Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel    
    
        Special Victims Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Texas National Guard is putting Soldiers back to work By Staff Sgt. Michael Giles
                Texas Military Department
 AUSTIN, Texas – She was a hardworking server in a small-town Texas country store. Less than a year out of high school, she paid her bills and saved for the future by working double shifts whenever she could. “I like to make sure that I have all my ducks in a row,” said 18-year-old Tori Stricklin. “Even if I don’t necessarily need the extra hours, I’ll go ahead and do it. You never know what life is going to throw at you. For example, the coronavirus.” As the COVID-19 pandemic started to threaten the economy, her ability to pay her bills suddenly seemed uncertain. The store initially stayed open, taking to-go orders, but the outlook wasn’t good. “Because of the coronavirus, things started to head downhill pretty quickly, and I wasn’t quite sure where things were going to go,” Stricklin said. “Without tips, there’s only so much you can make.” Then she got a call asking her if she wanted to help with the Texas Military Department’s COVID-19 response. Gov. Greg Abbott had mobilized several units of the Army and Air National Guard, as well as the Texas State Guard, to support the basic needs of Texans through the pandemic. One of these units was Task Force 176, which included members of Stricklin’s unit, the 176th Engineer Brigade. Stricklin, now a private first class, enlisted in the Army National Guard when she was 17 and began working as a human resource specialist as a traditional part-time Guard member. So when she received the offer to activate full-time for the COVID-19 response, she jumped at the chance, knowing she could avoid being unemployed during a time of uncertainty. “About two days after I got that call, my store had shut down, so I would have been without a job,” said Stricklin. While the primary purpose of the activation is to protect Texans against the spread of COVID-19, it also created an opportunity for part-time service members to keep working, said Col. Robert Crockem, commander of the 176th Engineer Brigade. “We’re in the business of taking care of Texans,” Crockem said. “Right now, we’re supporting Texans by distributing the medical supplies they need and helping to provide increased hospital bed space and medical capabilities. “But in the chaos caused by this pandemic, some Texans are struggling to stay employed, and that includes many National Guard Soldiers,” Crockem said. “By activating unemployed Guardsmen to full-time status, we seized another opportunity to help Texans thrive.” One of the first teams of Texas Military Department personnel to activate was Joint Task Force 176’s General Support Unit 4, a team of engineers with the 840th Engineer Mobility Augmentation Company. “We had to mobilize and assemble at the armory within 12 hours with a 34-person unit,” said 1st Sgt. Denton Humphrey. “After getting the call the evening of March 18, the team was assembled and fully mission-capable by 8 a.m. the following morning.” College students made up most of this first group. Humphrey said it was a good opportunity for them to earn money and serve their state by building medical facilities and supporting food bank operations. “Now we can provide them with some income and the availability to work on their online classes,” Humphrey said. When additional personnel were needed, half the next wave of activated individuals were struggling to stay employed due to the pandemic. “Very specifically, we combed the unit for Soldiers who had lost a job due to the COVID-19, and those were our first choice,” Humphrey said. Matthew Faulkenberry, a corporal in the Texas Army National Guard, is another hardworking Texan whose livelihood was put in jeopardy by the pandemic. The past few years, he had established himself as the informal project manager for both the office and the warehouse at a construction company. “I made a lot of connections through there,” Faulkenberry said. “It led me to accepting another job with my official title as project manager.” He gave his two weeks’ notice, and in two weeks, he was without a job. COVID-19 had struck, severely impacting employment in several industries, including the construction sector. The company still wanted him as a member of their team, but for the time being, they wouldn’t be able to keep him busy or give him a steady paycheck. “The company called me and said, ‘You still have the job, but you don’t have a job,’” Faulkenberry said. He assessed his finances to determine how much he would need to earn to pay the bills,  then focused on getting back to work. What kind of work he did was less important to him than it was for him to fulfill his obligation to support his family. “I started reaching out for jobs that I was overqualified for, but I needed to have income for my family,” said Faulkenberry. “I applied at Whataburger and McDonalds just because I needed something.” Fortunately, the National Guard was able to put him to work. Faulkenberry previously served part-time as a reconnaissance sergeant in the 176th Engineer Brigade. He heard his unit was looking for volunteers to help with the COVID-19 response, and he seized the opportunity. “I’m thankful for that,” Faulkenberry said. “It’s very good for me because I have a family to take care of. I have a daughter and a wife, and the income I’m bringing from here helps me make sure they have a roof over their head.” Since the Texas Military Department initiated the COVID-19 response, Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard, Airmen with the Texas Air Guard and members of the Texas State Guard have been working to meet the basic needs of their fellow Texans. They have built medical facilities, distributed medical supplies and assisted food banks. Helping to meet these employment needs is just one more way the activation is about serving the common good in Texas, said Humphrey. “As Guard members, it’s beneficial for them both ways, whether we’re protecting them and we’re working with the public to protect the public,” Humphrey said. “Texans supporting Texans – that’s what we do.”
 SHARE
 PRINT
 How the National Guard is helping
  Photos of the National Guard response
  The latest from the CDC
  U.S. response
  White House-CDC response
 COVID-19
 Texas National Guard
 
 Texas National Guard vaccinates residents
 By Robert Seyller
  National Guard advises Czech Republic on COVID-19 response
 By Tech. Sgt. R Denise Mommens
  Guard, active-duty and reserve forces help Texas hospitals
 By Robert Seyller
  More
 106th Rescue Wing Conducts Comprehensive Rescue Training Guard News • 18 hours ago
 Oregon Air Guard Security Forces Squadron Trains in Hawai'i Guard News • 18 hours ago
 Alaska Air Guard Rescue Triad Conducts Water Rescue Training Guard News • yesterday
 Wisconsin National Guard Brigade Begins Major Training Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Idaho National Guard, German JTACs Train Together Guard News • 2 days ago
 2024 (178)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil