A PUBLICATION OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SPRING 2004A PUBLICATION OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SPRING 2004

Sgt. Jeremiah HolmesSgt. Jeremiah Holmes1976 ~ 2004

Husband Father Soldier1976 ~ 2004

Husband Father Soldier

2 GRANITE GUARDIAN

The Granite Guardian is a publication

of the New Hampshire Army National

Guard authorized under the provisions

of AR360-82. Policies and statements

contained in this publication do not

necessarily reflect those of the

Department of the Army. We encour-

age submissions. News articles must

include the author’s name and unit

designation. Photographs must

include proper caption, with credit to

the photographer.

Address correspondence to:

114th MobilePublic Affairs Detachment

State Armory1059 Canal St.

Manchester, NH 03101

Phone: (603) 647-5730, ext. 3108

Web site access:http://www.nharmyguard.com

CommanderCapt. Greg Heilshorn

Public Affairs ChiefSgt. 1st Class Mike Daigle

EditorSpec. Eileen Healy

StaffPvt. Fred Comeau

Cover Photo by NH Air National Guard Audio Visual Team

Commander’s CallMission First, Family AlwaysBy Brig. Gen. John Weeden, AAG, NHARNG

When I think about my family, I am always rewarded by the great feeling I get. As with so many other people, my family means

everything to me. They depend on me, and I on them, and this is the wayit should be. Sometimes we are challenged by events we don't, or can'tcontrol, but we are always comforted by those who care for us.

Today is much different than yesterday. Tomorrow is always a newbeginning, and unpredictable. So, we work, function, and perform in theareas we can exercise some control; that is, today… now. What we dotoday will certainly affect tomorrow.

We have loved ones who have answered the call to duty. Mothers,fathers, sisters, brothers, and other relationships are in active military serv-ice, deployed for their country, giving of themselves so others remain safeand free. They are the soldiers of the New Hampshire Army NationalGuard. They are out there for us, America's heroes, embracing our valuesof Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Service, Honor, Integrity, and Courage. We owemuch to them.

I am privileged to have met most of our deploying soldiers. I am proudof every one of them. They come from all walks of life and different expe-riences. But, there is one common thread woven throughout their forma-tions: they rely on each other, as brothers and sisters, for things that onlysoldiers know and need. They rely on us to ensure that things are takencare of here while they “move out” to do their duty. We will meet thatexpectation.

It seems so much time has elapsed since we gathered at the departureceremonies across the state to honor our troops and to send them off in adignified and appropriate manner. The armories and auditoriums werefilled with hundreds of people, over a thousand at a couple. Those cere-monies were expressions of great caring for our troops. They were affect-ed by the outpouring of support, and I think they know how much thatsupport resonates beyond the now quieted walls of the buildings where thespeeches were given. One thing is certain, our soldiers and their units arebetter prepared to complete their missions because of the strong sense ofpride and caring shown by so many people, but mostly from their families.

We cannot be effective soldiers without the support of our families.There is no doubt that we have that support. We see evidence of it everyday: active and creative Family Support Groups; a caring and pro-activechain-of-command, providing resources, supporting and facilitating theFamily Readiness Program mission; and, friends and partners from manywalks of life performing wonderful acts of kindness. Our troops deserveall this.

In the months ahead, we will continue to focus on family matters. It isour most critical mission here. With hard work and dedication, we'll getthe job done. On behalf of the entire NHARNG, I want all family mem-bers and other loved ones know that we appreciate your sacrifices and aretruly grateful for your support.

SPRING 2004 3

By Capt. Greg Heilshorn114th MPAD

CONCORD – In April we paid ourfinal respects to Sgt. Jeremiah Holmes, a27-year-old truck driver with the 744thTransportation Company who was thefirst N.H. Guardsmen killed in the GlobalWar on Terrorism and the first to die incombat operations since Vietnam when3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery lostsix soldiers in 1969.

Through his wife, grandparents andsiblings, we learned that Sgt. Holmes wasmore than just a promising young soldier.He was a loving husband, proud fatherand a man who easily befriended others.

“He had a way of making people feelcomfortable,” Kim said.

They were remarkable traits consider-ing Sgt. Holmes' childhood. He enduredthe breakup of his family and the tragicdeath of his mother before the age of 14.His two brothers were adopted by a fami-ly that moved out of state, and his twosisters went to live with a different familyin the Seacoast. Sgt. Holmes lived withhis grandparents.

But Sgt. Holmes seemed to have aninnate sense of the importance of family.He called his grandparents “Mom” and“Dad.” He looked out for his sisters andhe went to every family reunion and wed-ding. It was as if the breakup made himmore determined to be an exemplary sonand brother.

“He represented everything good aboutthis family,” said his sister Nicole Allard.

After five years of active duty in thearmy, Sgt. Holmes started a family of hisown. He had found his soul-mate in Kimand their 1-year-old son Kaleb wasalready demonstrating his father's gift formaking people feel good. “He alwaysknows when someone needs a hug orlaugh,” Kim said.

Sgt. Holmes had just been hired as aregional sales representative for a homeimprovement supplier when the 744thwas mobilized last December. He wasupset at the timing of having to deploy.He was anxious to prove himself in hisnew job and he did not want to leave hiswife and son. But he believed in serving

his country.In the military, Sgt. Holmes also saw a

means of bettering himself and a way tosave money for college. He excelled as asoldier and his natural charm endearedhim to members of the 744th soon afterhe joined the unit in 1999. They calledhim “Jay” and “Holmesy.”

“Sgt. Holmes was one of those soldiersyou were drawn to just to see his smileand get reenergized from his positive atti-tude and his willingness to help,” saidCapt. Mary Bergner, commander of the744th.

By the time his casket arrived homefrom Iraq, those of us who did not servewith Sgt. Holmes knew enough abouthim to feel a connection. About 600 peo-ple attended his funeral in Dover on April7. More than 100 were soldiers and air-men from the N.H. National Guard.

“There is a Sgt. Holmes in every oneof our units,” remarked a member of theN.H. Air Guard's 157th Refueling Wing.“He was like so many of us. He was ahusband and he was a father. He did notwant to leave his family, but he knew hehad a job to do.”

On March 29, along an overpass westof Baghdad, Sgt. Holmes was doing hisjob when a homemade bomb explodedunderneath his truck. He was part of aconvoy bringing fresh supplies to aMarine unit.

Sgt. Holmes received the Bronze Starand Purple Heart for valor, and he waspromoted posthumously. At the gravesideservice, Maj Gen. John Blair, the StateAdjutant General, presented Kim with herhusband's medals and an American Flag.

“I prayed this day would never hap-pen, and when it happened that it wouldnever happen again,” he told a group ofjournalists after the service.

Since last August, more than half ofthe N.H. Army Guard has deployed toIraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.Five N.H. Air Guardsmen are in Iraq sup-porting Army ground missions; anotherairman is setting up communcation infra-structure in Afghanistan and 200 othersjust completed a month rotation inTurkey.

The loss of Sgt. Holmes reminds ushow noble and decent these young menand women are, and how understatedtheir courage is.

They represent the best in all of us.

“There is a Sgt. Holmes

in every one of our units.”

Sgt. Holmes represents the best in all of us

Honor Guard (Photo by Mike Ross of Fosters Daily Democrat, reprined with permission.)

4 GRANITE GUARDIAN

N.H. Guard ground and air forces perform bravelyEditor’s Note: The following updates were submitted by each unit commander via email in late April for the NH Guard’s monthly press briefing. They have been slightly edited for grammar and OPSEC.

Capt. Mary Bergner, of Hampton, is commander of the744th. The unit arrived in Iraq in early March. Its missionhas been to transport dry goods, water, food, petroleum prod-ucts and general supplies to ground units. As of the middle ofApril, the unit had logged 130,000 miles and completed 24missions.

Our soldiers are doing exceptionally well. I will not lie toyou and tell you things are great and we are always safe andsound, you know that's not the truth for a soldier serving theircountry. We are all growing stronger and closer as the dayspass. We are continuing on with missions and there is morerespect than ever being given to the mission of the transporta-tion companies.

The ultimate sacrifice has been paid by on of our own (Sgt.Jeremiah Holmes of North Berwick, Maine) and our thoughtsand prayers are with Kim (wife) and Kaleb (son) every day.There is a void in the area without Jay's laughter and smilearound to brighten us up when we're having a bad day. Wewill never forget him and he will always hold a part in ourheart for what a great person and exceptional soldier he was.

We stand proud as soldiers and truly believe that we aremaking a difference for fighting the war on terrorism. We allagree, we stand tall to fight the fight over here to prevent ourfamilies from having to experience it in our country.

Our days consist of receiving missions, preparing for mis-sions and training on the hazards that exist along the way. Weconduct AARs after every mission and pass the needed infor-mation on within the company and to educate all our soldierson the latest intelligence. We receive daily briefs on what toexpect along the routes that we are traveling. There are week-ly meetings where we discuss what other units have experi-enced and what was found to be effective on how to react tocertain situations. It is a continuous learning cycle to keepeveryone as safe and as informed as possible on how to han-dle situations we may encounter.

We do a lot of internal sharing formally and informally.My favorite is stopping to have a cup of coffee in Sgt.Michael Lafont's (Claremont) coffee shop, or sitting outdoorsaround the bonfire where you always sit down with at least ahandful of soldiers engaged in thought-provoking discussion.

744th Transportation Company, based in Hillsboro, with armories in Claremont and Somersworth.One hundred and fifty soldiers in Iraq conducting transportation missions.

Status of N.H. National Guard deployed unitsas of May 1, 2004

Total number of NH National Guardsmen: 2,700

NH Army National Guard: 1,700. 900 mobilized.*

NH Air National Guard: 1,000. 200 mobilized*

Number of NH Guardsmen overseas: 1,000Number of NH Guardsmen instate: 1,700

*some have been mobilized to support missionsat Pease and at other U.S. bases

Note: 3643rd Maintenance Company, based in Concord has provided more than half itsguardsmen to augment deploying units.

SPRING 2004 5

in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Turkey

Company C, 3rd/ 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), based in Manchester. Eight soldiers have beenin Afghanistan since last September training and patrolling with members of the Afghan National Army.

Another 180 soldiers are in Iraq conducting security and patrol operations.

The Mountain Companyhas captured three enemyprisoners and numerousenemy weapons systems toinclude rocket propelledgrenades (RPG's), AK-47rifles, and plastic explosives.

Staff Sgt. KevinShangraw's (Elliott, ME)squad was in an ambushwhile escorting 30 vehicles.About half of the escortedtractor trailers were disabled

in the ambush. While still incontact from the rear, receiv-ing AK-47 (fire), grenadesand RPG's, they encounteredan IED (improvised explo-sive device) to the front. Inorder to move the rest of theconvoy out of the kill zone,Sgt. Iver Bowen (Hancock)placed his vehicle directlynext to the IED, as a shield,allowing the rest of the con-voy to pass on the other side,safely. He used himself as ahuman shield for the rest ofthe element to pass to safety.

Staff Sgt. Lenny Parent's(Manchester) squad wasambushed by a platoon-sizeelement with IED, RPG,AK47 (fire), grenades andmortars. A U.S. civilian's armwas severed by an IED blast. Spec. Paul Brassard (Weare),a Manchester firefighter,applied a tourniquet and putIVs in the civilian's feetbecause the veins in hisupper body had collapsed.Brassard was able to calmthe man and keep him posi-tive and focused as heapplied the tourniquet. Heeven had the presence ofmind to use his forceps toremove a piece of shrapnelfrom the casualty's chest,clean it off, and put in a con-tainer for him as a souvenir,which cheered him up andhelped him survive.

Staff Sgt. Jeff Garland's(Seabrook) patrol receivedenemy fire while conducting

a movement to contact. Theyreturned fire and suppressedthe enemy, then conducted acordon and search of threehouses. After clearing houseto house, they captured mor-tars, small arms, ammo andtook three prisoners. Theprisoners were questioned onsite by a Mountain Companysoldier who speaks Arabic,Sgt. Zack Bazzi (Dover). Theinformation gathered by Sgt.Bazzi led to a raid that dayby 1st Infantry Division sol-diers, who captured a hugestockpile of enemy weaponsin a nearby town.

While coming to the res-cue of a U.S. unit that hadtaken casualties, 2nd Lt. DanNewman (Merrimack) usedaviation assets to assist hissquad's response. An Apachehelicopter was shot down.Newman's squad secured theouter cordon around thedowned Apache and sup-pressed fire that was comingfrom all directions. Whilesuppressing enemy fire fromone building, they realized acivilian family was trappedinside. Staff Sgt. Sage Ladieu(Alton) used his squad toenter the building and clearthe enemy out. With noregard for his own safety,Newman rushed throughenemy fire and escorted thefamily to safety behind anarmored humvee. The rest ofhis element continued tosecure the site until a larger

element could arrive.During a mortar attack at

our base camp, a U.S. soldierfrom another unit was injuredby shrapnel to his leg andback. Spec. Mario Raymundo(Manchester), a native of ElSalvador, rushed to his aiddespite the incoming enemymortar fire. Showing no con-cern for personal safety, hestabilized the casualty andhelped medics who laterarrived on site to treat andevacuate the casualty.

The men of this companyhave fought bravely for eachother, and continue to do so,every day, as we bring peaceand stability to the region.We have adopted a localschool and regularly deliversupplies to the children. OurMountain Company FamilySupport Group continues tocollect supplies and get themto us so we can assist thesechildren.

Every day as we moveamong them, people smileand wave. You can see gen-uine appreciation in theireyes for the work we do forthem. The small group ofenemy that seeks to under-mine their peace process isnot welcome in their commu-nities, and they welcome thesecurity and generosity webring.

Every day this nation sur-vives and doesn't descendinto chaos is a victory for thepeople of Iraq.

Capt. Raymond

Valas, of Goffstown,

is commander of

Company C. Its mis-

sions have included

convoy security, main

supply route security,

route reconnaissance,

cordon and search

and joint patrols with

members of the Iraqi

Civil Defense Corps.

The unit arrived in

Iraq in late March.

6 GRANITE GUARDIAN

Professionalism, committment to duty define

210th Engineer Detachment, based in Peterborough. Fifty soldiers are in Afghanistan providing engineering and construction support for Operation Enduring Freedom.

We have been directly contributing tothe support of the multicoalition basewe are living on, but recently we tookon additional duties to help support thelocal humanitarian efforts. Our firstproject is overseeing the rebuilding of alocal school. A local contractor is hiredwho in turn hires laborers from a localvillage to do the work.

We manage the overall project toensure that the work is performed tostandard. These projects are a win-winsituation in that having the locals per-

form the work puts money directly intothe Afghan economy, the kids get agreat school and the people see first-hand that Americans care about them.They get a better understanding that weare here to help improve their standardof living. We also enjoy the interactionwith a fascinating culture whose peopleare friendly and welcome us withsmiles.

They really are very glad that we arehere. Good signs are shown that trusthas been developed, which shows up inlittle things like a child giving us athumbs up when we do missions outsideour base camp. This is not just a singlechild but pretty much every child yousee. Simple things like this help youdeal with the hardships you mustendure.

Unit morale is good but it is veryhard being away from our families. It isa real sacrifice. However, we arefocused and determined to accomplishour mission and serve our country to thebest of our abilities. It is truly a hard-ship, which must be endured in particu-lar by the families back home but oneworth making.

Sgt. Lance Emond (Greenville), anassistant section sergeant, has beenheading up a team that is wiring exist-ing dry storage structures on base. Hissection sergeant, Staff Sgt. Pros Launh(Peterborough) has been keeping theother electricians installing lights andrunning wires in new living areas.

Plumbers, like Sgt. Christopher Dow(Hartland, VT), have been pitching in ahand to help out electricians because ofa lack of indoor plumbing on post. Sohis “cross training” is not only benefit-ing soldiers, airmen and marines onpost, but he is also learning a new skill.Another plumber, Sgt. Keith Killgren(Nashua) and his crew, which includesSpec. Christopher Lucas (Dublin), Spec.

Jason Morand (Derry) and Private 1stClass Joshua Rasch (Farmington), are ateam that performs physically demand-ing concrete work each day.

Sgt. Mark Plummer (Concord) and acrew of carpenters have been buildingpartitions in the new “B-huts,” whileSpec. Glenn Griffiths (Keene), Spec.Gregory Taylor (Keene) and Spec.Krystal Brooks (Mattapan, MA) havebeen performing improvements to thePost Chapel. Each of these projects isbeing executed in sync under the closeeye of their section sergeant, Sgt.Michael Dugan (Antrim).

Some of our “horizontal” sectiontroops (Spec. William Fohy, (Temple-ton, MA) Spec. Joseph Cain (Franklin)and Spec. James McCabe (Farmington))have been doing concrete work anddrainage improvements. Their skills areappreciated by a fellow engineer com-mander who is heading up that particu-lar project. He needed more soldiers toaccomplish his mission and our horizon-tal section has stepped up to the plate tohelp out.

Behind the scenes we have a staff ofsoldiers who support the main effort inaccomplishing the unit's overall missionof supporting the base. People likeSpec. Marie McGourty (Manchester),who retrieves the unit mail each dayamong her other duties. Others like Sgt.Robert Johnson (Templeton, MA), StaffSgt. John Ford (Penacook) and StaffSgt. Paul Bisbee (Baldwinville, MA)work hard to ensure that materials andsupplies are drawn each day to supportthe multitude of missions being execut-ed.

The bottom line is a free Afghanistanis here, yes, in its infancy, but it has achance directly do to a sacrifice ofAmericans who have dared to care.

Capt. Craig Lapiana, of

Merrimack, is commander of the

210th Engineer Detachment His

unit has been in Afghanistan

since early March. The unit is

supporting engineer and con-

struction projects.

SPRING 2004 7

N.H. Guard’s service in Global War on Terrorism

Detachment 2, 169th Military Police Company, based in Concord. Six soldiers have been in Guantanamo Baysince last August performing guard and security operations at detention facilities.

Scheduled to return early this summer.

Staff Sgt. Yvette Trapani, of Lincoln, is team leader for six-man unit supporting guard and security operations at deten-tion facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The six of us are all doing very well down here in Guan-tanamo Bay.

Sgt. Richard Diehl (East Swanzey), after working a specialmission for 5 ½ months, has returned to the platoon and isworking in the camp as a block NCO (noncommissioned offi-cer) and doing an excellent job. Sgt. Stephen Dennis (Hen-niker), also a block NCO in the camp continues to baffle his“customers” with his “verbal judo.” He is a very well respect-ed NCO here-respected by his peers and detainees. Cpl.Anthony Wynands (Deering), also a block NCO, has proven

himself an excellent NCO and was selected by our companyto attend the NCO of the month board. Spec. Michel Powers(Center Barnstead), our resident “gentle giant”, works a vari-ety of jobs in the camp to include block guard, medical escortand security at the interrogation buildings. He does an out-standing job in any position and continues to impress his lead-ership and peers. Spec. Audra Vigliotte (Windham) is a forceof nature on the blocks. Nobody messes with “Vig.” Herfriendly nature outside the block has made her very wellknown throughout the joint task force. She is always afavorite to work with. As for me, I've been out of the campsince late December working another mission. The job I do isa very good one; I'm an inspector for a team of MP's.

1st Battalion, 172nd Field Artillery, based in Manchester with armories in Rochester, Portsmouth, Milfordand Nashua. One hundred and eighty 180 soldiers are in Iraq conducting security missions. Thirty soldiersof Charlie Battery, from the Portsmouth Armory, are augmenting security operations at Pease Air N ational

Guard Base in Newington.

Capt. Eric Fessenden, of Windham, is commander of 1stBattalion, 172nd Field Artillery Forward. His unit arrived inIraq in early March. The unit has been conducting securityoperations.

1/172nd 'Marauders' continue to perform our security mis-sions in southern Iraq. Unit morale remains high, despite ris-ing temperatures and blowing sandstorms. Our 'artillerymen'are now very comfortable executing the military police mis-sion, and we continue to receive additional training here inIraq.

I have recommended Pvt. 2 Michael Trumble (Manchester)for an award for his actions on April 14. On that day Trumble,despite being unarmed and outnumbered, personally discov-ered and detained two Iraqi detainees that were attempting toescape from a local internment facility. This brave act is butone example of the outstanding work being done by our NewHampshire soldiers every day here.

The operations tempo has certainly picked up – longerdays, higher temps (over 100 degrees some days) and theoccasional sandstorm have definitely made our missions moredifficult. But I rarely hear a complaint from our soldiers. Theydrive on with their missions and I truly admire them for that.

In addition to our primary security mission, we are all par-ticipating in advanced military police training conducted by a

team from the Army Military Police School. There are alsofiring ranges in the area that our soldiers use to practice firingthe various weapon systems we have.

Yesterday morning, I had the opportunity to brief theBrigade commander on 172nd missions. He was veryimpressed with our unit, especially the work our Maintenancesection is doing to keep our vehicles running in such a harshenvironment. 1st Lt. Jared Boucher (Rochester) (my mainte-nance officer) and Staff Sgt. Bruce Goding (Nashua) (motorsergeant) have a great team of mechanics working for them –Staff Sgt. Daniel Schultz (Merrimack), Spec. Nathaniel Savoy(Merrimack), Spec. Jason Leach (Arundel, ME), Sgt. MichaelRicard (Nashua), Spec. Jeremy Chaisson (Rochester), Spec.Andrew Clifford (Nashua), Spec. John Cass Jr. (Milford) andSgt. Edgardo Diaz (Manchester).

They do all the “behind scenes” work that gets little fan-fare, but without them we couldn't accomplish our missionsand keep our soldiers safe.

The threat level remains relatively low in most of theareas we operate. The fighting that you have seen outside ofBaghdad has not involved our unit, and our area of operationsremains calm. Of course the leadership constantly remindsour soldiers to remain on high alert for anything, but whatyou are seeing on TV is NOT what we are experiencing.

8 GRANITE GUARDIAN

2nd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery, based in Berlin with armories in Lancaster, Littleton, Plymouth,Woodsville, Lebanon and Franklin. One hundred and eighty soldiers are in Iraq conducting

security missions.

3rd Platoon is assigned to a StrykerBattalion. The platoon has discoveredseveral caches of weapons and ammuni-tion. Their patrols have located rocketsand RPG's before anticoalition forces(ACF) have had a chance to launchthem on friendly positions. The platoonis working in conjunction with theStrykers to enforce a city wide curfew,conduct police station checks, and

patrol parts of the city. The Strykerleadership is very pleased with the per-formance of our platoon and their abili-ty to locate and disrupt enemy activity.

1st Platoon works directly for theDivision Provost Marshal. They aretransporting enemy detainees to variousdetention facilities. They also provideconvoy security for supply and equip-ment convoys.

4th Platoon is tasked with providingsecurity and support for the Transitionand Integration Program (TIP) academy.The TIP academy trains Iraqi Police (IP)to operate at the same level of proficien-cy and integrity as American police offi-cers. Lessons focus on human rights,international law, crime scene investiga-tion, police reports and weapons profi-ciency. The TIP academy has grownfrom 70 students during their first classto 225 for the May class. Overall goalsfor the program are to create an IraqiPolice force free of corruption and neg-lect that is capable of administering jus-tice and protecting the law abiding peo-ple of Iraq. The platoon conductssearches of all personnel and vehicles

entering the compound as well as pro-viding over watch security of the acade-my perimeter. They also mentor the IP'son how to improve their force protec-tion measures for the compound.

2nd Platoon lives and works aprovincial police headquarters. The mis-sion here at the Police HQ is to assistthe IP's with police station operations,oversight of local police, force protec-tion of the facility, and running a TIPacademy at the station. The academyrecently graduated 45 IP's and will bestarting another class of 60 next week.We conduct patrols (mounted and dis-mounted) in our area with the IP's, con-duct cordon and search operations inour area, and provide Quick ReactionForce (QRF) support.

As you can see, the MP mission isvery diversified and is a huge changefrom our field artillery background. Thesoldiers of the 2/197th MP Companyare doing extraordinary things everydayto increase security for coalition troopsand the Iraqi people and to help theIraqi Police Forces improve their capa-bilities.

Capt. Matt Boucher,

of Barrington, is commander

of 2nd Battalion, 197th Field

Artillery Forward. His unit is

conducting multiple security

missions. Like 1st Battalion,

the unit is fulfilling a military

police mission.

133rd Air Refueling Squadron, based at Pease. About 200 airmen have been part of a one-monthrotation in Turkey to support American and Allied air operations. The rotation began in late March

and ends this week.

Cols. Richard Martell, the Wing Commander and MarkSears, the Assistant Adjutant General of the NHANG, were theexpeditionary group commanders throughout the successful,one-month mission.

In addition to supporting air-refueling operations, membersof the 133rd rewrote the operations plan for all Air NationalGuard tanker units that will rotate through Turkey. The 133rdalso established a great working relationship with the Turkishmilitary. During the April rotation, a Turkish aircraft wasflown to Pease for repair.

The 133rd also facilitated the delivery of thousands ofboxes of N.H. Girl Scout cookies, donated by N.H. citizensand Gov. Craig Benson. The cookies were made available in ahangar known as the “Freedom Hangar” used by U.S. servicemembers on their way into theater and when they depart the-ater.

The refueling operation based in Turkey represents a finallink in an air bridge that begins over the Atlantic. The 157thAir Refueling Wing has played a major role in the air bridgesince 9-11.

SPRING 2004 9

10 GRANITE GUARDIAN

Family Program keeps families connected

T

Mrs. Speltz (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Michael Daigle)

By Sgt. 1st Class Michael Daigle114th MPAD

he New Hampshire National Guard Family Program develops a

support network through which familiesmutually support each other. The goal isthe establishment of communications net-works between family members and theunit to improve awareness of the militaryunit, its mission, and activities.

“A successful Family Program candevelop a more positive attitude in familymembers towards themselves, the unit,and the New Hampshire National Guard,”said 2nd Lt. Ken Leedberg, Family pro-gram coordination for the NHNG. “Wewant every family member to feel con-nected.”

The Family Program works as aresource and referral office. It points fam-ilies to people and programs that can helpthem with any problem they may havewhile their soldier is away. It has becomeeven more important now that the NewHampshire Guard is going through itslargest deployment ever, according toMaster Sgt. Peter Merritt, Assistant StateFamily Program Coordinator.

Family Support Programs are not new.They are simply an officially sanctionedversion of activities that soldiers and fam-ilies have been involved in since thebeginning of U. S. military service. Fami-ly support groups help the families, thesoldiers and the Army. They help thefamily by fostering a sense of belongingto the unit and developing friendshipswith each other. The program helps thesoldier by giving him confidence that thecommand is supporting his family whilehe is away, so he can concentrate on hismission. It helps the Army because byintegrating the family into the Army, thefamily will be more comfortable with themilitary lifestyle and provide support tothe soldier’s career choice, Merrittexplained. “What is new is the extensiveonline resourses offered to familiesthrough web sites, Merritt said. “Our website has grown dramatically to help meetthe needs of the families.”

To meet the needs of the Family Pro-gram, four more family assistance centers

have recently opened. The Littleton,Hillsboro, Manchester and SomersworthArmories now have family assistancecenters.

According to Leedberg, the program isworking daily with family members solv-ing a variety of problems. The problemsrange from helping a spouse get childcareto getting a soldier home after the deathof a loved one in their family.

Because this level of deployment isnew to everyone in the New HampshireGuard, the program is constantly evolving.

We are listening to families and takingin their feedback,” Leedberg said. “We doa good job of taking care of soldiersneeds; we want to do the same thing forthe families. And it is the right thing todo.”

The family program has posted arumor control page on the web site afterlistening to other state family programsand some of the problems they were hav-ing concerning rumors. “We realizedthere are many questions and concernsand we saw this as an opportunity forfamilies to be able to go to one source toget their questions answered”, Leedbergsaid. “To date the rumor line is workingnicely.”

It will not be possible to answer somequestions because of security reasons.

The last thing the New HampshireNational Guard and the Family Programwants to do is to put its soldiers or unitsin danger. Also, some answers needresearch and it takes time to get theappropriate response and then post it onthe web.

Free tax preparation information hasalso been posted on the Family ProgramWeb site for all guardsmen and families.There is a retail discount link that lists allbusinesses that have contacted the Guardand want to give discount to guardsmen.There are also links like the HomelandHelpers web site.

It is up to each unit to provide theFamily Program with the information fortheir unit web page. Space for a web pagehas been provided and units just have toput what information they want on it.Web design classes have been provided.Also, in process is the posting of all unitnewsletters on this section for the entireGuard family. This will allow a familymember, a deployed soldier or a full-timemember not deployed to see what is hap-pening with the units. “If we can help the families at home, thesoldier can stay focused on his mission”,Leedberg said. “The soldiers are makinga big sacrifice – we owe this to them.”

Family Program Web Sites mentions in this article:http://www.nharmyguard.com/family_services/index.htm

http://www.nharmyguard.com/family_services/rumor_control.htm

SPRING 2004 11

CONCORD – Oil dealers from aroundthe state have donated more than 14,000gallons of home heating oil to OperationHelping Hand, a program that is provid-ing free home heating oil to New Hamp-shire families of U.S. troops deployedoverseas.

The program is administered throughthe Oil Heat Council of New Hampshireand the Chaplain's Emergency ReliefFund, overseen by Lt. Col. WilliamPaige, the chaplain for the New Hamp-shire Army National Guard.

U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and OilHeat Council of New Hampshire officialsunveiled the program last Friday.

“I want to extend my deepest thanks tothe Oil Heat Council of New Hampshireand the Chaplain's Emergency ReliefFund for their overwhelming commitmentto the families of our troops overseas,”Gregg said. “Today it is critical that werecognize the heroic efforts of our troopsand praise them for their dedication.”

People eligible for the program includeNew Hampshire families who have mem-

bers serving overseas in any U.S. militarybranch, and who are experiencing finan-cial hardship as a result of that militaryservice.

Applications for assistance are avail-able from the chaplain's office; Sen.Gregg's office; the Oil Heat Council ofN.H.; any participating oil dealer, or anyNew Hampshire chapter of the AmericanRed Cross. Applicants determined eligi-ble will receive up to 150 gallons of freehome heating oil, delivered to their homeanywhere in New Hampshire.

To date, one Granite State family of aU.S. service member has benefited fromthe program, according to Capt. GregoryHeilshorn, the state public affairs officerfor the New Hampshire National Guard.

Some 1,600 military members fromNew Hampshire who are now deployedhave left behind numerous dependentfamily members, including an estimated900 children, according to informationfrom the Oil Heat Council.

A total of 14,200 gallons of fuel oilhave been donated by 25 oil companies

for the program.“We are very pleased to help New

Hampshire families of the military, andwe want to send them the message thatwe are here for them while their lovedones are stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, orelsewhere,” said Bob Garside, presidentof the Oil Heat Council of New Hamp-shire.

“This is a very tangible way for us toget involved and provide a real helpinghand, and I am grateful to our member-ship for their generous contribution.”

The program will continue until all ofthe fuel is distributed to those in need.

It is anticipated the program will endon April 30, 2005. Completed applica-tions for the program should be forward-ed to Operation Helping Hand, c/o Chap-lain's Emergency Relief Fund, NewHampshire National Guard, 279 ShakerRoad, Concord, NH 03301. Applicantsmay also contact Paige at 227-1560 orwilliam.r.paige@us.army.mil.

N.H. Military families feel the warmth of local generosity

Concord MonitorMay 18, 2004Reprinted with permission

PENACOOK – Army Sgt. 1st ClassPaul McDonald, son of SFC SharonPearson, has been inducted into theSgt. Audie L. Murphy Club, which wasformed in 1986 in honor of the Army'smost-decorated World War II combatsoldier. A 1988 graduate of ConcordHigh School, McDonald is a seniorsmall group leader assigned to the Non-commissioned Officer Academy at FortRucker in Daleville, Ala. He has 15years of military service.

By Capt. Greg Heilshorn114th MPAD

TILTON – One hundred and fiftypatriots live at the N.H. Veterans Home inTilton. Each one has their own memoriesof serving their country in a time of war.

Dementia has robbed some of the abil-ity to share them. Anguish has causedothers to seal theirs away.

Somewhere in between those twoextremes were the six veterans we met onthe first Saturday of March – a trumpetplayer, an infantryman, a pharmacist, anaircraft mechanic, a weapons systemdesigner and a radio operator. Collective-ly, they represented more than a half-cen-tury of military service from World WarII, the Korean War and Vietnam.

They all were delighted with theopportunity to bend our ears.

A week earlier, we asked the home'spublic relations director, Lisa-MarieMulkern, if the Granite Guardian couldinterview a group of veterans and askthem what kind of advice they wouldgive to a new generation of wartime sol-dier – our New Hampshire NationalGuardsmen.

The five men and one woman Mulkernassembled at a table in the home's dininghall were as good a cross section of mili-tary service as you could find short of anofficial census, and it was no coincidencethat they were some of the home's moreoutspoken residents.

“Two things I held on to very closely,”said Charles Safford, the 82-year-oldradio operator, who served in World WarII. “One was a positive attitude and theother was to always have hope, even ifyou were scared.”

Safford, the president of the veteran'shome resident council, was joined aroundthe table by Raymond Michaud, 83, amusician first class in the Coast Guardduring World War II; Inga Pinciak, 84, apharmacist third mate in the Navy med-ical corps during World War II; DavidArnold, age , an Army private who servedwith the 1st Division, 16th Infantry dur-ing World War II; David Whitney, 74, anaircraft mechanic in the Army during theKorean War; and Phil Walton, 59 , an Air

12 GRANITE GUARDIAN

Force captain who served statesidedesigning weapons systems during theend of the Vietnam War.

They are the kind of residents whowill greet you in the hall and by the timeyou find who you were looking for, youknow more about them than one of yourown grandparents. They are part of thecharm of any long term health care facili-ty.

The N. H. Veterans Home openedmore than 100 years ago to care for sol-diers who fought in the Civil War. It wasa stately manor set on 30 acres of rollingfarmland in the Highland section ofTilton, operating both as a health carefacility and farm for 50 years.

Men who could not care for them-selves because of wounds, disease, oldage or other sicknesses were admitted.They were given the status of a corps inthe Grand Army of the Republic and moststayed the remainder of their lives at whatbecame known as “the fortress.”

Today, with renovations and the addi-tion of a new 100-bed dementia unit, thehome resembles a small hospital, a reflec-tion of the growing elderly population aswell as the medical advances in care.

The “soldiers” now include women,and represent the next century of military

service in which a unified America wasforced to defend a way of life on foreignsoil. The oldest residents served in WorldWar II. The youngest served in Vietnam.

They are spending their last days here,too. From May to December of last year,27 veterans died. Another 26 moved induring the same time.

To be eligible for a room at the home,an applicant must have served on activeduty for at least 90 days during a periodof war. It's that tie that brought us here ona drill Saturday.

Like good troops, our hosts came pre-pared with photos, newspaper clippingsand plenty of fresh coffee. As the inter-view progressed into a discussion, it wasclear the veterans had been following theglobal war on terrorism and were wellaware of New Hampshire's role in thefight.

Walton brought a three-ring binderswelled to capacity. Since 9-11, he hascataloged every U.S. military casualtythat has been posted on the Departmentof Defense Web site.

“So there is one place in New Hamp-shire that they are remembered,” saidWalton, who remains active in Supportthe Troop rallies throughout the state.

Among the group, there was also an

Veteren’s Home Story

Residents of the NH Veteran’s Home (Photos by Pvt. Comeau)

SPRING 2004 13

to be emotional about it,” Piniak said.“For the wives and families (of NHGuardsmen), I would tell them to keepthe faith and pray that everything will bealright.”

Whitney arrived in Korea after most ofthe fighting had ceased, but he still had tokeep on his toes.

“Things were quiet when I got overthere with the exception of once in awhileNorth Korea would send over a lightplane,” Whitney said. “We called it 'bedcheck Charlie' and it would throw smallbombs out like the size of handgrenades.”

Another time, a mem-ber of Whitney's unitpointed a loaded rifle athis stomach after the sol-dier went into a drunkentirade.

The standoff endedwithout incident. Thenext morning during for-mation, eight rounds fellout of the soldier's rifleduring arms inspection.

“That kind of gave mea start,” Whitney said.His piece of advice wasobvious.

“You can't even turnyour back, not for aminute,” he said.“Always be alert andpay attention to what's happening on theedges of what you can see.”

Whitney was a newly wed when hejoined the Army. He had been deferredfor several years because his left leg waslonger than his right. But he perseveredand was finally reclassified. He got wordhe was being drafted on the morning ofhis wedding. He waited until the honey-moon to tell his new wife.

“She looked like I hit her in the facewith a dead fish,” he said.

The desire to serve was just as strongfor Safford.

“When we heard President FranklinRoosevelt announce on the radio that wewere attacked by the Japanese at PearlHarbor, many of us went right down (tothe recruiting office) to join the service,”

he recalled. “We wanted to be in. Wecouldn't wait to be in. We realized thatbetween what Hitler was doing and whatthe Japanese had done we were in gravedanger. We wanted to protect our familiesand we wanted to protect our country andwe did everything we could to accom-plish that, obviously.”

Arnold was drafted into World War II.He served in Africa and spent one day asa German prisoner of war. Soon after, hisunit was preparing for the invasion ofNormandy.

“I landed on the beach of Omaha and Ilasted 10 min-utes,” Arnoldsaid. “I hit aland mine. I wasin the hospitalfor about twoyears. The bestthing I likedabout the serv-ice was thenurses.”

Walton spentsome of his timein missile silos,when Commu-nist Russia wasstill consideredAmerica'sgreatest threat.He was anICBM Minute-

man commander. Now he spends his daysbehind a camera documenting the mile-stones at the veterans home.

“Never share a foxhole with a guywho braver than you are,” he offered.

The veterans agreed that today's waron terrorism is similar to what they faced.

“You are not only trying to offer a peo-ple freedom from a dictatorship as we didin World War II – the dictatorship ofHitler and Japanese regime – but also thevery real possibility that person, Saddam,could cause a lot of damage to our coun-try and others,” Safford said.

They also acknowledged that war willcontinue to be a reality for future genera-tions; a legacy they each had hopedwould end with theirs.

enormous amount of pride in today'sservice members.

“I, myself, am thrilled by the willing-ness and patriotism young people havetoday that have joined the service,” Saf-ford said. “They were not drafted. Theyvolunteered. I thought patriotism wasdying, but since 9-11 and for other rea-sons like Iraq and Afghanistan it reallythrills me to see the courage from today'syoung people to join the service and pro-tect the things they believe in.”

Their stories reflected a similarcourage.

During World War II, Michaud carrieda trumpet instead of gun. He entertainedtroops in England and France. But beinga musician did not make him immune tothe reality of war.

“It was about two o'clock in the morn-ing and we heard this awful noise,”Michaud recalled of his first night inLondon. “It was a buzz bomb. It was oneof Hitler's buzz bombs and it knocked usout of our bunks.

“The next day we saw this hole in theground about 50 feet deep. It just missedus by a hair.”

The lesson was too simple forMichaud to keep a straight face.

“If you hear a loud noise than find ahole in the ground and jump in headfirst,” he chuckled.

“Even if it's filled with mud andwater,” added Whitney.

After he returned home from the war,Michaud played professionally. A car-toonist for the now defunct Boston Postdescribed his playing as “Hotter thanPlumbers Blow Torch” when his bandplayed at a Boston Red Sox home openerin 1944 against the NY Yankees.

“I was young and foolish then, andnow I am old and foolish,” said Michaud,who still plays at ceremonies.

Pinciak did her time stateside. “I joined the Navy to see the world

and I ended up in Brunswick, Maine,”she said.

As part of a medical unit, Pinciak sawthe soldiers when they returned statesidefor treatment. She later married and herson went to Vietnam twice.

“I wondered about him, but I tried not

Phil Walton (Photo by Pvt. Comeau)

By Staff Sgt. Thomas Graham IINHARNG Historian

red Wood began his long career with the 197th in 1939 when he

signed on with the Searchlight Battery,A/197th New Hampshire National Guard,in Concord, NH. The 197th anti-aircraftartillery (AAA) had been created fromNew Hampshire's old Coast Artillery unitsfrom the First World War, and the Search-light Battery was a critical component ofthe AAA, providing targets by illuminat-ing the night sky and revealing the nearlyinvisible enemy aircraft. Each search-light's 800 million candlepower beam castenough illumination to read a newspapereight miles away!

In 1940, the activation of the NationalGuard units for WW II, included the197th Coast Artillery. However, it wasDecember 7, 1941, -- the “day of Infamy”-- that placed the 197th into service in thePacific theater. Originally scheduled forthe Philippines, the Japanese warmachine had beaten them there, andforced the 197th to reroute to Australia.Yet even Australia had had a taste ofJapanese bombs and the 197th was sentto defend the harbor at Fremantle, insouthwestern Australia. This isolated har-bor had the advantage of being beyondthe range of land based Japanese bombersand was soon to be full of ships and sub-marines of the Asiatic fleet for repair andre-supply.

Behind Fremantle harbor lay the vastand desolate outback. There were out-posts there, Wood said, that were 50 yearsbehind the U.S. In fact, whenever he hadto make a trip there, he had to bring hisown gasoline, food, water, etc., neverknowing if his destination would haveany. Wood remembered one youngwoman, bred in the outback, who hadfallen in love with one of his soldiers.She confided in him her concern atwhether a marriage would work out at all,due to her outback upbringing. “Now, Ihappened to know,” recalled LieutenantColonel Wood, “that this fellow grew upon a wheat farm in the mid west, whereeverywhere you look is flat, and you haveto drive a half hour to the nearest town.

14 GRANITE GUARDIAN

So I told her that I had no doubt that any-one who had lived in the outback wouldbe right at home on a wheat farm in themid west!”

On one occasion, the submarine USSSailfish was in port. Built in 1939, shewas originally named the USS Squalus.Though she sank during her first testdives, she was salvaged, renamed Sail-fish, and thrust into service in the Pacificin 1941. During one of her stops at Fre-mantle Harbor, First Lieutenant Woodlearned of a recent electrical fire onboard. He offered to have some of hisAnti-Aircraft soldiers take a look at it.The sailors scoffed with amusement butfinally gave in and were introduced to theCommander of D Battery, 1/197th, Cap-tain Ladd. Ladd was taken to a blank walland told that the fire, “was in there.”Looking at nothing but the hallway wall,Ladd then said, “I think there's a cablethat comes across here and there's a junc-tion box right about there . . . that's prob-ably where the fire was.” Returning thenext day with a few men, the soldiers ofthe 197th got the wall panel down andcompletely repaired the fire damagedarea. An astonished admiral hearing thisstory wanted these miracle workers alltransferred into the US Navy! A numberof the men of the 197th, it turns out, hadentered the war from their civilian jobs atthe Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The bat-tery commander himself being one of thechief engineers of the electrical division.Together, these men had, in fact, built theoriginal USS Squalus! Citing the array ofcivilian experiences that come along withNational Guard soldiers, Woodexclaimed, “This just doesn't happen inthe regular army.”

As the allies gained ground in thePacific, the 197th was eventually movedto New Guinea and it was at this stagethat Lieutenant Colonel Wood saw thehardest fighting of the war. He recalledusing the anti-aircraft guns to assist theadvancing infantry. But, to keep up, therewas no time to construct the usual sand-bag fortification around the guns, leavingthe shooter exposed. Some men were infact shot like “sitting ducks” as thisunique and fluid fighting style evolved.

A Major by War's end, Wood contin-ued on in the New Hampshire ArmyNational Guard rising to the rank of Lieu-tenant Colonel and serving as the lastcommander of the 197th Anti-AircraftArtillery Regiment before it became the197th Field Artillery.

After retiring from both teaching andthe National Guard, Lieutenant ColonelWood remains active in many areas ofcivic life despite his almost 92 years. Heremains a staunch supporter of the NewHampshire Army National Guard regular-ly attending the unit's annual ChristmasDining In tradition. Introducing himselfone year, he commented that he had beenin the Guards since they used to turn thewagons in a circle when the Indiansattacked! Interestingly though, when hejoined in 1938, he truly was closer tothose bygone days, than to today's mod-ern army – An old soldier indeed!

References:

Barker, Anthony. Fleeting AttractionsUniversity of Western Australia Press,1996

Guay, Steven SFC (Ret). Recruiter,NHARNG

Lord, Stuart MSG (Ret). Historian.NHARNG Pam 600-82-3, Unit Histories1994

Online Library of Selected Images: --U.S. NAVY SHIPShttp://www.history.navy.mil

Wood, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Fred.Battery A, Searchlight, 197th CoastArtillery (Anti-aircraft), WW II

Thanks to Master Sergeant MarkForster, senior Chaplain Assistant in thestate, who assisted me with the interview

An Old Soldier's Story

F

Recruiting and Retention Command News

RedPhase2 days

Orienta-tion and

more

WhitePhase2 days

Prepera-tion forBCT

GreenPhaseSplit

OptionSoldiers

BluePhase1 day

The lastSundaybefore

they shipto BCT

HandoffPhase2 days

The drillafter they

returnfrom AIT

C o m m u n i t y R e l a t i o n sP r o g r a m

In partnership with PAO and ESGR,the R&R Command is continuing todeploy the NHARNG Community Rela-tions Program to engage leaders in allunits to market the NHARNG in the com-munity in which they live. Leaders havebeen identified to participate and will beexpected to attend and give presentationsto community organizations in order topresent the desired, positive message tothe community and increase civilianknowledge of the Guard.

If anyone is interested in conductingsome presentations in their hometown, orhas a point of contact in a local organiza-tion please contact LTC Angela Maxner,R&R Cdr @ 225-1377,angela.maxner@nh.ngb.army.mil.

The RTC is organized into five phases:

The NHNG Honorary RecruitingRibbon was established in Decem-ber 2001 to recognize all membersof the NHNG, with the exception ofproduction recruiters, who havesecured three enlistments orappointments within the course ofthe member's career regardless ofwhether the accession was in theNew Hampshire Army NationalGuard (NHARNG) or Air NationalGuard (NHANG).

The recruiting requirement is thesame for subsequent awards. Foreach succeeding qualification for the

award,an arrowclusteror OLCwill beawarded. The ribbon has a whitebackground, and has three verticalred bars on the right and three redvertical bars on the left with fourblue stars centered on the whitebackground. These colors carry outthe patriotic theme of red, white,and blue of our State and Nation.For more information contact SSGBradley, R&R, (603) 225-1288.

NHARNG Recruit Training Company

In May 2004, the Recruit Sustain-ment Program (RSP) will be fullydeployed at the NHRTI. The goal of theRSP is to reduce training pipeline loss-es. The cornerstone of the RSP is theRecruit Training Company (RTC) at theRTI. The RTC is home to all new sol-diers who have not completed theirIADT. It combines the Orientation,Non-Prior Service and Split Optiontraining and is broken down into sever-al phases designed to prepare newrecruits for BCT and to conduct an offi-cial hand-off of the newly MOSQ sol-dier to their assigned unit.

To facilitate this program, all newsoldiers are assigned to their designat-ed unit, but attached to the NHRTI forpay, admin and training until they com-plete their cycle in the RSP. The RTCmanages items such as training files,advancements, and BDU issue. AllNPS enlistments receive welcomepackets upon enlistment from MEPSguidance counselor with training datesand detailed instructions.

Again, this is a partnership betweenthe R&R Command and the NHRTI.Capt. August Murray is Commander,RTC and currently Sgt. Major Jim

Goss is serving as the DetachmentSergeant.

We encourage anyone with questionsto contact Maj. Huber (NHRTI) x4125;Capt. Murray, 227-1562 (R&R/RTI) orSgt. Major Goss (acting DetachmentSGT) 731-5513.

Members of the New HampshireArmy National Guard who provide enlist-ment-generating referrals will be recog-nized by the Assistant Adjutant Generaland Recruiting & Retention CDR.

1st Enlistment receives:“Certificate of Appreciation” and “YouCan” Embroidered Hat

2nd Enlistment receives:“Certificate of Appreciation” and “YouCan” Embroidered Polo Shirt

3rd Enlistment receives:“Certificate of Appreciation” and Hon-orary Recruiting Ribbon Plus, One (1)Retirement Point is awarded for eachReferral. The respective RRNCO willcomplete the TAG Form 603-1.

Top Recruiters Recognized1ST QUARTER

Oct: Sgt. 1st. Class Robin Lavertu, BerlinDec: Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Bisson, Nashua

Overall: Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Bisson, Nashua2D QUARTER

Jan: Sgt. 1st Class Martin Wyman, Keene; Staff Sgt. Class Dwayne Hixman, Franklin

Feb: Sgt. 1st Class Vespa, PortsmouthOverall: TAG Referral Program

Mailing Label

New Hampshire National Guard2004 Combat Marksmanship Competition

Official Program Conducted by

NH Army National Guard Small Arms Readiness and Training Section

at Devens Reserve Forces Training Area (RFTA)Ayer, Massachusetts

27-29 August 2004Contact: ROCKWELL M. RICHARDS

Sergeant First ClassSmall Arms Readiness and Training Section NCO

2004 Match Director(603) 227-1585

rocky.richards@nh.ngb.army.mil