VIKANG NEWS

The national conference in Milwaukeewas a great success. The guestspeakers were phenomenal, andattendance at the association wasstrong, even amidst Hurricane Ireneblasting the east coast. In a strangeway, the hurricane amplified whyNGAUS is so important. The nationneeds us to remain strong in order tobe able to respond in times ofcrisis. NGAUS stands for us to helpus stay strong and viable. During theconference I was especially proudwhen GEN Charles H. Jacoby Jr.,Commander, U.S. Northern Command

It's been a good year for the NationalGuard, and rest assured yourAssociation is working hard to ensureit stays that way for years to come.There have been several LegislativeAlerts that the Association has askedthe membership to weigh in on bycontacting their electedofficials. Some of the most recenthave been LEGISLATIVE ALERT#11-21 04 October 2011: ArmyNational Guard Black HawkModernization-Appropriations Con-ference, LEGISLATIVE ALERT#11-20 29 September 2011: 5,000signatures for White House OnlinePetition to give the Chief of theNational Guard a seat on the JointChiefs of Staff and LEGISLATIVEALERT # 11-19 23 September 2011:White House Online Petition -Givethe Chief of the National Guard a seaton the Joint Chiefs of Staff. To makeyour voice heard is easy... simply go toour website at http://www.ngarnn.orgland type in your zip code in the spaceat the top of the page. Then click onthe legislative alert of your choice(there are currently 16 listed), click onthe link and fill in the blanks. Thenhit send... like I said, it's easy! At thevery least, I ask that you go out tothe website and view the listedalerts. You should be aware of whatis pending in your future as a Guardmember.

Volume 50

Greetings AllNational GuardMinnesota!

Issue 2

Members ofAssociation

theof

gave a personal mention to theMinnesota National Guard and ourAdjutant General, MG Nash. Hestated "I want to highlight thespectacular role played by the RedBulls from Minnesota, commanded byRick Nash, who perfonnedmagnificently as MultinationalDivision South." Go Red Bulls!!!! Itwas also an honor to have Mirmesota'sThe Honorable Tim Walz, Co-Chairman, House National Guard andReserve Components Caucusspeak. As the highest ranking enlistedsoldier in the history of the country toserve in Congress, he is a great friendto us and I'm glad to have him on ourside.

I meant for this to be one paragraph,but I am so excited about ourAssociation that I guess I just can't doit. I need to take a moment topersonally invite you to attend the2012 NGAMN State Conferencebeing held at the Downtown DuluthHoliday Inn the weekend of 27-29April 2012. I sat in on a planningconference with the 148th FighterWing about a month ago and I was SOimpressed! They are planning quitean event. I can assure you it will bea conference di fferent from anyyou've seen in this state. The businessmeeting will be a compressed version,only about two hours, but packed withinteresting and educationalinfonnation that you won't want tomiss. And the evenings' events willbe an absolute blast, I guarantee. Sobe there, and invite your fellow Guardmembers, it will be a weekend toremember.

Finally, I want to put a challenge outto you to engage those members ofyour units who are not yet NationalGuard Association members. There isstrength in numbers, and we are atonly about a 40% membershiprate. That means we have a lot ofofficers with strong voices who arenot yet being heard on Capitol Hill. Ifyou can't get them to join theAssociation by telling themabout the great things it does for us all,

October 2011

show them...bring them to the StateConference in Duluth. We will begiving a "NGAUS I0 I" brief that isguaranteed to "wow" the crowds. Wewill welcome them at the meeting andwill be glad to sign them up asmembers when they decide to join ourranks. So, enough said, I lookforward to seeing you all in the spring,and don't forget to get out to ourwebsite, our Webmaster Carl has donea spectacular job to help keep all of usinfonned and active!

Submitted by President

DEON A. FORD, Col, MNANG

The retiree group is focused on theHoliday Dinner which will be held at1800 hours on Friday, 2 December2011 at the Fort Snelling OfficersClub. The guest speaker will be COLScott St. Sauver, Camp RipleyCommander. All officers are invitedto attend. The sheet to sign up for thedinner, including where to send yourremittance is included in thisnewsletter. In addition, there is adownloadable PDF on the NGAMNweb site. The retiree group will sendout an e-mail notification to allretirees with e-mails on file. If youare receiving this newsletter, and donot receive an e-mail, please contactBG (Ret) Tim Kennedy attkcnnedy@wennsoft.com.

There is a retiree newsletter, sent outby Joint Force Headquarters, to thoseon their e-mail list. If you are notreceiving this newsletter, pleasecontact BG (Ret) Tim Kennedy a!kennedy@wennsoft.com. This is agood way to be kept infonned aboutwhat is going on with the MinnesotaNational Guard.

I had the opportunity to attend theChange of Command at the RegionalSupport Group and the DeploymentCeremony for the 135lh AgricultureDevelopment Team to Afghanistan.

VIKANG NEWS

The national conference in Milwaukeewas a great success. The guestspeakers were phenomenal, andattendance at the association wasstrong, even amidst Hurricane Ireneblasting the east coast. In a strangeway, the hurricane amplified whyNGAUS is so important. The nationneeds us to remain strong in order tobe able to respond in times ofcrisis. NGAUS stands for us to helpus stay strong and viable. During theconference I was especially proudwhen GEN Charles H. Jacoby Jr.,Commander, U.S. Northern Command

It's been a good year for the NationalGuard, and rest assured yourAssociation is working hard to cnsureit stays that way for years to come.There have been several LegislativeAlerts that the Association has askcdthe membership to weigh in on bycontacting their electedofficials. Some of the most recenthave been LEGISLATIVE ALERT# 11-21 04 October 20 II: ArmyNational Guard Black HawkModernization-Appropriations Con-ference, LEGISLATIVE ALERT# 11-20 29 September 20 II: 5,000signatures for White House OnlinePetition to give the Chief of theNational Guard a seat on the JointChiefs of Staff and LEGISLATlVEALERT # 11-19 23 Septembcr 20 II:White House Online Petition -Givethe Chief of the National Guard a seaton the Joint Chiefs of Staff. To makeyour voice heard is easy...simply go toour website at http://www.ngamn.orgland type in your zip code in the spaceat the top of the page. Then click onthe legislativc alert of your choice(there are currently 16 listed), click onthe link and fill in the blanks. Thenhit send... like I said, it's casy' At thevery least, r ask that you go out tothe website and view the listcdalerts. You should be aware of whatis pending in your future as a Guardmember.

Volume 50

Greetings AllNational GuardMinnesota!

Issue 2

Members ofAssociation

theof

gave a personal mention to theMinncsota National Guard and ourAdjutant General, MG Nash. I-Iestated "I want to highlight thespectacular role played by the RedBulls from Minnesota, commanded byRick Nash, who perfOimedmagnificently as MultinationalDivision South." Go Red Bulls!'!! Itwas also an honor to have Minnesota'sThe Honorable Tim Walz, Co-Chairman, House National Guard andReserve Components Caucusspeak. As the highest ranking enlistedsoldier in the history of the country toserve in Congress, he is a great friendto us and I'm glad to have him on ourside.

I meant for this to be one paragraph,but I am so excited about ourAssociation that I guess I just can't doit. I need to take a moment topersonally invite you to attend the2012 NGAMN State Conferencebeing held at the Downtown DuluthHoliday Inn the weekend of 27-29April 2012. 1 sat in on a planningconference with the 148th FighterWing about a month ago and I was SOimpressed! They are planning quitean event. I can assure you it will bea conference different from anyyou've seen in this state. The businessmeeting will be a compressed version,only about two hours, but packed withinteresting and educationalinformation that you won't want tomiss. And the evenings' events willbe an absolute blast, I guarantee. Sobe there, and invite your fellow Guardmembers, it will be a weekend torcmember.

Finally, I want to put a challenge outto you to engage those members ofyour units who are not yet NationalGuard Association members. There isstrength in numbers, and we are atonly about a 40% membershiprate. That means we have a lot ofofficers with strong voices who arenot yet being heard on Capitol Hill. Ifyou can't get them to join theAssociation by telling themabout the great things it does for us all,

October 2011

show them...bring them to the StateConference in Duluth. We will begiving a "NGA US I0 I" brief that isguaranteed to "wow" the crowds. Wewill welcome them at the meeting andwill be glad to sign them up asmembers when they dccide to join ourranks. So, enough said, I lookforward to seeing you all in the spring,and don't forget to get out to ourwebsite, our Webmaster Carl has donea spectacular job to help keep all of usinfonned and active!

Submitted by President

DEON A. FORD, Col, MNANG

The retiree group is focused on theHoliday Dinner which will be held at1800 hours on Friday, 2 December2011 at the Fort Snelling OfficersClub. The guest speakcr will be COLScott St. Sauver, Camp RipleyCommander. All officers are invitedto attend. The sheet to sign up for thedinner, including where to send yourremittance is included 111 thisnewsletter. In addition, there is adownloadable PDF on the NGAMNweb site. The retiree group will sendout an e-mail notification to allretirees with e-mails on file. If youare receiving this newsletter, and donot receive an e-mail, please contactSG (Ret) Tim Kennedy attkCllllCdy(wWCllllsoft.colll.

There is a retiree newsletter, sent outby Joint Force Headquarters, to thoseon their e-mail list. If you are notreceiving this newsletter, pleasecontact SG (Ret) Tim Kennedy a1kennedyCiliwennsofl.com. This is agood way to be kept infomled aboutwhat is going on with the MinnesotaNational Guard.

I had the opportunity to attend theChange of Conunand at the RegionalSupport Group and the DeploymentCeremony for the 13S'h AgricultureDevelopment Team to Afghanistan.

The retiree group congratulatesGeneral Lang on his promotion toMajor General. We also offercongratulations to U.S. Senator RodGrams, Lt Col Jay Beebe, ChiefWaHant Officer 5 Richard Hathaway,Chief Wan-ant Officer 5 ThomasMaxwell, Command Sergeant MajorRobert Boone Command SergeantMajor Ronald Kness, Sergeant MajorQuinton Hadstrom (deceased), andSergeant Major Michael Mettille(deceased) on their induction into theCamp Ripley Court of Honor on 2October 20 I I.

It is not too early to be planning forthe 2012 State Conference to be heldin Duluth. The retired group will behosting a dinner and dance on Fridayevening. The retired group isresponsible for the silent auction andwe are looking for donated items. Wehope to see all of you there.

Submitted by President of RetiredOfficers

BG (Ret) Tim Kennedy

Officer of the National Guard cometogether each year to make plans forthe future of the Guard and reviewtechnology. This year the 133rd

NGAUS conference was held inAugust at Milwaukee, WI. There werea total of SO in attendance fromMinnesota consisting of members,guess, spouses and children. Iencourage you to join us in Reno,Nevada for the I34th conference 10-12September, 2012.

At our monthly Board Meeting inSeptember, Mathew McDonald wasselected by the Association, as therecipient, to receive a $500scholarship.

Membership is our strength inWashington. We are currently startingour 20]2 Membership drive. Dues atboth State and National remain thesame as in 20 II. The benefits werecei.ve tram the efforts of theAssociation far out-way the cost ofour membership. You can enroll nowon-line at www.ngamn.org or fill outand send the fonn included in thisissue to NGAMN, 3530 E. MedicineLK Boulevard, Plymouth, MN 55441.

Note: In order to maintain ourdatabase and keep it current, I wouldappreciate your help, both active andretirees. Please update us with new

address, telephone numbers and e-mails.

Come join us on 2 December at theFort Snelling Officers Club for theAnnual Officers' Holiday Party. Youwill find a reservation form in thisissue of the Vikang Newsletter or online at www.ngamn.org.This HolidayParty is for both active and retiredmember of the association.

Mark your calendars now and makeplans to attend our annual conferencewhich will be held in Duluth, MN,weekend of 27-29 April, 2012.The14Sth FW is working hard on it and Iguarantee you won't be disappointed.Once again this year, we are holding aSilent Auction and are looking foritems for it.

Representative Austin Jenkins willattend our next Board meeting onNovember 15 at FOlt Snelling OfficersClub. He will give an in depth benefitbriefing on Insurance.

I would like to take this opportunity tothank our past Board Members &Present Board Members for theirdedication and hard work in makingthe association successful. Anysuggestions or ideas on how toimprove the Board are alwayswelcome. Editorials may be forwardedto Executive Director for publicationin the Vikang Newsletter.

With the Holidays just around thecorner, I want to wish everyone a safeand happy Holiday season.

Submitted by: Executive DirectorNGAMN

CW5 (Bvt) Walter D. Schulz

Milwaukee, WI NGAUS 2011Conference Article

I had the opportunity to attend theNational Guard Association of theUnited States (NGAUS) nationalconference in Milwaukee, WI. I'vebeen active in NGAUS for a couple ofyears, so my intent was to attend andlearn more about the organization andwhy it was always stressed that mymembership in the organization wasso important, which was sure to shedsome light on why I was receiving somany emails to vote on issues.Attending this conference certainlydid just that.

NGAUS is the voice of the NationalGuard when working with our

nation's political leaders. While at theconference I was given theopportunity to represent the MNNGduring the resolution fomm. Duringthis session I was introduced to thecomplex nature of business that takesplace in regard to policy equipmentrequests for improvement,replacement, and allocation that aresent to our nation's capital. I bad noidea that our organization played suchan important part in how' we", theGuard, play a huge role in how wesustain practically every focus of ourefforts. Initially, I was under theimpression that we got every queuefrom 'Big Army". I quickly found thatwas far from the tmth.

I was also impressed to find that theNational Guard at the highest levelssupports NGAUS. Gen. Norton A.Schwartz (Chief of Staff, U.S. AirForce) and ADM James A. WinnefeldJr. (Vice Chainnan, Joint Chiefs ofStaff) were among some of thespeakers I had the privilege of hearingfrom. They spoke of a combinedappreciation for the efforts of allmembers of the NG, and the continuedimportance that the NG's supportmeant to the mjssion and the wareffort.

I will remain grateful for theopportunity I had to represent the 34th

Infantry Division and the State ofMinnesota. This conference gave meso much insight as to what NGAUS isall about and why it's such animportant organization for all NationalGuard Officers to be a part of. I amlooking forward to next year'sconference in Reno, Nevada and as Icontinue to become more involvedand more educated about NGAUS, Ifully expect every conference to bemore rewarding than the last!

Respectfully,

1LT Richard A. Hayman IIDHHBN, 34th IDMN Army National Guard

Disclaimer. "The VikangNewsletter is published formembers of the MinnesotaNational Guard Association. It isnot an official publication.Opinions expressed do notnecessarily represent those of theAdjutant General, the MinnesotaNational Guard or the State ofMinnesota."

J

The retiree group congratulatesGeneral Lang on his promotion toMajor General. We also offercongratulations to U.S. Senator RodGrams, Lt Col Jay Beebe, ChiefWarrant Officer 5 Richard Hathaway,Chief Warmnt Ofticer 5 ThomasMaxwell, Command Sergeant MajorRobert Boone, Command SergeantMajor Ronald Kness, Sergeant MajorQuinton Hadstrom (deceased), andSergeant Major Michael Mettille(deceased), on their induction into theCamp Ripley Court of Honor on 2October 20 I I .

It is not too early to be planning forthe 2012 State Conference to be heldin Duluth. TIle retired group will behosting a dinner and dance on Fridayevening. The retired group isresponsihle for the silent auction andwe are looking for donated items. Wehope to sec all of you there.

Submitted by President of RetiredOfficers

BG (Ret) Tim Kennedy

Officer of the National Guard cometogether each year to make plans forthe future of the Guard and rcviewtechnology. This year the 133"1NGAUS conference was held inAugust at Milwaukee, WI. There werea total of 80 in attendance fromMinnesota, consisting of members,guess, spouses and children. rencourage you to join us in Reno,Nevada for the 134'h conference J0-12September, 2012.

At our monthly Board Meeting inSeptember, Mathew McDonald wasselected by the Association. as therecipicnt, to receive a $500scholarship.

Membership IS our strength inWashington. We are currently startingour 20 J2 Membership drive. Dues atboth State and National remain thesame as in 20 I I. The benefits wereceive from. the efforts of theAssociation far out-way the cost ofour membership. You can enroll nowon-line at www.ngamn.org or fill outand send the fonn included in thisissue to NGAMN, 3530 E. MedicineLK Boulevard, Plymouth, MN 55441.

Note: In order to maintain ourdatabase and keep it cllrrent, J wouldappreciate your help, both active andretirees. Please update us with new

address, telephone numbers and e-mails.

Come join us on 2 December at theFort Snelling Officers Club for theAnnual Officers' Holiday Party. Youwill find a reservation form in thisissue of the Vikang Newsletter or online at www.ngamn.org.This HolidayParty is for both active and retiredmembers of the association.

Mark your calendars now and makeplans to attend our annual conferencewhich will be held in Duluth, MN,weekend of 27-29 April, 2012.The148'11 FW is working hard on it and Iguarantee you won't be disappointed.Once again this year, we are holding aSilent Auction and arc looking foritems for it.

Representative Austin lenkins willattend our next Board meeting onNovember 15 at Fort Snelling OfficersClub. He will give an in depth benefitbriefing on Insurance.

I would like to take this opportunity tothank our past Board Members &Present Board Members for theirdedication and hard work, in makingthe association successful. Anysuggestions or ideas on how toimprove the Board are alwayswelcome. Editorials may be forwardedto Executive Director for publicationin the Vikang Newsletter.

With the Holidays just around thecorner, J want to wish everyone a safeand happy Holiday season.

Submitted by: Executive DirectorNGAMN

CWS (Bvt) Walter D. Schulz

Milwaukee, WI NGAUS 2011Conference Article

I had the opportunity to attend theNational Guard Association of thcUnited States (NGAUS) nationalconference in Milwaukee, WI. I'vebeen active in NGAUS for a couple ofyears, so my intent was to attend andlearn more about the organization andwhy it was always stressed that mymembership in the organization wasso important, which was sure to shedsome light on why I was receiving somany emails to vote on issues.Attending this conference certainlydid just that.

NGAUS is the voice of the NationalGuard when working with our

nation's political leaders. While at theconference J was given theopportunity to represent the MNNGduring the resolution forum. Duringthis session, J was introduced to thecomplex nature of business that takesplace in regard to policy. equipmentrequests for improvement,replacement, and allocation that aresent to our nation's capital. I had noidea that our organization played suchan important part in how "we", theGuard, play a huge role in how wesustain practically every focus of ourefforts. Initially, I was under theimpression that we got every queuefrom "Big Army". I quickly found thatwas far from the truth.

I was also impressed to find that theNational Guard at the highest levelssupports NGAUS. Gen. Norton A.Schwartz (Chief of Staff, U.S. AirForce) and ADM James A. WinnefeldJr. (Vice Chahman, Joint Chiefs ofStaff), were among some of thespeakers I had the privi lege of hearingfrom. TIley spoke of a combinedappreciation for the efforts of allmembers of the NG, and the continuedimportance that the NG's supportmeant to the mission and the wareffort.

I will remain grateful for theopportunity I had to represent the 34'11Infantry Division and the State ofMinnesota. This conference gave meso much insight as to what NGAUS isall about and why it's such animportant organization for all NationalGuard Ofticers to be a part of. I amlooking forward to next year'sconference in Reno, Nevada and as Jcontinue to become more involvedand more educated about NGAUS, Ifully expect every conference to bemore rewarding than the last!

Respcctfully,

1LT Richard A. Hayman IJDHHBN, 34'11 10MN Army National Guard

Disclaimer. "The VikangNcwslcttcl" is publishcd formembers of the MinnesotaNational Guard Association. It isnot an official publication.Opinions expressed do notnecessarily rep,"esent those of theAdjutant General, the MinnesotaNational Guard or the State ofMinnesota."

*** ALL OFFICERS, ACTIVE OR RETIRED AND GUESTS ***

Are Invited To Share Some Holiday Cheer At Our Annual

MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS’ HOLIDAY PARTY

FRIDAY, 2 DECEMBER 2011

FORT SNELLING OFFICERS’ CLUB - BALLROOM 395 Hwy 5 and Post Road, St Paul, MN, 55111

Upstairs to the left / Club is Handicap Accessible

ATTIRE is Business / Business Casual

COCKTAILS 1800 hours DINNER 1900 hours

This is a time to renew old friendships and make new ones! JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF FUN!!

MENU SELECTIONS

Prime Rib 10 oz with Au Jus, twice Baked Potato, Roasted Vegetables, House Salad,

Rolls and Butter, Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce and Coffee or Tea / $26

OR

Parmesan Walleye 9 oz sautéed in parmesan bread crumbs, Rice Pilaf, Roasted Vegetables, House Salad, Rolls and Butter, Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce and Coffee or Tea / $26

Please Detach and Return this Reservation Form with Your Check Made Payable To

“ NGAMN Officers’ Fund” by November 23rd.

Name________________________________________________________________________

Guest Name___________________________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________________________________

City___________________________________ State_________________ Zip______________

Telephone (____)__________________

Email_________________________________________________________________________

MENU SELECTION: Prime Rib [ ] $26.00

Parmesan Walleye [ ] $26.00

Total amount enclosed (Make check payable to “NGAMN Officers’ Fund”) $__________

Mail to: COL (Bvt) (Ret) Jeri Longfellow

538 Wildflower Road Burnsville, MN 55306-5293

(952) 435-0632 or email: geraldine.longfellow@us.army.mil

NGAUS Trip Report

If you asked me what NGAUS was inJanuary of 2011, I would have givenyou a response equivalent to what youwould have received if you wcreasking the same question to a ripecantaloupe with two round eyes and amouth sharpie'd on it. I didn't have aclue. I had heard about it sure. I'deven received emails from officersmentioning that I should probably joinit, but never had I actually chewed onthose ideas for any length of time longenough to take the leap. My thoughtprocess was along the lines of "I'mtoo busy to put myself on the roster ofyet another association for noparticular reason other than peopletelling me I should". I assume myexperience may be mirrored by otherofficers in the Minnesota Guard,unfortunately. It is now October of2011 as I write this, and I can tell youbest using the infamous words of Jakethe Blues Brother. .. "1 HAVE SEENTHE LIGHT!"

The light came upon me in a ratherunexcIting way. I was asked by CPTChris Kline to be his alternateDivision Representative one day atwork to which I agreed. I attendedthe Board Meeting with him at theFort Snelling Officer's Club, and fromthat point on, I was hooked. I wasprivileged to be allowed to see first-hand the inner workings of the trustedelite, the hooded rituals of themasterminds in smoke-filled chambers,the quasi-Skull-and-Bonesproceedings ... no, not really. Therewas no secret society of omnipotentsoothsayers in robes wearing oakleaves and birds making off-the-cuffdecisions while laughing heartily witha goblet of wine. Instead, what 1found was a joint, highly functional,extremely organized and altogetheramazing group of officers and warrantofficers, both retired and active, whohad one objective: To lobby for themembers of the Minnesota NationalGuard. That's you and me. They arethe state chapter of a nationalorganization that fights for ourNational Guard. And in case youdidn't know, there is a fight going on.

I, the same as many others, have spentmy officer career in blissful ignorance,assuming that the National Guard istreated equally at all levels ofgovernment, and that we are affordedall of the same representation to thePresident as the active components.

And if we were not, there wouldcertainly be some righteousorganization out there who wouldcarry our charge to the highest levelsof government and fight for our cause,wouldn't there? There has to besomeone somewhere who caninfluence congress and ensure theguard is recognized as a highlyproficient, cost-effective solution tocontemporary American issue , isn'tthere? Wait, you mean the NationalGuard doesn't have a seat on the JointChiefs of Staff? Shouldn't there be aNational Guard Association orsomething that fights for the... oh ...you mean NGAUS! Of course! Andat that point I was basked in theglorious light of understanding.

Only at the National Convention in20 I I was 1 fully tom from mycomfortable bubble of ignorance andexposed to multitude of issues that weas officers need to take a vestedinterest in, and that our best COA toconsolidate our efforts into a unifiedvoice is to SUppOlt NGAUS.

For all of you who have read this andare still in your blissful ignorancestage, please save yourself some timeand learn from my words. If we don'ttake advantage of the stock the guardhas right now, after fighting 10 yearsof wars, it's only a matter of timebefore we are relegated back to thepurely domestic role we once had,funding is cut and the lukewannnational concept of the guard from the1990's returns in force. You literallycan affect this process, right now. Thefirst step is to become a member ofNGAMN. The second step is tobecome involved in the organization.And the third step is to stay involved.If you can do that, you will help ourNational Guard position itself to retainthe hard-fought respect we deserveafter 10 long years of proving that ourfighting force is top-notch, andsolidifying that fact that weconsistently do more with less thanthe active component.

And finally, one thing you can doright now is sign the White Housepetition to put a National Guardofficer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff athttp://www.ngau .org/tier2.asp?bid=20064.

Keep up the fight!

Submitted by: CPT Brian Morgan

The Annual NGAUS Conference wasin Milwaukee, WI this year and for itbeing my econd time attending, it hasnot failed to let me down. Theprogram, people and parties are wellworth the trip wherever they hold theconference.

This year's Hot Topics were:

Suicide within the Guard. Resiliencetraining is no joke and it is beingmonitored at every level of command.Eycs are on this issue, from thePresident, to the Chief National GuardBureau, to The Adjutant Generals;they are leaning on the First LineLeaders to lead the fight. Resiliencetraining needs to start early, like assoon as recruits swear in, resilienceneeds to be taught within the RSP.Last year this same time, the guardlost 74 Soldiers to suicide, this yearwe are at 59. As Major GeneralCarpenter said; H... thank you forwhat you're going. I'd ask you to justredouble your efforts.'

ARFORGEN and Predictability. Theconcern that comes to the table isstanding up units to deploy, thenwithin 60 days of deploying, they aretold to stand down. These Soldiershave left their jobs, dropped out ofclasses, rented out their homes; this isnot ok, we need to take care ofSoldiers, families and employers!

Downsizing the Force. GeneralVavala; said it the best; "The AnnyNational Guard is a force fullydeployed in our area of operation, thehomeland. The same force is battletested, and well equipped for theoverseas fight should the need arise,truly a best value for America. Weshould not rush to reduce the size,structure or capability of the A.m1YNational Guard without significantanalysis and thorough deliberation. Ibelieve the Anny National Guard isthe best value for America. Forcestructure and militaly power can besustained in the Am1Y National Guardas an operational force for a fractionof the regular cost."

Gaining a seat at the Joint Chiefs ofStaff. The guard continues to be usedin every conflict and operationalcontingency. If we're not part of theplan as we draw down overscas, theGuard will be pigeonholed back into astrategic reserve. The National Guardis almost a half a million men andwomen w1der anns. Just to give you

NCA US Trip Report

If you asked me what NGAUS was inJanuary of 2011, 1 would have givenyou a response equivalent to what youwould have reccived if you wcreasking the same question to a lipecantaloupe with two round eyes and amouth sharpie'd on it. I didn't have aclue. I had hcard about it, sure. ['deven received emails from officersmentioning that I should probably joinit, but never had 1 actually chewed onthose ideas for any length of time longenough to take the leap. My thoughtprocess was along the lines of "I'mtoo busy to put myself on the roster ofyet another association for noparticular reason other than pcopletelling me I should". I assume myexperience may be mirrored by otherofficers in the Milmesota Guard,unfortunately. It is now Octobcr of2011 as I write this, and I can tell youbest using thc infamous words of Jakethe Blues Brother. .. "1 HAVE SEENTHE LIGHT!"

The light came upon me in a ratherunexciting way. I was asked by CPTChris Kline to be his alternateDivision Representativc one day atwork, to which I agreed. I attendedthe Board Meeting with him at theFort Snelling Officer's Club, and fromthat point on, I was hooked. [wasprivileged to be allowed to see first-hand the inner workings of the trustedelite, the hooded rituals of themasterminds in smoke-filled chambers,the quasi-Skull-and-Bonesproceedings ... no, not really. Therewas no secret society of omnipotentsoothsayers in robes wearing oakleaves and birds making off~the-cuffdecisions while laughing heartily witha goblet of wine. Instead, what Ifound was a joint, highly functional,extremely organized, and altogetheramazing group of officers and warrantofficers, both retired and active, whohad one objective: To lobby for themembers of the Minnesota NationalGuard. That's you and me. They arethe state chapter of a nationalorganization that fights for ourNational Guard. And in case youdidn't know, there is a fight going on.

I, the same as many others, have spentmy officer career in blissful ignorance,assuming that the National Guard istreated equally at all levels ofgovernment, and that we are affordedall of the same representation to thePresident as the active components.

And if we were not, there wouldcertainly be some righteousorganization out there who wouldcarry our charge to the highest levelsof government and fight for our cause,wouldn't there? There has to besomeone, somewhere, who caninfluence congress and ensure theguard is recognized as a highlyproficient, cost-effective solution tocontemporalY American issues, isn'tthere? Wait, you mean the NationalGuard doesn't have a seat on the JointChiefs of Staff' Shouldn't there be aNational Guard Association orsomething that fights for the... oh ...you mean NGAUSI Of coun;e! Andat that point, 1 was basked in theglorious light of understanding.

Only at the National Convention in20 II was I filily tom from mycomfortable bubble of ignorance andexposed to multitude of issues that weas officers need to take a vestedinterest in, and that our best COA toconsolidate our efforts into a unifiedvoice is to support NGAUS.

For all of you who have read this andare still in your blissful ignorancestage, please save yourself some timeand learn from my words. [fwe don'ttake advantage of the stock the guardhas right now, after fighting 10 yearsof wars. it's only a matter of timebefore we are relegated back to thepurely domestic role we once had,funding is cut, and the lukewarmnational concept of the guard from the1990's returns in force. You literallycan affect this process, right now. Thefirst step is to become a member ofNGAMN. The second step is tobecome involved in the organization.And the third step is to stay involved.If you can do that, you will help ourNational Guard position itself to retainthe hard-fought respect we deserveafter 10 long years of proving that ourlighting force is top-notch, andsolidifying that fact that weconsistently do more with less thanthe active component.

And finally, one thing you can doright now is sign the White Housepetition to put a National Guardofficer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff athttp:t!\Vww.ngaus.ondtier2.asp'!bid-7 0064.

Keep up the fight!

Submitted by: CPT Brian Morgan

The Annual NGAUS Conference wasin Milwaukee, WI this year and for itbeing my second time attending, it hasnot failed to let me down. Theprogram, people and parties are wellworth the trip wherever they hold theconference.

This year's Hot Topics were:

Suicide within the Guard. Resiliencetraining is no joke and it is beingmonitored at every level of command.Eyes are on this issue, from thePresident, to the Chief National GuardBureau, to The Adjutant Generals;they are leaning on the First LineLeaders to lead the fight. Resiliencetraining needs to start early, like assoon as recn/its swear in, resilienceneeds to be taught within the RSP.Last year this same time, the guardlost 74 Soldiers to suicide, this yearwe are at 59. As Major GeneralCarpenter said;" thank you forwhat you're going. I'd ask you to justredouble your efforts."

ARFORGEN and Predictability. Theconcern that comes to the table isstanding up units to deploy, thenwithin 60 days of deploying, they aretold to stand down. These Soldiershave left their jobs, dropped out ofclasses, rented out their homes; this isnot ok, we need to take care ofSoldiers, families and employers I

Downsizing the Force. GeneralVavala; said it the best; "TIle ArmyNational Guard is a force fidlydeployed in our area of operation, thehomeland. The same force is battletestcd, and well equipped for theoverseas fight should the need arise,truly a best value for America. Weshould not rush to reduce the size,structure or capability of the ArmyNational Guard without significantanalysis and thorough deliberation. [believe the Anny National Guard isthe best value for America. Forcestructure and military powcr can besustained in the Army National Guardas an operational force for a fractionof the regular cost"

Gaining a seat at the Joint Chiefs ofStaff. The guard continues to be usedin every conflict and operationalcontingency. If we're not part of theplan as we draw down overseas, theGuard will be pigeonholed back into astrategic reserve. The National Guardis almost a half a million men andwomen under anns. Just to give you

an illustration, the Marine Corps is240,000 strong, including theirreserves, but they have a seat on theJoint Chiefs of Staff. They have five,four-star Generals. We lost anopportunity for a CombatantCommander position. There is noreason we should have been deniedputting a Guardsman as theNORTHCOM Commander. ThemiSSIon of the NORTHCOM isprotecting the homeland, a corecompetency of the National Guard.We are 22 percent of the Air Forceand receive 6 percent of the AirForce's budget, but maintain 36percent of Air Force fighter and tankercapacity. We are larger than theMarine Corps, and the Navy. Thosecomponents are at the table. Why notthe Guard? We're perfonning 30percent of the Army and Air Force'smission on any given day, so whyhaven't we been success fl.1 I inachieving a seat at the big table? AsGeneral McKinley said; "If you're notat the Table, you're on the menu!"

If you have any doubts about what theAssociation does for you, all I ask isthat you attend one conference andthey will be erased. You get the actualpolicy writers and programimplementers leading thesediscussions and are very willing tolisten to your concerns and answeryour questions. One example of anew initiative is to push all mandatoryDA requirements to a three year cycleverses an Annual requirement as isnow to open up our training calendars.

One can only imagine the networkingpossibilities and the fact that you getengage with Soldiers from the other54 states and territories, how can youafford not to take advantage of suchan opportunity? Another bonus is allthe vendors that participate at theconference. You get to try the newestin training innovation, fromsimulators, to the new equipment;bring new ideas home to give yourtraining schedules the depth yourSoldiers deserve.

As you can see, I truly enjoyed myselfand the opportunity to attend thisevent, being a Harley rider, made iteven a little sweeter since we had aFreedom Ride and the Governor'sReception was held at the Harley-Davidson Muscum, in which we gotfree admission. Next year is in Reno,Division Officers, see me for details!

Christopher P. Kline DivisionRepresentative, NGAMN

133rd NGAUS GeneralConference Takeaways:Article Submitted by CPT David W.Adams, 834th Aviation SupportBattalion (34th CAB)

I had the pleasure of attending the133rd NGAUS General Conferencefrom 27-29 August 2011. It was agreat experience much like the 2009Conference in Nashville. Forcompany grade officers thisexperience is an invaluableopportunity to gain behind-the-scenesinsight into YOUR National Guard,meet and network (and have a ton offun) with your peers from differentbranches, as well as developrelationships with some of the keyleaders in Minnesota's Guard force.

The speakers and various sessions atthe conferencc offered numerousvaluable takeaways. CCMSGTJelinski-Hall (the Guard's SeniorEnlisted Leader), who happened tomention the importance of getting toknow the ranks of our sister forces,ironic because I cannot rememberwhat her rank actually is other thanCCMSGT, had some great insightsinto working with our enlistedteammates. A key point she madewas 'Know your people". Her twopriorities of # I successfulaccomplishment of the mission and #2the welfare of your people both cameback to knowing your people. Toaccompli h our mis ion we have toknow the ins and outs of our teams.What motivates each individual andwhat makes members of your teamshut down is important infonnationwhen leading your people. It's alsoimportant to, if possible, not sacrificethe welfare of your people toaccomplish the mission. You are theirleader, take care of them. You haveinherited your people's tmst and thetrust of their friends and family thatyou will protect their health and well-being to the best of your ability.That's an important and seriousresponsibility, and I would add that ifyou're not comfortable with thatperhaps it would be best not to standup and lead Soldiers.

A few other impol1ant points offeredby CCMSGT Jelinski-Hall (ok, I haveit now Command Chief MasterSergeant.. ..at least I think so)

included: Share your philosophy withyour people. What do you stand for,what do you expect, and what canyour people expect from you? If youdon't have a leadership/commandphilosophy it can be an intimidatingtask to create. It doesn't have to be, itshould be short and concise. To getstarted on a philosophy go to theleader you had, or a peer who youadmire from a leadership standpoint,and ask for theirs. Don't copy itverbatim, but adapt it to suit you.Another point, Keep expectations highall the time (not just for inspections).Not only will your people meet yourhigh expectations, they will exceedthem and do an amazing job.A key point the CCMSGT had was to"know your enlisted development".When you counsel, be able to citeparagraph #'s straight from officialmilitary publications. SHOW yourNCOs how to develop as leaders. Itwill give value to your counseling andcredibility to you as a leader andmentor. And to be honest, we needcredibility as company grade officers.There are enough officers who talktough and have high expectations, yetnever actually LEAD or DEVELOPtheir subordinates. Give your peopleclear expectations and valuablecoaching and you will establishyourself as a valuable leader worthfollowing and supporting.

One of the Major Generals (AdmiralMueller's top aide, I couldn't hear orsee his name ... cut me some slack I'mold) had some ''Targets'' which weshould be aware of. Among histargets, ftrst was the current fiscalcrisis our nation is experiencing. Akey component of that is the crisisfacing us in the form of threats to payand benefits. By 2020 70% of theDefense Budget will be consumed bypay and benefits, including retirementbenefits. A very real threat is thatactive military members (to includeAGR and federal technician types)will be facing a more Guard likeretirement plan where they will haveto wait until age 60 to draw benefits.The MG speaking stated that whilethis was not a good thing, it's verydifficult to imagine a future in whichpainful cuts will not have to be made.This is one point which should drivehome the importance of beinginvolved with NGAUS, which is THEMOST proactive organizationlobbying on behalf of National Guardmembers!

an illustration, the Marine Corps is240,000 strong, including theirreserves, but they have a seat on theJoint Chiefs of Staff. They have five,four-star Generals. We lost anopp0rl1mity for a CombatantCommander position. There is noreason we should have been deniedputting a Guardsman as theNORTHCOM COllunander. Themission of the NORTHCOM ISprotecting the homeland, a corecompetency of the National Guard.We are 22 percent of the Air Forceand receive 6 percent of the AirForce's budget, but maintain 36percent of Air Force fighter and tankercapacity. We are larger than theMarine Corps, and the Navy. Thosecomponents are at the table. Why notthe Guard? We're performing 30percent of the Army and Air Force'smission on any given day, so whyhaven't we been successful inachieving a seat at the big table? AsGeneral McJ(jnley said; "If you're notat the Table, you're on the menu!"

If you have any doubts about what theAssociation does for you, all I ask isthat you attend one conference andthey will be erased. You get the actualpolicy writers and programimplementers leading thesediscussions and are very willing tolisten to your concerns and answeryour questions. One example of anew initiative is to push all mandatoryDA requirements to a three year cycleverses an Annual requirement as isnow to open up our training calendars.

One can only imagine the networkingpossibilities and the fact that you getengage with Soldiers from the other54 states and territories, how can youafford not to take advantage of suchan opportunity? Another bonus is allthe vendors that participate at theconference. You get to try the newestin training innovation, fromsimulators, to the new equipment;bring new ideas home to give yourtraining schedules thc depth yourSoldiers deserve.

As you can see, I truly enjoyed myselfand the opportunity to attend thisevent, being a Harley rider, made iteven a little sweeter since we had aFreedom Ride and the Governor'sReception was held at the Harley-Davidson Muscum, in which we gotfree admission. Next year is in Reno,Division Officers, see mc for details'

Christopher P. Kline DivisionRepresentative, NGAMN

133rd NGAUS GeneralConference Takeaways:Article Submitted by CPT David W.Adams, 834lb Aviation SupportBattalion (34th CAB)

I had the pleasure of attending the133m NGAUS General Conferencefrom 27-29 August 2011. It was agreat experience much like the 2009Conference in Nashville. Forcompany grade officers thisexperience is an invaluableopportunity to gain behind-the-scenesinsight into YOUR National Guard,meet and network (and have a ton offun) with your peers from differentbranches, as well as developrelationships with some of the keyleaders in Minnesota's Guard force.

The speakers and various sessions atthe conferencc offered numerousvaluable takeaways. CCMSGTJelinski-Hall (the Guard's SeniorEnlisted Leader), who happened tomention the importance of getting toknow the ranks of our sister forces,ironic because I cannot rememberwhat her rank actually is other thanCCMSGT, had some great insightsinto working with our enlistedteammates. A key point she madewas "Know your people". Her twopriorities of # I successfulaccomplishment of the mission and #2the welfare of your people both cameback to knowing your people. Toaccomplish our mission we have toknow the ins and outs of our teams.What motivates each individual andwhat makes members of your teamshut down is important informationwhen leading your people. It's alsoimportant to, if possible, not sacrificethe welfare of your people toaccomplish the mission. You are thcirleader, take care of them. You haveinherited your people's trust and thetrust of their friends and family thatyou will protect their health and wcll-being to the best of your ability.That's an imp0l1ant and seriousresponsibility, and I would add that ifyou're not comfortable with thatperhaps it would be best not to standup and Icad Soldiers.

A few other important points offeredby CCMSGT Jelinski-Hall (ok, I haveit now Command Chicf MasterSergeant.. ..at least I think so)

included: Sharc your philosophy withyour people. What do you stand for,what do you expect, and what canyour people expect from you? If youdon't have a leadership/commandphilosophy it can be an intimidatingtask to create. It doesn't have to be, itshould be short and concise. To getstarted on a philosophy go to theleader you had, or a peer who youadmire from a leadership standpoint,and ask for theirs. Don't copy itverbatim, but adapt it to suit you.Another point, Keep expectations highall the time (not just for inspections).Not only will your people meet yourhigh expectations, they will excecdthem and do an amazing job.A key point the CCMSGT had was to"Imow your enlisted development".When you counsel, be able to citeparagraph #'s straight from officialmilitary publications. SHOW yourNCOs how to develop as leaders. Itwill give value to your counseling andcredibility to you as a leader andmentor. And to be honest, we needcredibility as company grade officers.There are enough officers who talktough and have high expectations, yetnever actually LEAD or DEVELOPtheir subordinates. Give your peopleclear expectations and valuablecoaching and you will establishyourself as a valuable leader worthfollowing and supporting.

One of the Major Generals (AdmiralMueller's top aide, I couldn't hear orsee his name ... cut me some slack I'mold) had some 'Targets" which weshould be aware of. Among histargets, first was the current fiscalcrisis our nation is experiencing. Akey component of that is the crisisfacing us in the form of threats to payand benefits. By 2020 70% of theDcfense Budget will be consumed bypay and benefits, including retirementbenefits. A very real threat is thatactive military members (to includeAGR and federal technician types)will be facing a more Guard likeretirement plan where they will haveto wait until age 60 to draw benefits.The MG speaking stated that whilethis was not a good thing, it's verydifficult to imagine a future in whichpainful cuts will not have to be made.This is one point which should drivehome the importance of beinginvolved with NGAUS, which is THEMOST proactive organizationlobbying on behalf of National Guardmembers!

He also talked about "strategicinflection". As leaders we must beengaged and knowledgeable about ourcurrent and persistent enemy, at thesame time we cannot stop lookingtowards possible state enemies such asIran, N. Korea and the resurgentpowers of China and Russia. Wemust also be prepared to react to"strategic surprises". NO ONEpredicted two recent revolts, Libya(violent) and Egypt (peaceful). We donot know what's on the horizon inthese two cOtmtries or in other parts ofthe world. North Korea's aggressiveactions (sinking a S. Korean warship,and bombing a S. Korean Island)against South Korea COULD result inSouth Korea retaliating in asignificantly violent fashion.Something like this could haveextremely far reaching consequencesfor our country and our anned forces.As leaders we must train our people toboth deal with the current enemy aswell as maintain our ability to fight amore conventional battle against a"regular" enemy force.Oh, and we have to train our people todo this while meeting the multipledemands handed down from "BigAnny", checking all our boxes for thebriefings and extra training levied onus from everyone from a higherheadquarters to the highest levels ofour leadership. Our Guard leadershipin Washington is well aware that themandatory training requirementslevied on us from higher is simply anunreasonable expectation, designedand implemented for the activecomponent. The Major Generalspeaking stated that we should see alessening in some of our trainingdistracters, for example moving yearlytraining requirements for many itemsfrom an annual requirement to anevery three year cycle. This wasexciting news to hear as a full-timebattalion training officer.

There was so much more greatinfonnation to be shared, but the bestway to be exposed to it is to attend aNGAUS National Conference.Business meetings and OPDs arehardly the only worthwhile portions ofthe conference. Social events areabundant and a great time! We touredthe Harley-Davidson Museum (privatetour only for NGAUS) with threedifferent food areas, live music and achance to win a custom Harley. Thehospitality night included multipleexciting venues where everythingfrom learning to dance Salsa from the

Puerto Ricans to live band Karaokefrom the "SEC States'. And yes, theMN delegation ROCKED theKaraoke!

I had the privilege of attending the133 rd NGAUS conference inMilwaukee, WI this year. It was anamazing experience filled withnetworking across the states, thoughtprovoking speakers, and fun culturalevents. Here is a quick snapshot of theamazing events (and reasons why youshould attend next year), as well aswhat I found most interesting duringthe professional development sessions.

The conference kicked off on Fridaywith a Company Grade Officer mixerat the restaurant Coast, off the shoresof Lake Michigan. There wasdelicious food, free drinks, a live bandand plenty of outdoor seating to enjoythe evening. It was a great way for theCO grade officers to mix and mingleat the start of a fantastic weekend.

Saturday began with interestingspeakers. The topics included NGAUS10 I, updates on NGAUS-LL(Legislative Liaison), and the histOlyof the NG. For lunch, we had thepleasurc of listening to GeneralMcKinley, Chief, National GuardBureau. It was interactive as heencouraged the audience to askquestions and address the concernsthat were most pressing at thecompany grade level. The rest of theafternoon consisted of the firstbusine session which started with avery motiving speech by MG FrankVavala, Chairman of the Board,NGAUS. The Guard is right forAmerica! It was the start to a heavilythemed conference for gettingNational Guard representation on theJoint Chiefs of Staff- "If you're not atthe table, you're on the menu." Thebusiness meeting continued with anamazing perfonnance by the nation'soldest recreated Civil War brass band,a welcome by the Governor of WI analways wonderful roll call of the states,and a couple of award prcsentations.To top the evening off there was avelY lovely event held at the HarleyDavidson museum called theGovernors Reception. The Harleycampus shut out the public for ourprivate event, where we enjoyeddelicious food the extremelyfascinating and velY well donemuseum, a live band (Ricky Skaggs),

free drinks, and interactive Harleybooths.

Sunday began with recognition of theJunior/Senior Minutemen (newest andoldest attendees). Congratulations toCol (Ret) Anton Johnson, a MNmember, for being the runner up forthe Senior Minuteman award this year.The rest of the morning consisted ofreports from the treasurer, enlistedassociation, TAG association,executive director association andothers. Unfortunately, du~ toHurricane Irene, there were someguest speakers who were not able tomake it, however GEN NortanSchwartz, Chief of Staff, U.S. AirForce was able to send a video andAdm James Winnefeld ViceChainnan, Joint Chiefs of Staff wasable to attend in person. Inspirationalspeakers! We then elected our AnnyAreaV Co Grade rep, heard from MGCarpenter, and attended a task forceon Homeland Security and jointoperations. There was a big push forjoint operations between Anny andAir and a prediction that jointoperations will become more andmore critical during the future of ourforce. The evening ended withHospitality night where we did thesalsa with Puerto Rico, rocked outwith Nevada, and enjoyed live bandkaraoke with the South EasternConference states.

Monday began with again moreinteresting speakers. One interestingstatistic that was thrown around wasthat less than 18% of the United Stateis eligible to join the Armed Forces.Feel proud to be a member of such anelite organization! There was also alot of talk about the budget and thepending cuts going on at Washington.First the current budget iunsustainable. Second, manypoliticians are saying that the U.S.cannot afford an operational force,however the argument of NGAUS isthat the United States cannot affordNOT to have an operational force. Weare approximately a third the cost ofthe Active Force and in many caseshave twice the value proposition withour civilian expertise. On top of that,most Americans would not interact orbe educated on the Anned Forceswithout the Guard and Reserves. Themajority of Americans do not live atall near an Active duty installation.

He also talked about "strategicinflection". As leaders we must beengaged and knowledgeable about ourcurrent and persistent enemy, at thesame time we cannot stop lookingtowards possible state enemies such as[ran, N. Korea and the resurgentpowers of China and Russia. Wemust also be prepared to react to"strategic sw-prises". NO ONEpredicted two recent revolts, Libya(violent) and Egypt (peaceful). We donot know what's on the horizon inthese two countries or in other parts ofthe world. North Korea's aggressiveactions (sinking a S. Korean warship,and bombing a S. Korean Island)against South Korea COULD result inSouth Korea retaliating in asignificantly violent fashion.Something like this could haveextremely far reaching consequencesfor our country and our armed forces.As leaders we must train our people toboth deal with the current enemy aswell as maintain our ability to fight amore conventional battlc against a"regular" enemy force.Oh, and we have to train our people todo this while meeting the multipledemands handed down from "BigAnny", checking all our boxes for thebriefings and extra training levied onus from everyone from a higherheadquarters to the highest levels ofour leadership. Our Guard leadershipin Washington is well aware that themandatory training requirementslevied on us from higher is simply anunreasonable expectation, designedand implemented for the activecomponent. The Major Generalspeaking stated that we should see alessening in somc of our trainingdistracters, for example moving yearlytraining requirements for many itemsfrom an alUmal requirement to anevery three year cycle. This wasexciting news to hear as a full-timebattalion training officer.

There was so much more greatinformation to be shared, but the bestway to be exposed to it is to attend aNGAUS National Confcrence.Business meetings and OPDs arehardly the only worthwhile portions ofthe conference. Social events areabundant and a great time! We touredthe Harley-Davidson Museum (privatetour only for NGAUS) with threcdifferent food areas, live music and achance to win a custom Harley. Thehospitality night included multipleexciting venues where everythingfrom learning to dance Salsa from the

Puerto Ricans to live band Karaokefrom the "SEC States". And yes, theMN delegation ROCKED theKaraoke'

I had the privilege of attending the133'd NGAUS conference IIIMilwaukee, WI this year. It was anamazing experience filled withnetworking across the states, thoughtprovoking speakers, and fun culturalevents. Here is a quick snapshot of theamazing events (and reasons why youshou Id attend next year), as well aswhat I found most interesting duringthe professional development sessions.

The conference kicked off on Fridaywith a Company Grade Officer mixerat thc restaurant Coast, off the shoresof Lake Michigan. There wasdelicious food, free drinks, a live band,and plenty of outdoor seating to enjoythe evening. It was a great way for theCO grade officers to mix and mingleat the start of a fantastic weekend.

Saturday began with interestingspeakers. The topics included NGAUS101, updates on NGAUS-LL(Legislative Liaison), and the historyof the NG. For lunch, we had theplcasurc of listening to GeneralMcKinley, Chief, National GuardBureau. It was interactive as heencouraged the audience to askquestions and address the concernsthat were most pressing at thecompany grade level. The rest of theafternoon consisted of the firstbusiness session which started with avery motiving speech by MG FrankVavala, Chairman of the Board,NGAUS. The Guard is right forAll/erica' It was the start to a heavilythemed conference for gettingNational Guard representation on theJoint Chiefs of Staft~ ''If you're not atthe table, you're on the menu." Thebusiness meeting continued with anamazing performance by the nation'soldest recreated Civil War brass band,a welcome by the Governor of WI, analways wonderful roll call of the states,and a couple of award presentations.To top the evening otT there was avery lovely event held at the HarleyDavidson museum called theGovernors Reception. The Harleycampus shut out the public for ourprivate event, where we enjoyeddelicious food, the extremelyfascinating and very well donemuseum, a live band (Ricky Skaggs),

free drinks, and interactive Harleybooths.

Sunday began with recognition of theJunior/Senior Minutemen (newest andoldest attendees). Congratulations toCol (Ret) Anton Johnson, a MNmember, for being the runner up forthe Senior Minuteman award this year.The rest of the morning consisted ofreports from the treasurer, enlistedassociation, TAG association,executive director association, andothers. Unfortunately, due toHurricane Irene, there were someguest speakers who were not able tomake it, however GEN NortanSchwartz, Chief of Staff, U.S. AirForce was able to send a video andAdm James Winnefeld, ViceChairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff wasable to attend in person. Inspirationalspeakers! We then elected our ArnlYAreaV Co Grade rep, heard from MGCarpenter, and attended a task forceon Homeland Security and jointoperations. There was a big push forjoint operations between Army andAir and a prediction that jointoperations will become more andmore critical during the future of ourforce. The evenll1g ended withHospitality night where we did thesalsa with Puerto Rico, rocked outwith Nevada, and enjoyed live bandkaraoke with the South EasternConference states.

Monday began with again moreinteresting speakers. One interestingstatistic that was thrown around wasthat less than 18% of the United Statesis eligible to join the Armed Forces.Feel proud to be a member of such anelite organization I There was also alot of talk about the budget and thepending cuts going on at Washington.First, the current budget isunsustainable. Second, manypoliticians are saying that the U.S.cannot afford an operational force,however the argument of NGAUS isthat the Unikd States cannot affordNOT to have an operational force. Weare approximately a third the cost ofthe Active Force and in many caseshave twice the value proposition withour civilian expertise. On top of that,most Americans would not interact orbe educated on the Anned Forceswithout the Guard and Reserves. Themajority of Americans do not live atall near an Active dUly installation.

The speaker that I found mostinteresting was Air Force ChiefMaster Sergeant Denise Jelinski-Hall,the Senior Enlisted Advisor to theChief, National Guard Bureau. She isthe f1[st Air Force to hold the position,the first female to hold the position,and she was born and raised inMinnesota. She had two very goodpoints: the first focusing on resiliencyand the second on being a good leader.Her first point was to never leave yourbattle buddy, and to really know yourpeople. Without knowing your people,you may not know when they needhelp. Her second point was that youare not there to be friends with yourService Members, you are there to betheir leader. She also focused on theword reach: Reach up to find a mentorand ask for professional development.Reach down to pull up those beneathyou; be their mentor and their teacher.Reach out and interact with thecommunity. And reach in tounderstand your strengths andweaknesses and improve upon them.She was an extremely motivating andcaptivating speaker.

The conference ended with aspectacular event- the States Dinner.With everyone dressed in theirmilitary best, there was incrediblefood delicious drinks, and a hilariousset by comedian Jeanne Robertson.Definitely a grand fmale to anamazing weekend! I hope to see younext year for the 134th NGAUSconference in Reno, Nevada!

Submitted by: CPT Karly Mangen

OPD NGAUS Report

NGAMN Legislative Report

NGAUS Annual Conference As one

of the attendees of the in Milwaukee

in late August, I picked up on two

recurring themes from the key leaders

and speakers there.

Theme number one was, "NationalGuard, Right for America,' referringto the National Guard's costeffectiveness as an operational forcein support of the active duty and inlight of our current era of governmentspending and defense budget cuts. Asarea of growth rather than cuts:

• The Army National Guard(ARNG) provides 45% ofthe Army's operational

support on only I I % of the

army's budget

• The Air National Guard(ANG) provides 36% of the

Air Force's operational

support on only 6% of theAir Force's budget

• The average annual cost ofa National Guard

soldier/airman is $47,000 asopposed to their active duty

counterpart costing over

$100, 000 annually

It's not hard to see that theNational Guard offers a greatvalue for the tax payer.

The second recurring theme at

this year's conference was the

push to give the National Guard

a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff

(JCS). The National Guard is

470,000 members strong with

only four-star general billet andarguably no direct representationon the JCS. We are over two

times larger than the Marine

Corps (approximately 200,000

strong and with four four-star

billets) and almost ten times

larger than the Coast Guard

(with one four-star billet).

The National Guard Empowennent

Act (S.1 025) is the legislation moving

through the Senate that, according toNGAUS, would authorize the Guard'ssenior officer the chief of the

National Guard Bureau, a seat on the

Joint Chiefs of Staff. At last count,

sixty-four U.S. Senators have signed

on as co-sponsors. If passed, this will

be yet another monumental

achievement for the National Guard inrecent years.

I would encourage you to show yoursupport for this legislation by signingthe White House petition for itcurrently under way at:http://wh.gov/gfW.

Final thoughts - strong association

membership equals a strong

legislative voice on Capitol Hill. Be a

membership advocate to your fellow

service members. Stay informed by

signing up for legislative updates atwww.ngaus.org and stay involved by

communicating to your elected

officials via the Cap Wiz tool on

www.ngamn.org.

Respectfully submitted,Brian C. WinterVice President - Legislative Affairs

34th Combat Aviation Brigade

The recent Pagami wildfire in the

BWCA added missions to an already

busy end of summer for the aviation

brigade. Four UH-60s, four aircrews,

a refuel tanker and support personnel

deployed on state active duty in

support of civil authorities in Ely, MNfor 10 days in mid-September. All

units within the brigade contributedaircrew and ground crew members tosupport the fire spotting and fire

suppression missions. The 18

missions dumped over 404,000gallons of water on largest wildfire to

hit the arrowhead area in years.

Community of Hastings gave a wann

and gracious welcome back to the

soldiers of C/8341h ASB as they

returned after 15 months displaced

from the annory. During the eventsoldiers held demonstrations of signalequipment, opened up the newly

renovated facility to the public, gave

weapons and equipment presentations

to community members andculminated the lOth of September with

a rededication ceremony. In total,

over 300 community members visited

the facility and partook of thedemonstrations and open house.Mayor Hicks made a proclamationand published it for aU to see and hearat the rededication hosted by COLMichael Huddleston, the 341h Cbt Avn

Bde Cdr. The next order of businessfor the newly renovated annory after

drill was to ready it for a community

The speaker that I found mostinteresting was Air Force ChiefMaster Sergeant Denise Jelinski-Hall,the Senior Enlisted Advisor to theChief, National Guard Bureau. She isthe first Air Force to hold the position,the first female to hold the position,and she was born and raised inMirulesota. She had two very goodpoints: the first focusing on resiliencyand the second on being a good leader.Her first point was to never leave yourbattle buddy, and to really know yourpeople. Without knowing your people,you may not know when they needhelp. Her second point was that youare not there to be friends with yourService Members, you are there to betheir leader. She also focused on theword reach: Reach up to find a mentorand ask for professional development.Reach down to pull up those beneathyou; be their mentor and their teacher.Reach out and interact with thecommunity. And reach in tounderstand your strengths andweaknesses and improve upon them.She was an extremely motivating andcaptivating speaker.

The conference ended with aspectacular event- the States Dinner.With everyone dressed in theirmilitary best, there was incrediblefood, delicious drinks, and a hilariousset by comedian Jeanne Robertson.Definitely a grand finale to anamazing weekend' I hope to see younext year for the 134'11 NGAUSconference in Reno, Nevada!

Submitted by: CPT Karly Mangen

OPD NGAUS Report

NGAMN Legislative Report

NGAUS Annual Conference As one

of the attendees of the in Milwaukee

in late August, I picked up on two

recurring themes from the key leaders

and speakers there.

Theme number one was, "National

Guard, Right for America," referringto the National Guard's costeffectiveness as an operational torcein SUPP0I1 of the active duty and inlight of our current era of govenunent

spending and defense budget cuts. Asarea of growth rather than cuts:

• The Army National Guard

(ARNG) provides 45% of

the ArnlY's operationalsupport on only 11% of the

anny's budget

• The Air National Guard(ANG) provides 36% of the

Air Force's operational

support on only 6% of theAir Force's budget

• The average annual cost ofa National Guard

soldier/airman is $47,000 as

opposed to their active duty

counterpart costing over

$) 00, 000 annually

It's not hard to see that the

National Guard offers a great

value for the tax payer.

The second recurring theme at

this year's conference was the

push to give the National Guard

a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff

(JCS). The National Guard is

470,000 members strong with

only four-star general billet and

arguably no direct representationon the JCS. We are over two

times larger than the Marine

Corps (approximately 200,000

strong and with four four-star

billets) and almost ten times

larger than the Coast Guard

(with one four-star billet).

The National Guard Empowerment

Act (S.l 025) is the legislation moving

through the Senate that, according toNGAUS, would authorize the Guard's

senior officer, the chief of the

National Guard Bureau, a seat on the

Joint Chiefs of Staff. At last count,

sixty-four U.S. Senators have signed

on as co-sponsors. If passed, this will

be yet another monumental

achievement for the National Guard in

recent years.

I would encourage you to show yoursupport for this legislation by signingthe White House petition for it

currently under way at:http://wh.gov/gfW.

Final thoughts - strong association

membership equals a strong

legislative voice on Capitol Hill. Be a

membership advocate to your fellow

service members. Stay infonned by

signing up for legislative updates atwww.ngaus.org and stay involved by

communicating to your elected

officials via the Cap Wiz tool on

www.ngamn.org.

Respectfully submitted,Brian C. WinterVice President - Legislative Affairs

34th Combat Aviation Brigade

The recent Pagami wildtire in the

BWCA added missions to an already

busy end of summer for the aviation

brigade. Four UH-60s, four aircrews,

a refuel tanker and support persOlmel

deployed on state active duty in

support of civil authorities in Ely, MNfor 10 days in mid-September. All

units within the brigade contributed

aircrew and ground crew members tosupport the fire spotting and tire

suppression missions. The 18

missions dumped ovcr 404,000

gallons of water on largest wildfire to

hit the arrowhead area in years.

Community of Hastings gave a warm

and gracious welcome back to the

soldiers of C/834'h ASB a~ they

returned after 15 months displaced

from the armory. During the eventsoldiers held demonstrations of signal

equipment, opened up the newly

renovated facility to the public, gave

weapons and equipment presentations

to community members, and

culminated the 10'11 of September with

a rededication ceremony. In total,

over 300 community members visited

the facility and partook of the

demonstrations and open house.Mayor Hicks made a proclamationand published it for all to see and hearat the rededication hosted by COL

Michael Huddleston, the 34'11 Cbt Avn

Bde Cdr. The next order of businessfor the newly renovated armory after

drill was to ready it for a community

event rental less than a week after re-

opening!

Beyond civil support duties, two flightcompanies prepare to nearlysimultaneously deploy and re-deployfrom operations ISO of OperationNew Dawn. The N2-14ih AssaultCompany will be departing MNwithin two weeks of the return of B/2-21I lh GSAB returning to the state. Asthe Chinooks renlm from Talil, Iraqthe UH-60s will be making their wayto Camp Buehring in Northern Kuwait.As always the aviation units of theMN Anny Guard are in high demandaround the world and at home.

More from the high flying and highoptempo Aviation Brigade nextedition! Till then, Attack!!Major Baker, AV Rep

What is the only thing consistent inthe military - CHANGE. fulltimeStaff moves; we once again have anew Chief of Staff, COL Dirk Klosswho comes to us from the 13 and tookover for COL Jon Jensen who movedto become the JFHQ Chief of Staff.LTC Dan O'Malley came to theDivision from the CST and is now thenew Division Training Officerreplacing LTC Matt Vatter whomoved up to the J I. CPT AllanHetteen is the new SGS, replacingMAJ Jon Lovald, who moved to theJ 1. We \lOW have a new G3, LTC(P)Bob Intress has been promoted to thisposition. Big promotion the DivisionCommander, MG Elicerio received hissecond star in August. A big Hoo-ah,to our new full timers and promotions!

In order to create unity of conunandand efficiencies within the MN AnnyNational Guard, the 84th TroopCommand and the 347th RegionalSupport Group have been alignedunder the 34th Infantry Division forconunand and control as of 1 OCT 11.This will ease synchronization andstandardization efforts and allowbetter use of resources.

Division's next big exercise willhappen in January where a selectnumber of personnel get to travel toJapan in order to support trainingexercise Yama Sakura 61 (YS61).YS61 is the 29th iteration of the Japanbased series of exercises designed toImprove US/Japan combat readinessand interoperability while enhancing

Security relations. Particular gainsachieved in Yama Sakura 61 (YS61).YS61 is the iteration of the Japanbased series of exercises designed toImprove US/Japan combat readinessand interoperability while enhancingSecurity relations. Particular gainsachieved in Yama Sakura are theexchange of ideas on Force structure,doctrine, and continued improvementof bilateral Interoperability.

Remember, we are only as strong asour membership, please considerrenewing yours if you haven't already.

Submitted by: Christopher P. Kline

Division Representative

UPCOMING GENERALCONFERENCES

134th General ConferenceSept. 10-12,2012 in Reno

Hosted by the NevadaNational Guard

135th General ConferenceSep 20-23, 2013 in Honolulu

Hosted by the Hawaii NationalGuard

136th General ConferenceAug 22-25, 2014 in Chicago

Hosted by the Illinois NationalGuard

137th General ConferenceSep. 10-13,2015 in NashvilleHosted by Tennessee National

Guard

13Sth General ConferenceSep 9-12, 2016 in BaltimoreHosted by Maryland NationalGuard

WE WANT TO HEAR FROMYOU

If you have any questions oropinions about something you readin the Vikang Newsletter, mail toNGAMN 3530 East Medicine LakeBlvd Plymouth, MN 55441 or e-mail to:EXCDIR2@AOL.COM. Items are

subject to editing for style, clarity,accuracy, length and propriety

Future State Conference

.:~~tr~· '*••. I, ~ .• j-J.. •'. ... ... .

2012 NGAMN StateConferenceDowntown Duluth, Holiday InnDuluth, MinnesotaApril 27-29, 2012

2013 NGAMN StateConferenceCentral MinnesotaLocation TBDApril 26-28, 2013

148th FW Group Rep Report"F-160n-A-Stick"By CAPT Christopher J. Rogge

The 148lli fighter Wing (FW) unveiledits newest attraction, an F-16 StaticDisplay, durinll a dedication ceremonyon October 19· 2011. The F-I6 "On-A-Stick" is located at the new

event rental less than a week after re-

opening!

Beyond civil support duties, two flightcompanies prepare to nearlysimultaneously deploy and re-deployfrom operations ISO of OperationNew Dawn. The AI2-147'h AssaultCompany will be departing MNwithin two weeks of the return of B/2-211'h GSAB returning to the state. Asthe Chinooks return fTom Talil, Iraqthe UH-60s will be making thcir wayto Camp Buehring in Northern Kuwait.As always the aviation units of theMN Anny Guard are in high demandaround the world and at home.

More from the high flying and highoptempo Aviation Brigade nexted ition! Till then, Attack!!Major Baker, AV Rep

What is the only thing consistent inthe military - CHANGE. FulltimeStaff moves; we once again have anew Chief of Staff, COL Dirk Klosswho comes to us from the 13 and tookover for COL Jon Jensen who movedto become the JFHQ Chief of Staff.LTC Dan O'Malley came to theDivision from the CST and is now thenew Division Training Officer,replacing LTC Matt Vatter whomoved up to the J I. CPT AllanHetleen is the new SGS, replacingMAJ Jon Lovald, who moved to theJ1. We now have a new G3, LTC(P)Bob Intress has been promoted to thisposition. Big promotion, the DivisionCommander, MG Elicerio received hissecond star in August. A big Hoo-ah,to our new full timers and promotions'

In order to create unity of commandand efficiencies witllin the MN ArmyNational Guard, the 84th TroopCommand and the 347th RegionalSupport Group have been alignedunder the 34th Infantry Division forcommand and control as of I OCT II.This will ease synchronization andstandardization efforts and allowbetter use of resources.

Division's next big exercise willhappen in January where a selectnumber of personnel get to travel toJapan in order to support trainingexercise Yama Sakura 61 (YS61).YS61 is the 29th iteration of the Japanbased series of exercises designed toImprove US/Japan combat readinessand interoperability while enhancing

Security relations. Particular gainsachieved in Yama Sakura 61 (YS61).YS61 is the iteration of the Japanbased series of exercises designed toImprove US/Japan combat readinessand interoperability while enhancingSecurity relations. Patiicular gainsachieved in Yama Sakura are theexchange of ideas on Force stmcture,doctrine, and continued improvementof bilateral Interoperability.

Remember, we are only as strong asour membcrship, please considerrenewing yours if you haven't already.

Submitted by: Christopher P. Kline

Division Representative

UPCOMING GENERALCONFERENCES

134th General ConferenceSept. 10-12,2012 in Reno

Hosted by the NevadaNational Guard

135th General ConferenceSep 20-23, 2013 in Honolulu

Hosted by the Hawaii NationalGuard

136th General ConferenceAug 22-25, 2014 in Chicago

Hosted by the Illinois NationalGuard

137th General ConferenceSep. 10-13,2015 in NashvilleHosted by Tennessee National

Guard

13Sth General ConferenceSep 9-12, 2016 in BaltimoreHosted by Maryland NationalGuard

WE WANT TO HEAR FROMYOU

If you have any questions oropinions about something you readin the Vikang Newsletter, mail toNGAMN 3530 East Medicine LakeBlvd Plymouth, MN 55441 or e-mail to:EXCDIR2(a>AOL.COM. Items are

subject to editing for style, clarity,accuracy, length and propriety

Future State Conference

2012 NGAMN StateConferenceDowntown Duluth, Holiday InnDuluth, MinnesotaApril 27-29, 2012

2013 NGAMN StateConferenceCentral MinnesotaLocation TBDApril 26-28, 2013

148'h FW Group Rep Report....'-160n-A-Stick"By CAPT Christopher J. Rogge

The 148" Fighter Wing (FW) unveiledits newest attraction, an F-16 StaticDisplay, durin~ a dedication ceremonyon October 19' 20 II. The F-16 "an-A-Stick" is located at the new

entrance to the 1481b Fighter Wingnear the Duluth International Airport.The aircraft is a decommissionedBlock 10, F-16A model, SerialNun~ber 79-0364, that flew with the148 from 1990 through 2003. It istruly an iconic representation of thestrength and 63-year history of the1481h FW and the importance theyhave in the Duluth community andsurrounding region.Planning of the project began in late2006 shortly after the 148lb openedtheir new access road (BulldogBoulevard) and gate entrance locatedoff of Airport Road. In the end, theentire project would cost close to$100 000. By regulation, installationcosts cannot be paid with federalgovernment funding. The goal for thisproject was to raise $50,000 in cashdonations or in-kind contributions ofconstruction material and labor.Supporters of this project includedAMSOIL, Skyline Rotary, LHB,Kraus-Anderson Construction CoMinnesota Power, Duluth Unio~Labor, Dynamic Structural SteelNorthern Industrial Erector, AET'API Electric and more." (F-16 StaticDisplay Facebook Page)The donations contributed by theselocal businesses and communitygroups were coordinated by theDuluth Area Chamber of Commerceand their Military Affairs Committeeheaded by committee chainnan PatMullen. The committee, which'promotes and supports the economicimpacts of local branches of themilitary", is a huge supporter of the1481h and we cannot thank themenough for all of the hard work theyput into this project. Next time youare in Duluth stop by and take a look!(http://www.duluthehamber.colJ events/

militaly-affairs.htm )

Duluth Hosts 2012 NGAMN StateConferenceBy CAPT Christopher J. Rogge

Duluth and the 1481h Fighter Wingproudly host the 2012 NGAMN Stateconference April 27-29, 2012. Theconference will be held in downtownDuluth at The Holiday Inn & Suites.The hotel is the largest full-servicehotel in Duluth. Amenities includefree parking three restaurants andcomplimentary shuttle ervice.You can bet that this conference willbe the best one you'll ever attend somake your reservations early! Duluthis a GREAT town with a lot to offer.Located on the shores of beautifulLake Superior, you are just minutesaway from attractions such as CanalPark, the Aerial Lift Bridge, ParkPoint, and Bayfront Park. Now, theend of April could still be a little coldbut do not fear, Duluth's Skywalksystem allows for easy travel to andfrom many fine dining and shoppingestablishments. It stretches nearly 17city blocks and connect most of thedowntown area. These walkways areon several levels, and some actuallylead through the lobby areas ofrestaurants, banks and businesses. Thelongest section, which crosse overInterstate 35 connects downtown tothe Duluth Entertainment ConventionCenter and Canal Park. While inDuluth, I can assure you that not onlywill you attend a great conference, butyou will also enjoy evelything elseDuluth has to offer.More information and conferencedetails will become available once weget clo er to the event date. To tayup to date plea e continue to visit theNGAMN home page athttp://v{ww.ngamn.org/.

For more info on the Duluth and TheHoliday Inn & Suites please visit:http://visitduluth.com/home.phphttp://www.duluthmn.go /http://www.downtownduluth.com/parkplu /images/map 19.9ifhttp://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/duluth/dulmnlhoteldetail

T~e website is continually updatedWith Legislative Alerts. It isimperative that you asmembers, citizens, and officers of theMinnesota National Guard visit theseA~erts. They are easy to use, simplyclIck on the link on our home pageand read about the alert on theNational website. If you agree, goback t~ our website and enter your zipcode 10 the "Write to Congress"widg~t on the top of the page. Theresultmg page lists the alerts; choose~he one you want to promote, click onIt and scroll down to "Take Action".You can change the text of the letterand the software selects yourRepresentatives based on your ZipCode.

Here's the latest Alerts, please go toour website at http://www.ngamn.orgfor current Alerts, and follow upby actually sending in Alerts youagree with.

NGAUS Legislative Alert #11-18 -September 19, 2011 - The Issue:Rallying the rank and file of theNational Guard to ensure our voice isheard loud and clear on Capitol Hill

NGAUS Legislative Alert #11-17 -September 15, 20 II - The Issue:Oppose the recommendation of theDefense Business Board to eliminatethe present military retirement paybenefit

NGAUS Legislative Alert #11-16 - 19July 20 II - The Issue: RemindingP~esidentObama to follow through onhiS 2008 campaign promise to providea permanent seat on the JCS for theChief of the National Guard Bureau.

Carl MadsenMAJ (Ret) GAM Webmastercarl.madsen@gmail.eom

I recently attended the NGAUSConference in Milwaukee Wl. What agreat networking experience. I metmembers from AImy and Air NationalGuard units from practically everystate and territory. There wereLeaders, Veterans, Retirees andContractors from all jobs/careers andwalks of life: . The Conference gaveme opportumtles to listen to leadersspeak of current initiatives in theGuard and the vendor show allowedme to visit with representatives fromthe suppliers of the Guard. I was ableto see future equipment and devicesthat will make our jobs easier and

entrance to the l48'11 Fighter Wingnear the Duluth International Airport.The aircraft is a decommissionedBlock 10, F-16A model, SerialNumber 79-0364, that flew with the

lh148 from 1990 through 2003. It istruly all iconic representation of thestrength and 63-year histOly of the148'h FW and the importance theyhave in the Duluth community andsUITounding region.Plal1l1ing of the project began in late2006 shortly after the 148111 openedtheir new access road (BulldogBoulevard) and gate entrance locatedoff of Airport Road. In the end theentire project would cost clos~ to$100,000. "By regulation, installationcosts cannot be paid with federalgovernment funding. The goal for thisproject was to raise $50,000 in cashdonations or in-kind contributions ofconstruction material and labor.Supporters of this project includcdAMSOIL, Skyline Rotary, LHB,Kraus-Anderson Construction CoMinnesota Power, Duluth Unio~Labor. Dynamic Stmctural SteelNorthern Industrial Erectors, AET:API Electric and more." (F-16 StaticDisplay Facebook Page)The donations contributed by theselocal businesses and communitygroups were coordinated by theDuluth Area Chamber of Commerceand their Military Affairs Committceheaded by committee chairman PatMullen. The committee, which"promotes and supports the economicimpacts of local branches of themilitary", is a huge suppOJ1er of the148111 and we cannot thank themenough for all of the hard work theyput into this project. Next time youare in Duluth, stop by and take a look!(http:/"www.duluthchall1bcr,cOIl1/evenls,'

militarv-affairs.htm )

Duluth Hosts 2012 NGAMN SlaleConferenceBy CAPT Christopher J. Rogge

Duluth and the l481h Fighter Wingproudly host the 2012 NGAMN Stateconference April 27-29, 2012. Theconference will be held in downtownDuluth at The Holiday Inn® & Suites.The hotel is the largest full-servicehotel in Duluth. Amenities includefTee parking, three restaurants andcomplimentary shuttle service.You can bet that this conference willbe the best one you'll ever attend somake your reservations early I DuluthIS a GREAT town with a lot to offer.Located on the shores of beautifulLake Superior, you are just minutesaway from attractions such as CanalPark, the Aerial Lift Bridge, ParkPoint, and Bayfront Park. Now, theend of April could still be a little coldbut do not fear, Duluth's Skywalksystem allows for easy travel to andfi'om many fine dining and shoppingestablishments. It stretches nearly J7City blocks and connects most of thedowntown area. These walkways areon several levels, and some acnlallylead through the lobby areas ofrestaurants, banks and businesses. Thelongest section, which crosses overInterstate 35, connects downtown tothe Duluth Entertainment ConventionCenter and Canal Park. While inDuluth, I can assure you that not onlywrll you attend a great conference, butyou will also enjoy everything elseDuluth has to ofi\:r.More information and conferencedetails will become available once weget closer to the event date. To stayup to date, please continue to visit theNGAMN home page athlln:l/www.ngamn.orgL.

For more il?fo on the Duluth and TheHoliday Inn® & Suites please visit:http://visi tdu Iuth. comfhome.phphttp://www.duluthmn.govfhttp://www.downto~·:nduluth.com/lli!I

kplus/images/map Ig.gifhttp:ffwww.holidayinn.com/hotel sfusfen/duluth/dulmnfhoteldetail

The website is continually updatedWith Legislative Alerts. It isimperative that you asmembers, citizens, and officers of theMinnesota National Guard visit theseAlerts. They are easy to use, simplyclIck on the link on our home pageand read about the alert on theNational website. If you agree, goback to our website and enter your zipcode III the "Write to Congress"widget on the top of the page. Theresultlllg page lists the alerts; choosethe one you want to promote, click onIt and scroll down to "Take Action".You can ch