OUR ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE THE KAISER AFTER WORLD WAR I

OCTOBER 2017 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4

HURRICANE

RELIEF EFFORT

HOW THE TN GUARD IS

PROVIDING ASSISTANCE

FOLLOWING THIS YEAR’S

DEVASTATING HURRICANES
2 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

ON THE COVER

Master Sgt. Richard Payne, of the 134th Air 

Refueling Wing in Knoxville, is a lead crew 

chief for a KC-135 Stratotanker. Outside 

of the Guard, Payne’s passion is restoring 

Corvairs and other classic cars.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Young

08

Meet the 

Corv-airman: 

Master Sgt. 

Richard Payne

14

Tennessee 

Guard’s Attempt at Kidnapping the 

Kaiser.

26

Hurricane 

Relief in 

the Virgin 

Islands.

28

Assessing 

Damage with 

the Air Guard.

THE VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD MAGAZINE
3

The Volunteer State Guard Magazine is published to provide command and public information about Tennessee 

Guard Soldiers and Airmen throughout the world. Views 

expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official view of and it is not endorsed by 

the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the 

Departments of the Army and the Air Force. This publication does not supersede any information presented in any 

other official Air or Army publication. Articles, photos, artwork and letters are invited and should be addressed to: 

Editor, The Volunteer State Guard, 3041 Sidco Dr., Attn: 

TNPAO, Nashville, TN 37204.

For more information, the staff can be reached by telephone (615) 313-0633, or by email to tnpao@live.com. 

The Volunteer State Guard reserves the right to edit all 

material. Published works may be reprinted, except 

where copyrighted, provided credit is given to The Volunteer State Guard and the authors. Distribution of the The 

Volunteer State Guard is electronic and can be downloaded at: http://www.tnmilitary.org.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ART DIRECTION

SENIOR EDITORS

PHOTOGRAPHY 

WRITERS

VIDEO

Maj. (Ret) Randy Harris

Rob Pennington

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Nick Atwood

Maj. Darrin Haas 

Master Sgt. Robin Brown

Sgt. 1st Class William Jones

Rob Pennington

Lt. Col. Dale Greer 

Sgt. 1st Class Edgar A. Castro

Sgt. 1st Class William Jones

Senior Airman Anthony Agosti 

Tech Sgt. Daniel Gagnon

Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Young

Staff Sgt. Allan Eason

Spc. Lauren Ogburn

Calvin Mattheis

Maj. (Ret.) Randy Harris

Maj. Darrin Haas

Master Sgt. Robin Brown

Spc. Lauren Ogburn

Laura Ayo

J. Brian Garmon

Staff Sgt. Teri Eicher

VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4

CONTENTS VSG

8 MEET THE CORV-AIRMAN

Master Sgt. Richard Payne is a Lead Crew Chief for a KC-135 Stratotanker and also has a Passion for Restoring Corvairs.

12 EFFICIENT PARTNERS

The Tennessee Air National Guard finds a New Partner for Improving 

Energy Efficiency... AFCEC.

14 KIDNAPPING THE KAISER

The Tennessee National Guard’s Amazingly Indiscrete Attempt to Capture the Kaiser in 1919.

24 HEALTH CARE HERO

Tennessee Air National Guardsman, Charity Menefee ‘Pulls People Together’ for Sake of Community.

26 ISLAND RECOVERY

Tennessee Soldiers and Helicopters Head to the Virgin Islands to assist 

with Hurricane Irma Relief Efforts.

27 MP’S ASSIST AFTER STORM

Tennessee Guard Military Police Arrive in the Virgin Islands.

28 ASSESSING DAMAGE

Tennessee Air National Guard Provides Imagery Analysis to Support 

Hurricane Relief Efforts.

30 DEPLOYING TO KUWAIT

Members of the 248th Aviation Support Battalion Leave for a Year-long 

Deployment to Kuwait in Support of Operation Spartan Shield.

32 118TH LENDS A HAND

Tennessee National Guard Monitors Oil Refineries after Hurricane Harvey Devastation.

33 BOOK REVIEW

Maj. Darrin Haas Gives his Review of 

Andrew Jackson: His Life And Times.

tnmilitary.org

OCTOBER, 2017
4

PUERTO RICO PIT STOP

Sept. 19, 2017 - Members of the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion paused relief 

operations in the Virgin Island due to incoming Hurricane Maria. They hopped over to 

Puerto Rico to store the aircraft in a Cold War era B52 hanger until the storm passed. 

PHOTO BY: 1-230TH ASSAULT HELICOPTER BATTALION

T E N N E S S E E 

SNAPSHOT
5 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

HAPPY HOMECOMING

Oct. 14, 2017- Spc. Teneya Gladney, 230th Signal Company, hugs her daughter, 

Aniyah, after returning from a year-long deployment in the Middle East. Gladney’s unit 

provided IT support, fiber-optic connections, and network support for U.S. troops.

PHOTO BY: SPC. LAUREN OGBURN

T E N N E S S E E 

SNAPSHOT
6 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

HEADING TO HARVEY

August 29, 2017 - A loadmaster from the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 164th Airlift 

Wing directs a forklift onto a C-17 aircraft at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in 

Louisville, Ky., to support rescue operations in Texas following Hurricane Harvey. 

PHOTO BY: LT. COL. DALE GREER

T E N N E S S E E 

SNAPSHOT
7

SENIOR LEADER SYMPOSIUM

Sept. 9, 2017 - Senior Enlisted Leaders (SEL) from the Tennessee National Guard 

held a senior enlisted symposium at the Volunteer Training Site in Smyrna, Tennessee. Members of the Bulgarian and Danish military forces were also in attendance.

PHOTO BY: SGT. 1ST CLASS WILLIAM JONES

T E N N E S S E E 

SNAPSHOT
8 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

Story by Master Sgt. Robin Brown

Photos by Tech Sgt. Daniel Gagnon & 

Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Young

Video by Staff Sgt. Teri Eicher

MEET THE
9

Master Sgt. Richard Payne, of the 134th Air Refueling 

Wing in Knoxville, is a lead crew chief for a KC-135 

Stratotanker. Outside of the Guard, Payne’s passion 

is restoring Corvairs and other classic cars. (Photo by 

Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Young)

MASTER SGT. RICHARD PAYNE
10 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

The aircraft is one of the most vital parts of the Tennessee 

Air National Guard mission worldwide. Perhaps even 

more vital are the people in the Guard who maintain these 

aircraft; the tactical aircraft maintainers, more commonly known 

as crew chiefs.

Crew chiefs are trained on specific aircraft, whether it be a 

fighter jet, cargo plane, or unmanned aerial vehicle, and are very 

knowledgeable of the subject at hand. Training time varies depending on the type of aircraft. These individuals are responsible 

for ensuring every component on the aircraft is maintained at or 

above standard, to be ready to fly at a moment’s notice so pilots can 

safely and effectively complete their mission.

Often times in the National Guard, crew chiefs bring 

specialized skills to the table, such as a background in mechanics, knowledge of engines and past performance of pre-flight and 

post-flight inspections. One such individual is Master Sgt. Richard 

Payne, of the 134th Air Refueling Wing in Knoxville, Tenn. 

Payne has been in the East Tennessee unit his entire career, more than 27 years, and is currently the lead crew chief for a 

KC-135 Stratotanker, tail number 57-1436. Outside of the Guard, 

Payne’s passion is restoring Corvairs and other classic cars.

“As a crew chief, you learn early in your training that there 

is nowhere to pull a tanker over at 30,000 feet for a maintenance 

problem,” said Payne. Whether he is working on an aircraft or on a 

car, safety is paramount.

Outside of the National Guard, Payne is a Corvair enthusiast and member of the Knoxville Area Corvair Club, where he 

served as club president in 2010. Fixing Corvairs is part hobby and 

part business for him. 

“I help out the members of our local club with their cars by 

donating my workshop and a Saturday three times a year. Members 

work on their own cars with the help of myself and other members. 

If a member has a problem they don’t feel comfortable tackling, I 

will repair it on my own time,” Payne explained.

“All elements of my National Guard training and experience have come into play when dealing with automobiles. From 

the aspects of safety, to the understanding of electrical schematics 

in manuals to understanding how everything works, it is very similar,” he said, adding that attention to detail is most important. “I 

can’t stand to have anything out of place on my vehicles or on my 

assigned KC-135 aircraft.”

The Guardsman became interested in mechanics at an early age, getting his inspiration from his father who taught him about 

welding, fabrication and maintenance on older model vehicles.

“Dad always had something cool to drive. In a time before 

cell phones and computers, a car was your freedom,” Payne said. 

“To a kid who started with a plastic pedal car, only one thing was 

missing-the sound of the engine!”

Payne recalled his father taking him to antique tractor 

shows when he was younger, as well as watching the semi-trucks 

as they traveled along on the highway during trips back and forth 

to Michigan, where he was born, to visit relatives.

“They always fascinated me. They were so big and so cool!” 

exclaimed Payne. “I especially enjoyed seeing them at night, with 

all of their clearance lights shining bright.”

When Payne was 17, his father bought a 1967 Corvair.

“To a kid used to seeing the engine in the front of cars, it 

was an odd automobile. I didn’t think it was very cool,” he recalled. 

“The two speed power glide just didn’t have any performance, 

which is probably the reason my dad put me behind the wheel of 

it.”

Master Sgt. Richard Payne, Air Force Photo

MEET THE CORV-AIRMAN
11

When asked which he was more passionate about, planes or 

cars, Payne was undecided.

“The styling of the KC-135 has a classic look, just as cars of 

the late 50s and early 60s. Both take a great deal of time and dedication,” said Payne. “I tell people that 57-1436 is my other hot rod, I 

just can’t take it to the local cruise night.”

Fortunately for Payne, he has been able to combine his civilian hobby with his career in the National Guard through the 

Knoxville unit’s annual “Top Wrench” competition. Top Wrench is 

a vocational program developed for high school students as an introduction to racing and team building as they prepare for careers 

in automotive and marine fields. 

Top Wrench was founded in 1991 and is exclusive to Joint 

Base McGhee-Tyson. The founder, Joe Marshall, was a vehicle mechanic in the 119th Combat Communications Squadron. Payne has 

been involved with Top Wrench for more than ten years.

“Joe put the program together as a recruiting tool to attract 

high school vocational students to McGhee-Tyson,” said Payne. 

“Twenty-five years later, it is going strong and now hosts 12 local 

area high school vocational shops. Instructors tell use every year 

that he first question the students ask at the beginning of school is 

‘When is Top Wrench?’” 

“Only by sharing our experiences in the National Guard, 

can we recruit the next generation of Guardsmen. In some cases, 

all these individuals need is some guidance, a positive attitude and 

some reassurance. Once they find out they can do a task and do it 

successfully, there is no stopping their potential,” said Payne.

For Payne, the classic car hobby and the Air National Guard 

share many things in common.

He concluded, “It takes individuals with dedication and 

foresight to continue the tradition of excellence we are accustomed 

to. No classic car or aircraft was ever able to repair itself.” 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

THE REVOLUTIONARY CORVAIR 

Until the 1950s, most American auto manufacturers 

made one size of car: large. Imports from Europe such 

as Volkswagen, Renault, and Fiat showed that there 

was a market in the U.S. for smaller cars, mostly as a 

second car or an alternative for the budget-minded. 

The Revolutionary Corvair. In 1959-1960, all the major 

makers planned to introduce a “compact” brand. Most 

of these designs were scaled-down versions of the 

conventional American car, using four- or six-cylinder 

engines instead of V-8s with bodies about 20% smaller 

than standard cars. An exception to this was the Chevrolet Corvair.

Led by General Manager Edward N. Cole, Chevrolet 

designed a revolutionary new car. It was powered by 

an air-cooled horizontal six-cylinder engine made almost entirely out of aluminum. The engine was mounted in the rear of the car, driving the rear wheels through 

a compact automatic transaxle. Suspension was independent at all four wheels. There was no conventional 

frame; it was the first Unibody built by Fisher Body. 

The tires were an entirely new wide low-profile design. 

The styling was unconventional for Detroit, subtle and 

elegant, with no tailfins or chrome grille. Its engineering earned a flurry of patents, its styling was copied by 

many European makers. Time magazine put it on the 

cover, and Motor Trend named it the Car of the Year for 

1960. (Courtesy www.corvair.org)

VIDEO: Master Sgt. Richard Payne talks Corvairs
12 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - For 

the first time, the Air Force Civil Engineer 

Center is supporting an Air National Guard 

base in the development of a Utility Energy 

Service Contract.

 A UESC is a contract between a utility 

and a federal agency that provides energy 

and water efficiency improvements and demand-reduction services to the agency at 

little or no up-front cost. In these projects, 

utilities can provide services such as performing a preliminary assessment of the 

project, designing appropriate solutions for 

the installation, installation of energy and 

water conservation measures, assuring a 

minimum level of performance, and financing the project.

 The Memphis Air National Guard Base, 

The Tennessee Air National Guard Finds a New Partner for 

Improving Energy Efficiency... AFCEC.

EFFICIENT 

PARTNERS

Members of the Tennessee Air 

National Guard hold a salute during 

the presentation of the colors by the 

164AW Color Guard at Memphis 

Air National Guard Base. 164th is 

the first to partner with AFCEC on 

a UESC. (U.S. Air National Guard 

Photo by Staff Sgt. Allan Eason/

Released)

164TH AW
13

Tenn., the Tennessee United States Property 

and Fiscal Officer, the National Guard Bureau Logistics and Installations Operations 

Division, and AFCEC are teaming with the 

Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, on this 

project to conceptualize some of the energy 

savings opportunities this base may see. Initial findings have shown energy saving opportunities may exist in lighting, renewable 

energy sources, energy management control 

systems, water savings and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

 “AFCEC has provided a wealth of knowledge to the Memphis ANG by starting up 

the UESC process with TVA. This information includes lessons learned from previous 

contracts, knowledge in the various steps in 

the contracting process, the differences between a preliminary and detailed study, and 

pitfalls to avoid while working the process,” 

said Lt. Col. Ron Hawkins, 164th base civil 

engineer, Memphis ANG Base. 

 As a partner in this process, AFCEC brings 

the experience of having helped develop a 

number of UESCs with other Air Force installations throughout the United States.

 “UESCs are another avenue for installations to improve infrastructure and reduce 

energy consumption with new technology 

or upgraded equipment,” said John Broughton, AFCEC ESPC/UESC project manager. 

“Our program development division is committed to helping installations navigate the 

UESC process.”

 There are approximately 93 ANG units 

in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These and other ANG controlled installations comprise 

approximately 50 million square feet of facilities. ANG units, while generally considered low energy use sites in comparison to 

their larger Air Force base counterparts and 

operate under the same constrained budget environment. This creates incentive for 

the bases to seek ways to improve efficiency 

while maintaining their mission. The UESC 

is one route bases may pursue to accomplish 

this goal.

 “For the ANG, the UESC is another tool 

in our energy tool box to reach energy goals 

as we approach energy resiliency and assurance for the Air National Guard and the Air 

Force,” said Bill Kelly, ANG resource efficiency manager for Region six. “The UESC 

method will not meet the requirement for all 

ANG bases, but it will for some.”

 For more information on opportunities 

UESCs may hold for your installation, contact Mike Ringenberg, ESPC/UESC program manager on AFCEC’s Energy Program 

Development Division team at: michael.ringenberg.1@us.af.mil. - J BRIAN GARMON

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s (AFCEC) goal is to keep the 

community informed and create opportunities for open communication between the Air Force and the citizens it protects.
14 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

Kidnapping the

At the close of World War I, Kaiser Wilhelm II, the German leader and Prussian King, was forced to abdicate his throne after Germany’s defeat. Seeking asylum, he fled to Holland and was granted sanctuary 

by the Queen of the Netherlands. The kaiser and his staff became guests at Amerongen Castle, the home 

of Count Godard Bentick, and intended to spend the rest of his life avoiding possible prosecution for war 

crimes by the allies. 

KAISER

The Tennessee Guard’s Amazingly Indiscrete 

Attempt to Capture the Kaiser.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

However, this was unacceptable to many U.S. Soldiers and 

the American public, who wished to see the kaiser punished for his role in the war. Allied governments showed 

no intent to punish the kaiser or seek his extradition from 

Holland, but Col. Luke Lea, the commander of the 114th 

Field Artillery Regiment with the American Expeditionary 

Force and a former U.S. Senator, felt differently. During 

the weeks after the Armistice on November 11, 1918, Lea 

concocted a plan to kidnap the kaiser and even assembled 

a team of Tennessee National Guardsmen for that purpose. 

In January of 1919, they attempted to carry out one of the 

most bizarre incidents associated with World War I. Led by 

Lea, eight Tennessee Guardsmen drove to Amerongen Castle to recon the site and, if possible, kidnap the kaiser and 

take him to Paris as a Christmas gift for President Woodrow Wilson.

Unsanctioned, unauthorized, and without the knowledge 

of anyone but Lea and his team, the Guardsmen attempted 

to bring the kaiser to justice. They were unsuccessful, but 

their visit to Amerongen Castle caused an international 

incident that ran in many U.S. papers and turned Luke Lea 

and his team into celebrated heroes.
15

Colonel Luke Lea

Luke Lea was not an average American Soldier 

during the Great War. Often referred to as the 

boy wonder prior to the war, he was one of the 

most successful men in the state. Born in 1879 to 

a wealthy and distinguished family, he earned a 

bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of the South at Sewanee by the age of 24. He 

then earned a law degree from Columbia University Law School and opened a private law practice in Nashville in 1903. By 27, he started The 

Nashville Tennessean newspaper, which became 

the mouthpiece for the 1908 gubernatorial election. Over the next three years, Lea was heavily 

involved in Tennessee politics and in 1911, at the 

age of 31, the Tennessee General Assembly elected Lea to a six-year term as a U.S. Senator. He 

was the youngest Senator in Washington in the 

spring of 1911.

He served a full term in the Senate but was not re-elected. He believed that a war with Germany was inevitable 

and the United States should be prepared. As he left 

the Senate and returned to running his newspaper, he 

announced if Congress should declare war and become 

involved in the European conflict, he would raise a regiment of Tennessee cavalrymen to fight in France. 

When Congress declared war against Germany on 

April 6, 1917, Lea set out to fulfill his pledge. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that the U.S. Army 

would not accept volunteer regiments like in the Spanish-American War, so Lea began raising a National 

Guard Regiment he knew would be drafted to fight. 

Initially interested in organizing a cavalry regiment, it 

was determined cavalry was ill-suited for fighting on the 

western front. So, he raised an artillery regiment from 

towns across Tennessee which became the 1st Tennessee 

Field Artillery Regiment headquartered in Nashville. 

Col. Luke Lea
16 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

The 114th Field Artillery Regiment

The 1st Tennessee Field Artillery was federally mobilized on July 25, 1917. After a few 

months training in Tennessee, it reported to 

Camp Sevier, South Carolina, in September 

1917. There, it partnered with other National 

Guard units from Tennessee, North Carolina, 

and South Carolina to form the 55th Field 

Artillery Brigade of the 30th Infantry Division, and the regiment was renamed the 114th 

Field Artillery. After another eight months of 

training and under the command of Col. Luke 

Lea, the regiment sailed for England and then 

France for service on the Western Front. 

When in France, the 55th Field Artillery Brigade was on 

the firing line from August 27, 1918 until the armistice 

went into effect. Fighting was severe where the 114th 

was assigned, fighting at St. Mihiel, the Meuse-Argonne, 

and in the Woevre sector while firing French-made 75mm 

M1897 field guns. The regiment suffered more than 40 

combat deaths.

When news of the armistice on November 11, 1918, reached Lea and the rest of the 114th, they were fully engaged 

in combat along the Woevre Plains. On the morning of November 11th, the 114th was supporting an attack by the 

33rd Infantry Division. Knowing a cease fire was imminent, General Bullard, commander of the American Second 

Army, still ordered his troops to attack. At 6:30am, infantrymen from the 33rd Division crossed an open plain into 

waiting German machine guns. Over a four-kilometer front, nearly 80 American Soldiers were killed and many 

more wounded. By 7:30am, the cease fire order was received and the attack stopped. The Germans, angered by the 

infantry attack, fired artillery into the American lines right up until 11am, inflicting multiple American casualties 

angering Lea and many of the Soldiers involved as they knew the attack was a futile loss of life.

When the war ended, the 114th stayed in the Woerve area until ordered to move and become a part of the Germany’s Army of Occupation. While enroute, its orders were changed and they were sent to occupy an area in Luxemburg. By December 17th, Lea and his regiment had arrived. They spent the next two months in a quiet area with 

very little to do as they awaited orders to return home. 

Above Lea and his team: Seated, left to right: Capt. Leland S. 

McPhail, Col. Luke Lea, Capt. Tom Henderson and Lieut. Ellsworth Brown. Standing, left to right, are Sgt. Dan Reilly, Sgt. Egbert Hail, Sgt. Owen Johnston and Corporal Marmaduke Clokey. 
17

Where did the Idea Come From?

While in Luxemburg, the media reported that the kaiser had abdicated his throne and was residing nearby in 

Holland. The Allies had no intention to prosecute the kaiser for war crimes and have him extradited from a 

neutral country. Lea was furious. He developed a plan to assemble a group of trusted Soldiers to find the kaiser, interview him, and report on his living conditions. He initially just wanted to report the kaiser’s situation 

to Col. Edward House, President Woodrow Wilson’s advisor, so they could make a more informed decision 

about how to treat Germany during the Paris Peace Conference. Lea wrote that the “mighty engineer of all 

this death, misery, and torture was not the German people, but the German Kaiser.” The kaiser should be punished and certainly not be allowed to “live in luxurious pomp and glory with all of his fabulous fortune.” The 

capture, trial, and punishment of the kaiser was what the American doughboy demanded, thought Lea. 

But according to Lea, the kidnapping plot had its roots early in the war. When the regiment first arrived in 

England from the United States, they marched in a pass-and-review for the Duke of Cannaught, after which 

the senior brigade officers had tea with the Duke. During their visit, Lea became upset with the Duke’s conversation. It angered Lea who later wrote, “While England was being bled white by Germany, the Uncle of 

the King of England was boasting of his blood relationship with the Kaiser of Germany, who had brought 

England to its knees and was inflicting daily untold and unimaginable misery upon the masses of the British 

Empire.” Lea also wrote that during that incident the seed was planted for a “trip to see the kaiser and to report his actual living conditions after the triumph 

of American arms had crushed the mightiest war 

machine constructed in the history of man.” 

Many citizens in the United States and Great 

Britain also felt that the German Kaiser should be 

punished for his role in the war. Posters, songs, 

poems, and films of the period showed a strong 

desire for punishment. In England, “hang the 

kaiser” was a popular public cry throughout 1918. 

According to Margaret MacMillan, “the British 

public had wanted to string up the kaiser.” Many 

citizens in England and France initially wanted the 

kaiser tried for war crimes. 

Hollywood films also had this sentiment. One 

popular film, Charlie Chaplain’s “Shoulder Arms,” 

shows Charlie destroying an enemy trench, winning the love of a Belgian girl, and then capturing 

the unsuspecting German kaiser and his car. Chaplain’s character then drives him across the front 

and through the American lines where he is lauded 

as a hero for “bringing home the bacon.” Sydney Chaplain as the kaiser in “The Bond,” a short 

film that ran in theaters working with Liberty War Bond 

drives. Sydney Chaplain also played the kaiser in his 

brothers “Shoulder Arms.”
18 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

Beginning the Trip 

On January 1, 1919, Lea requested a five-day leave from Brig. Gen. Oliver L. Spaulding, the 55th Field 

Artillery commander. After a little concern because the request was vague and didn’t have a destination, 

the pass was approved. Lea then gathered his team and asked if they would join him on leave. At the 

time he asked them to attend, Lea claims that “I advised no member of the party the nature or destination of the trip. I told them I had a five day leave and asked if they wished to accompany me. The trip 

might be dangerous. It would certainly be exciting.” Everyone agreed to go.

That afternoon, the team departed in Lea’s seven-passenger regimental-staff car wearing uniforms and 

armed only with pistols. According to Lea, “the seven of us were loaded with our blanket rolls and an 

extra supply of gasoline.” At the time, there was no room for an additional passenger. 

They had barely begun their trip when the Winton broke down near Arlon, Belgium. Cpl. Clokey got a 

ride back to camp from passing troops to get help. The team was stranded along the road until midnight 

when Clokey returned with Sgt. Egbert Hail, a 27-year-old from Nashville and a member of the 115th 

Field Artillery Supply Company, in the 115th’s Regimental Cadillac. Hail helped repair the Winton and 

got it running. Lea than asked him to join their trip and continue on with them to Holland. The group 

divided up into the two cars and continued to Leige where Lea hoped to use his political connections to 

get passports. 

His credentials did not work, so the next day the group drove to Brussels where Lea decided to apply for 

passports through an old friend, U.S. Minister Brand Whitlock. According to Lea, “I had known Brand 

Whitlock when President Wilson nominated him for Minister of Belgium. There was some opposition to 

his confirmation in the Senate,” which Lea helped defeat. 

Assembling the Team

Around Christmas, Lea took a two-day pass and explored the road networks in Germany and tried 

to cross into Holland on Christmas day without a passport. He mapped the area and developed plans 

for a successful trip to Amerogen Castle. After Lea’s first attempt, he realized that he needed a bigger 

team of trusted Soldiers to be successful. He personally selected six men from the 114th he trusted 

that served with him throughout the war. They were are all exceedingly loyal and each had particular 

skills necessary to enhance the mission’s success. The Soldiers were:

Capt. Leland Stanford MacPhail: 29, a Nashville native and Battery B’s Commander, and president of a Tennessee 

department store. 

Capt. Thomas P. Henderson: 37, Commander of Battery F from Franklin, a lawyer’ and longtime friend of Lea. 

1st Lt. Ellsworth Brown: 26, the regimental signal officer from Chattanooga. 

Cpl. Marmaduke Clokey: 21, from Knoxville who was Lea’s motorcycle orderly.

Sgt. Owen Johnson: 23, Battery F’s jack-of-all-trades from Franklin. 

Sgt. Maj. Dan Reilly: 30, Franklin native that was an expert mechanic from the Regimental Headquarters Company. 
19

Getting Passports

When Lea filled out his passport application in Brussels on January 3rd with Whitlock’s assistance, 

he stated that the purpose of his visit into Holland was for “journalistic investigation.” Lea owned 

two newspapers in his civilian life and was an editor and journalist. The other Soldiers put that they 

were there “accompanying Colonel Lea.” Lea also told Whitlock that he was on leave, not official 

business. But Lea’s passport was issued as Senator Luke Lea even though Lea states that he did not 

want that title. While waiting until the next morning to get their passes, Lea and the other officers 

were invited to join Whitlock for a dinner with the Dutch Ambassador to Belgium. They all had “a 

splendid American meal.” 

The Dutch Ambassador implored Lea to wait a little longer and he would get passes for him in the 

name of the Queen of Holland. Lea says that he tried to make clear to everyone that he was not 

looking for special treatment because he was a former Senator. He was now “only a lowly American 

Colonel.” Lea agreed to stay and the next day the Dutch diplomat provided Lea and his team with a 

laissez-passer, authorizing them to travel to Holland by car in uniform.
20 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

The Attempted Kidnapping

Early on January 5th, the team of two vehicles continued into Holland. They had no trouble crossing 

the border with their passports but they had little success understanding the language. So, the hired 

a 15-year-old Dutch student near Nijmegen to interpret for them who they nicknamed Hans. Nearing dark and close to the Kaiser’s castle, the group discovered that the Waal River road bridge had 

washed away, resulting in needing to cross on a ferry. The ferry operator took them to the northern 

bank of the river but he could not guarantee that he would wait there until Lea returned from the castle. By this point, Lea had different ideas about what they were doing, and seriously contemplated an 

abduction. He stated that he “hoped by a surprise visit to be able to place the kaiser in the Cadillac 

and, if possible, to persuade him that his place in history would be larger as a brave man facing in 

person his accusers – the allies in Paris, and demanding a trial.” But, with the bridge being washed 

out, there was no way they could guarantee that they could return back to Luxenburg unimpeded. 

Nevertheless, Lea was wishfully hoping that the kaiser might actually just join him for a ride to Paris. In later testimony, Lea claimed that he entered the castle to ascertain four facts: 

1st: If the kaiser was ill

2nd: If he was recognized as Emperor

3rd: If he had a military establishment

4th: The extent of his military equipment 

Amerongen Castle
21

When the team was 16 kilometers 

from Amerongen, Lea stopped the 

cars and told his team the real purpose 

of the journey. Many already knew 

but Lea said he’d take full responsibility and that they did not have to join 

him. They all chose to go to the castle 

but doubted that they could even get 

near it. On January 5th, at roughly 

8:30pm, the team came to the castle 

entrance. Lea got out of the car and 

approached the guard, shined his light 

on his officer’s uniform and, in German, ordered the guard to let him into 

the castle. The guard did. With their 

weapons removed and hidden in their 

car, Lea and a few of his team were 

taken into a large room they believed 

was the castle library and requested an interview with the kaiser. Soon, one of the sons of Count 

Godard Bentinck arrived to meet them and asked what they needed. Lea again asked for an audience 

with the kaiser. Bentinck left, and when he returned he said the kaiser would not see him unless he 

knew the reason for the interview. Next the burgomaster of Amerongen arrived and began interrogating Lea as to why they were there, while Lea kept repeating that they were there to meet with the 

kaiser. They both left and returned again saying that they could not meet him unless they knew the 

reason. Lea then produced the laissez-passer, and said he was there for journalistic investigations. 

They left a third time and when they returned the burgomaster said:

His Majesty is unwilling to meet you and your officers lest you be here officially. His Majesty has 

done me the honor to instruct me to say that if you, Colonel Lea, will make the statement on your 

word of honor as an American officer that you are here as the representative of President Wilson, or 

of General Pershing, or even of Colonel House, he will grant you a brief audience. Otherwise His 

Majesty will decline to grant any audience to any uninvited persons no matter in what form they 

seek it.

It was now 10:30 pm and Lea realized that they were not going to see the kaiser. He also noticed that 

Soldiers were surrounding the cars and a crowd had gathered that was making Lea’s Soldiers very 

nervous. He decided to leave, but not before MacPhail stole a souvenir, an imperial ashtray. Everyone loaded up the vehicles and quickly sped away from the castle as a large party of Dutch Soldiers 

were gathering outside and mounting machine guns on the castle’s walls. The two cars sped out of 

range of the Soldiers and separated, taking two different routes back to rejoin the 114th. The hope 

was that should something happen, one of the vehicles would make it back to report on what had 

happened. Both vehicles drove throughout the night and returned to camp without incident. 

An imperial ashtray like the one shown above was taken as a souvenir by Capt. Leland S. MacPhail from Amerongen Castle during 

Lea and his team’s attempt to meet with the kaiser.
22 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

Investigation

When Lea and his team returned, they all agreed to keep quiet about the trip. Sgt. Johnston explained, 

“All eight of us took a pledge that we would never tell the circumstances of our plot.” Lea composed a 

letter to Col. House offering him information about the trip but House never responded. Next, Lea and a 

few officers decided to attend the Paris Peace Conference currently underway in the hope to meet House 

personally and relay the intelligence they gathered.

Unfortunately for Lea, the kaiser reported Lea’s visit to Amerogen to the U.S. officials and journalists 

heard of the story. Lea, Capt. Henderson, Capt. MacPhail, 1st Lt. Brown, Sgt. Hail, and Sgt. Johnson 

were ordered to report to the American Expeditionary Forces’ Inspector General in Chaumont by January 

26, 1919, for an investigation. For the next few weeks, Lea was questioned and threatened with a court’s 

martial for the potential kidnapping. During the investigation, Lea claimed that he had no intentions of 

kidnapping the kaiser and was just attempting to “report his actual living conditions.” After a series of 

interviews, Lea and his team were released to return to the 114th which was preparing to sail for home. 

None were formally brought up on charges because they technically broke no rules. Lea was ordered to 

remain silent about the event. 

A few days after being released, 

Lea learned his fate. He received 

a letter of reprimand issued by 

Gen. Pershing that praised Col. 

Lea for his lack of deception 

but referred to his mission as 

“amazingly indiscreet,” and 

that it could have had the most 

disastrous consequences, both 

politically and militarily. That 

was the only punishment any 

of the team received.
23

After the War

As Lea and the 114th sailed home, various newspapers, including the New York Times, reported that an incident occurred with two cars of American officers being at the residence of the kaiser in Holland. 

When the 114th arrived in the United States, their involvement had been leaked and the press lauded them as 

heroes. When Lea was asked by a journalist what he planned to do if the kidnapping had succeeded, he jokingly responded, “We were going to give him a free ride to Paris in our automobile and present him to President 

Wilson as a Christmas gift.” 

A few years after the war, Luke Lea was having lunch with Gen. Bullard, the former commander of the 2nd 

Army during World War I. He claims that Bullard told him a story where Gen. Pershing made a comment about 

Lea’s trip into Holland. Bullard claims that Pershing told him, “Bullard, I am a poor man, but I’d have given a 

year’s pay to have been able to have taken Lea’s trip into Holland and to have entered the Castle of Count Benedict without invitation.” Gen. Bullard would write in his memoirs of the war, “I wish that the colonel could 

have captured the kaiser. It would have been glorious!” 

Over the years, versions of the story were written for popular magazines, newspapers, and journals but the 

guardsmen mostly remained quiet about the affair. The first substantial interview the guardsmen made wasn’t 

until 1937. Capt. Henderson, Sgt. Reilly, and Sgt. Johnston decided to break their silence to The Saturday 

Evening Post because T. H. Alexander, the author, needed money to pay for his son’s much need spinal surgery. 

So, the three soldiers who lived near him in Nashville decided to tell their story and donate the proceeds back 

to Alexander. The story was a hit with the readers and it would be turned into a radio program and as part of 

a Ripley’s Believe it or Not! segment. Their article would then inspire Capt. Larry MacPhail, who was then a 

successful President of the Brooklyn Dodgers, to speak out and tell his version of the story.

The incident did inspire others to attempt similar stunts. A few months after Lea’s visit to Amerongen, another 

group of Soldiers and a reporter for the New York Tribune attempted to interview the kaiser. The journalist was 

interested in learning the kaiser’s views on “various subjects, including the allied decision to bring him to trial, 

and Wilson’s fourteen points.” Their presence gave the kaiser “extreme anxiety,” and since the Luke Lea episode was declared “extremely unfortunate,” the kaiser said that he would no longer entertain interviews with or 

in the presence of U.S. Soldiers. The team was rebuked and the interview was declined. 

Story by: Maj. Darrin Haas, Historian for the Tennessee Military Dept.
24 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

Three months after the governor of Michigan declared a state of emergency in Flint 

over reports of lead in the city’s water supply, Charity Menefee led East Tennessee 

emergency response and healthcare leaders through an exercise to assess how they 

would respond to a similar water contamination event.

Her public health peers credit Menefee, the regional hospital coordinator for the 

Knox County Health Department and cochair of the Knox/East Tennessee Healthcare 

Coalition, with having the plans in place to 

carry out the exercise long before the Flint 

water crisis made national headlines.

“As a result of this work, numerous 

healthcare partners throughout the area are 

now better prepared to both mitigate and 

respond to such threats,” Stephanie Candler, 

the health department’s workforce development educator and academic health department coordinator, wrote in nominating Menefee.

As one of 13 regional hospital coordinators in Tennessee, Menefee serves as 

a facilitator who brings healthcare leaders 

together to share ideas and develop comprehensive plans for how they will prepare 

for, respond to and recover from large-scale 

medical emergencies, infectious disease outbreaks or other events that affect the community’s health.

“The bottom line of what I do is try 

to pull people together, bring everyone’s 

ideas together and emphasize a common direction,” she said. “No matter who they are, 

the goal is making for a better community.”

Menefee’s interest in public health 

stemmed from seeing how HIV affected a 

family she knew.

After earning a biology degree from 

Maryville College and joining the Tennessee 

Air National Guard, she got her start at the 

Knox County Health Department in 2000 

as a disease investigation specialist working 

with people who had tested positive for infectious diseases.

Three years later, after the health department received a federal grant to establish an Emergency Preparedness division 

following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Menefee 

saw an opportunity to combine her military 

background with her public health background.

“I was very passionate about both of 

them,” she said. “It’s been a very good overlap 

and both organizations have been extremely 

understanding and supportive of what I do.”

As a public health officer and major 

with the 134th Air Refueling Wing, Menefee 

oversees community health, prevention and 

occupational health programs at the National Guard base at McGhee Tyson Airport.

Outside of the National Guard, Menefee, a certified healthcare emergency planner, writes community emergency response 

plans and designs exercises and training 

events to test their merits.

“I plan to meet and I meet the plan,” 

she said. “We can write the best plans in the 

world and have the best intentions, but we 

don’t know how well they’ll work until you 

test them.”

In November 2013, she helped plan 

and coordinate one of the nation’s largest disaster drills at Neyland Stadium. The exercise, which brought together roughly 1,000 

volunteers, 54 hospitals and other EMS personnel, opened with two coordinated mock 

explosions and tested the region’s mass casuTennessee Air National Guardsman, Charity Menefee, ‘Pulls 

People Together’ for Sake of Community.

HEALTH 

CARE HERO

Charity Menefee. (Photo: Calvin 

Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel)

COMMUNITY
25

alty plans and ability to transport and treat a 

surge of injured survivors.

Menefee said drills like the one at 

Neyland, as well as smaller scale exercises 

she organizes throughout the year, keep the 

importance of being prepared for emergencies in people’s minds.

“A topic can fall to the wayside when 

you’re not hearing it on the news every day 

or thinking about it all the time,” she said. 

“These keep people engaged.”

She also reviews the positive outcomes of the exercises with the participants 

and creates improvement plans for things 

that could have gone better.

“We detail out things we know we 

can change,” she said. “Some things we know 

we can’t (change), so we figure out other 

mitigation strategies. ... It makes for a better 

response in the future.”

Menefee has developed emergency 

response plans for scenarios ranging from 

Zika or Ebola virus outbreaks to a train derailment with a hazardous materials spill to a 

tornado leveling a major hospital. The plans 

address facility capacities, supply, equipment and personnel needs, transportation, 

infrastructure and communications.

“Our goal is to quickly get people to 

the right care at the right time and all of our 

planning is designed around that,” she said. 

“This past year, we have been focusing on 

building our pediatric capabilities throughout the regions.”

In addition to outfitting hospitals 

and ambulances with additional equipment 

and supplies to treat the littlest of patients, 

Menefee helped organize an exercise that 

focused on how to treat a surge of pediatric 

patients when the region’s Level 1 Trauma 

Center and Pediatric Center were at capacity.

“Charity has the unique ability to 

not only see the big picture, but also sees all 

those tiny pieces that need to come together to make that big picture work,” Wanda 

Roberts, who co-chairs the regional healthcare coalition with Menefee, wrote of her. 

“Without the contributions of Charity, Knox 

County would remain like many other communities today with disjointed emergency 

preparedness plans and pockets of resources 

that are unknown to others. Her contribution has created a transparency that rises 

above private sector competition, territorial 

issues and political arenas. This contribution 

ultimately will allow for the most effective 

protection and treatment of patients both 

on a daily basis and during a time of emergency.”

In recent months, Menefee has focused on growing the coalition’s membership beyond its current 37-member organizations from Knox and 15 other counties.

“We’re trying to get into the longterm care realm more,” she said. “We’re also 

interested in sustaining what we have.”

She said the key to a strong coalition 

is building trust among the partners to develop long-lasting relationships.

“I love working with the people I get 

to work with because they are all very passionate about what they do and they want 

to make a difference and help people during 

their toughest times,” she said.

Menefee also shares information, resources and best practices with seven other 

coalitions across the state and lends assistance when needed.

Following the Gatlinburg wildfires, 

for instance, she assisted Roberts by keeping 

track of patients that were being admitted to 

the area’s hospitals, as well as those who were 

being treated and released in the emergency 

rooms.

Menefee was one of 32 people from 

across the country selected this year to participate in a master’s degree program offered by the Center for Homeland Defense 

and Security through the U.S. Department 

of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency and the Naval Postgraduate School.

When Menefee completes the program in December 2018, she said she will 

have a better understanding of how to incorporate stronger homeland security measures 

into emergency preparedness plans.

Capt. Paul Link, the southeast regional preparedness representative for the 

National Healthcare Preparedness Program 

of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, described Menefee as a national leader in healthcare coalition preparedness and response.

Her expertise led to her being the 

only person from Tennessee selected to represent FEMA Region IV within that same 

workgroup.

“The disaster management accomplishments she has facilitated in her region 

are frequently used by my program to educate the other healthcare leaders across the 

nation,” Link wrote.

Menefee said the process of collaborating with community healthcare leaders 

to plan for an emergency that could foreseeably happen makes it possible to handle the 

unexpected ones.

“That’s what I think makes us be successful,” she said. “It’s not about what’s written on the paper, but the process of making 

the plans, the relationships, the trust, and 

understanding what each brings to the table. 

... That provides us with the flexibility to 

deal with the things we didn’t expect to have 

to deal with.”

Charity Menefee, regional hospital coordinator with the Knox County Health Department, 

has won the Health 

Care Hero award in the 

community outreach 

category in Knoxville, 

Tennessee on Tuesday, 

July 11, 2017. (Photo: 

Calvin Mattheis, Knoxville News Sentinel)

Story by: Laura Ayo, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published Sept. 5, 2017
26 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Four UH-60L Blackhawk helicopters and 34 Soldiers assigned to 

the 1/230th Aviation Regiment, Tennessee 

Army National Guard, deployed to the US 

Virgin Islands to assist in recovery efforts 

following Hurricane Irma.

 The helicopters were loaded onto a C-17 

Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules aircraft 

from New York and Rhode Island at Joint 

Base Berry Field on Sept. 13. 

 “That’s what the National Guard does,” 

said Maj. Gen. Max Haston, Tennessee Adjutant General. “This is a prime example of 

National Guard operations, Tennessee helicopters loaded on to New York and Rhode 

Island Air National Guard aircraft going to 

assist the Virgin Islands National Guard in 

their recovery efforts. Once again, the National Guard lives up to its motto, and is truly ‘Always Ready, Always There’.”

 The helicopters join the Tennessee Air 

Guard’s 118th ISRG (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group) and 119th 

JISCC (Joint Incident Site Communications 

Capability) who are currently supporting 

Irma recovery operations. 

 An additional 2 Blackhawks and 40 Soldiers deployed on Sept. 29, 2017 to assist in 

the recovery operations.

- MAJ. (RET.) RANDY HARRIS

Tennessee Soldiers and Helicopters Head to Virgin Islands 

to Assist with Hurricane Irma Relief Efforts.

ISLAND 

RECOVERY

Tennessee Army National Guard 

Soldiers of the 1-230th Aviation 

Regiment load a UH-60L Blackhawk 

helicopter on to a New York Air 

National Guard C-17 Globemaster 

III to assist in recovery efforts in the 

US Virgin Islands following Hurricane Irma.

1-230TH AHB
27

U.S. Virgin Islands - Tennessee Army National Guard Military Police from the 117th Military Police Battalion, headquartered in Athens, began their deployment to the Virgin 

Islands on Oct. 1st. A total of 20 personnel from the 117th 

Battalion and 120 personnel from Cleveland and Oneida’s 

252nd MP Company are part of an overall National Guard 

MP contingent headed to the islands. The MP’s are providing security for supply distribution points and augment the 

Virgin Islands local authorities.

 Also, 15 Airmen from the 164th Airlift Wing, Memphis, 

returned home on Sept. 29 after providing Aerial Port Operations on St. Croix to process personnel and cargo, load 

and secure aircraft, and supervise units engaged in aircraft 

loading and unloading operations.

- MAJ. (RET.) RANDY HARRIS

Tennessee Guard Military Police Arrive in Virgin Islands.

MP’S ASSIST

AFTER STORM

117TH MPB

Above: Members of the 252nd Military Police Co., 117th MP Battalion, Tenn. Army National Guard climb aboard a Tenn. Air Guard C-17 

Globemaster out of Memphis bound for the US Virgin Islands. 

Below: A Tenn. Air National Guard loadmaster guides a HMMWV 

onto a C-17 Globemaster from Memphis as part of a contingency of 

Military Police from the 252nd MP Co., Tenn. Army National Guard in 

Smyrna.
28 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Several members 

of the 118th Intelligence, Surveillance, and 

Reconnaissance Group based at Joint Base 

Berry Field in Nashville, Tenn., provided 

support for relief efforts in response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

 The 118th ISRG worked in conjunction 

with other units across the country to process, analyze and disseminate images and 

video of hurricane damaged areas to aid in 

recovery efforts.

 “We are providing damage assessment to 

FEMA for areas in Texas, Florida and Puerto 

Rico,” said Capt. Charles, a 118th ISRG intelligence officer. “The images are used to identify and prioritize critical need areas.”

 Most of the images are gathered from 

open source information, such as Civil Air 

Tennessee Air National Guard Provides Imagery Analysis 

to Support Hurricane Relief Efforts.

ASSESSING 

DAMAGE

Airmen from the 118th Wing analyze damage from Hurricane Irma 

in the U.S. Virgin Islands from 

geospatial imagery on Sept. 14, 

2017 at Berry Field Air National 

Guard Base, Nashville, Tennessee. 

(Photo by Senior Airman Anthony 

Agosti).

118TH ISRG
29

Patrol, as well as military and civilian aircraft flying over different areas and relaying 

pictures back. The 118th is responsible for 

assisting with image and video compilation 

and identifying heavily damaged areas, and 

where people may be stranded and in need 

of rescue.

 “After aircraft have flown over and documented the damage, that information comes 

to us. We are sort of the nexus for information to get the bigger picture to those on the 

ground who are providing rescue and recovery operations,” said Senior Airman Matt, a 

geospatial analyst with the 118th ISRG.

 “We put together before and after images to aid in determining the level of damage,” said Charles. “First responders on the 

ground want to know the significance of 

what we are providing to them.”

 Each unit is tasked with different areas to 

assess, and then they can help create a damage scale. This all adds to the big picture of 

total damage and identifies critical areas.

 The Nashville unit was tasked with a few 

different oil refineries during Hurricane 

Harvey relief efforts. After Hurricanes Irma 

and Maria, the unit was tasked with Puerto Rico, which fortunately didn’t receive the 

level of damage that was expected.

 “We developed a power outage map with 

the assistance of images from NASA and 

facilitated this to the Puerto Rico National 

Guard for recovery efforts,” said Charles.

 One of Matt’s tasks was to check the conditions of airfields in Puerto Rico and determine if aircraft could land there for other 

recovery operations.

 “There were no issues, so if they need to 

land there, it is safe,” said Matt, who serves 

as a Police Officer when not on duty with the 

National Guard.

 The ISRG is normally tasked with missions 

from the active duty Air Force. Something 

that sets the National Guard apart from its 

active duty counterparts is its ability to provide support at a state level during times of 

natural disasters.

 “It is nice to support a state mission,” said 

Matt. “I enjoy serving my country both as 

a police officer and as a member of the Air 

National Guard. I love helping people.”

 “Helping out our own people who are suffering and need assistance is more personal,” 

said Charles, who works full-time with the 

National Guard. “It is very fulfilling to use 

our skill set during a natural disaster.” 

- MASTER SGT. ROBIN BROWN

The Tennessee Army National 

Guard’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter 

Battalion during hurricane relief 

efforts in the Virgin Islands. (Photo 

Courtesy 1-230th AHB)

WE ARE THE 

NEXUS FOR INFORMATION TO 

GET THE BIGGER PICTURE 

TO THOSE ON 

THE GROUND 

PROVIDING 

RESCUE AND 

RECOVERY.
30 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Twenty-two Tennessee Army National Guard members of 

Detachment 5, Company B, 248th Aviation Support Battalion, left Joint Base Berry 

Field, Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 30 to complete 

two months of pre-deployment training at 

Fort Hood, Texas. 

 Det. 5, Co. B, 248 ASB, is a small maintenance detachment based out of Nashville 

that is set to embark on a year-long deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation 

Spartan Shield. Operation Spartan Shield is a 

multiple-force contingency operation based 

in Kuwait that’s set in place to prevent and 

react to possible threats within the region. 

 During their time in country, the detachment will be responsible for aircraft maintenance for a parent combat aviation brigade, 

said CW5 James Houghton, the detachment’s officer in charge.

 The detachment started just over one year 

ago, and almost immediately allowed Soldiers who hold the corresponding Military 

Occupational Specialty (MOS) to volunteer 

Tennessee Guard Detachment Leaves for Year-long Deployment to Kuwait in Support of Operation Spartan Shield.

DEPLOYING 

TO KUWAIT

SPARTAN SHIELD

Spc. Ryan McKnight and Spc. 

Ernest Harlan, both Tennessee 

National Guard members assigned to Detachment 5, Company B, 248th Aviation Support 

Battalion, Nashville, Tenn., 

discuss some of the things they 

are looking forward to during 

their deployment to Kuwait at 

their departure ceremony Sept. 

28. The twenty-two Guard 

members who volunteered for 

the deployment left Joint Base 

Berry Field Sept. 30 to participate in predeployment training 

at Fort Hood, Texas. 
31

Twenty-two Tenn. National Guard members assigned to Detachment 5, Company B, 248th Aviation Support Battalion, attend a departure ceremony Sept. 28 at Joint Base Berry Field, 

Nashville, Tenn. The detachment departed Nashville Sept. 30 to 

participate in pre deployment training at Fort Hood, Texas, before deploying to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

to augment the vacant positions. 

 “This detachment is made up of volunteers who asked to 

go on this deployment,” Houghton said. “For some of the 

senior folks, this will be their second or third deployment. 

For the younger Soldiers, this may be their first opportunity 

to deploy. They are looking forward to the opportunity to 

go perform a mission in support of other real-world operations.”

 Spc. Ernest Harlan, a UH-60 Blackhawk Repairer currently assigned to Det. 5, Co. B, 248 ASB, plans to make the 

most of the deployment as it will be his first. 

 “I’m really hoping I can gain some experience out of 

this since I am a traditional Soldier,” Harlan said. “I’m hopeful that this deployment will go well for everyone. I know 

I’m going to make the best out of it.” A traditional Soldier is 

one who fulfills their National Guard duties one weekend a 

month for drill and two weeks of annual training per year.

 Though the Soldiers give up a great deal, their families 

make sacrifices that do not go unnoticed, said Sgt. Joseph 

Hough, currently assigned to Det. 5, Co. B, 248 ASB. 

 “I really appreciate my family for letting me go on this 

deployment- my wife is a great supporter,” Hough said. “I 

know it’s really hard on the families to be able to deal with 

this. I’m so happy for everyone in the unit, and I thank everyone for letting their Soldier go and do this with us.”

- SPC. LAUREN OGBURN
32 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 17 / ISSUE 4

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In response to the 

terrible flooding in Texas from Hurricane 

Harvey, many Tennesseans have helped by 

donating or traveling to the disaster area to 

help.

 The Tennessee Air National Guard is 

among those lending a helping hand as relief 

efforts continue.

 The 12 Airmen from the 118th Wing of 

the Tennessee are not actually traveling to 

Texas. Instead, they are utilizing high resolution satellite and aerial pictures to analyze oil 

refineries and waste water treatment plants.

 “This is why America has a National 

Guard, to fight wars abroad and to save lives 

at home,” said Col. Keith Allbritten.

 He continued, “This is what I would call 

an unclassified operations floor. Our Airmen are trained to do federal missions to 

support combatant commanders. They take 

these federal skill sets and they apply them 

to unclassified operations.”

 The Airmen work at a domestic operations 

center where they interpret satellite pictures 

and aerial photography. They are particularly looking at waste water treatment plants 

and oil refineries.

 The Tennessee Air Guard actually used 

the same technology they are using now 

during the wildfires in Gatlinburg and East 

Tennessee last November.

 Their information actually allowed Tennessee Emergency Management Agency 

(TEMA) to ask for federal disaster aid a 

week before they would have been able to 

without the technology.

Tennessee National Guard Monitors Oil Refineries After 

Hurricane Harvey Devastation.

118TH WING 

LENDS A HAND

Story by: Davis Nolan WKRN.com - Tennessee Published Sept. 6, 2017

118TH WING

Video: Col. Keith Allbritten speaking about the 

Tennessee Air National Guard’s hand in delivering 

relief to Texas after Hurricane Harvey. (Courtesy 

WKRN Nashville)
33

 Before Tennessee became a state in 1796, 

settlers had already organized militia units that 

became the foundation of the modern Tennessee National Guard. For more than 250 years, 

the Tennessee militia, and then the National Guard, fought in nearly every war the U.S. 

has engaged in, producing military heroes like 

John Sevier, David Crockett, and Sam Houston, prominent figures that are key to Tennessee History. But out of all the Tennessee 

Guardsmen that fought throughout the years, 

there is no one more celebrated than Maj. Gen. 

Andrew Jackson. 

 First joining the South Carolina militia at just 

10-years-old, Jackson was fighting the British 

during the Revolutionary War by 13. He rode 

as a messenger for Continental forces at the 

Battle of Hanging Rock until he was captured 

and imprisoned by the British. After being released, he spent the next 40 years serving with 

or supporting those in the militia. In 1802, he 

ran for and was elected as the Tennessee militia’s Major General, in command of the state’s 

forces. By 1812 and into 1813 he would lead 

these forces to defeat the Red Sticks during the 

Creek War, started by the Fort Mims massacre. 

Due to his leadership and military prowess, 

Jackson was promoted to a federally recognized Major General in the southern theater of 

war. In 1815, he led a large federal force comprised of many Tennessee units in the defense 

of New Orleans against British invasion. This 

one-sided victory against veteran British forces 

would propel Jackson to national celebrity, the 

Presidency, and to become the most famous 

American of his time. He would define an era. 

 Over the years, there have been many books 

written about Jackson’s life and military career, 

but none are as accessible or put the reader into 

the period more than H. W. Brands’ Andrew Jackson: 

His Life and Times. This one volume biography not 

just chronicles the life of a military hero and President, but it examines the world in which he lived. 

Brands, who is a professor at the University of Texas 

at Austin and holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in 

History, argues in his work that “Jackson had known 

only struggle.” Throughout much of Jackson’s life he 

had to overcome insurmountable obstacles, from being orphaned at age 15, to the death of his wife just 

prior to beginning his first presidential term. This 

struggle “defined his era in American history, which 

is how he came to symbolize it.” 

 In order to explain how Jackson defined the period and rose to power, Brands divided his work into 

five part that encompass 43 chapters. Through these 

sections, he focuses on explaining how Jackson persevered and struggled to become one of the most 

prominent men of his era. His time in the militia defined him as a leader and a man of action. Brands 

chronicles key historical events throughout his 

work, never assuming that readers know the events 

and providing valuable context. 

 Overall, this work is a very detailed biography that 

covers its massive topic in just one volume. With its 

readable style and pacing, Brands masterfully synthesizes and interweaves a complex life and career 

with an understanding of the period in which Jackson lived. Utilizing primary and secondary sources 

to tell a compelling and interesting narrative, it is an 

enjoyable and engaging read. I would strongly recommend this work to anyone interested in the life of 

Andrew Jackson. It is also a great introduction into 

Jackson’s military career and the early years of the 

Tennessee militia. Brands work is well written and 

thoroughly researched, and will stand as a key source 

for understanding the Jacksonian Period.

- MAJ. DARRIN HAAS

ANDREW JACKSON:

HIS LIFE AND TIMES

Andrew Jackson:

His Life and Times.

By H. W. Brands. 

New York: Doubleday, 

2005.

BOOK REVIEW

Maj. Darrin Haas Gives his Review of:

* Maj. Darrin Haas is the Historian for the Tennessee Military Dept.
Produced in collaboration with the Tennessee Military Department 

and the Tennessee National Guard