arkansas minuteman november 2010 edition

1November 2010 a r k a n s a s M I n U T E M a n

Mass casualty exercise tests skills

page 10

Range fires affect 2,500 acres of Camp Robinsonpage 6

Former Adjutant General retirespage 9

Mass casualty exercise tests skillspage 10

2 November 2010a r k a n s a s M I n U T E M a n

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Last year, Veterans Day was unique for Arkansas in that the communities in the northeast corner of the state celebrated the holiday four days earlier than the rest of the nation. As a day set aside to honor all of our nation’s Veterans, the communities took the initiative to ensure our nation’s newest Veterans were not left out as they pre-pared for deployment to Af-ghanistan.

Since the Jonesboro and Paragould based units of the 875th Engineer Battalion were departing the state on the day before the scheduled holiday, the communities executed a combined cele-bration between the unit’s sendoff and an early Veter-ans Day parade on Novem-ber 8, 2009.

Thousands of supporters lined the streets in Jones-boro that day to honor all of our Veterans, old and new.

Now, one year and 622 missions later, those com-munities are stepping up to honor them once again as they prepare to welcome home the same Soldiers of the 1037th Route Clearance Company.

The 200 Soldiers re-turned to the U.S. in the ear-ly morning hours of Novem-ber 1. After clearing 40,600 kilometers of the Afghan roadways at roughly six ki-lometers an hour for a total of 10,660 hours, the unit will once again be a guest of hon-or in the communities’ pa-rade this year.

Once again, that celebra-tion won’t occur in unison with the rest of the nation. The Jonesboro Veterans Day parade occurs on November 13 this year in order to en-sure the Soldiers will have had time to complete their out-processing at Camp Shelby, Miss., and return back to their hometowns.

This is a tremendous show of support for a tre-mendous group of Soldiers – a group of Soldiers who led the way in Afghanistan according the unit’s higher headquarters.

“The 1037th has found

and cleared 120 [Improvised Explosive Devices] and [Un-exploded Ordnance] and suffered 21 detonations. This is the best find to det-onation ratio of any unit in [Task Force] Thor and even Afghanistan,” wrote the task force commander, Lt. Col. Eric Kohl. “This is nearly a six to one find to detonation ratio,” he added.

Countless lives were like-ly saved with the removal of

these devices from the path of our nation’s troops, and 20 of the unit’s own earned Purple Hearts for wounds sustained in their effort to clear that path.

It is this kind of selfless service made by the war-riors of our nation that al-lows the other 99% of our population to sleep peace-fully at night and we are all extremely grateful for them.

But this sacrifice is obvi-

ously not something that be-gan with this current gener-ation of warriors. It is only the latest chapter in a long tradition of outstanding ser-vice as exemplified by all of our nation’s Veterans.

It is because of Soldiers like these that we celebrate Veterans Day at all.

The day has been tradi-tionally celebrated on the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice to end World War I – the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour – ending hostilities which had wounded over 150,000 Americans and claimed the lives of 50,000 others.

In 1954, November 11th officially became a day to honor American Veterans of all wars. According to the Department of Veterans Af-fairs, that includes nearly 42 million men and wom-en. Today the day recogniz-es the service of all who have served, both in wartime and peace.

While Arkansas is for-tunate to celebrate the day this year with our Soldiers of the 1037th safe at home, we can’t forget the other 150 Ar-kansas Guardsmen who will remain deployed through the holidays.

While the state’s first Ag-riculture Development Team (ADT) is slated to remain in Afghanistan through the New Year, the 77th Aviation Brigade’s 238th Air Ambu-lance and 114th Aviation Regiment are not anticipated to return home from Kosovo until the spring.

And with the passing of Thanksgiving, the state will conduct sendoff cere-monies for two additional units mobilizing for over-seas duty. While the state’s second ADT will mobilize in preparation for replacing its predecessor in Afghani-stan, Soldiers with the 77th’s 185th Aviation Regiment will be readying for a tour of duty in Kosovo.

With this mixture of welcome homes, sendoffs and countdowns till return, Thanksgiving will surely be full of mixed emotions this

year. For those of us fortunate

enough to enjoy the holidays here at home with our Fami-lies, I ask that you join me in giving thanks for the will-ingness of each of our na-tion’s troops to stand up and serve – especially those who are enduring the holidays separated from their Family and friends this year.

I’d also offer thanks for the Families, friends, em-ployers and entire commu-nities who support these troops as they serve. As ex-hibited in the communities of northeast Arkansas, this state’s willingness to sup-port our troops is tremen-dous.

On behalf of the entire Arkansas National Guard, thank you for your support of our troops. That kind of support is the primary source of our strength and we wouldn’t be successful without it.

Editorial staffCapt. Chris Heathscott

State Public Affairs Officer

Lt. Col. Keith MooreAgriculture Development Team

Capt. Heath AllenPublic Affairs Officer

Northwest Office

Sgt. 1st Class Chris DurneyPublic Affairs Specialist

Adrienne BrietzkePublic Affairs Specialist

Donna SheltonInformation Officer

Garrick Feldman Editor & Publisher

Christy HendricksManaging Editor

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Arkansas Guard News

Published by Leader Pub-lishing, Inc. 404 Graham Road, Jacksonville, AR 72076, phone number (501) 982-9421, a pri-vate firm in no way connect-ed with the Arkansas National Guard, under written contract with the Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard. This civilian enterprise Na-tional Guard newspaper is an authorized publication for the members of the U.S. military services, published under the provisions of AR 360-1, AFI 35-101 and the Arkansas Military Department. Contents of the Arkansas Minuteman are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. govern-ment, the Department of De-fense or the National Guard. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including in-serts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the National Guard or Leader Pub-lishing Inc. of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for pur-chase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mar-ital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any oth-er non-merit factor of the pur-chaser, user or patron. Editorial photos unless otherwise noted. The Arkansas Minuteman re-serves the right to edit all items. Editorial content is edited, pre-pared and provided by the Pub-lic Affairs Office of the Arkan-sas National Guard. All photos are Arkansas National Guard unless otherwise noted.

arkansas MInUTEMan

Editorial

Communities demonstrate tremendous show of support for our troops

ON THE MOVE. Doctors and medical personnel from the University of Arkan-sas for Medical Sciences rush a simulated victim of a mock C-130 crash from an Arkansas Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk to the emergency room during a mass casualty exercise Oct. 3, 2010. Select units of the Arkansas Army National Guard’s 77th Theater Avia-tion Brigade and members of the Recruit Sustainment Program, and UAMS teamed up to conduct the early-morning exercise, which tested response, life saving and civilian medical skills.

On the COver

Photo by Spc. Stephanie Hernandez, 119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.

COMMUNiTy SUPPORT. This image was taken as Family members of the 1037th Route Clearance Company wave goodbye to their Soldiers in Jonesboro on the day be-fore Veterans Day 2009. The community conducted their annual Veterans Day parade four days early last year in or-der to incorporate a community wide sendoff for the troops with the event. The communites of northeast Arkansas are once again taking the initiative to ensure they honor our nation’s newest Veterans along with those of previous gen-erations. The annual Veterans Day parade will, this time, be conducted two days after the national day of recognition in order to ensure all of their troops have had the opportunity to return back to their hometown in time for the event.


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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Brig. Gen. William John-son, the deputy adjutant general of Arkansas, was inducted into the Arkan-sas Black Hall of Fame during a ceremony and banquet October 16 at the Statehouse Convention Center here.

Johnson was among six honorees that were an-nounced September 2 at the Mosaic Templars Cul-tural Center in downtown Little Rock.

He is the first African-American to be pinned a general officer in the his-tory of the Arkansas Na-tional Guard.

Honorees for the 18th Annual Induction Cere-mony included Mrs. Annie M. Abrams, community leader and political activ-ist, Mr. Shaffer Chimere Smith, also known as Ne-Yo, Grammy Award-win-ning recording artist and

actor, the Honorable Tim-othy C. Evans, noted jurist and judicial leader, Ms. Reshonda Tate-Billing-sley, award-winning au-thor and journalist, and Mr. Reece “Goose” Tatum, original Clown Prince of the world-famous Har-lem Globetrotters (post-humous).

Johnson was born in 1950 and is a graduate of Scipio A. Jones High School in North Little Rock.

He has a Bachelors Degree from Philander Smith College and a Mas-ters Degree in Strategic Studies from the Unit-ed States Army War Col-

lege. He joined the Arkan-sas Army National Guard in 1976 and was commis-sioned in 1981.

Johnson has served in a variety of command and staff assignments throughout his long ca-reer with the Arkansas Army National Guard, in-cluding commander of the 212th Signal Battalion – decommissioned in 2006 – and as chief of the Joint Staff for the Arkansas Na-tional Guard.

He received federal recognition as a brigadier general in October, 2007, and assumed the duties of deputy adjutant general Jan. 2, 2008.

According to the Mosa-ic Templars Cultural Cen-ter website, the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foun-dation is a nonprofit or-ganization that provides grants to other charita-ble endeavors in the black community to enhance youth development, health and wellness, edu-cation and business/eco-nomic development.

Established in 1992, the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame has inducted 85 in-dividuals, including poet Maya Angelou, civil rights attorney Wiley Branton Sr., athlete Sidney Mon-crief and musician Pha-raoh Sanders.

Deputy adjutant General inducted into arkansas Black Hall of Fame

PROUD DAUGHTER – Brig. Gen. William Johnson, the depu-ty adjutant general of Arkansas, and his daughter Tiyanna Alexis Johnson during the 2010 Arkansas Black Hall of Fame banquet and ceremony October 17. Johnson was among six honorees in-ducted for 2010.

Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame

Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame

iNDUCTEE – Brig. Gen. William Johnson, the deputy adjutant general of Arkansas, ad-dresses a Statehouse Convention Center crowd after being inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame during a banquet and ceremony Oct. 17. Maj. Gen. William Wofford, the adjutant general of Arkansas, introduced Johnson, who was one of six honorees inducted in 2010.


HOPE AND RUSSELL-VILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas Army National Guard Re-cruit Sustainment Pro-gram Warriors and cadre participated in the nation-wide “Guard the Environ-ment” program by pick-ing up trash and debris throughout areas of Hope and Russellville October 16.

According to the Na-tional Guard Bureau, Guard the Environment is a grass roots effort for states to showcase Nation-al Guard members proac-tively participating in en-vironmentally-friendly activities that both impact and give back to their local communities.

Approximately 25 Ar-kansas Army recruits be-ing groomed as Soldiers helped groom a park in Russellville, while another 25 RSP members fanned out in Hope to help out during a city-wide clean up day.

In Russellville, RSP Warriors spent the after-noon weed eating, blow-ing leaves, and picking up trash and brush piles.

“One of the main rea-sons I joined the Nation-al Guard was to serve my community and to serve my state, and I think this is a great program for the National Guard,” said Pat-rick W. Simmons, one of the recruits participating in the clean up. “It shows the community that not only are we here to protect and defend, but that we are also here to help in any way that we can. Whether that be helping clean up a park or helping our forces

overseas, we do both.”In Hope, the young

men and women from RSP filled more than 30 bags with road-side trash and debris from several locations throughout the Hempstead County city.

“The ‘Guard the Envi-ronment’ program is an excellent way to get out

into the community and give back to the people of the state,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Brady, a Conway re-cruiter. “We are always ready to be called upon when a natural disaster strikes, but it’s nice to just get out and clean up some-thing that people use every day.”

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R O A D S i D E CLEAN UP. Ar-kansas Army Na-tional Guard re-cruits work along a roadside area in Hope, Ark., Octo-ber 16 during the Hempstead Coun-ty’s city-wide clean up day.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chris A. Durney, Arkansas National Guard Public Affairs Office.

recruits help clean up arkansas townsRecruit Sustainment Program lends hand in Hope and Russellville

LEAFiNG iT CLEAN. Pfc. Evan Dingler of Little Rock blows leaves off a park parking lot in Russellville, Ark., Oc-tober 16 as part of the National Guard Bureau’s nationwide “Guard the Environment” program.

Photo by Spc. Walter Guthrie, Arkansas Recruiting and Retention Battalion


CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, Ark. – A combination of dry conditions and range qualification sparked brush fires October 5 and 11 on Robinson Maneuver Training Center that eventually affected approximately 3,000 acres.

The initial blaze began on Range 16 when a round fired from a M203 Gre-nade Launcher resulted in a grass fire that quickly spread into the nearby tree line. Camp Robinson’s Fire and public Safety Departments joined the post’s In-stallation Support Unit and Range Con-trol to fight the blaze on the ground. The Arkansas Army National Guard’s 77th Aviation Brigade took to the air to douse the fire from above.

While the initial fire smoldered, a sec-ond blaze flared up October 11 on the east side of the post near Kellogg Valley. Camp Robinson personnel battled that blaze late into the day with the 77th once again being called upon to fight the fire from the sky. The Arkansas Forestry Ser-vice assisted in cutting additional fire-breaks to surround the fire and prevent additional spreading. The fire burned approximately 640 acres and was even-tually contained. But Camp Robinson’s

fire troubles were not over yet.After over a week of fighting wild-

fires, post personnel once again faced a large blaze in the small arms impact area when the initial fire apparently re-ignit-ed in the windy and dry conditions.

As acrid smoke and ash billowed above the 32,000 acre post and out into surrounding communities, Camp Robin-son personnel decided to fight fire with fire. A “back burn” was started along firebreaks surrounding the small arms impact area, and was allowed to burn into the main fire in order to help it burn itself out. The tactic worked but the area continued to smolder until a significant rainfall the following week brought final relief.

Although an estimated 3,000 acres were burned, no structures or active in-ventory were damaged or lost as a result of the fires. Camp Robinson manages fire breaks that surround the entire post in order to prevent such incidents from spreading into surrounding communi-ties. Periodic prescribed burns are also conducted in order to reduce the amount of natural fuel on the ground and lessen the risk of wildfires.

Range Fires affect 3,000 acres of Camp Robinson

Photo by Capt. Chris Heathscott, Arkansas National Guard State Public Affairs Office

BRUSH FiRE. Camp Robinson’s Fire and Public Safety Departments joined the post’s installation Support Unit and Range Control personnel to fight a brush fire that began on the M203 Grenade Launcher range on October 5. This initial fire consumed approximately 200 acres.

FiGHTiNG FROM ABOVE. A UH-60 Blackhawk from the 77th Theater Aviation Brigade uses a 600-gallon “Bambi” bucket to help douse Camp Robinson brush fires that flared up over a week and a half in October. The fires were quickly contained but approximately 2,500 acres were eventually consumed.


Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chris A. Durney, Arkansas National Guard State Public Affairs Office

FiGHTiNG FROM THE GROUND. Mr. Doug Ernst, right, from the Arkansas National Guard Environmental Office, dis-cusses firefighting efforts with Maj. Marshall Cooney and post personnel during efforts to contain a wildfire in the small arms impact area of Robinson Maneuver Training Center.


CAMP JOSEPH T. ROB-INSON, Ark. -- Soldiers and Airmen with the Arkansas National Guard’s Counter-drug Program played a ma-jor role in the recovery of ap-proximately two and a half tons of unused and unwant-ed prescription medications across the state as part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Event.

“What this boils down to is that [these pills] will nev-er be used or misused by anyone, whether they be ac-cidentally ingested or pur-posely taken as an over-dose,” said Arkansas Drug Director Fran Flener. “When you think about it, just one of these pills could have been the catalyst to some-one’s addiction, causing an overdose or even death. So it’s very reasonable for us to assume that by eliminat-ing these, we have prevented numerous deaths and heart-aches to families in Arkan-sas.”

Flener went on to explain how the success of this take-back initiative in Arkansas could not be attributed to any one of the multiple par-ticipating agencies and orga-nizations, but that the role of the National Guard was in-valuable.

“The Arkansas National Guard, I can’t say enough, about what they have pro-vided us in terms of the lo-

gistics, the transportation of all these pills to get here,” she said. “They were invalu-able in all the support that they’ve given us.”

The Guard’s role consist-ed of coordinating the logis-tical movement of approxi-mately 500 33-gallon empty barrels to 12 Arkansas State Police Troops across the state for further distribu-tion to the state’s 201 collec-tion sites on Saturday, Sep-tember 25. The Guard then returned to pick up the pre-scription drug filled barrels and deliver them to Clean Harbors in El Dorado where they were scheduled for in-

cineration. “We were able to get these

drugs [out of the households] where they could be acciden-tally consumed or illegally diverted to our streets,” said Bill Bryant, director of the DEA in Arkansas.

“It was a great team ef-fort,” he said. “We’re very fortunate in this state that we’re able to have these working relationships to do these types of programs. Law enforcement cannot do it alone in the battle against drug abuse.”

The Arkansas National Guard’s Counterdrug Pro-gram, which has worked

closely with the law enforce-ment agencies at all levels for several years in the war on drugs, welcomed this op-portunity of now taking on the problem of prescription drugs.

“Right now we’re being told that teenage abuse of prescription meds is a big problem,” said Lt. Col. Mar-cus Hatley, counterdrug co-ordinator for the Arkansas National Guard. “Removing these out of the households and preventing access to them is definitely a big thing for all of us.”

While Hatley said Na-tional Guard programs from

across the nation participat-ed in the “take-back” initia-tive, Flener added that Ar-kansas’ role in the effort was extremely significant.

“When we compare what Arkansas did to the nation, Arkansas was two times higher than the national av-erage of sites per state,” she said. “Arkansas had greater than three times the nation-al average in participating law enforcement agencies.

“We wanted to keep these pills out of the hands of par-ticularly the teens and young people in our state,” Flener added. “We are very excited about our success.”

Counterdrug Program helps collect 2.5 tons of pillspr

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Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chris A. Durney, Arkansas National Guard State Public Affairs Office.


THANKiNG THE GUARD. While addressing the media dur-ing a press conference in El Dorado about the “take-back” effort, Arkansas Drug Director Fran Flener said, “The Arkan-sas National Guard, i can’t say enough, about what they have provided us in terms of the logistics, the transportation of all these pills to get here. They were invaluable in all the support that they’ve given us.” While addressing the media during a press conference in El Dorado about the “take-back” effort, Bill Bryant, director of the DEA in Arkansas said, “The Arkan-sas National Guard, we couldn’t have done this without you.”

Photo by Capt. Heath Allen, Akansas National Guard State Public Affairs Office

FiLLiNG THE TRUCK. Soldiers and Airmen from the Arkansas National Guard load barrels of prescription medications at Arkan-sas State Police headquarters in Little Rock. The drugs were de-livered to Clean Harbors in El Dorado where they were scheduled for incineration.

WORKiNG WiTH DEA. Guard personnel working with Fort Smith Law Enforcement prepare to pick up full barrels of prescription meds for delivery to Clean Harbors in El Dorado where they were scheduled for incineration.

LOADiNG BARRELS. SOLDiERS and Airmen load full barrels of prescription meds in Little Rock in preparation for delivering the drugs to Clean Harbors in El Dorado where they were scheduled for incineration.


CAMP JOSEPH T. ROB-INSON, Ark. – Maj. Gen. Ron Chastain, the deputy commanding general for the Army National Guard at the United States Forc-es Command, and former adjutant general of Arkan-sas, was honored in a retire-ment ceremony here Oct. 2, 2010.

The Conway, Ark. res-ident was given an emo-tional send-off that com-memorated his 38 years of military service to the state of Arkansas and the na-tion. His many accomplish-ments include a war-time command of the Arkan-sas Army National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade Com-bat Team, and a stint as the state’s adjutant general.

“Even though he’s tran-sitioning from uniform to civilian clothes in the next couple of weeks, he’ll al-ways be a Soldier,” said Maj. Gen. William D. Wofford, the current adjutant gen-eral of Arkansas. “He’ll al-ways be a part of our Guard Family.

“Ron, I want to person-ally thank you for what you’ve done for the National Guard, our state and the na-tion,” said Wofford to Chas-tain and the many well-wishers who filled Davis Auditorium at the Profes-sional Education Center at Camp Robinson.

Chastain began his mil-itary career when he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve, upon graduation from the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Arkansas Tech Universi-ty in Russellville on July 7, 1972.

Throughout his career, he has served in a variety of command and staff assign-ments in the 142nd Field

Artillery Brigade, 87th Troop Command and the 39th Infantry Brigade (Sep-arate). He commanded the 25th Rear Area Operations Center during Operation Desert Storm, and com-manded the 39th during

Operation Iraqi Freedom II.He assumed the duties

as the chief of staff (war-time), United States Forc-es, Korea, in October 2005, and received federal recog-nition as a major general of the line on Oct. 17, 2005. He

served as adjutant general from July 15, 2006 through Feb. 15, 2007 before assum-ing duties at FORSCOM Feb. 16, 2007.

Notable among those who spoke about Chastain during the ceremony was

Command Sgt. Maj. Brunk W. Conley, the state com-mand sergeant major for the Oregon National Guard. Conley was the senior en-listed of the Oregon Nation-al Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, which was attached to the 39th under Chastain’s command dur-ing the brigade’s first de-ployment to Iraq.

“On behalf of Major Gen-

eral [Raymond F.] Rees, (the adjutant general of Or-egon), and myself, I want to wish you well in your retire-ment,” said Conley. “It was a pleasure and an honor to serve with you in Iraq, sir.”

After receiving a lit-any of awards and acco-lades, Chastain addressed the crowd and thanked his

Ceremony honors former adjutant GeneralMaj. Gen. Ron Chastain retires after 38 years of service

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Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chris A. Durney, 119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BiDDiNG FAREWELL. Maj. Gen. Ron Chastain, addresses a packed auditorium of well- wishers during his October 2 retirement ceremony as the deputy commanding general for the Army Na-tional Guard at the United States Forces Command (FORSCOM). Chastain is a former war-time commander of the Arkansas Na-tional Guard’s 39th infantry Brigade Combat Team, and a former adjutant general of Arkansas. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chris A. Durney, 119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FLOWERS FOR MS. PAM. Maj. Gen. Ron Chastain thanks his wife Pam for standing by him during his 38 years of military service. Chastain, a former adjutant general of Arkan-sas, retired as the deputy commanding general for the Army National Guard at the United States Forces Command (FORSCOM) during a ceremony at the Professional Education Center’s Davis Auditorium on Camp Robinson.

See Honors, page 9


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wife for standing by him throughout nearly four de-cades of service.

“I want to thank my wife Pam for telling me what I needed to hear, and not always what I wanted to hear,” said Chastain. “I love

you, dear.”Chastain acknowledged

the many challenges he’s faced as a member of the Guard, noting that he has drilled at 11 different ar-mories in the state, result-ing in commutes from his home from as short as three miles, to more than 300 miles.

“I have been blessed to

have served in the Arkansas Army National Guard,” said Chastain. “Now it’s time to depart the ranks.”

Chastain went on to quote Alexander Graham Bell by saying, “When one door closes another one opens, but we often look so long and regretfully at that closed door that we fail to see the one that’s opened

for us.“It’s been a great mili-

tary career and I will not look back with regret,” said Chastain. “I’m filled with pride because of the incred-ible accomplishments of the Soldiers and Airmen of the Arkansas National Guard, and I’m certainly humbled to have had the opportunity to serve with you.”

Photo by Spc. Alec Baldwin, 119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

THANKiNG THE GENERAL. Command Sgt. Maj. Brunk W. Conley, state command sergeant major of the Oregon National Guard, talks about his experience serving under Maj. Gen. Ron Chastain as a member of the Oregon Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 167th infantry, which was attached to the Arkansas Army National Guard’s 39th infantry Brigade Combat Team dur-ing Operation iraqi Freedom ii. Chastain, a former adjutant gen-eral of Arkansas, retired as the deputy commanding general for the Army National Guard at the United States Forces Command (FORSCOM) Oct. 2, 2010.

Photo by Spc. Alec Baldwin, 119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

THANKS FOR SUPPORT. Maj. Gen. William D. Wofford, the adjutant general of Arkansas, presents Pam Chastain, wife of retiring Maj. Gen. Ron Chastain, a plaque honoring her support during Chastain’s 38 years of military service. Chas-tain, a former adjutant general of Arkansas, retired Oct. 2, 2010 as the deputy commanding general for the Army Nation-al Guard at the United States Forces Command (FORSCOM).

HonorsContinued from Page 8

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CAMP JOSEPH T. ROB-INSON, Ark. – The yells of medics could be heard over the screams of Soldiers scat-tered across the ground. Swirling dust covered the scene as Army National Guard helicopters came and went.

That was the scene as se-lect units of the Arkansas Army National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Brigade and members of the Re-cruit Sustainment Program participated in a mass ca-sualty exercise Oct. 3, 2010 with the University of Ar-kansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The early morning exer-cise began in the far reach-es of Camp Robinson with a mock C-130 crash, resulting in simulated mass casual-ties. Approximately 50 new recruits, a command ser-geant major and even a brig-adier general were tapped to “act” as victims. Each par-ticipant exhibited simulated wounds representing every-thing from ‘urgent surgical’ to ‘ambulatory.’

“It’s the most realistic training that we can pro-vide,” said Brig. Gen. Rog-er McClellan, Arkansas Na-tional Guard Joint Force land component command-er. “As we see all the dif-ferent injuries, it gives the medic an opportunity to ex-ercise his or her skills at a much greater level.”

In the cool hours on a Sunday, ground med-ics rushed onto the scene

to asses and treat wound-ed Soldiers, and to pre-pare them for MEDIVAC to UAMS. Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk and UH-72 Lakota helicop-ters swarmed onto the mock crash site and transported the victims across town to the state’s only Level 1 trau-ma center.

“This exercise is very im-portant; it is scenario based and as close to real as it gets,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Michau, medical platoon sergeant with the 77th’s 777th Aviation Support Bat-talion.

“Experiencing a real-life situation like this is the best training for Soldiers,” said Staff Sgt. Mark T. England, the medical training non-commissioned officer for the 777th.

According to Capt. Me-lissa Lashbrook, the 777th’s training officer, and the ex-ercise facilitator, the exer-cise took months to orga-nize and prepare.

She explained that every base had to be covered, and every element needed to be incorporated so Soldiers taking part in the event re-ceived as much hands-on learning as possible.

“Exercises like this are the stepping stones to get ready for combat,” said Lashbrook. “They are so great because we can see the things we need to learn and improve on.”

“It’s a very valuable train-ing exercise, not only for us

in the National Guard, but for the civilian agencies like UAMS,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Pace, commander of the 777th. “It’s a test of their trauma capabilities and

their ability to handle this number of patients.”

A five minute flight across town, doctors and staff with UAMS waited anxiously for the arrival of the simulated

casualties from the crash site. The sight of military aircraft landing on the hos-pital helipad brought a flur-ry of activity, and a crowd of on-lookers.

“We are the state’s only Level 1 trauma center,” said Ron Crane, Jr., emergency preparedness manager at UAMS. “Today, we demon-strated the capability that no other hospital in the state of Arkansas is able to repli-cate.”

As each casualty was brought in, UAMS emer-gency personnel relied on

their medical skills to tri-age the patients appropri-ately, and provide the need-ed care.

“It was a two-fold part-nership, where we are able to come in and provide as-sistance to the National Guard,” said Crane. “They have provided us a great deal of work where we are able to keep sharp on our trauma as well as disaster skills.

“It further demonstrates the capability the Guard has in terms of working with the private sector,” said Crane. “Phenomenal exercise.”

Mass casualty exercise tests Guard, civilian skillsArmy aviators team with local trauma center to treat simulated woundedBy Spc. Stephanie Hernandez and Pfc. Haley Guthrie119th Mobille Public Affairs Detachment, Arkansas National Guard

Photo by Pfc. Haley Guthrie, 119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

ACTiNG THE PART. An Arkansas Army National Guard Soldier acts his part as a simulated victim of a mock C-130 crash at Camp Joseph T. Robinson during a mass casualty exercise Oct. 3, 2010. Select units of the 77th Theater Aviation Brigade and members of the Recruit Sustainment Program, along with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, participated in the large-scale exercise.

Photo by Pfc. Haley Guthrie, 119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

TREATiNG THE WOUNDED. A medic with the Arkan-sas Army National Guard’s 777th Aviation Support Battal-ion treats a simulated victim of a mock C-130 crash during a mass casualty exercise in cooperation with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Oct. 3, 2010.

Photo by Capt. Chris Heathscott, Arkansas National Guard Public Affairs

MEDiVAC LANDS. An Arkansas Army National Guard Uh-60 Blackhawk MEDiVAC helicopter lands at the Univer-sity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences helipad to deliver simulated wounded victims of a mock C-130 crash. The Arkansas Army National Guard’s 77th Theater Aviation Bri-gade and UAMS teamed up to conduct a mass casualty exercise Oct. 3, 2010.

Photo by Spc. Stephanie Hernandez, 119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

UAMS ARRiVAL. A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences student and an Arkansas Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk crew chief push a simulated causality from the helipad into the hospital during a training exercise Oct. 3, 2010. Blackhawks and UH-72 Lakota helicopters transported simulated victims of a mock C-130 crash at Camp Robinson to the state’s only Level 1 trauma center.


To Pvt. 2n Allen, Christopher S.39th IBCTn Anderson, Jordan D.39th IBCTBarrow, Jenny K.n MEDCOMBerry, Charles E.39th IBCTn Bowen, Bobby O.142nd FAn Broberg, Hakon W.39th IBCTn Brown, Shieisha M.87th TCn Charlton, William Z.87th TCn Chinchilla, Quillermo E.142nd FAn Cowan, Caleb R.39th IBCTn Dailey, Jerimiah J.39th IBCTn Day, Matthew B.142nd FAn Green, Ray W., Jr.142nd FAn Harper, Darrick D., Jr.77th TABn Jacobs, Cody A.87th TCn Jacobs, Jason R.39th IBCTn Jones, Matthew W.87th TCn Killgore, Nicholas R.CMTCn Larson, Vince E.142nd FAn Lea, Antonio M.77th TABn Maltbia, Mikel A.87th TCn Mauldin, Anthony R.77th TABn McCoy, Daniel N.39th IBCTn Melvin, James R., Jr.39th IBCTn Mercer, Calon C.39th IBCTn Miller, Nathan W.142nd FAn Mullins, Cameron Dwain87th TCn Muse, Richard T.142nd FAn Perez, David A.142nd FAn Prewitt, Spencer K.77th TABn Pritchett, Curtis W.39th IBCTn Raper, Patrick L.39th IBCTn Reschke, Jason D.77th TABn Rich, Austin W.87th TCn Roberts, Aaron L.39th IBCTn Robinson, Richard G.142nd FAn Runyan, Aaron A.142nd FAn Wesson, Ryan J.142nd FA

n Whorton, James K.142nd FAn Williams, Kirtmichael L.39th IBCTn Wilson, Shaniqua D.39th IBCT

To Pfc.n Austin, Galeana M.77th TABn Ball, Justin W.142nd FAn Barnes, Darius C.39th IBCTn Barnett, Aaron C.39th IBCTn Bartel, William N., II39th IBCTn Bates, Taylor V.87th TCn Beavers, Micah L.77th TABn Bodiford, Jerimiah A.39th IBCTn Boston, Stephen J.39th IBCTn Caldwell, Domonic C.39th IBCTn Campbell, Gregory S.CMTCn Cantu, Ronald C.39th IBCTn Clark, Jacob D.39th IBCTn Cole, Tamika87th TCn Coleman, Ryan B.39th IBCTn Cox, Dustin C.142nd FAn Crawley, Marcus T.142nd FAn Dee, Dillon M.39th IBCTn Dingler, Tyler E.39th IBCTn Do, Timothy T.CMTCn Dugger, Cody A.39th IBCTn East, Jordan W.142nd FAn Elster, Aaron J.87th TCn Faris, Daniel S.39th IBCTn Forman, Suede M.39th IBCTn French, Jacob E.39th IBCTn Glass, Joshua T.39th IBCTn Hamilton, Jordan J.39th IBCTn Hardin, Seth G.39th IBCTn Harris, Lashunda R.87th TCn Hilliker, Randy J.39th IBCTn Holliday, Daniel R.77th TABn Horton, Colton C.87th TCn Jennings, Nathaniel G.CMTCn Jones, Charles M.

142nd FAn Kelley, Cody S.87th TCn King, Samuelle L.39th IBCTn Lee, Catherine A.77th TABn Leisure, Shawn M.39th IBCTn Lewis, Gregory B., II39th IBCTn Lingerfelt, Casondra M.CMTCn London, Lesley A.39th IBCTn MacDonald, Jessica R.39th IBCTn McClelland, Vincent C.39th IBCTn Ojeda, Erma T.39th IBCTn Phillips, Ashley J.87th TCn Pinkney, Tjader M., Jr.39th IBCTn Ried, Charley J., Jr.39th IBCTn Roberts, Christopher J.39th IBCTn Sanders, Sherman L.39th IBCTn Schneider, Genna D.RMTCn Scott, Will C.39th IBCTn Simpson, Chet L.87th TCn Smith, Brian K.87th TCn Smith, Logan M.39th IBCTn Taylor, James P.142nd FAn Traxel, Heather D.CMTCn Vincent, James C., II87th TCn Walker, Derek M.142nd FAn Wilbanks, John L., Jr.87th TCn Wilson, Jeffery B.77th TABn Woods, Kambria R.RMTCn Zorman, Joshua W.39th IBCT

To spc.n Barton, Wesley, R.142nd FAn Blunkall, John E.39th IBCTn Bond, Colton G.39th IBCTn Broughton, Stephen C.39th IBCTn Campbell, William R.142nd FAn Carter, Justin C.39th IBCTn Castner, Albert W.39th IBCTn Chandler, Brandan M.142nd FAn Coffman, Bobby L.142nd FA

n Cook, Joshua D.39th IBCTn Dennison, Natasha J.142nd FAn Dismuke, John M.39th IBCTn Fulmer, Jason C., Jr.87th TCn Gray, Donnalee D.87th TCn Harris, Jennifer M.87th TCn Hartgraves, John W.142nd FAn Hill, Dominque39th IBCTn Hill, Shameka T. M.39th IBCTn Hodges, Phillip L.39th IBCTn Insley, Melissa A.87th TCn Jennings, Keith C.39th IBCTn Johnson, Kenneth H.39th IBCTn Johnson, Nathan R.77th TABn Laden, Jeffrey A.87th TCn Langston, Carrie L.CMTCn Martin, Michael H.87th TCn McCartney, Mary A.39th IBCTn Meckley, Jason C.142nd FAn Mitchell, John C.142nd FA

n Mosley, Deprince D.87th TCn Murray, Chad W.87th TCn Peeples, James J.39th IBCTn Peterson, Gregory L.39th IBCTn Poirrier, Christopher R.77th TABn Rainwater, Paul S., Jr.39th IBCTn Richards, Jonathon M.39th IBCTn Ridenour, Shane L.142nd IBCTn Robertson, Taylor B.77th TABn Rowe, Kyle G.39th IBCTn Saint, Dalton E.87th TCn Scott, Jordan A.87th TCn Smith, Tanisha R.77th TABn Spann, Kristen M.142nd FAn Stamps, Alex G.39th IBCTn Tatum, Terrell M.39th IBCTn Terry, Steven M.142nd FA nn Thibodeaux, Christo-pher A.142nd FAn Thompson, Brandon L.87th TCn Turner, Joshua O.

39th IBCTn Tyler, Jacque L. 87th TCn Walker, Nathaniel V.87th TCn Watson, Gregory J.142nd FAn Weller, Chris F.142nd FAn Wheeler, Yolanda J.39th IBCTn Wood, Justin R.142nd FA

To sgt.n Disotell, Denver L.

87th TCn Forman, Reuben D.142nd FAn Galloway, Byron A., Jr.39th IBCTn Gilchrist, Andrew T.142nd FAn Hooker, Colton M.142nd FAn Jackson, Shelia R.77th TABn Johnson, Sumer N.87th TCn Jones, Christopher R.77th TABn Lee, Jonathan C.77th TABn McCrary, Ransom L.142nd FAn Rieathbaum, Jared W.39th IBCT

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n Roberts, Michael L.142nd FAn Shankle, Trey L.142nd FAn Simmons, Patrick W.39th IBCTn Smith, Marlon K.77th TABn Truitt, Cole A.142nd FA

To staff sgt.n Cartwright, Jarred T.77th TABn Collins, Jeffery S.142nd FAn Edwards, Ladeana Y.MEDCOMn Green, Michael E.142nd FAn Krasney, Fahie J. K.NGMTCn Lauderdale, Stuart P.39th IBCTn Oliver, Vickie J.CMTCn Ott, Derek S.142nd FAn Romero, Aron N.142nd FAn Sabatini, Robert A.87th TCn Sawyer, Derek K.142nd FA

n Scott, Marcus A.39th IBCTn Varner, Kendell D.142nd FAn Waltman, Kelly J.142nd FAn Witt, Kenneth R.39th IBCT

To sgt. 1st Classn Martin, Daniel L.142nd FAn McCauley, Adam R.39th IBCTn Russell, James M.142nd FAn Swayze, David M.233rd RTI

To Chief Warrant Officer 5

n Trubiano, Robert L.77th TAB

To 1st Lt.n Austin, Jason O.87th TCn Carr, Austin, S.39th IBCTn Hart, Christopher F.77th TCn Montgomery, Jason D.39th IBCTn Nall, Chad M.142nd FAn Reynolds, Joel P.

142nd FA

To Lt. Col.n Ingram, Erica L.JFHQ

To Col.n Koehler, Kevin R.39th IBCT

To Master sgt.n Cagle, David C.189th AWn Hammons, Kevin D.189th AWn Kinnard, Katrina A.188th FWn Miller, Scott C.61st CSTn Rich, Joshua H.188th FW

To senior Master sgt.

n Vaughn, Jeffrey T.189th AW

To Chief Master sgt.n Fisher, Kenneth L.189th AWn Hager, Jeffery L.189th AWn Nolan, Garry L.189th AW

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chris A. Durney, Arkansas National Guard Public Affairs

UNDER, OVER, THROUGH. The Camp Joseph T. Robinson-based National Guard Marksmanship Training Center hosted approximately 400 small arms shooters repre-senting Army and Air National Guard from 44 states and territories the last week of October for the 40th annual Winston P. Wilson Training Sustainment Exercise. One of the more popular matches of the event is the Fallen Comrade exercise. Teams of four line up on the 300 yard line in the prone position and, at the signal, race forward under a 30 inch low bar, over a 48 inch high bar and through an eight-foot long, 36 inch in diameter tunnel, and up to the 200 yard line. There they open fire on a line of eight inch by 12 inch metal plates. Once all of their targets are downed they pick up a simulated “Fallen Comrade” on a liter and race back to the 300 yard line.

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