Guardsman

An Indiana National Guard Publication

INDIANA

WINTER 2014

Indiana hosts multinational exercise, page 10

Hoosier Artillerymen 

provide live fire, page 12
2 Winter 2014

If you have information to contribute to the

Indiana Guardsman, please contact the editor 

by calling 1-800-237-2850 ext 3222

or emailing Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lowry at 

jeffrey.m.lowry.mil@mail.mil

Visit the Indiana National Guard at 

www.in.ng.mil and search 

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About the Guardsman

In this Guardsman ... 

The Adjutant General

Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger

Public Affairs Officer 

Lt. Col. Cathy Van Bree

Editor

Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lowry

Layout and Design

Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lowry 

Print Officer

Lt. Col. Robert W. Zeigler

Journalists

Sgt. 1st Class Tien Do

Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lowry

Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Tinsley

Staff Sgt. Les Newport

Contributing Writers and Staff

State Public Affairs Office

120th Public Affairs Detachment

Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center

Muscatatuck Urban Training Center

122nd Fighter Wing

181st Intelligence Wing

38th Infantry Division

The Indiana Guardsman is an unofficial 

publication authorized under the provisions 

of AR 360-1, and is published by the Joint 

Force Headquarters, Indiana National Guard. It is 

distributed without charge to the members of the 

Indiana Army and Air National Guard. All material 

submitted for publication should be addressed to:

Joint Force Headquarters Indiana

Public Affairs Office

ATTN: Guardsman Magazine

2002 South Holt Road

Indianapolis, IN 46241-4839

Opinions expressed herein do not 

necessarily reflect the views of the 

Joint Force Headquarters of Indiana, the 

Department of the Army and the 

Department of the Air Force.

Top Recruiter, page 4

Indiana Guard hosts retreat, page 7

Blacksnakes train at Red Flag Alaska, page 8

Engineers focus on fundamentals, page 6

Hoosiers partner with Kuwaiti troops, page 16

Front cover caption: Indiana National Guard Soldiers of Battery 

C, 2nd Battalion, 150th Field Artillery Regiment, headquartered in 

Lebanon, Ind., fire a 155mm high-explosive round from an M777 

Howitzer at Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, Ind., Aug. 14. For 

more on Hoosier Redlegs, see page 12. Photo by John Crosby

Hoosier Guard Soldier is best in nation

STARR event for Gold Star families

Troops to the Track, page 20

Indiana Guardsmen participate in Brickyard 400

Vibrant Response, page 14

Atterbury, Muscatatuck host joint exercise
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 3

Message from The Adjutant General ... 

Remaining professional in uncertain times

This fiscal year of 2014 started out 

rough as sequestration and the government 

shutdown caused in a tremendous amount of 

frustration, none greater than it preventing 

most of our units from conducting training 

during the entire month of October. 

The shutdown also furloughed 

approximately 1,000 of our federal 

technicians the first week in October. The 

good news is they were retroactively paid 

for that missed week of work. 

But, this never should have occurred in 

the first place. Washington still does not 

recognize our military technicians as being 

critical to military operations. They don’t 

understand that our military technicians 

cannot serve unless they wear the uniform 

of our nation. 

Soldiers and Airmen who are technicians 

are military first and citizens second, not 

the other way around. You cannot become 

a military technician unless you first belong 

to the National Guard. It is just that plain 

and simple. 

Please know that I have communicated 

this to our congressional delegation in 

D.C., to National Guard Bureau and to 

our professional organizations such as the 

Adjutant General Association of the United 

States, the National Guard Association of 

the United States, the Enlisted Association 

of the National Guard of the United States, 

and the National Guard Association of 

Indiana. These organizations can assist us in 

getting the laws changed so these injustices 

don’t occur again. 

I want to thank all of our Soldiers, 

Airmen, state employees and their families 

for their patience during this very trying 

time. The stress you’ve had to endure 

was certainly uncalled for and unjust. As 

always, you conducted yourselves in a 

very professional manner going above and 

beyond the call of duty. 

With the budget cuts coming there will 

also be some changes to Camp Atterbury 

Joint Maneuver Training Center. As we are 

all aware our mobilization mission has come 

to an end. We are making that transition 

back to a training post. We are focused, once 

again, on becoming a premier facility for 

regional and collective training for active 

and reserve units. 

Over the past 11 years, Camp Atterbury 

and Muscatatuck have added a tremendous 

number of new and improved facilities, 

i.e., bachelor officer quarters, senior 

noncommissioned officer barracks, 

classrooms, ranges, and dining facilities. 

The list of improvements goes on and on. 

We should all be very proud of the important 

role Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck has 

played over the last few years. 

Significantly more than 80,000 Soldiers, 

Sailors, Airmen and Marines and many first 

responders have trained here and deployed 

to locations all over the world. As we look 

forward to fiscal year 2014 and beyond, 

there will be many challenges as the Army 

and the Air Force have significant budget 

challenges. I personally feel the National 

Guard is the right fiscal solution for our 

services and the budget challenges we have 

for defending our nation. 

This debate will go on over the next 

few months as the fiscal year 2015 defense 

budget and the out-years budget planning 

process moves forward. 

In closing, I am extremely proud of our 

great successes in recruiting and retention 

again this year. The Indiana Army and 

Air National Guard ended the year with 

107.5 percent and 101.4 percent strength, 

respectively, and our readiness levels in 

all categories have improved significantly 

during the same period. 

Bottom line: congratulations on 

another great year of service! 

Thank you for your loyal and dedicated 

service to our state and country. I extend 

to you, your families, and employers my 

deepest appreciation. It is an honor to serve 

with all of you. 

“I want to thank all of 

our Soldiers, Airmen, 

state employees and 

their families for their 

patience during this 

very trying time.”

– Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brad Staggs

Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, left, and Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger watch a Soldier prepare mock 

victims at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center during Vibrant Response, Monday, Aug. 5, 2013. 

Editor’s note: For more on Vibrant 

Response coverage, see page 14. 
4 Winter 2014

Top Recruiter

Hoosier Guardswoman named nation’s 

By Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lowry

Indiana National Guard Public Affairs

At state level, she bested 10 other 

Indiana National Guard recruiters. At 

the Midwest region, she beat six. In the 

nation, six more.

In surpassing approximately 3,300 

Army National Guard recruiters nationwide and 22 Soldiers in direct 

competition, Indiana National Guard 

Sgt. Brooke Bailey from Muncie, Ind., 

prevailed as the National Guard’s Recruiter of the Year. 

“Being named the national Recruiter 

of the Year is important because it is 

proof that hard work, motivation and 

determination pays off,” said Bailey.

Bailey, 26, and a single mother of 

two, put in a lot of hard work. 

Anymore in Indiana, it’s not just 

about the number of recruits signed. 

It’s about what Indiana’s Recruiting 

and Retention Battalion calls the totalSoldier concept – living by the Soldier’s 

Creed, being an outstanding leader and 

noncommissioned officer, and excelling 

at physical fitness. 

“We are Soldiers and NCOs, and living every one of the Soldiers’ core values is just as important as our recruiting 

mission,” said Sgt. Maj. Ricky Weber, 

the battalion’s production sergeant 

major and a former national Recruiter 

of the Year. 

“Her selection is not just because she 

may have had the most recruits, but 

it’s because she lives the total-Soldier 

concept,” said Weber.

Some of the Indiana National Guard’s 

newest Soldiers also see her positive 

impact on others.

“She genuinely cares about her recruits,” said Pvt. Bryce Dulworth, 

Yorktown, Ind., who enlisted in August. 

“She doesn’t look at us as a number. She 

views recruits as a benefit to help the 

Indiana National Guard. She’s always 

real positive.”

Bailey also assists in other areas of 

the Muncie community. 

Bailey serves as the Indiana Army 

National Guard subject matter expert 

at Ball State University ROTC, helping 

to manage Indiana’s 65 cadets, and she 

also provides mentorship and leadership 

to the cadets.

“To be such a young NCO, I have a 

long road ahead of me. If I tread carefully, I too will be able to positively 

influence other up-and-coming NCOs,” 

said Bailey.

With 32 new recruits in the Indiana 

National Guard, Bailey already has. 

Photo by 1st Lt. Brian Weitzeil

Indiana National Guard Sgt. Brooke Bailey, left, speaks with students about National Guard benefits. 

Recruiting area encompassed approx. 396 sq. miles

Covered 4 high schools, 1 university

Had a 33 percent market share of her recruiting area 

Enlisted 35 Soldiers, 32 non-prior service 

Exceeded her annual mission by 15 recruits

Maintained a Tier I enlistment of 96.97 percent

Had a 100 percent ship rate 

Had a 88.5 percent training pipeline success rate 

Scored a 285 average annually on her APFT

Superlatives

Photo by 1st Lt. Brian Weitzeil

Sgt. Brooke Bailey, front, poses with fellow recruiters at a career fair.
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 5

By Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Tinsley

Indiana National Guard Public Affairs

Family, friends and dignitaries 

gathered in the Valparaiso University 

auditorium to remember seven fallen 

Soldiers of the 713th Engineer Company 

at a Wall of Honor Ceremony.

During the ceremony, a representative 

took the podium to recall memories of 

each fallen Soldier. The audience shared 

tears and laughter as speakers shared 

heartfelt stories of the heroes to express 

just how unique each was. 

“Today is all about the memory of 

each of our Soldiers,” said Indiana’s 

Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. R. Martin 

Umbarger. “They were all heroes in 

every sense of the word.”

Sadness flooded the room as the black 

veils were removed one by one from 

each display, revealing photos, medals 

and awards of each Guardsmen. The 

tears did not last long however. Family 

and friends gathered by their loved 

one’s display at the end of the ceremony, 

smiling in remembrance of their son, 

father or friend’s accomplishments in 

life and clutching on memories of them 

that they will carry with them for their 

own lifetime. 

The shadow boxes were mounted 

to the Wall of Honor in the Valparaiso 

Army National Guard armory following 

the ceremony. 

The seven fallen engineers:

Spc. Sergio Perez Jr. and Spc. 

Nicholas Taylor died from a directfire ambush, July 2012 in Kandahar, 

Afghanistan. 

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Metzger, Sgt. 

Brian Leonhardt, Spc. Christopher 

Patterson and Spc. Robert Tauteris died 

as a result of a roadside bomb, January 

2012 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Chavez died 

July 2008 from an illness contracted 

stateside at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., 

during specialized combat engineer 

leader training. 

Indiana National Guard remembers fallen 

Indiana National Guard Soldiers unveil Wall of Honor displays for fallen Hoosier Guardsmen during a ceremony in Valparaiso, Ind., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. 

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Tinsley

Walls of Honor

The Indiana National Guard commemorates its fallen troops by reserving spaces in armories throughout the 

state known as Walls of Honor. 

The Walls of Honor are for 27 fallen 

Soldiers located in 16 armories.

2 in Bluffton 

1 in Elkhart 

1 in Evansville

1 in Fort Wayne 

1 in Huntington

2 in Indianapolis 

1 in Lafayette 

3 in Lawrence 

1 in Lebanon

1 in Madison

1 in Marion

1 in New Albany

1 in Seymour 

2 in Shelbyville 

7 in Valparaiso

1 in Washington
6 Winter 2014

By John Crosby

Atterbury-Muscatatuck Public Affairs

More than 400 Indiana National 

Guard 113th Engineer Battalion Soldiers, headquartered in Gary, Ind., held 

annual training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., 

July 19 through Aug. 5.

In addition to honing their Soldier 

skill sets on small arms, counter-improvised explosive device and convoy 

live-fire ranges, the engineers worked 

to improve Camp Atterbury’s infrastructure; building and improving roads, 

ranges and landing zones.

“When we’re deployed, our first mission is to move around the battle space 

and effectively engage the enemy,” said 

Lt. Col Sean Bagley, 113th Engineer 

Battalion commander. “And that’s exactly what we trained here on the livefire, convoy, gunnery ranges.

“After we’ve successfully engaged 

the enemy on the battlefield, we begin 

our engineer mission of horizontal construction. Our companies are building 

roads and trails on the southeast and 

southwest end of the camp, laying brick 

at the Afghan village range, and clearing 

brush. Also, our electricians are doing 

work around the post.”

Additionally, the 113th Engineers 

renovated the pistol range during their 

two-week stay at Camp Atterbury.

“I’m very proud to put the 113th, the 

‘Ironman’ name on these projects,” said 

Bagley. “That’s what we do. We fight, 

and then we build. We support our fellow Soldiers and try to make their lives 

easier with counter-mobility, survivability, mobility and if need be, fighting 

shoulder-to-shoulder with them.”

Members of the 1413th Engineer 

Company, scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in 2014, laid brick at Camp 

Atterbury’s Afghan village training arena.

“It’s great to be able to get this training, we don’t always have all of the 

materials that we could use to really 

do our [military occupational specialties] which is carpenters, masons and 

electricians,” said Staff Sgt. Thomas 

Campbell, Indianapolis, squad leader 

and jobsite noncommissioned officer. 

The Afghan village, part of Atterbury’s 

newest range, gave Soldiers realistic, 

immersive cultural training in an urban 

environment.

“It’s been great to get hands on like 

this,” said Campbell, “The fact that this 

village will be around for while, maybe 

through the rest of our careers, that we’ll 

be able to train here and it’ll bring back 

memories, is truly an honor. Hopefully it 

will fill our guys with pride and be motivating to continue this kind of work.”

113th Engineers focus on fundamentals

Indiana National Guard Spc. Obidiah McMurphy, North Vernon, Ind., and Pfc. Nina Ellerbee, Gary, Ind., carpentry masonry specialists in the 1413th 

Engineer Company, headquartered in North Vernon, Ind., lay cinder blocks at a mock Afghan, urban operations village at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 31.

Photo by John Crosby

BUILDING

BLOCKS
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 7

Guard hosts resiliency retreat

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Tien Do

Indiana National Guard Public Affairs

“Your loved ones all come from different branches of service, but here in 

Indiana we are all family,” said Maj. 

Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, adjutant 

general of Indiana.

Referring to the military family, Umbarger addressed 60 families who have 

lost a loved one since 9/11. The Indiana 

National Guard hosted the three-day 

Indiana Survivor Transition and Resilience Retreat for them.

Through the Indiana National Guard’s 

Family Programs and based on feedback from previous survivor programs, 

STARR was formed to better enhance 

family resilience and develop skills to 

cope with loss a service member.

“Our program with STARR is very 

encompassing and the family is defined 

by the survivors, not us,” said Carly M. 

Glorioso, survivor outreach services 

support coordinator. “Every year we 

plan on having a theme of some sort and 

this year is about resilience; resilience 

skills and coping skills, trigger points 

and how you deal with those things 

when life issues happen which retraumatizes the families.”

The weekend’s retreat held in August 

at an Indianapolis hotel had activities for 

both adults and children that included 

an opening night social, games, a 

Lt. Col. Marcus Thomas

Family Programs Director

The Indiana Military Family Exceptional Family Program initiative continues to expand. This program focuses on 

identifying, expanding and connecting 

military families caring for dependents 

with disabilities: children, aging parents, 

adult siblings and wounded warriors.

Four EFMP seminars and workshops, intended to increase awareness and to educate 

military families and the community, have 

been held throughout Indiana: Lawrence, 

Fort Wayne and South Bend.

The Indiana Guard Family Program 

team has aligned its efforts to better serve 

EFMP families with the Indiana Easter 

Seals Military Disability initiative. This 

links statewide resources to increase 

awareness, knowledge and access for 

military families.

The Indiana National Guard partnered 

with Bradford Woods, Indiana University, 

and Horses of Hope to pilot a program on 

recreational therapy, the Family Battle 

Buddies Program. This program seeks to 

increase connections between families and 

their service members. Bradford Wood 

Camp and Recreation Center works in 

conjunction with IU Health and other local 

military- and family-counseling centers.

The Indiana Military Education Initiative is targeted at producing legislation 

that helps to identify military youth with 

Indiana schools for purpose of supporting National Guard youth. This initiative 

strives to educate, advocate and increase 

support from educators, counseling and 

school administrators.

Lastly, the Indiana National Guard 

Family Programs team is partnering 

through Family Assistance various statewide communities to conduct Veterans 

Stand Down. This event is targeted as a 

community-outreach initiative to provide 

health screening, optical, dental and assistance with homelessness.

For more information see,

facebook.com/IndianaFamilyPrograms

Family Programs 

Update

contemplation and reflection room, and 

a freedom lives memorial by the Muncie 

Washington East Academy. 

Assisting with the retreat were 

advisors from UCLA who help military 

families with resiliency training. 

A Gold Star family prepares a care package for a service member overseas during a retreat in August.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lowry

A Gold Star child plays with a balloon during a 

National Guard resilience retreat in August.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Tien Do
8 Winter 2014

Blacksnakes train at Red Flag Alaska

By Master Sgt. Darin Hubble

122nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Approximately 180 Airmen with the 

122nd Fighter Wing participated in a 10-

day exercise, Red Flag Alaska at Eielson 

Air Force Base, Alaska, in August. 

“Taking part in exercises such as Red 

Flag Alaska is essential to the preparedness of our Airmen,” said Col. David L. 

Augustine, 122nd Fighter Wing commander. “This was a great opportunity to 

train with allied nations and experience 

working with live munitions. It simulates the first 10 days of combat in a war.”

The unit took part in exercises, which 

had a total of 60 aircraft and 2,600 personnel from the Air Force, Air National 

Guard, Navy and Marines as well as 

forces from Australia, South Korea and 

Japan. 

Flying with 11 different aircraft types, 

multiple aircrew and support teams provided unique opportunities to integrate 

different forces into a joint coalition 

training to sharpen their combat skills. 

The training allowed service members 

to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures and improved interoperability.

There was a large-force engagement 

of F-16 aggressors and many staged 

aircraft involved with the exercise. 

“Being involved provided us the opportunity to learn a great deal about 

the capabilities of other platforms that 

we normally don’t get a chance to plan 

and execute missions with,” said Maj. 

Jeremy Stoner, 122nd Fighter Wing 

weapons officer. 

The 122nd Fighter Wing’s Maintenance Group had many challenges 

while operating in Alaska. The distance 

that repair parts had to travel across the 

country, once ordered, made it difficult 

to respond quickly to maintenance issues. The large distance from the unit’s 

work area to where live munitions were 

loaded made the work difficult due to 

the additional time that it took for tools 

and movement of support equipment.

With a mix of fulltime and traditional 

pilots, maintainers and support elements, 

the 180 Blacksnakes with 10 of their A10C Thunderbolts took advantage of the 

opportunity to work with live munitions 

and perform training that is not offered 

during home station training assemblies. 

“This prepared us from a maintenance 

aspect, it gave us a realistic picture of 

what it’s like to meet a real-world air 

tasking order in a combat environment 

so it’s not brand new when we really are 

deployed,” said Capt. Matthew Metzger, 

122nd Fighter Wing maintenance officer. 

A-10C Thunderbolt II

F-15K Slam Eagle

F-15 Eagle

F-16 Fighting Falcon

F-22 Raptor

F/A-18 Super Hornet

EA-18G Growler

C-130 Hercules

E-3 Sentries

KC-130 Hercules

KC-135 Stratotanker

Aircraft

Countries

Australia

Japan

South Korea

United States

States

Alabama

Alaska

California

Indiana

Lousiana

Oklahoma

Washington

A 122nd Fighter Wing A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft taxis down a runway during Red Flag Alaska, Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. 

Photo by Staff Sgt. Kirsten Wicker
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 9

Paratroopers test skills

By Staff Sgt. David Bruce

Atterbury-Muscatatuck Public Affairs

Indiana National Guard Soldiers 

with Company C, 2nd Squadron, 152th 

Cavalry Regiment, competed for the 

Chris Robinson Best Team Award at 

Atterbury-Muscatatuck in July.

Company C, Long Range Surveillance Soldiers annually hold the competition in remembrance of Staff Sgt. 

Christian Robinson, who died during 

a night jump with British paratroopers, 

Sept. 3, 1995. The Best Team Award 

was established the following year and 

has been held each year since. 

During the event, Soldiers in each of 

the teams had to take an Army Physical 

Fitness Test to the unit standard, scoring 

more than 90 percent in each category; 

take a test on unit history; perform day 

and night land navigation; parachute 

from helicopters; firing weapons in 

a stress-shoot scenario; navigate an 

obstacle course; push a Humvee and 

undertake three road marches with very 

little sleep or rest.

“It takes a special type of person to go 

through this meat grinder,” said 1st Sgt. 

Joshua Brown, senior noncommissioned 

officer for Company C. “Chris had extremely high standards and expectations 

for his team. In his honor, every year we 

honor his sacrifice by holding this competition in his name. So we run the guys 

through 36 hours of grueling activity.”

Brown said this year they had nine 

teams competing, eight long-range 

reconnaissance and surveillance teams 

and one sniper team. The teams are 

comprised of a staff sergeant, whom 

acts as team leader, a sergeant as an assistant squad leader and includes four 

specialists or below.

Capt. Brenden Williams, commander 

of Company C, 2nd Squadron, 152nd 

Cavalry Regiment, said the event summarizes the unit activities for the year.

LRS Soldiers honor fallen comrade who died in ‘95 training accident

“This is the culmination of all their 

training for the year,” he said. “It allows 

the team leaders to see the results of their 

training and readiness.”

Williams also said that the Soldiers’ 

longevity with the unit factors into their 

performance in the competition.

“What enables us to be so successful is 

that the Soldiers stay in the unit for 

10-15 years. Right now we have 107 

percent strength with no vacancies in 

the unit,” said Williams. “We have 

great, relevant training, and troops will 

want to come for that.”

That longevity also gives these 

Soldiers a deep knowledge base and 

wealth of experience to pass on to 

younger Soldiers, said Williams.

Brown, who has been with Company C since 2001, said it takes six to 

eight years to build an LRS team member, which also factors in to longevity.

The winner of this year’s Robinson 

Best Team Award was the company’s 

sniper section, comprised of Sgt. 

Granville Carpenter, of Plainfield, 

Ind., Sgt. Jacob Blount, Charlestown, Ind.; Spc. Charlie Koeppen, 

Carmel, Ind.; Spc. Jeremiah Branson, 

Shelbyville, Ind.; and Cadet Siefa 

Massaley, of Indianapolis.

“Winning this means a lot,” said 

Carpenter. “The C Company NCOs 

are the most stringent in the state 

and to be recognized by them is an 

absolute honor.”

Blount said the last time a sniper section won the competition was in 2007.

“This is a good acknowledgement 

about our training, what we’ve been 

doing for the past year,” said Blount. 

“History is a big part of the unit and 

is part of the competition. It’s through 

this that the guys will be remembered 

for generations,” said Blount.

The sniper section will have their 

names engraved on the Chris Robinson award and in the unit history forming a continuity from past to future.

“The fact that we’re sitting here 

talking about Chris is a testament to 

his high standards and character,” said 

Brown. “I’m extremely proud of the 

leadership that has kept this going for 

almost 20 years and to keep it going 

for 20 more.” 

Staff Sgt. Christian Robinson circa 1994.

Courtesy photo

Indiana National Guard Soldiers march to a UH-60 

helicopter for their jump at Camp Atterbury.

Photo by Mary Alice Williams
10 Winter 2014

BOLD QUEST:

French airmen with the air maintenance crew 

complete communication checks and flight preparations on a French Mirage fighter during Bold 

Quest 13.2 at the 122nd Fighter Wing headquarter in Fort Wayne, Ind., Sept. 11, 2013.

French soldiers call in a fire mission at Camp Atterbury, Ind., Sept. 14, 2013. The French army worked 

with the Indiana National Guard to coordinate fire missions during Bold Quest 13.2, a two-week, multinational capabilities demonstration held at five military installations across Indiana. 

Photo by John Crosby

Photo by Sgt. Will Hill

French troops watch a Camp Atterbury impact zone. 

Photo by John Crosby

By Sgt. Will Hill

Atterbury-Muscatatuck Public Affairs

More than 1,000 coalition troops 

from 12 allied nations and NATO gathered at five training sites across Indiana 

to participate in Bold Quest 13.2.

Bold Quest 13.2 was a two-week 

demonstration involving air-combat 

assessment, joint fires, maneuvers and 

system concepts.

Personnel from Australia, Belgium, 

Canada, Germany, Denmark, Finland, 

France, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, 

United Kingdon and United States took 

part in Bold Quest 13.2.

German Capt. Martin Vogt, an airborne early warning and control system 

fighter locator with NATO, said Bold 

Quest was a demonstration of new 

communications systems that has realworld applications which allows coalition nations to work together to solve 

communication issues they might face 

in the future.

“Basically you are mirroring what you do 

in an operation,” said Vogt. “Your operation is not going to be a single nation. In 

the future it will always be a multination 

operation. You are going to have all these 

different systems that are normally not 

designed to be compatible, and you want 

them to have certain compatibility so you 

can exchange data between the different 

nations. That is why this exercise is really 

good because you get all the different nations, and you get all the different systems 

and you can see where you are and what 

you can do.”

Training Sites

122nd Fighter Wing HQ

Grissom Air Reserve Base

Camp Atterbury

Muscatutuck 

Jefferson Proving Ground
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 11

Indiana hosts multinational 

air, fires, commo exercise

Indiana National Guard Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 150th Field 

Artillery Regiment fire an M777 Howitzer at Camp Atterbury, 

Ind., Sept. 14, 2013. The artillerymen received their fire mission 

from a team of French army forward observers, part of Bold 

Quest 13.2, a multinational capabilities demonstration held at 

military installations across Indiana. Photo by John Crosby
12 Winter 2014

Hoosier Redlegs provide 

By John Crosby

Atterbury-Muscatutuck Public Affairs

A steady stream of radio chatter fills the 

muggy, early afternoon air as a hand full 

of Airmen, Marines and Soldiers sit atop 

an old concrete bunker overlooking Camp 

Atterbury’s impact zone. 

The men are fitted with vests laden with 

ammunition, binoculars, maps, protractors, 

compasses, radios and antennas. They wear 

headsets beneath their helmets. They watch 

their target, a bunker on a far slope, slightly 

concealed by trees roughly a mile and half 

to the southwest.

A plume of smoke and dirt rises from the 

earth, violently at first, and then dissipates 

into the trees approximately a quarter mile 

from their target. The sound of the explosion claps and echoes throughout the rolling Illinois National Guard Senior Airman Cody Canfield, a Joint Tactical Air Control Party specialist, observes the impact zone as his team calls in artillery rounds onto target at Camp Atterbury in August. 

Indiana National Guard Spc. Joseph Bobay, an artilleryman with Battery C, 2nd Bn., 150th Field Artillery Regiment, fires a round from an M777 towed howitzer.

Photo by John Crosby

Photo by John Crosby
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 13

 live fire for joint exercise

terrain seconds after the smoke rises. 

“Left 30, drop 400,” said Marine Lance Cpl. 

Keith Bohannon, East Anolle, Ga., walking 

the 100-pound, artillery rounds in onto his 

target. Bohannon is a forward observer with 

the 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, 

headquartered at Camp LeJeune, N.C.

Meanwhile, roughly seven and half miles 

across post, Indiana National Guard Soldiers 

of 2nd Battalion, 150th Field Artillery Regiment, headquartered in Bloomington, Ind., 

load another 155mm, high-explosive round 

into the breach of an M777 howitzer.

“I would say the biggest barrier we have is 

in the lingo,” said 1st Lt. Dan Fleming, Milan, Ind., a field artillery officer in the 2-150. 

“The Marines, the Air Force and the Army 

all have a different way of saying and doing 

things. We’ll be working with other branches 

in theatre,” said Fleming. “Therefore we need 

to understand and learn their lingo now, so 

that when we do get to combat, and they need 

artillery fire, we can support them.”

This joint team of Airmen, Marines and 

Soldiers worked together at Camp Atterbury 

in August to become comfortable and familiar in coordinating artillery and air strikes in 

cooperation with different branches of the 

military during a joint exercise, part of Operation Northern Strike 13. 

Northern Strike is a two-week-long, largescale, combat-training exercise involving 

more than two dozen units from a dozen 

states held annually at Camp Grayling, Mich. 

Atterbury provides the forward observers a 

variable in their training as they are flown 

here for a grueling three-day scenario. This 

change in arena presents a challenge to the 

forward observers as they must quickly adapt 

to navigate the new terrain, evade the enemy 

and accurately call for fire. 

“Basically this simulates a change in theater, 

whether it’s from Iraq to Afghanistan or different areas of operations in Afghanistan,” said 

Marine Capt. Dan Evans, Jacksonville, N.C., 

a supporting arms liaison team leader with 

the 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company. 

Evans said this scenario provided vital 

training for his unit as they are scheduled for 

a deployment to Afghanistan in 2013.

“It’s been great getting to integrate in and 

work with Army indirect fire assets. 

Army and Marines both provide artillery support, but we speak different 

languages on it. So it’s been a very good 

learning tool for my guys to better understand and speak Army lingo to better 

get rounds on target.”

Evan’s team was the first of three 

iterations to run the course. Army 

observer-controller trainers provided 

spot corrections, advice and feedback to 

the forward observers while Air Force 

officers headed the course.

“Too often when we train unit specifics, 

we don’t train together as a combinedarms team,” said Maj. Scott Grotbo, 

Bloomington, Ill., officer in charge of 

the JTAC exercise. “We bring the different branches together here and study 

each other. We share a lot of knowledge 

and experience. It’s ultimately a huge 

win for everyone involved.”

High-explosive, 155mm rounds for an M777 towed howitzer. 

An Air Force C-130 departs Camp Atterbury, Ind., carrying Northern Strike Airmen and Marines.

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Keith Bohannon and 

Capt. Dan Evans, review a map while calling in 

artillery strikes during Northern Strike 13 exercise held at Camp Atterbury, Ind., Aug. 13, 2013.

Photo by John Crosby

Photo by John Crosby

Photo by John Crosby
14 Winter 2014

Atterbury, Muscata

Exercise Stats

5,700+ troops, civilians

850 square miles

400+ dynamic, computer simulations

300+ role players

300+ Indiana National Guard troops

140+ distinguished visitors

140 live training events

16-day training window

7 training areas 

3 primary airfields

Vibrant 

Units from 27 states, territories

Approximately 5,700 service members and civilians from federal and state 

agencies throughout the country worked 

together to provide a realistic training 

exercise, known as Vibrant Response, at 

Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Urban 

Training Center from July 29 to Aug. 16. 

Vibrant Response tested the life-sa

capabilities of federal-response fo

during a simulated, catastrophic d

ter: chemical, biological, radiologic

nuclear attack. Vibrant Response i

largest Defense Department confirm

exercise for specialized-response fo

Soldiers on board a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 147 Aviation Regiment, based out of 

Frankfort, Ky., drop water on a target while conducting firefighting training during Vibrant Response at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 6. 

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brad Staggs

Military first responders decontaminate sur
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 15

atuck host joint, disaster exercise

 Response

s

aving 

orces 

disas

cal or 

is the 

mation 

orces.

Photo by Sgt. Will Hill

U.S. Army Reserve Spc. Guillermo Ortiz, 311th Mortuary Affairs Battalion in Puerto Rico, creates artificial flesh wounds.

Indiana Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Carl Judeson, left, Indianapolis, a 151st Infantry 

Regiment squad leader, detains role player Sgt. Marcus Valles, a U.S. Army North intelligence analyst, who attempted to steal supplies during the exercise, Wednesday, July 31.

Photo by Sgt. Will Hill

Members of the Ohio National Guard’s 52nd Civil Support Team wait for help 

as their commander acts as a victim who had succumbed to fumes during 

Vibrant Response at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Thursday, Aug. 1.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brad Staggs

Photo by Sgt. Will Hill

rvivors of a simulated nuclear detonation during Vibrant Response.
16 Winter 2014

Hoosiers partner with Kuwaiti troo

WATER

OVER

By 1st Lt. Terry Specyal

Company C, 2-238th GSAB

Unit Public Affairs Representative

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – When the 

unthinkable becomes reality – a Soldier or 

an ally isolated, injured, alone on land or 

sea – an Indiana National Guard medical 

evacuation company stands ready to respond. 

Since January, Company C, 2-238th 

General Support Aviation Battalion, has 

served as the sole U.S. aeromedical asset 

for American and friendly forces in Kuwait. 

Due to the shrinking footprint of U.S. 

forces abroad, this once multiservice 

mission spearheaded by the U.S. Navy is 

now the full responsibility of Company C.

“Learning techniques and procedures 

from the U.S. Navy was a must, since Army 

aviation units typically do not fly overwater 

for personnel recovery operations,” said 

Capt. Chris Zell, C Company’s medical 

evacuation operations officer. 

While the Guard Soldiers picked up on 

some Navy techniques, they also had to fend 

for themselves in other areas. 

“We had to invent our own techniques 

in order to operate within the capabilities 

for our aircraft to still meet the mission 

requirements,” said Zell. “For example, the 

Navy aircraft have hover hold capability, 

ours do not, so things like creating references 

in the water with dye packs and increasing 

hover heights slightly were necessary to 

overcome aircraft limitations.”

Yet the Company C commander, Maj. 

Bryon Blohm, saw the opportunity for his 

Soldiers to challenge themselves in a new 

Company C, 2-238th GSAB helicopter aircrew complete a rescue hoist training event.

Photo by Sgt. Lou Torres

A Kuwaiti Air Force member is lowered from a SA 330 Puma helicopter during a joint, personnel recovery exercise with Company C, 2-238th General Support Aviation Battalion over the Persian Gulf.

Photo by Maj. Randall Stillinger

Photo by Maj. Randall Stillinger

An aircrew from Company C conducts deck-landing qualifications on a U.S. Navy ship. 
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 17

ops in exercise, mission

in the Desert

environment, mission and working with 

other countries. 

“The personnel recovery mission 

executed by medevac is a unique 

opportunity to leverage existing assets 

in this theater to meet today’s joint 

operational environment,” said Maj. 

Bryon Blohm, Company C commander.

Partnership and Training

In an effort to build the relationship 

between U.S. and Kuwaiti forces, the 

aviation units in country took part in 

a partnership mission. It was a unique 

opportunity for both country’s aviators 

and crew members. 

“The opportunity to operate alongside 

another countries aviators is challenging 

and exciting. It develops confidence in 

our own aircrews and in the crews of 

our partnered nations. It was apparent, 

working alongside the Kuwaiti soldiers, 

that they were dedicated to their mission 

and were confident in the ability of the U.S. 

to complete ours as well,” said Blohm.

The Kuwaiti and U.S. troops exchanged 

tactics techniques and procedures. They 

were briefed on each other’s helicopters, 

equipment and operations. They also flew 

on muli-aircraft training missions, ate 

meals together and got to know each other 

on a personal level. 

In April, the training culminated with 

a Kuwaiti and U.S. overwater recovery 

exercise in which both country’s were able 

to demonstrate their proficiency should an 

overwater incident occur. Since then, the 

leadership from both forces have been 

planning for more in-depth joint missions 

and have increased the frequency of their 

meeting and planning sessions. 

Long Road to Overwater

Yet to get to this partnership, Company 

C had to go through a lot of training, 

which included helicopter overwater 

survival training, commonly known as 

dunker training, at Fort Rucker, Ala. At 

the southern Alabama post, home of Army 

aviation, the National Guard Soldiers 

learned how to remove themselves from 

the aircraft in the event a helcopter enters 

the water.

Dunker training includes a number of 

tasks – swimming, treading water, learning 

how to breathe using an underwater 

breathing apparatus, being dunked upside 

down into the water. The final task to pass 

the dunker course: escaping from a mock, 

downed helicopter that the instructors 

plunged, using a crane, cables and wires, 

into a 12-foot pool, and then inverted 

it. The Soldiers had to escape using a 

breathing apparatus in day and simulated 

night, with darkened goggles.

Once in Kuwait, the Company C 

Soldiers trained even more. 

The aircrew members conducted fixeddeck landing pattern training at Udairi 

Army Airfield. This task familiarized 

the crew with proper terminology and 

execution of landing on a ship. Next, the 

aircrews moved to a U.S. Navy ship off the 

coast of Kuwait to conduct day and night 

vision goggle deck landing qualifications. 

The aircrews also qualified on ship 

“We had to invent our own 

techniques ... to operate 

within the capabilities for 

our aircraft to still meet the 

mission requirements.”

See OVERWATER, page 19 – Capt. Chris Zell

Company C, 2-238th GSAB Soldiers in a UH-60 

Black Hawk helicopter hoist a Soldier out of the 

Persian Gulf while dye marks the location.

Ground forces load a patient onto a UH-60 Black 

Hawk bound for the combat support hospital.

Photo by Maj. Randall Stillinger

Photo by Capt. Sam Arnett
18 Winter 2014

Deployed to Kosovo since March, Indiana National Guard 

Soldiers with the 638th Aviation Support Battalion’s Detachment 2, Company B maintain helicopter assets from Camp 

Bondsteel throughout Multinational Battle Group - East.

As part of Kosovo Force 17, the Hoosier Soldiers work 

with Florida Guardsmen and forces from the United States, 

Germany, France, Poland, Croatia, and a coalition from more 

than 25 other countries.

“This deployment is unique because we are not just dealing 

with U.S. Soldiers,” said Sgt. Norman Adams, a UH-60 repairman from Shelbyville, Ind. “We have had to overcome obstacles such as language barriers and a difference in training.” 

The multinational forces help provide a secure environment, ensure public safety and also support and coordinate 

humanitarian efforts in the southeastern European country. 

Detachment 2 Soldiers tested their mettle Aug. 21, when 

an engine fault forced a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to 

make an unscheduled landing at Camp Prizren. The Hoosier 

troops of the downed-aircraft recover team sprang into action.

“We hit the ground running,” said Spc. Nathan Thompson, 

a Detachment 2 mechanic from Harmony, Ind. “There was 

great team effort; everyone was motivated and ready to work. 

We had the engine out within 15-20 minutes.” 

German troops assisted, and they provided engine lift 

capabilities with a crane and forklift on this recovery mission.

“They jumped up on the aircraft with us and helped wherever they needed to,” said Spc. Justin Sciscoe, a Detachment 

2 mechanic. “They were ready to get their hands dirty.” 

Sciscoe said the German soldiers were willing to help 

out wherever they could even though they didn’t have any 

experience working on Black Hawks.

Within 48 hours the recovery team troops replaced the engine and performed safety checks and tests. Pilots then flew the 

Black Hawk back to Camp Bondsteel, and it returned to service.

Editor’s note: Pfc. Gary Burnette, Detachment 2, Company B, 

638th Aviation Support Battalion, unit public affairs representative, and Capt. Randy Ready, 4th Public Affairs Detachment, 

contributed to this story. 

Hoosier Guardsmen get Black Hawk flying

KFOR DART

Detachment 2, Company B, 638th Aviation Support Battalion Soldiers replace the engine on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, Aug. 21, at Camp Prizren. 

Soldiers replace the engine on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, Aug. 21.

Photo by Capt. Randy Ready

Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Phelps
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 19

landings for refueling or resupply 

activities during a rescue. These 

landings require planning and precision 

for all aircrew members. 

With deck landings complete, the 

aircrew conducted overwater hoist 

training, first with simulated patients 

then graduating to Soldiers. 

“I was nervous about overwater rescue 

at first, because dunker terrified me. But 

once you get out there and start training 

for the mission, the fear goes away 

and all of your focus is on pulling the 

swimmer out of the water,” said Staff 

Sgt. Rebecca Holman, standardization 

instructor with Company C.

“You forget that you have on a ton of 

gear and it’s uncomfortable. You forget 

that you’re staring straight down into 

your biggest fear; you forget that you 

were ever scared and you concentrate 

on saving the person in the water,” said 

Holman. “I try to remember that if it 

were real life instead of training, the 

guy in the water doesn’t care that I’m 

scared or nervous. He wants me to save 

him, and he’s way more scared than I 

could ever be.”

During the exercise a U.S. Army dive 

team positions the stranded troop. 

The Company C Soldiers receive a 

nine-line medevac request. Helicopter 

rotors turn, while aircrews prepare for 

launch and wait for mission approval. 

Ariving on the scene, crews mark the 

isolated individual with water dye 

packs, while pilots maintain a steady 

hover overhead. 

Flying out over the Persian Gulf for 

the first time, and seeing nothing but blue 

water all around can be a little unsettling, 

said Staff Sgt. Russell Darrall, a platoon 

sergeant with Company C. 

Yet Darrall said he relied on the 

training to infuse his cofidence.

“You really start to think about the 

training you received during dunker, 

and feel confident that if something 

bad happened, you would be able to 

successfully exit the aircraft,” he said.

With a cable or rescue basket, the 

crew chief hoists the stranded individual 

aboard the helicopter. Then it’s a flight 

back to the combat support hospital. 

Mission complete ... until the next 

nine-line request. 

The medevac Soldiers with their 

training in hand and experience with 

their Kuwaiti conterparts stand ready 

for emergency responses. 

Overwater from page 17

The role of the medevac 

company continues to expand 

in Kuwait as the unit takes on 

additional roles. Opportunities 

exist for increased usage of the air 

ambulance company to augment 

ground emergency medical 

services through planning sessions, 

walk throughs and simulated 

events. Company C also provides 

care of U.S. and friendly forces 

while providing 24-hour coverage 

for nine-line emergency response, 

patient transfer and personnel 

recovery missions.

Combined with the enthusiasm 

and eagerness of the Kuwaiti 

counterparts, the relationships 

developed in the aviation 

community are paving the way for 

future opportunities. The Kuwaiti 

forces’ willingness to collaborate 

continues to develop as success in 

joint training missions continue. 

The outlook is promising. 

Future endeavors may include 

joint, downed-aircraft recovery 

missions, overwater recovery 

missions and humanitarian 

assistance missions. 

“Regardless of what is to come 

of this budding relationship, 

one thing is clear, the Soldiers 

involved are proud to be a part of 

something larger than themselves,” 

said Chief Warrant Officer 2 

Dustin Anderson, who served as a 

primary instructor for the Kuwati 

partnership.

The troops’ devotion is yet 

another way Company C Soldiers 

live up to the mantra of medevac, 

“DUSTOFF” – D e d i c a t e d 

Unhesitating Service To Our 

Fighting Forces.

– 1st Lt. Terry Specyal

Editor’s Note: 1st Lt. Terry Specyal 

is an aermoedical evacuation pilot 

and has been with Company C 

since February 2012.

Partnered Operations

Company C, 2-238th GSAB Soldiers in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter hoist a Soldier from the Persian Gulf while dye marks the location. Kuwaiti and U.S. forces conducted joint rescue operations.

Photo by Maj. Randall Stillinger
20 Winter 2014

Troops to the Track

Indiana Guardsmen participate in Brickyard 400

By Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lowry

38th Infantry Division Public Affairs

Six Indiana National Guard Soldiers with the 76th Infantry 

Brigade Combat Team’s Company C, 1st Battalion, 151st 

Infantry Regiment got VIP treatment at the 2013 Brickyard 

400 courtesy of the Armed Forces Foundation and NASCAR.

The Soldiers toured the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garages, met driver Joey Logano, attended the drivers’ meeting, 

walked pit lane and watched the race from the NASCAR suite. 

One Soldier, Staff Sgt. Joshua Kempf, Noblesville, Ind., 

waved the green flag to start the 20th running of the Brickyard, 

won by pole-sitter and Hoosier Ryan Newman. 

“I don’t think words can explain that,” said Kempf after 

waving the green flag from the starter’s stand high above the 

famed 2.5-mile oval. “It was awesome. That viewpoint was 

a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Kempf, an infantryman with Company C, is a dedicated 

race fan watching everything from midget cars to IndyCars.

“I’ve been watching racing my whole life, probably since 

before I was walking,” said Kempf.

While the citizen in Kempf enjoyed the experience as a 

fan, the Soldier in him held the experience in high regard. 

“It’s a real honor to be able to do something like this,” said 

Kempf of being able to start the race and the festivities leading up to it. “It’s been a wonderful experience.”

Capt. Jeremy D. Troutman, the Company C commander, 

chose Kempf for his dedication and leadership skills. 

“Staff Sgt. Kempf is loyal to Charlie Company, and not only 

him but his whole family is heavily involved in the family 

readiness group program. So we thought we’d give him that 

honor,” said Troutman, who was also Kempf’s platoon leader 

during the 76th’s deployment to Iraq in 2008. 

Troutman said that Kempf was put in a lead position in 

overseas convoys. 

“He got that position because he was trusted and the thorough way he conducted missions and training,” said Troutman. 

Kempf had the highest find to detonation ratio, 10 to 2, of 

roadside bombs in their battalion while in Iraq. 

Other Company C Soldiers also praised Kempf, who also 

deployed to Iraq in 2003. 

“He’s put so much into the unit with his knowledge. There’s 

not a Joe there who doesn’t look up to him. He’s a book of 

knowledge,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Law, who works with 

Kempf at Company C and was also a part of the Armed Forces 

Foundation’s Troops to the Track program. 

And though Kempf has attended many races and many at 

the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for another Soldier, Sgt. 

Nhat Nguyen, this was his first. 

“To be a part of the Troops to the Track event, I’m afraid 

from now on everything else will pale in comparison. They 

just set the expectations so high,” said Nguyen. “I wish everybody who puts on the uniform can do something like this.”

In 2013, Troops to the Track was a part of 26 of NASCAR’s 36 races. 

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brad Staggs

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brad Staggs

Staff Sgt. Joshua Kempf waves the green flag signifying the start of the 20th running of the Brickyard 400, Sunday, July 28, 2013, in Speedway, Ind. 

Maj. Gen. Lonnie Culver, 38th Infantry Division commanding general, 

speaks to the crowd prior to the running of the Brickyard 400, July 28, 2013. 
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 21

Indiana retires iconic, fixed-wing aircraft

Indiana National Guard Soldiers and retirees pose in front of a C-23 Sherpa during a retirement ceremony for the stalwart aircraft in Indianapolis in July.

By Staff Sgt. Les Newport

Indiana National Guard Public Affairs

Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, joined Soldiers of Detachment 3, Company D, 126th Aviation at 

the Indianapolis International Airport 

to bid farewell to the Indiana National 

Guard’s remaining C-23 Sherpa in July. 

The simple, rugged, Irish-built aircraft has served the Indiana National 

Guard since 1996 on stateside and overseas missions. The unit was joined by 

fellow and former pilots and crew who 

have flown thousands of C-23 mission 

hours in service to state and country. 

Formerly a U.S. Air Force asset, 

C-23 Sherpas where phased out in the 

1990s, but picked up by National Guard 

units across the country and became a 

stalwart in transport operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Deployed three times to Iraq.

Flew more than 5,000 accident-free 

combat hours.

Flew in relief efforts for Hurricane 

Katrina and Hurricane Sandy.

Carried scientific team flying search 

patterns in the Gulf of Mexico during 

Operation Deepwater Horizon looking for oil on the surface.

Conducted paradrop training operations with special operation units 

from all four services, more than 

20,000 personnel parachuted from 

the aircraft.

Flew more than 20 missions with 

military medical and surgical teams 

into Central and South America.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Les Newport

Photo by Staff Sgt. Les Newport

Sherpa Missions

A C-23 Sherpa propeller 
22 Winter 2014

Hoosier rallies troops, commandeers cannons

Medal Honor

A U.S. Army Civil War Medal of Honor

By Maj. Allen Skinner

Assistant Professor of Military Science 

at Indiana University

On July 12, 1861, President Abraham 

Lincoln signed into law a bill creating 

the Army Medal of Honor. Ultimately 

1,522 medals were awarded during the 

Civil War. Of that total, 45 of them were 

Indiana residents; 42 Soldiers and three 

Sailors. One was 2nd Lt. Frederick W. 

Fout, Indianapolis.

Fout, a German native who immigrated to Indiana, first enlisted as a private 

in the 7th Indiana Infantry in May 1861, 

and he fought in the first battles of the 

war to secure western Virginia. 

Fout returned to Indiana in August 

1861 then enlisted into the 15th Indiana 

Light Artillery Battery in December 

1861 as a gunner. Quickly promoted 

to orderly sergeant, he trained several 

months with the battery. The 15th Artillery mustered into Federal service in 

July 1862 at Camp Morton, Indianapolis, 

before deploying to Virginia. 

Once in Virginia, the battery was 

assigned to help protect the major Federal supply base at Harper’s Ferry, Va. 

In addition to his duties as the orderly 

sergeant and helping the first sergeant 

manage the battery, Fout also served 

as a section chief and filled in for many 

of the duties of a commissioned officer. 

In August 1862, Confederate Gen. 

Robert E. Lee invaded Maryland with 

the Army of Northern Virginia in order 

to confiscate supplies and attempt to 

spark a decisive final battle with the 

Army of the Potomac. 

As Lee’s troops marched up the 

Shenandoah River Valley, Lee sent a 

provisional infantry corps, led by Maj. 

Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, to 

capture Harper’s Ferry. Taking Harper’s 

Ferry would help secure Lee’s flank and 

yield large quantities of Yankee supplies 

and weapons to sustain the rebellion. 

Aided by inept Federal defensive planning, Jackson quickly occupied the 

high ground surrounding Harper’s Ferry, 

Sept. 14 1862. Once there, Jackson carefully positioned his artillery to pummel 

the Yankee garrison into submission. 

After enduring a day of bombardment, 

the Federal garrison surrendered in the 

morning Sept. 15 – yielding 12,500 

Yankee prisoners, 13,000 small arms 

and 47 field guns along with rations 

and uniforms. 

During the battle, the Yankee artillery 

fought at a decided disadvantage. Fout 

described the 15th Indiana Artillery 

arrayed on Bolivar Heights “without 

protection, were placed the four batteries, six guns each, at proper intervals”.

Seizing the high ground, the Rebels 

concentrated two division’s worth of 

artillery – 76 guns – able to drop plunging fire into the Union positions. On the 

14th, the Union and Rebel artillery fired 

at each other from long range, which 

produced few casualties, although Fout 

reported a Rebel shot hitting “the limber 

of the second piece of our battery, killing several horses and wounding three 

cannoneers.” 

The battery commander ordered Fout 

to ride to the field trains with three wagons for more ammunition and powder. 

After discovering the trains were out of 

ammunition. Fout returned to his battery 

only after stopping to help another gun 

section fire on the enemy. During the 

night Fout helped to reposition a gun 

section to guard the flank of the Union 

firing line. After daybreak on the 15th, 

the Rebels resumed their bombardment, 

sweeping Bolivar Heights with fire.

Fout received permission to return to 

his battery, riding more than a mile under indirect enemy fire. Once he reached 

the battery position, he was dismayed to 

find a section of guns unmanned after 

the lieutenant in charge deserted his 

post. Fout reassembled the gun crew and 

resumed firing, an act that drew the fire 

of every enemy gun within range of his 

position. He kept his crew firing until 

the Union surrender. 

Following the surrender, Fout was 

freed in a prisoner exchange and returned to the 15th Artillery in November 

1862 as a newly commissioned second 

lieutenant. He remained with the 15th 

Artillery, which he commanded during the Atlanta Campaign, Sherman’s 

March, and the end of the war. 

After the war, Fout married and 

established a glass-making business 

in Indianapolis. In 1881 he moved to 

St. Louis, and subsequently went into 

business helping fellow Civil War 

veterans file pension claims with the 

federal government. 

Fout was recommended for the 

Medal of Honor, which he received 

Nov. 2, 1896. His Medal of Honor citation reads: “Voluntarily gathered the 

men of the battery together, remanned 

the guns, which had been ordered surrendered by an officer, opened fire, and 

kept up the same on the enemy until 

after the surrender.” 
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 23

219th scouts tackle reconnoitering 

Competition is at the heart of the 

American Soldier. In July, Indiana 

National Guard Soldiers with A and B 

Troops, 2-152nd Cavalry, finished the 

last portion of their annual Top Scout 

Competition near their home station 

armory in Bluffton, Ind. Each troop is 

part of the reconnaissance and surveillance cavalry squadron of the 219th 

Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. As 

such, reconnaissance and surveillance 

missions are at the heart of what they 

do, and the success of those missions 

depends on the skills of each scout.

Each section within both troops 

competed on a variety of missions. It 

began with the planning: each section 

leader issued an operations order for an 

area reconnaissance. The competition 

concluded after each section completed 

a 12-mile road march. Each section was 

given four hours to complete a tactical 

road march to a named area of interest, 

complete their recon of this site and 

report their findings to the tactical operations center. Each section accomplished 

these tasks while also conducting a route 

reconnaissance along the way. 

The fastest section completed the task 

in less than three and half hours. This 

section was from Troop B, and consisted 

of Staff Sgt. Treeg Schmidt, Liberty 

Center, Ind., Sgt. Dane Zoda, Bluffton, 

Ind., Pfc. Preston Kemp, Westfield, Ind., 

Pfc. Justin Melton, Rochester, Ind., and 

Spc. Adam Hile, Fort Wayne, Ind. 

“This year’s Top Scout event was an 

excellent and challenging experience for 

my section leaders,” said Capt. Bradley 

Carter, Troop B commander.

The event was heavily based around 

troop leading procedures. The Soldiers 

created, briefed and issued the operations 

order at the section level, said Carter.

These experienced skills enhanced 

the noncommissioned officers’ abilities. 

“The intent behind this was to allow 

training for our mid-level NCO’s to 

continue to refine their technical and 

tactical skills in regards to operations. 

My section leaders did an outstanding 

job, and they learned a great deal during 

this process to include fully understanding the time and thought that goes into 

planning a mission,” said Carter.

– 2nd Lt. Scott Friedland

Editor’s Note: 2nd Lt. Scott Friedland 

is a scout platoon leader with Troop B, 

2-152 Cavalry

Indiana National Guard Soldiers with Troop B, 2-152 Cavalry complete the last leg of their 12-mile road march at the Top Scout competition.

Photo by 2nd Lt. Scott Friedland

Photo by 2nd Lt. Scott Friedland

Capt. Bradley Carter, second from left, receives a 

mission brief from one of his sections. 

Photo by 2nd Lt. Scott Friedland

Soldiers make their return to the Bluffton Armory 

during the second half of a 12-mile road march.
24 Winter 2014

Where are we now? Where are we going?

STRATEGIC PLANNING

By Lt. Col. J.R. Newman

Indiana National Guard, 

Strategic Plans Director

What is strategic planning?

Strategic planning, simply 

put, is asking the questions 

where we are now and and where do 

we want to be as an organization in 

five to 10 years? It sounds simple but it 

is not. One of our hardest tasks, as an 

organization, is to scan the horizon and 

try to predict our future operating environment. The strategic plans directorate 

updates the Indiana National Guard’s 

strategic plan semiannually.

What has changed in our current 

operating environment? The wars in 

Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down 

and this means resources will greatly 

reduced. The number of people on 

active-duty operational support orders is 

predicted to be cut by 90 percent. With 

a 17 trillion dollar national debt, we are 

experiencing automatic budget cuts, aka 

sequestration.

Why do we need to plan strategically?

In the environment we are operating in right now, we need to prioritize 

what is most important to the Indiana 

National Guard and how to utilize our 

resources wisely. We also need to ask, 

“What can we do now to minimize the 

threats to our organization?”

Why is this important to you?

Strategic planning is important to 

the organization because everyone 

will be affected in our new operating 

environment. We need everyone down 

to the unit level to understand the commander’s intent. The strategic plans office receives guidance from the governor 

and the adjutant general.

The Indiana National Guard’s current 

mission and vision. 

Mission

The Indiana National Guard generates, sustains, and ensures through a 

viable internal control program, fully 

capable units, facilities, installations and 

individuals ready to serve our communities, states, and nation. 

Vision

The Indiana National Guard continues as a premier National Guard force 

in generating and sustaining ready, reliable, relevant, accessible and responsive 

individuals and formations securing our 

homeland and supporting the war fight. 

We embrace expanding civil-military 

relationships, emerging doctrine and 

technological advances, while honoring 

the foundation of our heritage. 

We commit to the stewardship of the 

resources entrusted to us through a viable internal control program. 

We employ whole-of-nation, wholeof-government efforts and incorporate 

public-private partnerships to enhance, 

complement and reinforce our business 

practices.

 We remain your diverse, communitybased force of patriotic professionals 

dedicated to military values, ethics, the 

warrior ethos and the family covenant. 

Matching Goals to Objectives

When Gov. Mike Pence set his vision for Indiana, he asked his cabinet 

members to brief their strategic plans 

and how they were going to take their 

organizations from “good to great.” The 

good news is when we briefed the governor, we found out we were already had 

programs that supported his priorities.

One of the governor’s priorities is to 

improve graduation rates and literacy of 

Indiana citizens. Recruiting and Retention Battalion launched a new program 

similar to the United Way program 

“Real Men Read” called “Real Soldiers 

Read.” Initial metrics show a 46 percent 

increase in literacy rates from the United 

Way program. This is just one example 

of how our strategic plan aligns with the 

governor’s priorities. 

See the chart above for more examples of alignment.

TAG Priorities

The adjutant general has emphasized 

that we need to get back to the basics.

Personnel readiness: the right service members, with the right ranks, right 

job specialties, and medically, physically and mentally ready to perform their 

wartime missions.

Equipment readiness: fully mission 

capable equipment ready to support the 

state in disasters or emergencies and 

also ready for the war fight overseas.

Goals to Objectives

Indiana National Guard

Strategic Plan Goals

Man the Force

Equip the Force

Train the Force

Optimize Force Structure

Provide Infrastructure

Facilities

Communicate Strategically

Strategic Initiatives & 

Business Transformation

Service Member 

Family Resilience

Manage Resources

Gov. Mike Pence’s 

Objectives

Increase Private Employment

Attract New Investments

Improve Math, Reading Skills

Increase Graduation Rates

Improve Quality of Workforce 

Improve Health, Safety & 

Well-being

See STRAT PLANS, page 26
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 25

Slovak defense chief visits Indiana

Chief of the General Staff of the 

Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, 

Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek, visited the Hoosier state in July. 

He toured Camp Atterbury, Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, the 

Evansville Armory and National 

Guard youth at Operation Purple Camp 

at Camp Carson in Princeton, Ind. 

Indiana and the Slovak Republic 

have been partnered for 20 years as 

part of the National Guard Bureau’s 

State Partnership Program. 

More information can be found at 

this link: http://www.nationalguard.

mil/features/spp/default.aspx

Slovak Republic Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek, armed 

forces chief of the general staff, listens to a 1st 

Battalion, 163rd Field Artillery Regiment Soldier.

Slovak Republic Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek, armed forces chief of the general staff, leads a patrol at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in July. 

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Matt Scotten

Slovak Republic Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek, armed forces chief of the general staff, fires an M119 howitzer 

as a 1st Battalion, 163rd Field Artillery Regiment Soldier watches at the Evansville Armory, July 3.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Matt Scotten

Slovak Republic Lt. Gen. Peter Vojtek, armed forces chief of the general staff, listens and 

watches a 1st Battalion, 163rd Field Artillery Regiment Soldier at the Evansville Armory.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Matt Scotten

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Matt Scotten
26 Winter 2014

Strat Plans from page 24

Resource accountability: full accountability for all equipment on hand 

as well as being good stewards of scarce 

taxpayer dollars.

Family Programs: taking care of 

service members, their spouses and their 

children remains a high priority for the 

adjutant general

The Individual

So, what does this mean to the Soldier 

and Airman at the company level?

You may be tasked to complete a 

health assessment or you may be tasked 

to get a dental check up. 

You may also be tasked to inventory 

equipment to include your military clothing and individual equipment. 

You may also be asked to perform 

an inspection to support the Managers 

Internal Control Program or the Organizational Inspection Program. 

You may also be asked to attend 

suicide prevention training or sexual 

assault prevention and response training 

because treating our fellow troops with 

dignity and respect is a readiness issue 

and an adjutant general priority. As for 

suicide prevention, one suicide is one 

too many. Service members at all levels 

need to take care of each other and be 

willing to ask for help if needed.

Daily Operations

Things we do day-in and day-out are 

more operational and tactical than strategic, but it is important for our overall 

strategy. One of the biggest threats to the 

organization is the budget and potential 

force reductions. The day-to-day actions 

of every service member contribute to 

the Indiana National Guard’s overall 

readiness, and it is important for us to be 

ready to go, green status, in all categories when National Guard Bureau looks 

at Indiana from a national perspective. 

Our strategy to be “green” may reduce 

the threat of force reductions for Indiana.

Long-term Goals

This last year we added some longterm strategic goals that include:

> Acquiring F-35 Joint Strike Fighters

> Diversity

> Training ISO civil authorities

> Develop marketing

> Develop strategic communications 

> Facility, armory stationing plan

> Unmanned aerial systems

> Development of a future cell

> Maintain, strengthen force structure

> Increase cyber structure, abilities. 

Summary

In an uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment. Strategic planning and 

continual process improvement is now 

more important than ever. 

All service members need to realize 

that operation and fragmentary orders 

may be tied to an overall strategic goal 

or command priority so, every Airman 

and Soldier really do count. People are 

our greatest asset. 

TAG Priorities – Back to Basics

Personal Readiness

Equipment Readiness

Resource Accountability

Family Programs

By Capt. Christina Shepard 

76th IBCT Public Affairs

A 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team 

Soldier became made of iron, Aug. 25.

That’s when Sgt. 1st Class Jose Garcia, the brigade’s Special Troops Battalion senior supply sergeant, completed 

the Ironman Louisville, that consisted 

of a 2.4-mile swim in the Ohio River, a 

112-mile bicycle race around the Louisville, Ky., area and a 26.2 mile marathon.

Garcia, finished his swim in 1:19:22, 

the biking in 6:40:06, and the marathon 

in 5:24:15.

His mother, who raised five children 

and battles diabetes, inspired Garcia to 

attack such challenges. 

Garcia’s first triathlon came in 2006, 

and he’s run in numerous 3.1- and 6.2-

mile races, half-marathons and marathons. He set his sights for this Ironman 

11 months prior to the competition. 

His advice for other athletes?

“You absolutely, positively, have to be 

disciplined in your training, eating habits, and you have to drink water,” said 

Garcia, who recommends 96 ounces of 

water per day.

Emotions overtook Garcia within 100 

meters of finishing the marathon when 

he saw his mother in the crowd.

“I did it Ma,” Garcia told her. “I did it.”

IRONMAN

Sgt. 1st Class Jose Garcia jumps for joy as he 

finishes an Ironman triathlon in Louisville, Ky. 

Courtesy photo
 www.in.ng.mil Indiana Guardsman 27

Indiana National Guard Pfc. Greg Jonas 

Indianapolis, infantryman with the 219th 

Battlefield Surveillance Brigade’s 

Company D, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry 

Regiment, headquartered in Frankfort, 

Ind., rappels from the 45-foot tall 

rappel tower at Camp Atterbury, Ind., 

July 27, 2013. 
Indiana National Guard Soldiers with the 2-238th General Support 

Aviation Battalion unload a UH-60 Black Hawk from a C-5 Galaxy, Aug. 

29, 2013, at Kuwait International Airport. For more on the GSAB, start 

at page 16. Photo by Maj. Randall Stillinger