JULY 2018 VOLUME 18 ISSUE 3

THE VOLUNTEER STATE

guard

magazine

THE CHALLENGE ACADEMY GRADUATES ITS SECOND CLASS

We’re going back to Cali

 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment’s rotation 

at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. 
2 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

ON THE COVER

Infantrymen with the Army National Guard’s 3rd 

Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, based 

out of Pennsylvania, storm into action during an 

attack on a simulated village at the Army’s Fort Irwin 

National Training Center, May 11. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Sarah Kirby)

08

NTC 2018:

Training in Fort 

Irwin, Calif.

32

Volunteers for 

Success

14

Airman 

to the 

Rescue

24

Operation

“Buck” Karnes

THE VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD MAGAZINE
3

CONTENTS VSG

8 NTC 2018

278th Armored Cavalry Regiment’s Rotation at the National Training 

Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. 

14 AIRMAN TO THE RESCUE

Tennessee Airman Helps Motorist at a Roadside Accident.

15 ENGINEERS IN EUROPE

Polish, US Engineers Clear a Path for Interoperability.

16 THE NTC CLEAN-UP CREW

An Account of the Glamour-less Jobs at NTC.

18 DENMARK’S HOME GUARD

Tennessee Soldiers Train with Denmark’s Home Guard.

20 SGT MATHEW ROBINSON

Permanent Injuries Do NOT Mean Permanent Situations.

21 NTC TRAINING TOGETHER

Tenn. Guard Married Couple Serves Together at NTC.

22 FIRST SHIRT SYMPOSIUM 

First Sergeant Symposium is Largest in Recent Memory.

23 READY FOR COMPETITION

164th Airlift Wing Tech Sergeant (Retired) Russell Logan Prepares for 

First Warrior Games Appearance. 

24 OPERATION “BUCK” KARNES

The Story Behind the Name of this Year’s National Training Center Rotation.

26 CHAPLAIN SUPPORT

Tennessee Chaplains Support the 278th at the National Training Center 

in California.

28 PIONEER OF THE 118TH

First Woman in 118th Wing History Promoted to Colonel at Berry Field 

Assumes Group Command.

30 ESGR BOSSLIFT

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Boss Lift 

Showcases Tennessee Army National Guard to Employers.

32 VOLUNTEERS FOR SUCCESS

The Volunteer Challenge Academy Continues Putting 

Young Men and Women on a Better Path.

36 THE TAG TALKS NTC

The Tennessee Adjutant General Talks about Training 

at the National Training Center in California.

37 BOOK REVIEW

Maj. Darrin Haas Gives his Review of 

Starship Troopers

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

MAJ. (RET) RANDY HARRIS

ROB PENNINGTON

CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 4 NICK ATWOOD

MAJ. DARRIN HAAS 

SGT. 1ST CLASS (RET) WILLIAM JONES

ROB PENNINGTON

LT. GEN. TIMOTHY J KADAVY 

MAJ. DARRIN HAAS

MAJ. JOHN RIGDON

SENIOR MASTER SGT. KENDRA M. OWENBY

MASTER SGT. MIKE SMITH

SGT. 1ST CLASS (RET) WILLIAM JONES

STAFF SGT. TIMOTHY CORDEIRO

STAFF SGT. BEN MELLON

STAFF SGT. MATHIEU PERRY

SGT. SARAH KIRBY

SGT. NATASHA PRICE

SPC. ANDREW MCNEIL

SPC. LAUREN OGBURN

SPC. LISA ORENDER

MAJ. DARRIN HAAS

MASTER SGT. MIKE SMITH

SGT. 1ST CLASS (RET) WILLIAM JONES

STAFF SGT. TIMOTHY CORDEIRO

SENIOR AIRMAN ANTHONY AGOSTI

TECH. SGT. DARRELL HAMM

SGT. SARAH KIRBY

SGT. NATASHA PRICE

SPC. ANDREW MCNEIL

MARY THERESE GRIFFIN

KIM CONSTANTINESCO

VOLUME 18 ISSUE 3

tnmilitary.org

JULY, 2018
4 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

BLACKHAWK VIEW

May 11, 2018 - A Blackhawk crewchief views the training site that the 278th Armored 

Cavalry Regiment is preparing to mount a simulated attack on at the National Training 

Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. 

PHOTO BY: MAJ. JOHN RIGDON

T E N N E S S E E 

SNAPSHOT
5

TRAINING IN LATVIA

May 18, 2018 - Airmen from the 134th Civil Engineer Squadron construct concrete 

pads during their annual deployment for training at Camp Adazi, Latvia. Each year the 

134th CES participates in training to keep skills sharp and train new Airmen.

PHOTO BY: STAFF SGT. BEN MELLON

T E N N E S S E E 

SNAPSHOT
6

HOMECOMING

May 10, 2018 - Staff Sgt. Jared Kidwell hugs his daughter Abigail as his brother Jeremy looks on at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. The Airman returned recently 

from a lengthy deployment. 

PHOTO BY: SENIOR MASTER SGT. KENDRA M. OWENBY

T E N N E S S E E 

SNAPSHOT
7 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

POPPIN’ SMOKE

May 11, 2018 - Soldiers assigned to the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment run into a 

village as part of a combat operations exercise at the National Training Center in Fort 

Irwin, Calif. 

PHOTO BY: SPC. LAUREN OGBURN

T E N N E S S E E 

SNAPSHOT
8 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

NTC2018

STORY BY MAJ. DARRIN HAAS
9

Infantrymen with the Army National Guard’s 3rd Squadron, 278th Armored 

Cavalry Regiment, based out of Pennsylvania, storm into action during an attack 

on a simulated village at the Army’s Fort Irwin National Training Center, May 11. 

(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Sarah Kirby)

278th Armored Cavalry Regiment’s 

rotation at the National Training Center 

in Fort Irwin, Calif. 
10 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

Instead, scorching temperatures, blinding sunlight, frigid nights, rugged terrain, and an austere landscape reminding many combat veterans of their deployments to Iraq, awaited them as they arrived. And 

patiently lurking in the bleak, 1,000-square-mile desert training area, 

ready to do battle, was one of the Army’s fiercest and best trained units, 

the “Blackhorse” of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. 

 From April through May, more than 3,000 Soldiers of the 278th, 

“fought” the 11th Cavalry in a nearly month-long, complex, field training exercise that simulated and tested the 278th’s war fighting mission. 

It was some of the most realistic, challenging, and exhausting training 

the 278th has ever conducted and it was done at the Army’s most premier training site. 

 Located in the Mojave Desert in Northern San Bernardino County, 

Calif., the National Training Center at Fort Irwin is one of the few areas in the United States where a brigade sized unit can train together 

and practice brigade-sized missions. It is also the most realistic and 

state of the art facility, able to accurately simulate most combat situations that Soldiers could find themselves facing during a wartime 

deployment. This was a great opportunity for the 278th, the largest 

unit in Tennessee and one of only five armored brigade combat teams 

in the National Guard. 

 “This is the greatest training environment in the world today,” said 

Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” Haston, Tennessee’s Adjutant General. “They 

say the NTC’s training area is about the same size as Rhode Island, but 

it’s not the land and size that makes it great, it’s the Soldiers, especially 

the trainers and opposing forces with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. They have the best and most modern techniques, tactics, and 

procedures the Army has to offer. This is key to giving our Soldiers the 

best training possible and makes them better because of it.” 

 In order to get the most out of their training, the Soldiers readied 

WHEN THE SOLDIERS OF TENNESSEE’S 278TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT 

(ALONG WITH 3RD SQUADRON FROM PENNSYLVANIA) ARRIVED AT THE NATIONAL 

TRAINING CENTER IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS PAST APRIL, THERE WAS NO WELCOME PARTY WAITING TO GREET THEM FOR THEIR ANNUAL “SUMMER CAMP.” 

A Soldier assigned to the 278th Armored 

Cavalry Regiment runs into a simulated 

village on May 11, as part of a combat 

operations exercise at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. (Photo by 

Spc. Lauren Ogburn) 
11

themselves long before arriving in California. “We were preparing for 

this opportunity to train at the National Training Center since early 

last year,” said Haston. “It’s an incredibly valuable opportunity for our 

Soldiers.”

 Before arriving, the Soldiers of the 278th did not just prepare at 

their home armories. They conducted an essential and critical exter-

nal evaluation, referred to as an XCTC. “Last summer the Regiment 

completed a major exercise at Fort Hood, Texas, paving the way and 

preparing the 278th for the training they received in California,” said 

Brig. Gen. Tommy Baker, Tennessee’s Assistant Adjutant General – 

Army. “I have the fullest confidence that when the unit leaves NTC, 

they will be some of the best trained Soldiers in the Army as well as 

completely prepared for their follow on missions later this year.”

 This intense training wasn’t conducted just for the sake of training. 

Once complete, the 278th was now ready for their future deployments 

Top right: The 230th Sustainment Brigade works the rail head at Yermo, 

Calf. preparing vehicles for movement to the National Training Center on 

April 26. Middle right: Staff Sgt. Joel Nix applies a medical dressing to Sgt. 

Jonathon Dole during a simulated enemy attack at the National Training 

Center on May 12. Bottom right: Soldiers must use decisive action in the 

simulated battles that take place at NTC. (Photos by Staff Sgt. Mathieu 

Perry, Sgt. 1st Class (Ret) William Jones, and Spc. Lisa Orender)
12 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

to Poland and Ukraine. This summer, roughly 800 Soldiers will begin 

the first of two rotations to Poland where it will support an Enhance 

Force Presence mission, a forward defense and deterrence posture in 

Eastern Europe to protect and reassure NATO members of their security.

 The 278th’s Regimental headquarters from Knoxville is deploying 

to Ukraine early next year to support the Joint Multinational Training 

Group-Ukraine. According to Haston, the 278th headquarters “will be 

training members of the Western Ukraine military: coaching, guiding, 

and training them just as the OPFOR did for us at the NTC.”

 The NTC challenged every Soldier that participated, preparing 

them to be more effective and efficient in their primary job functions. 

Tank and bradley crews conducted a myriad of tactical tasks that culminated in live-fire exercises, the most realistic and dangerous training possible. Infantry units did the same. The NTC also exercised and 

challenged all the maneuver and support units participating. “The 

Soldiers were trained on maintenance, railhead operations, site preparation, convoy security, and culminated in a week-long combat exercise,” said Baker. 

 “We were able to exercise and train many of the tasks critical to 

the mission of the Military Police Corps,” said Capt. Lee Kendall, the 

One of the pyrotechnic displays used to simulate a rocket attack that 

is used to make the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment’s training as 

realistic as possible at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., 

on May 11. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. John Rigdon)

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard, plan an attack against opposing forces during a 

a pre-deployment exercise at the National Training Center in Calif., May 15. 

(Photo by Lt. Gen. Timothy J Kadavy)
13

commander of the 251st Military Police Company. “Getting the opportunity to train at NTC with the regiment improved our abilities in 

countless areas.” 

 Tennessee is also not the only state that participated. Units from 

12 states, two of which belong to the active Army, one Army Reserve 

and one Air National Guard, served various functions throughout the 

exercise to enhance their own skills. Soldiers from California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and Utah all participated alongside the 

278th. In total, more than 5,000 personnel participated in the rotation 

to make it a success.

 Most of the Soldiers supporting the 278th’s rotation were from 

Chattanooga’s 230th Sustainment Brigade. These Soldiers made it possible for the regiment to focus on their missions in the “box” and get 

the most out of their rotation without having to worry about many of 

the logistics and administrative issues need to support such a massive 

training event. 

 Overall, the Regiment performed well and are now fully prepared 

for their upcoming real world missions to Poland and the Ukraine. 

- MAJ. DARRIN HAAS

“This is the 

Greatest 

Training 

Environment 

in the World 

Today.” 

-Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” 

Haston, Tennessee’s 

Adjutant General. 

A 278th Soldier provides security in a town during training at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., 

May 6. (Photo by Spc. Lisa Orender)

Maj. Brad Bradford and Cpt. 

Kyle Farley, troop leaders 

with the Tennessee Army 

National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry 

Regiment, plan different 

options to attack opposing forces at the National 

Training Center, Fort Irwin 

in Calif., May 12. (Photo by 

U.S. Army Sgt. Sarah Kirby)
14 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

MCGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL 

GUARD BASE, Tenn. – A video news 

report from the Air Guard’s TEC-TV studios here recently shared one Airman’s 

story about a quick decision to help a 

stranger at a roadside accident outside the 

East Tennessee Smoky Mountains. 

 Despite the event occurring more than 

a year ago, Staff Sgt. Thomas Swanson, 

a public affairs specialist, produced the 

video while training in March with TECTV’s Production Branch and after hearing 

from others about Tech. Sgt. Jesse E. Ball’s 

compelling story.

 Sergeant Ball was outside Sevierville, 

returning home from his work as an Air 

Force instructor when he watched a motorist drive off the road and into a creek. 

He said in the video that he anticipated 

the worst, so he pulled up and rushed to 

the edge to decide what to do.

 “I’m not a great swimmer,” Sergeant 

Ball said. “I swim about as good as a rock.”

 The female driver was trying to get to 

safety with a child, but she was in waistdeep current and below a muddy embankment. Sergeant Ball figured that the 

only option was to climb down and assist. 

 Rushing in, he got a hold of the child and 

was able to help carry both from the water 

and up to the other motorists and emergency responders who had arrived.

 The ambulance took the woman and child 

to medical care.

 Sergeant Ball believes his actions are no 

different than what anyone else would do, 

and he kept the story among coworkers, 

friends, and family; nonetheless, supervisors 

submitted him for an award and talked with 

Public Affairs to recognize his actions.

 In his full-time service, Sergeant Ball 

teaches enlisted professional military education to active, Guard, and Reserve Airmen at 

the Chief Master Sergeant Paul H. Lankford 

EPME Center.

 You can watch the video at DVIDS: 

https://www.dvidshub.net/video/593633/

airman-helps-others-tennessee-auto-accident

- STORY BY MASTER SGT. MIKE SMITH

Tennessee Airman Helps Motorist at a Roadside Accident.

AIRMAN TO 

THE RESCUE

Tech. Sgt. Jesse Ball, not a 

strong swimmer, faced the decision on his ride home from the 

base through Sevierville, Tennessee, last winter, to enter a 

steam of unknown current and 

depth to pull passengers in an 

auto accident to safety.

RESCUE
15

Polish, US Engineers Clear a Path for Interoperability.

ENGINEERS IN 

EUROPE

RESOLUTE CASTLE

KONOTOP, Poland — The air became 

filled with the aroma of earth as a U.S. 

Army engineer, assigned to the Tennessee 

National Guard, used a D6 bulldozer to 

cut through the ground to begin excavation at a range near the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area in Poland, May 15.

 “We are out here on the Polish armored 

tank range beginning work on a 350-meter MAT (Moving Armored Target) site,” 

said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Jesse Cotton, a 

Lynchburg, Tennessee, native, assigned 

to the 194th Engineer Brigade, Tennessee 

National Guard, which is working with 

Polish engineers during Resolute Castle 

2018. 

 Resolute Castle allows NATO and U.S. 

Army engineers to support Atlantic Resolve 

by promoting interoperability between Polish and U.S. counterparts. 

 The days leading up to the beginning of 

the project, the worksite at the range had 

been swept for unexploded ordnance by Polish engineers assigned to the 5th Engineer 

Regiment. Once given the all clear, the U.S. 

engineers quickly began excavating. 

 “This (project) helps put a great image of 

us in the minds of the Polish military here 

and whenever they use it, they’ll think of 

the guys from Tennessee,” said Cotton, the 

project officer in charge of the site. “And as 

a horizontal unit, we love to see our finished 

product out there in the world.” 

 Horizontal construction units focus on 

creating, building a repairing infrastructure 

such roadways, whereas a vertical construction unit builds from the ground up starting 

with foundations and ending with finished 

buildings.

 The MAT range project is one of many 

projects being worked on at the Drawsko 

Pomorskie Training Area, during Resolute 

Castle 2018.

 “Currently, there are four job sites that 

are being worked on by the horizontal engineers from Tennessee,” said Master Sgt. Byron Smith, a Roscommon, Michigan, native, 

assigned to the 507th Engineer Battalion 

and the construction operations noncommissioned officer in charge of the project. 

 Smith said the 107th Engineer Battalion, 

Michigan National Guard, which he is temporarily attached to during Resolute Castle, 

is working on multiple building sites to include an administrative building, an openbay multipurpose building, a forward arming and refueling point, and the MAT, said 

Smith. 

 The multiple projects running at once has 

given the engineers participating in the exercise the opportunity to train on a variety 

of machinery. The projects also establish interoperability by encouraging the U.S. and 

NATO allies to work together and implement innovative solutions to common engineering problems.

 “Operations like Resolute Castle are a great 

platform for building relationships between 

other nations,” said Cotton. “Cross training 

is a great way to build up relationships between us and them, be a little friendlier and 

get to know each other’s culture.” 

 Atlantic Resolve is a demonstration of the 

United States’ commitment to the collective 

security of Europe through the deployment 

of rotational U.S. forces in cooperation with 

NATO ally and partner nations. 

- SPC. ANDREW MCNEIL

Polish engineer 

Soldiers sweep 

for unexploded 

ordnance during 

Resolute Castle 

2018. (Photo 

by Spc. Andrew 

McNeil)
16 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

RESPONSIBILITY

CLEAN -UP CREW

THE NTC

AN ACCOUNT OF THE

GLAMOUR-LESS JOBS AT NTC

BY SGT. SARAH KIRBY
17

Deep within the Mojave Desert resides the U.S. Army’s 

Fort Irwin National Training Center, a massive 1,000 

square mile training area 

where Soldiers such as Sgt. 1st Class Billy Evans have not only occupied, but have valued 

and preserved it with a diligent approach to 

environmental stewardship.

 When Evans arrived at NTC for his twoweek annual training with the Tennessee 

Army National Guard’s 230th Sustainment 

Brigade, headquartered out of Chattanooga, 

he was assigned as the non-commissioned 

officer in charge of an eight-man police call 

team. Evan’s team mission was to maintain 

the grounds of the Rotational Unit Bivouac 

Area, a 175-acre area designated to sustain 

and support NTC’s rotational training units. 

 His team was given tasks which included digging up rows of unused fence posts, 

cutting through old mangled concertina 

wire, weeding around tents, shoveling loose 

gravel from primary walkways, spotlessly 

scrubbing latrines, and corralling all trash to 

the landfill and recycling area. To most this 

may appear as a glamour-less job, but this 

perception falls short on Evans’ contagiously positive attitude and the impact his team 

makes daily.

 “I love this job,” said Evans. “Police call 

isn’t a detail of shame or punishment, it’s 

what we’ve been assigned to do and we do 

it the best we can. We all have the same 

mentality, take care of where you are staying whether you made the mess or not; never leave a place worse than when you first 

found it; and if you’re going to do something 

you might as well do it the right way.”

 Coincidentally, Fort Irwin abides by the 

same values and it has made them one of the 

top leaders in environmental stewardship. 

They were the first installation to exceed the 

Department of Defense’s goal of 40% diversion of all solid waste by 2015, and they also 

exceeded the California requirement to reduce the 1990-baseline disposal of nonhazardous solid waste by 50% before the year 

2000.

 “At one time there were 7,000 Soldiers 

here during an overlapped schedule of RTUs 

(Rotational Training Unit), which generated 

a lot of trash,” said Evans. “The average person produces roughly 100 pounds of trash 

during their stay and that can collect quickly 

if not properly maintained.” During Evans’ 

two-week rotation at NTC his team of eight 

Soldiers hauled away over 81,000 pounds of 

garbage.

 “I’ve been blessed to have this team,” said 

Evans. “I’ve never had to push these guys 

and I didn’t even know them before coming 

here.”

 Evans was not previously aware of Ft. Irwin’s excellent environmental reputation, 

however, his team has proven that their actions would have been the same regardless. 

“We would have done a good job no matter 

where we were assigned,” said Evans. “This 

is our home right now, and while we can, we 

will take care of it.” 

- SGT. SARAH KIRBY

Pvt. 1st Class Jason True, a 

mechanic with the 1172nd Transportation Company based out of 

Memphis, Tenn., shovels gravel 

from a primary walkway around 

housing tents at the National 

Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., May 7. (Photo by Sgt. Sarah 

Kirby)

1 PERSON = 

100 LBS 

 TRASH
18 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

A member of the Danish Home Guard assumes 

the prone position during a military movement drill 

on May 11, at the National Training Center in Fort 

Irwin, Calif. (Photo by Spc. Lauren Ogburn)

DENMARK’S 

HOME GUARD 

TENNESSEE TROOPS TRAIN WITH

PARTNERSHIPS
19

Danish Home Guard Soldiers pose 

for a photograph with Sgt. Dutton 

Hubert from Jamestown’s E Troop, 

2nd Squadron, of the 278th Armored 

Cavalry Regiment, and Maj. Nikolaj 

Lundsteen, the Head of Operations for 

the Danish Center for Stabilization Engagement, during a training exercise 

at the U.S. Army’s Fort Irwin National 

Training Center in Calif., May 6. (Photo 

by Maj. Darrin Haas)

When hundreds of armored 

combat vehicles from 

the Tennessee National 

Guard’s 278th Armored 

Cavalry Regiment rolled into the stark and 

barren desert training area at Fort Irwin’s 

National Training Center on May 5, they 

were not alone. More than 30 elite infantryman from Denmark’s Home Guard were 

embedded with the 278th, ready and eager 

to train. Over the next few weeks, the Danish and Tennessee troops would not just 

learn about desert combat, but they’d learn 

about each other and how to fight together. 

 Embedded with Soldiers from the 278th’s 

2nd Squadron headquartered in Cookeville, 

the Danish troops from Denmark’s Home 

Guard, their equivalent to the United States’ 

National Guard, have gone through great 

lengths to be here for this historic partnership. 

 “This is the first time that Soldiers from 

the Danish Home Guard have had the 

chance to train at the U.S. Army’s National 

Training Center,” said Col. Lennie Fredskov 

Hansen, Commanding Officer of Regional 

Command East of the Danish Home Guard. 

“This is also the first time we’ve worked with 

Tennessee Soldiers on such a massive scale. 

We’re very excited about the opportunity.” 

 Being chosen to take part was no easy 

task for the 35 Danish troops selected to 

participate this past spring and travel halfway around the world to the Mojave Desert. 

 “To be here, they had to undergo a very 

demanding selection process,” said Maj. Nikolaj Lundsteen, the Head of Operations for 

the Danish Center for Stabilization Engagement. “It was very competitive, with Soldiers 

judged on their skills, fitness, and many other attributes. Those here are some of the best 

Soldiers in the Home Guard and are very 

dedicated.” 

 The Home Guard differs from the National Guard in one interesting way, none of 

them are getting paid. 

 “The Home Guard is 100 percent voluntary,” said Lundsteen. “Each Soldier is here 

receiving no pay or benefits, are away from 

their families, and are using their personal 

leave. This is their vacation.”

 But when the Danish Soldiers entered 

“The Box” at the National Training Center, 

they were all business.

 “These guys are tough, eager, and came 

ready to learn,” said Sgt. Dutton Hubert from 

Jamestown’s E Troop, 2nd Squadron, of the 

278th Armored Cavalry Regiment. “They 

quickly integrated well with U.S. troops and 

are constantly asking questions and looking 

for feedback on what to improve. We are all 

learning different techniques and tactical 

procedures.”

 Hubert has been working alongside a 

squad of Danish infantrymen since they began training at NTC. Utilized as dismounts 

on his Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, 

they have been sharing different methods 

and ideas to accomplish tactical missions 

as well as looking for more efficient, lethal, and safer ways to fight. “The Danish 

troops have been a great asset and we’ve all 

been learning a lot from each other,” said 

Hubert. 

 Another group of Danish Home Guard 

infantrymen have been embedded with McMinnville’s F Troop, 2nd Squadron. Danish 

Pvt. Thom Jepsen, a Police Officer with the 

Danish National Police back home, said that 

it has been a great experience getting to train 

with the Tennessee unit. 

 “So far, I’ve learned a lot working with 

the Americans,” Jespen said. “It was very 

competitive to be one of the Soldiers chosen. It’s been about ten years since I’ve had 

the opportunity to train in the desert and so 

far it’s been a great experience. I’ve practiced 

different tactical procedures from the Americans than I do at home, especially integrating the infantry with armored vehicles like 

the Bradley.” 

 Lundsteen said that this partnership with 

Tennessee has been in the making for some 

time. 

 “Our military was very interested in working with Tennessee Soldiers,” he said. “We 

have similar geography and terrain, making working together beneficial as we share 

different approaches to tactical problems. 

It was also a great opportunity to conduct 

some desert training with the Tennesseans, 

terrain we don’t get to practice on often or 

on such a large scale.” 

- MAJ. DARRIN HAAS
20 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

ARLINGTON, Va. - Scary but true, we’ve 

all probably been there in a car either as the 

driver or passenger. Road fatigue, sleepiness, 

or a wandering mind and then you feel the 

rumble strips of the road. That’s what happened to Sgt. Mathew Robinson on June 18, 

2016.

 “I was injured in Almaville, Tenn., as a 

passenger in a car. We were driving on Interstate 840, the driver fell asleep, and when 

we hit the rumble strip-he woke up, overcorrected and we started to roll multiple times,” 

said Robinson.

 Robinson hit his head on the pavement 

about 5 or 6 times and sustained five fractures to his skull, a broken ear bone, a fractured C2 vertebra, punctured lung, broken 

ribs and a traumatic brain injury. 

 The Combat Engineer in the Tennessee 

National Guard was headed down a new 

road, the road to recovery thanks to the Fort 

Campbell Warrior Transition Battalion. It 

would take him a while, a few side turns to 

reach the WTB which began at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, seven months 

inpatient at the Veteran Administration 

Hospital in Tampa, Florida and the last 13 

months at the Fort Campbell WTB. 

 His outlook was grim from the beginning 

as he was given only a 5% chance of survival. 

By the time he reached the WTB, he knew 

he had a choice. Accept his fate or fight it. 

According to his Physical Therapist Lindsey 

Davison, the fight was on. “They told him 

he had a 5% chance of survival and now he 

is running, sprinting and trying with all his 

might to jump and is undergoing the Medical Evaluation Board to determine if he can 

remain in the army,” said Davison.

 After being in a medical device commonly 

known as a halo to manage spinal injuries 

and to minimize neurological damage for 

two months, several months in a wheelchair 

and having to reset everything to start working again, Robinson made a positive discovery about himself after observing others in 

the fight. “I hate to see Soldiers who aren’t 

accepting the injury and just sit in the same 

hole. The injury does not define you and it is 

only temporary, not permanent,” said Robinson. 

 “In many circumstances injury leads to 

more open doors and more opportunities to 

grow, learn and develop in ways that weren’t 

there prior to injury. I advise soldiers to take 

a lesson from Sgt. Robinson: don’t let anyone 

tell you “no”-work hard, try hard and overcome,” Davison added.

 The physical processing of the recovery 

and learning the new norm was quite irritating to Robinson in the beginning and then 

it became easy around the 4th month when 

he began having fun by participating in 

the programs and opportunities at the Fort 

Campbell WTB. 

 “Enjoy the process of recovery because 

if you enjoy the process it is a lot easier to 

accept the reality of the injuries,” said Robinson. 

05.16.2018 Story By Mary Therese Griffin, 

Warrior Care and Transition

Permanent Injuries Do NOT Mean Permanent Situations.

SGT MATHEW 

ROBINSON

Sgt. Mathew Robinson is all 

smiles after physical therapy at 

Fort Campbell, Kentucky Warrior 

Transition Battalion. 

RECOVERY
21

Tenn. Guard Married Couple Serves Together at NTC.

NTC TRAINING 

TOGETHER

FAMILY

FORT IRWIN, Calif. – When both spouses 

serve in the military, life can be challenging. Field exercises, military schools, trainings, and deployments often take one, or 

even both spouses, away from home. Add 

children into the equation and the challenges increase. This is the case for Cpt. Carmen Hanczyk and Cpt. Michael Hanczyk, 

a married couple with a sixteen-month-old 

daughter who are both a part of the Chattanooga’s 230th Sustainment Brigade.

 “It can be tough having a child while both 

of us are service members,” said Carmen. 

“However, we both understand that its mission first and we have learned to appreciate 

the time we get.”

 The couple was on a training rotation 

together at the National Training Center at 

Fort Irwin, Calif., supporting the 278th Armored Calvary Regiment. They both handled the coordination of inbound and outbound transportation as well as Red Cross 

messages the Tennessee units receive. Although they may have different leadership 

styles, they are able to work together to complete the mission. 

 “I enjoy working with her, and in the end, 

we work pretty well as a team to make sure 

we get everything done. And it’s actually 

fun,” said Michael.

 Throughout the training rotation, their 

daughter was in New York with her grandmother while the Hanczyks complete their 

first mission together. 

 “A good family support system is the glue 

that holds a military family together,” said 

Carmen. 

- SGT. NATASHA PRICE

Cpt. Carmen Hanczyk and Cpt. Michael Hanczyk, assigned to Chattanooga’s 230th Sustainment Brigade, 

pose in front of a mobile kitchen 

on May 11, at the National Training 

Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. (Photo by 

Sgt. Natasha Price)
22 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

MCGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL 

GUARD BASE, Tenn. – The Air National 

Guard’s training and education center hosted the largest gathering of Air Force First 

Sergeants in recent memory when at least 

217 of them met on the campus in East Tennessee this week for a continuing education 

symposium.

 The I.G. Brown Training and Education 

Center worked with the Tennessee Air National Guard to help facilitate the symposium of enlisted force leaders – who are 

considered the “lynchpin and discipline” of 

a unit.

 “First Sergeants are required an amount 

of continuing education, so this fulfills that 

requirement as well as allows for a good 

amount of networking,” said Senior Master 

Sgt. Michael Krausz, the training center’s 

first sergeant, who helped the state’s Airmen 

and others put it on. 

 The four days of professional development 

lectures, panels, and subject expertise on the 

workings of First Sergeant roles and current 

matters included an audience of regular Air 

Force, Guard, and Reserve Airmen.

 Commonly called a “first shirt” or “shirt,” 

a First Sergeant in the Air Force is a typical duty for career-minded and experienced 

senior noncommissioned officers. They 

oversee the morale, welfare, and conduct of 

enlisted Airmen in a given unit. That role 

includes a plethora of responsibilities, from 

sit-down discussions and direct support for 

individuals to managing enlisted situations 

and requirements for senior leadership. The 

duty also requires existing knowledge on 

any number of service-related actions, issues, regulations, and programs.

 The gathering was the symposium’s fourth 

iteration, which Tennessee Air Guard Chief 

Master Sgt. Matthew R. Smith, a former First 

Sergeant, said that his state began by initially 

joining for some training in 2014. Last year’s 

event in Nashville included Airmen from 

across the National Guard, and this year’s 

event embodied the total Air Force, including some First Sergeants assigned to operations in Japan and South Korea. 

 The symposium included a dinner in the 

134th Air Refueling Wing’s hanger with a 

guest speaker – the outgoing U.S. Air Force 

First Sergeant Academy Commandant, 

Chief Master Sgt. Danny Doucette.

 Chief Smith said that prior First Sergeants 

typically continue to support and develop 

the field after completing their duties. His attendance was one example. Retired Air National Guard Command Chief, Chief Master 

Sergeant James W. Hotaling, who spoke with 

the group earlier this week, is another example of that support. 

 “Once a First Sergeant, always a First Sergeant,” Chief Smith said. “It’s the best job 

that an enlisted person could have, in my 

opinion.”

 Within the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, coordinators pointed out TEC’s nocost lodging, as well as its new classrooms, 

WiFi, and inclusive services as factors to the 

symposium’s location. 

- MASTER SGT. MIKE SMITH

First Sergeant Symposium is Largest in Recent Memory.

FIRST SHIRT 

SYMPOSIUM 

Air Force First Sergeants answer 

questions from a chiefs’ panel in the 

Spruance Hall auditorium on May 23. 

(Photo by Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith) 

DEVELOPMENT
23

164th Airlift Wing Tech Sergeant (Ret.) Russell Logan Prepares for First Warrior Games Appearance. 

READY FOR 

COMPETITION

WARRIOR GAMES

The DoD Warrior Games are nearly upon 

us, so what better way to celebrate the annual competition that pits 300 wounded, ill 

and injured service men and women against 

each other in 11 sports than by highlighting 

two of its participants?

 Thanks to Dove Men+Care Deodorant, 

which is sponsoring the competition, we’re 

able to get to know former National Guard 

Tech Sergeant (Ret.) Russell Logan much 

better.

 Logan, a first-year Warrior Games athlete 

who will compete in cycling, archery and 

track & field, lost his left leg while serving 

overseas, and subsequently lost his self-confidence. Then, when the prospect of competing in the Warrior Games came up, his spirit 

was brought back to life.

 “Competing in the Warrior Games is an 

honor. It’s a motivator to strive for excellence 

and prove myself; to overcome that adversity I’ve endured,” he said in this video that will 

play during the opening ceremony.

 When not training, the father 

of three is now the Chief of Information Protection at the 164th 

Airlift Wing within the Tennessee 

Air National Guard. 

 You can catch Logan in action 

during the 2018 Warrior Games, 

which will be held June 1 – 9 at 

the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Warrior Games are free and open to 

the public, and feature teams from the U.S. 

Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, U.S. 

Special Operations Command (SOCOM), 

United Kingdom Armed Forces, Australian 

Defence Force and the Canadian Armed 

Forces.

 Athletes will face off in sports like wheelchair basketball, track & field, sitting volleyball, swimming, powerlifting and indoor 

rowing all to experience the healing power 

of competition.

05.24.2018 Story By Kim Constantinesco, 

founder and editor-in-chief of Purpose2Play

Russell Logan training for 

the Warrior Games.
24 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME OF THIS YEAR’S NATIONAL 

TRAINING CENTER ROTATION.

OPERATION 

“BUCK” KARNES

Story by MAJ. DARRIN HAAS

Caption
25

OPERATION “BUCK” KARNES

Before the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment shipped out to train at the National 

Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. for the 

third time since 2002, the regiment needed 

to name their upcoming operation. Coinciding with the centennial commemoration 

of World War I and to honor the heroism 

of a Tennessee Guardsman from Knoxville, 

Col. Jimmie L. Cole, Jr., the commander of 

the regiment, announced on April 10, that 

this National Training Center rotation will 

be known as Operation “Buck” Karnes. 

 Sergeant James Ernest “Buck” Karnes, a 

Medal of Honor recipient from World War 

I, was born in Arlington, Tenn. on June 20, 

1889. After growing up in Knoxville and 

making a living as a painter, Karnes enlisted as a private in the Tennessee National 

Guard’s 3rd Infantry Regiment’s machine 

gun company from Knoxville on July 10, 

1917, three months after the United States 

declared war on Germany. 

 By October, every guardsman in the Tennessee National Guard was federalized, including Karnes, and he was sent to Camp 

Sevier for training with his unit. The 3rd 

Tennessee Infantry was renamed and redesignated as the 117th Infantry Regiment 

in the 30th Division and Karnes became an 

infantryman with D Company of the 117th. 

By January of 1918, Karnes was promoted 

to Corporal. The 30th, nicknamed the “Old 

Hickory” Division after Tennessee’s Gen. 

Andrew Jackson, sailed for Europe in May of 

1918 and was assigned to the U.S. II Corps. 

Once in France and after more hands-on 

training, the division was assigned to the 

British 2nd Army along with New York’s 

27th Division. From July to October 1918, 

the 30th took part in major combat operations in the Ypres-Lys and Somme offensive, 

during which it was one of the two American divisions to break the Hindenburg Line 

in the Battle of St. Quentin Canal. 

 It was during the smashing of the Hindenburg Line where Karnes bravery was 

displayed. Karnes’ company was pinned 

down by a German machine gun position 

near Estrées, France. Karnes and Pvt. Calvin 

John Ward, a 20-year-old from Morristown, 

Tenn., deciding they “had all they could 

take.” They both charged the machine gun 

and captured the position, freeing D Company to continue pressing the attack. Within a few weeks, the war would be over and 

Karnes and Ward would both be awarded 

the Medal of Honor for their heroism. 

Karnes citation reads:

Near Estrees, France - October 8, 1918

During an advance, his company was held up 

by a machinegun, which was enfilading the 

line. Accompanied by another soldier, he advanced against this position and succeeded in 

reducing the nest by killing 3 and capturing 7 

of the enemy and their guns.

Karnes returned home and was honorably 

discharged on April 13, 1919. After the war, 

he served as a Knoxville police office until he 

moved to Sacramento, Calif. He died on July 

8, 1966. His body was returned to Tennessee 

and was buried in Knoxville’s Greenwood 

Cemetery. The Alcoa Highway Bridge over 

the Tennessee River in Knoxville was named 

in Karnes’ honor.

Sgt. James Ernest “Buck” Karnes
26 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

FORT IRWIN, Calif. – Lt. Col. Gary Anderson, the Battalion Chaplain for the Tennessee National Guard’s 30th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, believes that 

the Chaplain Corps is much more important to the military than most people realize. 

Anderson, a Lawrenceburg, Tenn. native, 

is now on his twenty-seventh year of Army 

service with the Chaplain Corps, and has 

made it his life’s mission to support Soldiers 

in their time of need.

 “My dad was a prison chaplain,” said Anderson. “When I was a kid, I used to watch 

a military show and one of the Soldiers was 

having some issues. The First Sergeant said 

he was going to get the Chaplain. I was all 

excited thinking what was he going to do? 

How was he going to help?”

Tennessee Chaplains Support the 278th at the National 

Training Center in California.

CHAPLAIN

SUPPORT

MORALE AT NTC

Maj. Patrick Brownell, Brigade 

Chaplain for the 230th Sustainment 

Brigade, Tennessee Army National Guard, administers a Catholic 

service to Soldiers training at the 

National Training Center, Fort Irwin, 

Calif. on May 6. (Photo by Staff Sgt. 

Timothy Cordeiro)
27

 Later on, after a series of other events 

later in life, Anderson made the decision to 

join the Army as a Chaplain, in 1992. “This 

is what God has been preparing me for my 

whole life,” thought Anderson.

 Anderson is currently at the National 

Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. administering chaplain services to members of the 

Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment. The Soldiers are 

currently participating in a number of complex training exercises in preparation for upcoming deployments to Europe.

 More than 2,000 feet above sea level, NTC 

is a 1,000 square mile Army training facility isolated in the Mojave Desert. The NTC 

is designed to challenge training units with 

hybrid threats of peer-opposing insurgent 

forces, as well as complex scenarios riddled 

with social, ethical, and moral dilemmas, 

designed to mimic what units will likely face 

while deployed.

 The 278th ACR, based predominantly 

out of Tennessee and Pennsylvania, is comprised of roughly 3,000 Soldiers, dispersed 

through 6 squadrons, to include armor, field 

artillery and mechanized infantry companies. Anderson, with his small team, is here 

trying to help as many Soldiers as possible. 

 “Even George Washington would pray a 

lot before engaging in combat,” said Anderson. “There’s no such thing as an atheist in a 

foxhole. These Soldiers are going to be experiencing some tough conditions and trying 

times, so we are here to help in any way we 

can.”

 An environment like this, however, presents challenges for chaplains during training. “There are so many moving parts,” said 

Anderson. “Everybody has different timelines and schedules and there isn’t a lot of 

free time, so getting the word out that we are 

here providing services can be a challenge.”

 Alongside Lt. Col. Anderson, as part 

of the Unit Ministry Team, is Maj. Patrick 

Brownell, the Brigade Chaplain for Tennessee’s 230th Sustainment Brigade, who is also 

here doing his part.

 “Chaplains should be dispensers of hope 

and optimism,” said Brownell, a 13-year 

Army Chaplain from Morristown, Tenn.

 “Our mission is to perform or provide. If 

we can’t meet a Soldiers request for a service, 

we will do whatever we can to provide that 

service.”

 Both Anderson and Brownell know the 

importance of being visible so 

the Soldiers here feel comfortable 

coming forward with any issues 

they may be having. “If I do my 

job well, anyone should feel they 

are free to believe in whatever they 

want,” said Brownell. “We are not here to 

discriminate or to pass judgment, just to ensure the constitutional rights and religious 

protections of all Soldiers.”

 Though challenging at times, the Chaplain Corps is also very rewarding explains 

Anderson. “I like being able to minister to 

hurting people,” said Anderson. “It feels 

good to be able to give a Soldier some attention when he or she desperately needs it.”

 Brownell, like Anderson, also referred to 

George Washington in regards to the history 

of the Chaplain Corps.

 “Washington used to describe what kind 

of traits and values a chaplain should have, 

even as far down as expressing that hay 

should be afforded to the chaplain’s horse,” 

said Brownell. “The Chaplain Corps is one 

of the oldest in the Army and that says a lot 

for its importance.”

 Even if the training makes things a little 

more difficult, and the environment makes 

ministering a bit more complicated, it goes 

to show that the Chaplain Corps will be 

there for their Soldiers under any circumstances.

 “There’s an old story of a young boy who 

was trying to roll a big rock across the backyard,” explained Anderson. “He wasn’t getting very far, when his father comes out and 

asks ‘Hey, son, are you using all of your resources?’ to which the boy replied, ‘I think 

so, dad,’ and he kept on pushing. Struggling 

again, the dad asks the same question, to 

which the boy replied with the same answer. 

Until finally the father gets sick of watching 

his son struggle and says, ‘Son, you didn’t 

ask me for help. You’ve got to use all of your 

resources.’ And they went on to roll the big 

rock across the yard. That story is a lot like 

the Chaplain Corps and the Army; you’ve 

got us Chaplains as a resource, so when 

there’s training like this going on, you might 

as well use us.” 

- STAFF SGT. TIMOTHY CORDEIRO

230th Chaplain (Maj.) Patrick Brownell uses 

small relief items like ice water or cold watermelon to build “trust equity” with his Soldiers. 

Brownell hopes that this build the kid of trust 

that lets Soldiers know he will be there if they 

ever need assistance.
28 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – History was made 

when the first woman in 118th Wing history 

was promoted to colonel on June 1, at Berry 

Field Air National Guard Base in Nashville.

 Col. Lawana Nelson, one day after making 

wing history with her promotion, then assumed command of the 118th Mission Support Group on June 2. 

 The previous commander of the 118th 

MSG, Col. Gary Smith, departed to become 

the vice commander of the 164th Airlift 

Wing. 

 Nelson is no stranger to being a trailblazer for women in the military, as she was one 

of the first 29 females in Air Force history 

to go through explosive ordinance disposal 

First Woman in 118th Wing History Promoted to Colonel at 

Berry Field Assumes Group Command.

PIONEER OF 

THE 118TH

Col. Lawana Nelson receives the 

guideon at the change of command 

ceremony for the 118th Mission 

Support Group at the 118th Wing 

in Nashville on June 2. Col. Nelson 

assumed command from Col. Gary 

Smith. (U.S. Air National Guard 

photo by Tech. Sgt. Darrell Hamm / 

Released)

118TH WING
29

school. However, she doesn’t let the fact that 

she is a pioneer go to her head, or distract 

her from the mission. 

 “Coming from humble beginnings from 

the bayous of Mississippi, I never thought 

that I would get here,” said Nelson. “It’s al-

ways been one goal after another, just set-

ting your sights on one goal, accomplishing 

it, and setting another.”

 Nelson’s humility, knowledge, and dedi-

cation to her work have earned her great re-

spect from the people under her command.

 “I’ve never seen someone who was so well 

versed in all facets of mission support group,” 

said Maj. Melissa Danley, commander of the 

118th Force Support Squadron. “You can 

ask her almost anything down to the weeds, 

and she is very knowledgeable.”

 “She’s a very approachable leader,” said 

Chief Master Sgt. Walter Roberson, force 

support manager of the 118th FSS. “Any-

time you need some couch time, you can sit 

down and get some mentoring.”

 While Nelson has had some incredible 

achievements in her career, her focus now 

as commander is to keep growing the next 

generation of Airmen.

 “I like to find out what Airmen’s goals are, 

and see how I can help them attain whatev-

er they’re reaching for,” said Nelson. “I don’t 

need the glory, I just need my Airmen to 

succeed. Everything they deserve is through 

their hard work.”

 Nelson is also grateful for the impact past 

commanders have had on her and the 118th 

MSG.

 “I’m just grateful Col. Smith was here 

for the short time that he was here, thankful 

for his leadership,” said Nelson. “Hopefully I 

will continue what he has started.”

- SENIOR AIRMEN ANTHONY AGOSTI

Col. Lawana Nelson, Commander, 118th Mission 

Support Group, gathers her thoughts during the 

change of command ceremony for the 118th Mission 

Support Group at the 118th Wing in Nashville on June 

2. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Darrell 

Hamm)
30 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

By Sgt. Natasha Price, 118th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve 

(ESGR) and the Tennessee National Guard hosted a 

“Boss Lift” to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., May 2, to give employers the opportunity 

to witness the training missions National Guardsmen accomplish while in uniform.

 Thirty-five employers were flown to the National Training 

Center to learn about the enhanced readiness training their employees, most of which are in the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, were receiving and how their sacrifice and those of the 

employer is critical in the nation’s defense. 

 “I was so impressed on this trip,” said Eve Thomas, an employer from the Knoxville Police Department. “Our soldiers don’t 

just go away to train for a few weeks or a month and take it 

easy. The training here is intense and they’re learning leadership 

building, quick thinking, and decision making. These are skills 

that will help in law enforcement. I appreciate their sacrifice and 

it was a tremendous experience.”

 According to Jim Mungenast, Tennessee’s state chair for the 

ESGR, the purpose of the Boss Lift is to provide employers the 

opportunity to witness the training their service members complete when they are away from the workplace. It also gives employers a better understanding of how service members become 

a true operational force as well as the added value they have because of their Guard training. 

 Currently, the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored Calvary Regiment is training at NTC in order to prepare 

for upcoming overseas deployments. “This Boss Lift was special 

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Boss Lift Showcases Tennessee Army National Guard to Employers.

ESGR

BOSSLIFT

g ESGR
31

because it was initiated to help educate employers on the training that 

is occurring,” Mungenast said. “Also, most of the 35 employers participating have employees who ¬are a part of the 278th.”

 The ESGR has nearly 4,000 volunteers nationwide who help Guard 

and Reserve service members and their employers understand their 

responsibilities under the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). The ESGR also assists in resolving 

issues that may arise between service members and employers. The 

three-day Boss Lift helped ESGR volunteers build strong relationships 

with key employers who can, in turn, spread the message within their 

companies about how critical of a role Guard Soldiers play in the nation’s defense. 

Employers participating in the “Boss Lift,” hosted by 

the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve 

and the Tennessee National Guard, pose for a photograph with Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” Haston, Tennessee’s Adjutant General, at the National Training 

Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., May 2. (Photo by Sgt. 

Natasha Price)
32 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

CHALLENGE ACADEMY
33

April 26, 2018 - Cadets from the Volunteer 

ChalleNGe Academy help check in participants 

of the Rock n’ Roll Marathon in Nashville. One 

of the core components that the Academy 

teaches is service to the local community.

THE VOLUNTEER 

CHALLENGE ACADEMY CONTINUES PUTTING YOUNG MEN 

AND WOMEN ON A

BETTER PATH.

STORY BY SGT. 1ST CLASS (RET.) WILLIAM JONES

PHOTOS COURTESY VOLUNTEER CHALLENGE ACADEMY
34 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s Volunteer ChalleNGe Academy is set to graduate it’s second and largest class in June. The 

Nashville academy operates with the oversight of the Tennessee National Guard to 

give at-risk teens a second chance to earn 

their high school diploma or gain enough 

credits to return to high school. The 22-week 

resident program stresses the importance of 

self-reliance and accountability.

 “We’re here to help make a better young 

man or woman,” said Gary Ensminger, TNVCA director. Ensminger is a retired Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Tennessee Army National Guard and served for 

three years as the Command Chief Warrant 

Officer for the entire National Guard. 

 TNVCA focuses on eight core components including academics, life coping skills, 

job skills, health and hygiene, citizenship, 

community service, leadership and followership, and physical fitness. These skills are 

taught in a quasi-military style by current 

and former members of the military. 

 “We want them to see that this stressful 

environment, this growing environment, is 

getting them ready to sustain,” said Staff Sgt. 

Kylan King, a TNVCA cadre member. “At 

the end of the course, they go back to the 

same environment they came from. What 

will set them apart is they are going to take 

with them the tools we gave them. They will 

simply not be the same persons they were 

when they arrived.” 

 Entrance into the program is voluntary and the cadets can leave anytime they 

choose. It is not a court ordered program. 

The structure may seem harsh at first, but 

the instructors and cadre members are passionate about the cadet’s success. “We can 

only help those who want to be helped and 

we want them all to succeed,” said King. 

 The cadets start their day at 5 a.m. with 

physical fitness training, a few minutes to 

clean up, and then it’s off to breakfast and 

classes. Dr. Theda Hunt prepares the cadets 

for the “HiSet,” the Tennessee High School 

Equivalency exam. The HiSet replaced the 

GED in 2015.

 “The HiSet has five components: reading, 

writing, math, science, and social studies. I 

teach all of these subjects,” said Hunt. She 

has been a teacher her entire career serving 

in nearly every facet from public elementary 

school teacher to private school principal. 

Dr. Hunt said she enjoys working with highrisk students the best, because it is the most 

rewarding. 

 Kijon Dunn, a resident of Knoxville, was 

the program’s first honor graduate. “I know 

I can wake up in the morning and actually 

have the discipline to say this is what I am 

going to do today and this is what I need to 

get certain stuff accomplished. [The cadre] 

really help you secure your future.”

 Once cadets complete the 22-week resident course, they enter into a 12-month 

post-residential phase with skilled and 

trained mentors. Nationwide, there are forty 

academies in 28 states with nearly 150,000 

graduates since 1993.

 The Tennessee Volunteer ChalleNge 

Academy opened on July 7, 2017, occupying 

what was Woodland Hills Youth DevelopCadets taking ACT tests at TNVCA.
35

ment Center in West Nashville. The center 

fulfills a need recognized by the U.S. Congress in 1993. Congressmen stated the high 

school dropout rate was “a domestic crisis.” 

To date, 1.2 million teens have dropped out 

of school. Many of these teens find themselves in trouble with the law. It is estimated 

82% of the jail population does not have a 

high school diploma. 

 The TNVCA is available if your teen is 

struggling to focus, keep up their grades, or 

if they are having problems communicating 

well with others. The program gives them 

the opportunity to receive one-on-one training dedicated to them as an individual.

 If you want more information about an 

upcoming class, go to www.tn.gov/content/

tn/tnvolunteerchallenge.html or call (629) 

888-5868.

Nashville’s Juvenile Court Judge Sheila 

Calloway (left) poses for a picture with 

TNVCA Deputy Director Micheal Booker 

(center) and TNVCA Director Gary Ensminger (right). Judge Calloway spoke to 

cadets about how to make good choices 

in life.

“WE’RE HELPING 

TO MAKE A BETTER 

YOUNG MAN OR 

WOMAN.” 

April 19, 2018 - A cadet discusses career options at a job fair hosted onsite 

at the Volunteer ChalleNGe Academy. 

Family day for cadets at TNVCA.
36 VOLUNTEER STATE GUARD VOL. 18 / ISSUE 3

FORT IRWIN, Calif. - From April through 

May, the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 

278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, headquartered in Knoxville, is conducting a 

highly complex and realistic field training 

exercise across the dry, arid terrain of the 

U.S. Army’s National Training Center at 

Fort Irwin, Ca. Nearly 5,000 guardsmen are 

involved in training at the U.S. Army’s most 

elite training center, conducting pre-deployment training for the 278th’s upcoming 

missions to Poland and Western Ukraine 

later in the year.

 “The National Guard is as important today as it has ever been,” said Maj. Gen. Terry 

“Max” Haston, the Adjutant General for the 

Tennessee National Guard, while addressing 

a crowd of civilian employers and volunteers participating in the Employee Support 

of the Guard and Reserve Boss Lift on May 

3. “We are a huge operational force making 

up roughly 39 percent of the Army’s combat 

force. Of the 4,800 Soldiers currently training at NTC, about 3,000 of them are Tennesseans. Someone asked me where they are 

all from, and I said, ‘Memphis to Mountain 

City, Dyersburg to Dogtown.’ We have Soldiers training here from across the state.”

 “This is the greatest training environment 

in the world today,” said Haston, “They say 

it’s about the same size as the state of Rhode 

Island, but it’s not the land that makes it 

great, it’s the people, especially the opposing 

forces from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. They have the best and most modern techniques, tactics, and procedures the 

Army has to offer and our Soldiers come out 

better because of it.”

 Soldiers assigned to the 11th Armored 

Cavalry Regiment based out of Fort Irwin, 

Ca., perform as OPFOR and train active 

forces, National Guard, and Reserve units in 

desert and urban combat.

 This intense training will be one of the 

primary missions for the 278th Soldiers 

deploying in support of Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine. According to 

Haston, “We have two major missions coming up; one will be training members of the 

Western Ukraine military. The 278th will 

coach, guide, and train them just as the OPFOR are doing here for us.”

 The other future deployment for the 

278th is to Poland where it will support the 

Enhance Force Presence mission, a forward 

defense and deterrence posture in Eastern 

Europe to protect and reassure the North 

Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Eastern member states of their security, according to NATO’s website.

 “This force presence sends the message 

that the United States is back,” said Haston. 

“We will be the first unit to have heavy metal 

equipment, such as tanks, back in Europe.” 

This training rotation marks the 4th training 

event for the 278th at NTC since 2002.

- SGT. SARAH KIRBY

The Tennessee Adjutant General Talks about Training at the 

National Training Center in Fort, Irwin, California.

THE TAG 

TALKS NTC

LEADERSHIP

Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” Haston, 

Tennessee’s Adjutant General
37

 Whenever you visit the Military Clothing and 

Sales on most U.S. Army forts, there is often a 

small section in the store dedicated to military 

related books. How to manuals on writing effective awards, the MDMP process, improving your 

ASVAB, and many works of military history and 

theory fill the shelf. But one work that is often 

there, but seems strangely out of place, is a small 

mass market paperback by Robert A. Heinlein titled Starship Troopers.

 A science-fiction novel about a civilian who 

joins the Mobile Infantry shortly before an interstellar war, it is one of the few novels that often 

appears on various professional military reading 

lists. A controversial Hugo Award-winning bestseller, Starship Troopers is more than a fun sci-fi 

military adventure to entertain readers, it challenges ideas of politics, military theory, and what 

it means to fight for your country. 

 First published at the end of 1959, Heinlein 

wrote the book in just a few weeks as a response 

to President Eisenhower’s suspension of nuclear 

testing. Eisenhower thought he could initiate a 

stop to testing based on a promise by the Soviet Union to also comply. The Soviets did not live 

up to the agreement, infuriating Heinlein who 

fully supported nuclear testing. In response, he 

stopped work on his novel, Stranger in a Strange 

Land, and angrily wrote Starship Troopers.

 The story was first published as a two-part serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, 

under the title Starship Soldier. Quickly thereafter it was published in book form under its current title and would became Heinlein’s best-selling and most well-known work. 

 The novel is a first person narrative that tells 

the story of Juan Rico as he joins and serves in the 

Mobile Infantry during a war between humans 

and an alien species he refers to as the “Bugs.” Set 

in the far future when earth is ruled by a world 

government run by citizens that can only vote after honorable military service, it follows Rico’s career as he enlists in the MI, suffers through basic 

training, combat, promotion to Sergeant, Officer 

Candidate School, and then his commissioning. 

The novel highlights the training and changes he 

goes through as he morphs from a citizen to a 

Soldier.

 The story isn’t just about what he goes through. 

It is interspersed with interesting classroom 

scenes in which Rico learns about civic virtue, 

war, moral issues, and other topics that make the 

work controversial and relevant today as it was 

in 1959. 

 Overall, Robert Heinlein skillfully writes a 

wildly exciting and engaging story that challenges 

its reader to reevaluate their ideas on citizenship, 

military service, suffrage, and war. A controversial work of fiction, every person who reads it will 

take away different ideas on what it means to be 

a citizen. I highly recommend this work to junior 

Soldiers, Non-commissioned officers, and officer 

candidates. It will challenge the way you look at 

your service in the Tennessee National Guard 

and how important your role is within your unit. 

I also highly recommend this work to anyone interested in joining the military and wanting to 

understand the importance of camaraderie and 

the seriousness of the oath you are about to take. 

- MAJ. DARRIN HAAS

STARSHIP

TROOPERS

Starship Troopers

By Robert A. Heinlein

Norman: University of 

New York: Ace Books, 

2010 - Originally published by G.P. Putnam’s 

Sons, 1959. 

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