at the U.S. Army Small Arms Competition inFort Benning, Ga. in March, load their pistols beforea match.

20 New Hampshire National Guard Magazine / Summer 2012

By Tech. Sgt. Mark Wyatt, 157th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

Eight members of the 157th Security Forces Squadron, alongwith three combat arms training and marksmanship instructors,traveled from Pease Air National Guard Base to the range atFort Devens, Mass., to qualify on the M-240B and M-249 weaponsystems March 5.

Each squad is assigned personnel that carry an M-240B andM-249 as part of a unit tasking requirement. These individuals

are required to qualify with live fire on their respective weapononce a year.

“It’s critical to the quality of training that personnel are ableto utilize this live-fire training range here with pop-up targets,”said Staff Sgt. Brett Peterson, 157th Security Forces SquadronCATM instructor. “Each airman qualifying on the weapon isable to get a much better understanding of the full range ofcapabilities each weapon system has.”

In addition to the hands-on use of the weapon, the range atFort Devens provides opportunities that are not otherwiseafforded at home station.

“The pop-up targets at Fort Devens are a great way toprovide immediate feedback to personnel,” Peterson said. “Therange also allows airmen an opportunity to utilize their sightsand engage targets at varying distances.”

CATM personnel not only qualified on each weapon as partof their annual training requirement, they were responsible formaintaining a safe environment.

“In addition to being proficient on the weapon to properlyinstruct members within the squadron, we’re there to maintainrange safety,” added Peterson. “There are a variety of thingsthat can go wrong, so it’s most important that we maintain asafe environment for personnel.”

Despite a recent snow storm that dumped over a foot ofsnow in early March, training was not impacted by the harshweather conditions.

“We train in all types of weather, so the snow that day hadvery little impact on the quality of training,” Peterson said. “Ifanything at all, the snow made it a little more challenging toclean up brass buried in the snow after.”

CATM personnel made it clear that they understandwell the good fortune they have in being able to train at FortDevens.

“The training these airmen received today is invaluable. Weare very lucky to be able to utilize the range here,” Peterson said.“Hopefully they will use this knowledge and experience andpass it on to their peers in the squadron.” �

SFS personnel hone skills at Fort Devens

marksmanship,” said Corey. “Marksmanship is the mostessential skill that soldiers can posses and correlates directly tosuccess on the battlefield.”

The team’s expertise and success did not go unnoticed at thebattalion level. Lt. Col. David Mikolaities, the former STBmarksmanship coordinator and new battalion commander forthe 54th Troop Command, was extremely proud of how theyrepresented the NHNG.

“These soldiers did an outstanding job in representing ourstate and should be commended for their dedication,” saidMikolaities. “The regional and national level sustainmenttraining exercises do an excellent job of simulating stress, whichtypically can only be found in a combat environment. Theirperformance is a reflection of their dedication and is proof ofthe caliber of instruction conducted on a monthly basis by ourSTB for the benefit of soldiers and airmen in the NHNG.” �

From left, Capt. Allen Corey II and Sgt. 1st Class Shawn MacPherson, membersof the marksmanship team representing the New Hampshire National Guard atthe U.S. Army Small Arms Competition in Fort Benning, Ga. in March, discusshow they will negotiate a pistol range. The team competed against soldiersfrom other Guard and reserve units, active duty Army and Special Forces units.

Staff Sgt. Brett Peterson, left, and Tech. Sgt. Philip Soares, both 157th SecurityForces Squadron Combat Arms Training and Marksmanship personnel, fireweapons prior to a live fire training mission on the M-240B and M-249 weaponsystems March 5. Airmen fired the weapons on pop-up targets that providedinstant feedback as well as allowed personnel to utilize their sights and engagetargets at varying distances. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Mark Wyatt, National Guard

Story and photos by Sgt. Richard Frost, 114th PAD

Perched on a jagged, rocky mountaintop in Helena, Mont.,U.S. and Canadian soldiers stood side by side as they scannedthe vast panoramic views ahead of them. They had labored upthe cliff side, working and sweating together to conquer thedangerous ascent up a granite wall. This was part of a historicjoint training event between the New Hampshire NationalGuard’s Mountain Company and their Canadian counterparts.The exercise was not only ground-breaking for the currentsoldiers, but mimicked the training held here 70 years ago thatformed U.S. and Canadian soldiers into the famous “Devil’sBrigade,” a renowned early special forces unit.

Members of Charlie Company, 3-172nd Infantry Regiment(Mountain), New Hampshire Army National Guard, and thePrincess Louise Fusiliers Regiment of Canada, with supportfrom other Canadian regiments, conducted a historic, two-weekjoint training exercise at Fort Harrison in Helena from April 20to May 5. The training involved using advanced mountaineeringskills and combat tactics in a mountain environment.

“The point of the exercise was to train with our Canadiancounterparts and to compare tactics, techniques and proceduresand make both countries a more diversified fighting force inmountain environments,” said 1st Sgt. Kenneth Kinsella ofCharlie Company.

Fort Harrison provided the ideal training environment forthe mountain soldiers.

“What better place to train for the current war we’re fightingthan here?” said Lt. Col. David Mikolaities, battalion commander,54th Troop Command. “This facility is perfectly suited to train forthe fight we’re in right now. There are few training areas in thecontinental U.S. where one can conduct high angle marksmanshiptraining, live-fire mortar training and various mountaineeringexercises all within an hour radius.”

The terrain provided training for the mountain soldierswho relished the opportunity to not only hone their militarymountaineering and combat skills in the rugged terrain, but tocompare and contrast their tactics with their Canadiancounterparts.

“We conducted fixed-line training, which is good when youneed to move a lot of troops on steeper terrain,” said CanadianArmy Lt. Steve Swinamer, Princess Louise Fusiliers Regiment,advanced mountain operations advisor. “We did body-rappellingand also did some tactical movement training. The Americansdo things a little bit differently than we do, so conducting thistraining jointly was key.”

In addition to the joint mountaineering training, they spentsignificant time on Fort Harrison’s ranges and conducted jointmortar and high angle marksmanship training, which, givenMontana’s mountainous terrain and high elevation, is well suitedto preparing units for combat in areas such as Afghanistan. Theexercise concluded with a four-day field exercise in the unforgiv-ing terrain in temperatures that dropped to freezing some nights.

The training holds special significance because the last timea joint training exercise of this type was conducted here betweenU.S. and Canadian forces, it gave rise to today’s modern SpecialForces components of both countries, according to retired ArmyCol. Raymond Read, museum director at Fort Harrison.

“It makes sense that we would join our Canadian counter-parts to train here at Fort Harrison,” said Mikolaities. “There’sa lot of history here that goes way back to some of the origins of

To Helena and back

Sgt. Dustin Rogers, a military mountaineer-qualified infantryman with CharlieCompany, 3-172 Infantry (Mountain), helps a soldier from the Canadian Army’sPrincess Louise Fusiliers Regiment during military mountaineering training inFort Harrison in Helena, Mont., on April 29.

Soldiers from Charlie Company, 3-172 Infantry (Mountain), fire a mortar whiletraining May 2. The unit was training with the Canadian Army’s Princess LouiseFusiliers Regiment during military mountaineering training in Fort Harrison inHelena, Mont.

Special Forces, where the U.S. and Canada first trained togetherin mountain warfare.”

In 1942, during World War II, at the direction of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, Gen. George Marshall, and PrimeMinister Winston Churchill, an elite unit was formed. Their mis-sion was to parachute into occupied enemy territory and destroyvital Axis installations. This force required a quality trainingarea for special training in mountaineering, skiing, parachuting,demolitions and weapons. Fort William Henry Harrison inHelena, Mont., was selected. Volunteers from the U.S. andCanadian armies came to this fort to train in these tactics. Theywere designated the First Special Service Force, and their legacyas “The Devil’s Brigade” has carried over into today’s specialforces of both countries.

In addition to the historical significance, most membersagreed that the training here was critical for the joint success ofour missions, and that this training should continue in the future.

“Working with the Americans was great,” said Swinamer.“We actually amalgamated all the platoons, so half was Americanand half Canadian. They have a slightly different skill set thatthey bring to the table, so trading information was key to seeingwhat every individual had to offer.” �

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 21

22 New Hampshire National Guard Magazine / Summer 2012

Two soldiers from Bravo Battery, 3rdBattalion, 197th Fires Brigade, emergedvictorious in the 2012 New HampshireArmy National Guard Best WarriorCompetition.

The lower enlisted category was wonby Spc. Bryan Wilcox of Hudson and thenoncommissioned officer division was wonby Staff Sgt. Peter Laflamme of Nashua,both of Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion,197th Fires Brigade.

Fifteen soldiers from throughout theNew Hampshire National Guard gatheredfor the challenging, three-day event

conducted the at the Regional TrainingInstitute in Center Strafford May 14,15 and 16.

In order to be dubbed Best Warrior,they contended in various events duringthe competition which included weaponsqualification and a stress shoot, landnavigation courses held in both the day-light and night, an Army Physical FitnessTest, eight different warrior tasks such astactical combat casualty care and reactingto a possible improvised explosive device.They also faced a board on military topicsand current events and another where the

soldiers recited the soldier’s or the NCOcreed. A written test and a road marchcompleted the competition.

“This competition was designed topromote esprit de corps and to allow thesoldiers to showcase what they know,” saidCommand Sgt. Maj. Thomas Considine,command sergeant major of the 197thFires Brigade. “We get to see the best ofour best.”

The competition began with weaponsqualification. The soldiers zeroed theirweapons and then engaged targets rangingfrom 100 to 300 meters in both kneelingand prone positions. The competitorsalso took part in a stress shoot exercisewhich simulated combat conditions byhaving the soldiers crawl, run and fire fromstanding, kneeling and prone positions atvarious targets while being timed.

Pfc. Elijah Hawkins of Milan, a soldierwith Alpha Battery, 3rd Battalion, 197thFires Brigade, said the weapons firing wasthe best part of the competition for him.

The two land navigation coursescompleted the first day of competition.The second day started with the PT testand moved right into the warrior tasksand board appearances. The sunshine andwarm temperatures helped to keep spiritsup during the long day of challenge.

“This was a great event,” said Sgt.Christopher Strauder of Milford, whoserves with Headquarters andHeadquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 197thFires Brigade. “It encourages soldiers tostep outside their regular drill routineand get more practice with the basicskills we don’tuse that much. I’m a better soldier nowthen I was before I did this.”

The warrior tasks presented thesoldiers with a wide variety of challenges.Besides first aid and IED stations, there

3rd Battalion soldierssweep Best Warriorcompetition

Pfc Jeremy Provenche, A Battery, 3rd Battalion, 197th Fires Brigade jogs toward the finish line of the 10Kroad march during the 2012 New Hampshire Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at the RegionalTraining Institute in Centre Strafford May 14, 15 and 16. The competition tested soldiers from around thestate on various warrior tasks and military knowledge.

Spc. Bryan Wilcox

Story and photos by Sgt. Brian Gordon, 114th PAD

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 23

were stations involving vehicle searches,interacting with news media, effectivecommunication, map reading and request-ing medical evacuation over a radio.Disassembling and assembling an M-249machine gun was particularly demandingat one station, with only a few soldierspassing the event.

“It’s difficult for the part-time soldiersto get a weapon to practice on,” said Sgt.Marcus Manning, of Headquarters andHeadquarters Company, 3643rd BrigadeSupport Battalion, one of the testers atthat station. “We explain exactly what theydid wrong, so everyone walks away know-ing a bit more than they did coming in.”

As each soldier rotated through thestations, the NCO’s running each oneexplained exactly what was expected ofthe competitor and then what they missedin each event.

During the boards, soldiers presentedthemselves in their Class A uniform orArmy Service Uniform and were graded ontheir appearance and how they answered aseries of questions and recited the creeds.

The second day finished up with a100-question written exam on militarytopics.

The final day of competition consistedof a grueling 10K road march with thecompetitors wearing a load-bearing vestand helmet while carrying a replica M-16,water and a 35-lb rucksack. The warmand dry conditions worked in the soldiers’favor with four soldiers finishing in underthe minimum time of one hour and 15minutes to the cheers of the NCOs runningthe event and their fellow competitors.

“The route was pretty steep, but theevent was really motivating,” said Wilcox,who finished first. “I had to walk uphill alot but I was jogging downhill.”

The competition was attended by five

soldiers from the Canadian ArmedForces who acted as observers. “We planto bring some of the ideas of this compe-tition back home with us,” said WarrantOfficer Kenneth Nunn of the CapeBreton Highlanders, 36th Brigade of LandForces, Atlantic Area. “We’d also like tohave some of our soldiers come downand compete in this event. It’s greatwhen our soldiers train with yours. Theytend to work well off each other.”

The weekend ended with an award

Staff Sgt. Peter Laflamme

ceremony in which Command Sgt. Maj.John Nanof, command sergeant major ofthe New Hampshire National Guard,handed coins out to each competitor andawards to the winners.

Wilcox and Laflamme were to go toCamp Smith, New York, to compete May15-18 in the Regional Best WarriorCompetition, the winners of which thencompete nationally. �

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 25

By Capt. Suzanne Lamb, 157th ARW PAO

While growing up on Navy bases, Tech. Sgt. Robert Rojekspent a lot of time at base recreation centers.

“I had a great time learning to swim and playing soccer andbaseball,” says Rojek, a member of the 157th Air Refueling Wingforce support squadron. “I truly believe these activities helpedshape me and allow me the benefit of being a healthy individual.”

In November 2011, Rojek became the full-time wellness andsports director for the Concord Family YMCA. Since then,Rojek has promoted awareness of Concord Family YMCA healthand fitness programs to military members and their families.

“Parents and military members can come get a workout andat the same time bring their children and let them burn off someenergy,” Rojek said. “To me, the YMCA is as close to an actualmilitary installation combination health, fitness and recreationcenter as you can get.”

The parent of two children, Rojek is very concerned aboutthe increasing obesity in children.

“I have talked to many parents. Many feel that it is trulyunsafe outdoors for their kids,” he said. “They also feel they aretoo busy to take their kids out for hikes, walks, jogs, bike ridesor just to kick or throw the ball around. They willingly let theirkids sit in front of the television for hours on end because theyare afraid to send them out of the house for outdoor play.”

Rojek sees the Concord Family YMCA as a possible solution.“There are several different programs that are offered at this

location for both adults and children, and activities for familiesto participate in together,” Rojek continued.

Shortly after starting employment last November, Rojekworked with other Concord Family YMCA directors to establisha military membership program.

“The Y recognizes that military and their families maketremendous sacrifices for our country, our safety and ourfreedom,” says James Doremus, executive director of the ConcordFamily YMCA. “Reaching out to military through a 50 percentdiscount on membership is our way of saying thank you for yourcontributions and sacrifice.”

A Concord Family YMCA membership allows members touse any YMCA facility in New Hampshire. A military membercan join the Concord Family YMCA and participate in anyYMCA program in the state.

“We provide a wide array of programs and services that willappeal and be supportive to military with families as well as singlemembers,” Doremus said. “A Y membership provides the perfectenvironment and enables all military to increase or maintaintheir level of fitness in order to be as effective as possible.”

Rojek hopes military families will take advantage of thisresource and develop healthy habits that will be passed on totheir children.

“I have been running for 28 years and have tried to follow inmy father’s footsteps by staying healthy and trying to take careof myself,” Rojek said. “The best advice I can give for anyonewishing to increase their health and fitness is to watch theirportion size, eat clean and unprocessed food, and exercise.”

For more information, contact Tech. Sgt. Robert Rojek atrobert.rojek@ang.af.mil. �

Rojek and Concord Family YMCA worktogether to improve military family fitness

Tech. Sgt.Rob Rojek,157th ForceSupportSquadron,assists MasterSgt. JeffreyVermette, judgeadvocateparalegal, withform in theweight room.Rojek, a well-ness and sportsdirector for theConcord YMCA,worked withdirectors toestablish amilitarymembershipprogram.Photo: Staff Sgt.Curtis Lenz,157 ARW PA

Story and photos by Tech. Sgt. Mark Wyatt,157th ARW PA

Ten Airmen from the New HampshireAir National Guard challenged them-selves on the hills of McIntyre Ski Areain Manchester running through mud andconquering obstacles during the inauguralAdventure 5K Race, April 28.

Running in their first race of theseason, a group led by Tech. Sgt. SaulDavidson formed a team called ObstaclesIllusion that includes service membersand dependents.

The team intends to participate in sixor seven races throughout New Englandthis summer.

“For anyone who ever wanted to gothrough the basic training confidencecourse again, this is your opportunity,”said Tech. Sgt. Saul Davidson, the team’scaptain. “It’s also a great opportunity tocome together as a team and support oneanother and build friendships within theorganization.”

Supporting one another among themore than 800 competitors was evidentthroughout the race as team members, aswell as strangers, helped one anotherovercome difficult obstacles together.

“The key is to not leave someonebehind,” said Tech. Sgt. Jessie Davidson.“It’s all about teamwork and finishingtogether.”

The team, outfitted with shirts thathave Obstacles Illusion written across thechest and includes the 157th Air RefuelingWing shield on one sleeve and the UnitedStates flag on another, is honored to

represent theNew Hampshire Air NationalGuard at similar events later this summer.

“I’m extremely proud to wear thisuniform shirt with the flag on one sleeveand the unit shield on another at theseevents,” said Capt. Alex Smith. “It gaveme goose bumps this morning when theygave me my shirt, and I put it on.”

Team members encourage others tojoin the team and experience the fun andcamaraderie at these races.

“Whether you’re interested inparticipating in each of our events or onlya few, come and join our team Obstacles

Illusion, and meet some great people andhave a lot of fun,” said team captainDavidson.

For information on joining ObstaclesIllusion, contact Tech. Sgt. Saul Davidsonat saul.davidson@ang.af.mil or Tech. Sgt.Jessie Davidson at Jessie.davidson@ang.af.mil or visit their Facebook page atFacebook.com/obstacleillusions. �

Never leave an airman behind

Obstacle Illusion, a team composed of members of the New Hampshire Air National Guard, pose beforecompeting in the Adventure 5K at McIntyre Ski Area April 28. More than 800 participants ran through mudtrails and over obstacles during the 3.1-mile event.

Senior Airman Luke Gregory completes a mudobstacle at the Adventure 5K at McIntyre Ski areaApril 28.

Tech. Sgt. Jessie Davidson slides down the final obstacle during the Adventure 5K at McIntyre Ski areaApril 28. Davidson and 10 others from the New Hampshire Air National Guard participated as a teamcalled Obstacle Illusion. More than 800 participants ran through mud trails and over obstacles during the3.1-mile event.

Summer 2012 / New Hampshire National Guard Magazine 27

28 New Hampshire National Guard Magazine / Summer 2012

Senior AirmanBeverly Cole

Technical SergeantShane HurdMark SanbornIsaac ShrevesYancey Devoy

Senior Master SergeantRichard Booker

1st LieutenantAaron McCarthy

Erick EarleChristopher Snaer

AirPromotions& Awards

Army Promotions & AwardsPrivate 2

Chad BrouilletJoel CampbellBradley Mackert

Jamieson DickinsonJonathan PicottStephen Ferry

Matthew AndersonDennis Mitchell Jr.Russell Chandonnet

Private First ClassChristopher DemainGalen GarretsonKenneth BrownTimothy York

Jeremy LetendreCharles Brown VRyan McLaughlinJennifer StenbergSpencer DaytonTimothy HuntleyJacob Vanblarcom

SpecialistOlivia Brecheen

William Donovan IVChristopher MowenBrandon Chadwick

Sarah ChickTrevor Milbury

SergeantJoseph EmondDawn WaitesDarrell Kiley

Michelle BurkeSean Dubia

Anthony McInnisKelly JamesJohn PetrilloJustin SargentKaitlin Rorick

Staff SergeantJeremiah Smith

Richard ShaughnessyKathryn Stansfield

David LeclairRodney AndersonShelly Garber

Frederick Lochner

Scott JonesElizabeth ClayTedd BourassaMatthew MaguireAndrew CliffordKeith Hatch

Richard MorseJeremiah CrosbyStephen BakerPatrick FilkinsPeter Cate

Brian Gordon

Sergeant First ClassAndrew McEvoyKevin Harvey Jr.

Lenamaye WilliamsJames KendallSean McLain

Jeremy ChaissonDonald SmithJeffrey BickfordJames Hannan IVKevin Sawler

Master SergeantSacha GregoireBryan LaFlammeAndrew Lane

Warrant OfficerRandy King Jr.

Chief Warrant Officer 2Kathryn Reney

Fernando Vasquez

2nd LieutenantWilliam ArpinSean ConnollyIan Hanson

Lindsey VenglassNicholas McClellan

CaptainJeffrey Seavey

MajorMark Bianchi

Brigadier GeneralPeter Corey