us army: fall2001

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8/14/2019 US Army: fall2001


From the Adjutant General

Guard ME Guard ME Guard ME Guard ME Guard ME

The Magazine of the Maine Army National Guard

Fall 2001

Public Affairs Officer MAJ Eldon Hardwick

EditorsSFC Angela BlevinsMSG Daniel Fortin

Staff SSG Carl Weiss

Technical SupportCW3 Mark Houdlette

Advisory Staff BG Bill Libby

COL Mark Gilbert

CSM Mark CollinsVisit this publication on our website at:

www.me.ngb.army.mil

Guard ME is an unofficial quarterlypublication authorized under the provi-sions of AR 360-81 and NGR 37-78and produced by the Public Affairs Of-fice, Military Bureau, HeadquartersMEARNG, Camp Keyes, Augusta, ME04333-0033. Telephone (207) 626-4335. Views and opinions expressedare not necessarily those of the De-partment of the Army. The AdjutantGeneral is MG Joseph E. Tinkham, II.

MG Joseph E. Tinkham, II

2 Guard ME Summer 2001

Being Prepared

On the Cover...

On September 24, 2001 I asked youto prepare yourselves, your families,and your employers for the possibilitythat you may be called upon to defend

our Nation against terrorism. This re-quest was in response to the terrorist at-tacks of September 11 th. We all enjoythe freedoms of democracy and the hu-manitarian rights that are associatedwith it. Your direct involvement in pro-tecting these freedoms and rights for yourselves and others is vital to the suc-cess of this mission. I encourage all of you to continue your preparation for thetwo contingencies that I believe are two

possible courses of action.“One possibility is an order to fed-

eralize the Maine National Guard to perform Homeland Defense for theState of Maine. This mission harkens

back to the beginnings of our nationwhere our forefathers dropped their axes, plows, and fishing nets to gather around the village green to defend their homes. Although the threat of an out-right attack by a foreign governmentagainst the State of Maine is remote, wemust be prepared to prevent or respondto a terrorist attack in retaliation to theUnited States military actions. This mayinclude assisting other Federal and Statelaw enforcement authorities in securingour borders and coastline, or guardingkey facilities across the State.

The second possibility is that theMaine National Guard units may becalled to active duty for deploymentaway from home. We in the Guard areunique in that we have a dual mission – under command and control of the Gov-ernor in peacetime, but also serving inunits subject to mobilization as a Fed-eral force if called upon by the Presi-dent. Since 1991 we have mobilized allor parts of seven units for operations insupport of the active Army for DesertStorm and for contingency operations inBosnia and Southwest Asia. Our sol-

diers have served proudly and haveearned praise of the active duty lead-ers.”

As our Nation participates in Op-eration Enduring Freedom at home and

in Afghanistan, our guardsmen andwomen are participating in OperationFriendly Skies and Operation DirigoWatch here in our State. OperationFriendly Skies includes providing secu-rity to six commercial airports fromPortland to Presque Isle. A joint forcecomprised of Maine Air and Army Na-tional Guard airmen and soldiers are

providing this security. OperationDirigo Watch involves soldiers provid-ing security to Camp Keyes in Augustaand the Army Aviation Support Facilityin Bangor. This operation is a compo-nent of a larger operations plan that in-cludes providing security for other keyfacilities within the State. Additionally,the leadership of the Maine NationalGuard is diligently preparing contin-gency plans for possible missions suchas securing our borders and coastline.

I would like to thank the leadershipand every soldier for the efforts youhave displayed so far in our war againstterrorism. The threat of terrorism con-tinues to be real and I encourage your continued awareness and vigilance.Continue to ready yourselves, your

families, and your employers in theevent that you are called to serve. Wemust “Be Ready” for our President’sand Nation’s call.

WantedPhotographs and Story Ideas

Guard ME is currently accepting photographs and story ideas for future issues. Send photographs, stories, comments and ques-tions:

To The Editor, Guard ME, Public Affairs, Maine Army National Guard Headquarters, Camp Keyes, Augusta, ME 04333

PV2 Sean Lawrence (left) and SGT SteveM. Brame, from the 1-152nd Maintenance Company verify the identityof a driver wanting to gain access toCamp Keyes. (Photo by: SSG Carl Weiss,

PA, MEARNG)

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In This Issue

Page 2 -

Comments from the Adjutant General

& 8 -

Homeland Defense

Page 4 -

Forward Observers

Page 5 -

FA Computer

Pages 6 & 7 -

Family Program,Kids Camp 2001

Page 9 -Legislative Process

Page 10 -

Army Guard Aviation

Page 11 -

Comments fromCSM Collins

Page 11 -

Looking To Our Soldiers

The Magazine of the Maine Army National Guard – Fall 2001

Guard Beefs UpHomeland DefenseBy: SSG Carl Weiss, PA

See 'Homeland Defense' page 8

Twenty years ago, as a junior highstudent, I remember my parents discuss-ing the assassination attempt on PresidentReagan with my sister and I. We had justcome into the house from riding our bi-cycles when they asked us to sit downwith them. They answered our questionsand eventually the conversation swung tothe tragic events of 1963, when PresidentKennedy was assassinated. The thingthat sticks in my mind was that both of my

parents vividly remembered where theywere when they first heard that Kennedywas shot.

Less than two months ago, I was sit-ting in my computer room at home answer-ing an email when my wife called me intothe living room to see the news. The date

of course was September 11th

, 2001. The

events have been well documented, andnow, ironically I find myself as a parent,trying to explain to my six year old justwhat happened.

In the time that has passed since ter-rorists literally rocked the world with their attack on America, much has changed,

possibly forever. Airports were shutdown, businesses laid off thousands,economists predicted a recession, Major League Baseball postponed America's

pastime for nearly a week, attacks onArab-Americans were reported and thecountry demanded action from its govern-ment.

The American government has vowedto bring those responsible for the attacksto justice and to beef up defense of our country to ensure such an attack never happens again. Part of President Bush’s

Members of the 11th Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Suppor tTeam ( WMD-CST), decontaminate a bag containing a letter suspected of carrying anthrax. (Photoby: SFC Angela Blevins, PA, MEARNG)

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4 Guard ME Fall 2001

By: SSG Carl Weiss, PA

Forward Observers Keep FA on TargetIt’s August in Maine and that means

three things, the black flies are still re-minding us that they control the skies, the

tourist season is in full swing and theMaine Army National Guard is away per-forming two weeks of annual training.

smouldering barrel of a M198 howitzer fol-lowing a rapid-fire barrage, was theweather. Record temperatures and ultradry conditions heightened the risk of for-est fires and threatened to shut down thelive firing. However, the temperaturescooled and the 1/152 nd was back on track.

To make a M198 howitzer shoot is a

talion are miles apart and out of sight of one another, yet they remain in contactvia the radio and computer systems.

It has been said that the field artillerycan be broken down into three parts;eyes, brain and brawn. The Forward Ob-servers are the eyes, the Fire DirectionCenter (FDC), is the brain and the M198Howitzers are the brawn. One can’t oper-ate without depending upon the other.Without the gun crews, missions sentfrom the FDC wouldn’t happen. Withoutthe FDC, the gun crews wouldn’t knowwhere to aim the howitzer. Without theforward observers and the FDC, the guncrews wouldn't know if they were on tar-get.

The Forward Observers remain hid-den from the enemy’s view. They stay in

contact with the FDC, calling in pre-se-lected targets and targets of opportunity.Once the FDC receives guidance from Bat-talion or Brigade that the mission is a go,the information is passed to the batteriesand individual gun crews. As rounds areloaded into the howitzers and fired, theForward Observers spot the shells comingin. If the rounds hit close enough to thetarget, the observers will instruct the FDCto call for a "fire for effect". This com-mand sends a rapid message to the batter-ies to open up with all six howitzers firing,destroying everything in the target area.

SFC Zane A. Grant, an observer withthe 1/152 nd, said the skills necessary in theforward observers job include remaininghidden from enemy observation, excellentmap skills and the ability to estimate greatdistances. “Our skills come into play inspotting targets for the battalion. Oncewe see a target, we need to determine

SGT Corey J. McPhee training NCO and battery chief, rechecksa request with the Battery Operations Center, just prior to a live firemission. (Photo by: SSG Carl Weiss, PA, MEARNG)

Following two successive years of annualtraining in New York and Utah, membersof the 1/152 nd Field Artillery Battalionfound themselves on familiar ground.This year, they would be training at Cana-dian Forces Base Gagetown, NewBrunswick, Canada.

Ask any member of the field artillerywhat makes his job fun, and he’ll tell youit’s firing their howitzers. The State of Maine doesn’t have a range that allowsthe live firing of the 100 lb, 155mm howit-zer shells, but Gagetown does. Each year,the batteries in Fort Kent, Caribou,Houlton, Calais, Waterville, Presque Isleand Fort Fairfield spend their drill week-ends training for combat. Then each sum-mer they travel to Annual Training wherethey conduct formally evaluated “LanesTraining”. Under the watchful eyes of evaluators from Fort Drum, New York, theMaine Guardsmen are tested on how wellthey move and shoot, how quickly and ac-curately they can put the rounds on tar-get, whether they obey safety regulations,defense of perimeters and their combat-like training.

About the only thing hotter than the

relatively simple task. Very much likeshooting an extremely large rifle, the crew

places a 155mm shell in the breech of thehowitzer. Then they add a bag of powder and a primer, shut the breech door and

pull a lanyard. This causes the primer tospark, igniting the powder and producingthe rapidly ex-

panding gaseswhich hurls the100 lb. shell out of the barrel at up to675 meters per second, to a dis-tance of as far away as 30 miles.

In reality, itsounds simpler,than it actually is.Firing an acuratemission with themassive guns of the artillery is noeasy task.

During actualfiring exercises,the various ele-ments of the bat-

SPC Allen Rood (left), and PFC Joseph G. Nott thrust a 155mm howitzer shell intothe breech of a M198 howitzer with a ramrod. (Photo by: SSG Carl Weiss, PA,

MEARNG)

See ''Forward Observers" page 10

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Fall 2001 Guard ME 5

By: SSG Carl Weiss, PA

Field Artillery Puts Computer to the TestMembers of the Maine Army National

Guard’s 1/152 nd Field Artillery Battalionhave unveiled a new computer system.

The system is designed to make their jobfaster, easier and will facilitate better com-munication with other branches of thearmed forces. The Advanced Field Artil-lery Tactical Data System, AFATDS, has

been incorporated into the Battalion's ar-senal. It will enable the artillerymen tocontrol and direct fire more efficiently.

In an ever-changing battlefield, theneed to communicate remains at the coreof winning the fight. More and more

battles are fought, not just by one branchof the service, but through the combinedefforts of two or more services. Addition-ally, U.S. forces can expect to train anddeploy with soldiers and airman of alliednations.

The AFATDS computer will decreasethe time needed by commanders to decidewhen and where the howitzers need tolaunch their 155mm shells.

Another benefit of AFATDS is im- proved safety. The new system uses adigital system, greatly reducing theamount of information needed to be sentvia traditional radios. This encrypted andcoded information is harder for enemyforces to decode and adds an element of

"St. Barbara's Way", a M198 howitzer billows smoke moments after launching a155mm High Explosive, HE, round downrage. (Photo by: SSG Carl Weiss, PA,MEARNG)

SFC Alen H. Willett, an operations specialist, enters gun battery positions into the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System, AFATDS, (Photo by: SSG Carl Weiss, PA, MEARNG)

MAJ Charles I. McFarland, the trainingofficer for Battery B, Caribou. “It indi-cates how high a priority the 1/152 nd FA’smission is in the total Army policy. Thesystem is a significant improvement incommand and control.”

According to SGT Nathan D. Beaver,an operations specialist assigned to HHS,1/152 nd FA in Caribou, a lot of training was

required to learn the new system.“Approximately 200 soldiers assignedto the Brigade, (The 1/152 nd FA battalionis part of the 197 th FA Brigade, along withtwo other New Hampshire FA battalions.)attended three weeks of training at the oldLoring AFB in Limestone, Maine to learnthis new system. Additionally, some of our soldiers went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma toget trained up.”

Recently, the Battalion received tennew computer systems, as well as ninenew HUMVEEs specifically designed tocarry AFATDS. Nine new 5KW tacticalquiet generators were also supplied withthe computers and HUMVEEs to providethe necessary power to ensure AFATDSis running smoothly.

The AFATDS system has also elimi-nated the need for two separate MilitaryOccupation Specialties.

The jobs of the 13C’s and 13E’s have been combined into a new MOS, 13D, FireControl Specialist.

The merging of MOS’s will also im- prove career progression opportunities formembers of the Field Artillery who arecurrently within these career fields.

safety for members of the artillery. Theenemy can’t disrupt and destroy whatthey don’t know.

Lastly, the system will be put into usethroughout the US Armed Forces andamong American allies.

“We are among the first Army unitsto receive this updated software”, said

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By: SFC Angela Blevins, PA

Bobby Cummings supervises his company while marching (Photo by: SFC AngelaBlevins, PA, MEARNG)

During the week of August 12-19 th,

2001, Bog Brook training area was Kids

Camp 2001, a product of Maine’s NationalGuard Family Program. This event brought a group of 82, nine to twelve year old kids together, living daily as in a mili-tary role and being a kid. Filing into forma-tions, marching and learning what it istheir relatives do on a guard weekend, an-nual training or after an activation.

The motivation for this program iseducating and preparing the family. SFCBarbara Claudel, family program director for the National Guard said, “We havesomething for our kids, because they de-serve it… We want to educate the family,what we do and why, creating a healthy-ready family.”

The military way of life was seenthroughout the camp, starting with their arrival. There were stations to visit for thechecking in process. One stop was finger-

printing, which was provided to the parentwhen camp was completed. Instead of aduffle bag, these kids received a smaller

bag. This contained items like pen, paper,a pair of BDU (Battle Dress Uniform)

pants, post cards, two t-shirts that wouldidentify their group, and a water bottle.

Christian Carrier swings across at Prouty'sLanding (Photo by: SFC Angela Blevins,PA, MEARNG)

Another check in station was medical, ap- praising their readiness.

The family program receives moneythat partially covers the costs, throughdonations. The cost per child, only $20.The units have a family program represen-

tative that may coordinate fund raising projects, like raffling a kayak or selling baked items. There were also donations,the BDU pants were donated by the Cari-

bou Veteran’s Center. For a small yearlyfee, water bottles and craft-ing items were received froma business in Auburn.

“There are water bottlesthat a company may havenot liked because of a smallerror. Instead of throwing itaway, the Share Center com-

pany recycles it. The kidsdon’t care what the mistakewas. It was a great water

bottle.” explained SFCClaudel.

Another donation wasfood. A potato farmer who isalso a member of the 112 th

Medical Unit, SFC ThomasDevoe, donated potatoesalong with his time as a cook,for the week.

This was a productivecamp for the kids who had alot of different experiences,from training sessions in flag

etiquette and drill & ceremony, andkayaking and repelling. The camp wasalso a time for building new career skills.MAJ Jeffrey Squires was in charge of de-veloping a program to help the counselorsin training (CIT).

These CIT’s, were the teenagers thatwere too old to be a camper and tooyoung to be a counselor. Squires put to-gether a program to develop their counsel-ing and team building skills. They re-

SPC Dana Bagley, MEARNG and MAJ Frank Roy, Jr.MEANG, encourage Robert Palmer, III, through thelow crawl. (Photo by: SFC Angela Blevins, PA,MEARNG)

It Just Takes One Family Program for

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ceived tasks to do like how to lead agroup in an event. And how to developteam building within the companies. Theyassisted the counselors in activities, lead-

ing and teaching. Daily, a CIT via a radiowould coordinate assistance and guidanceto the kids and counselors. This processdeveloped a tight band of National Guardteens with a desire to assist other kids by

becoming counselors. Also providedsounding boards for the support staff.

As military personnel, we know thereare always meanel duties that must bedone, sweeping, swabbing and taking thetrash out. Each day, time for those dutieswas allowed. When those were done, thefun would begin. At night, everyone wasgiven sheets with choice of what eventthey would like to participate in. Theywould turn them in the following morning.After breakfast they would attend their choice of class.

There was a lot to be learned at thissummer camp, like marching, learning thatas an individual you have ideas, and that

building a team provides some-one to lean on.At the end of

the camp, ascrap book of photos, namesand addresseswas producedand sent to allthe campers

This pro-vided a supportsystem, whichallowed continu-ing communica-tion with some-one, who has amilitary member

in his or her fam-ily . This summer camp sucessfullycreated a guard family web. In the ab-sence of a soldier, the spouses and familymembers have found another guard family

who understands what they are experienc-ing. It is a step in keeping our familiesreadiness healthy.

In recent months, the Family Programhas been called to assist in another impor-tant Guard role, President Bush’s securityat our nations airports. The State of Maine activated 81 Army and Air NationalGuard members to serve in that role.

Volunteers have stepped forward toassist in giving briefings on benefits that

the soldiers and family members will be re-ceiving. These briefings are conducted because while on duty the families inMaine may not be aware of all the benefitsavailable to them.

Not only are there medical and insur-ance benefits, there is also a web of familysupport people. These people, spouses,and relatives who have the knowledge,can share their experiences and help pro-vide support.

October Drill weekend was the firstweekend where Tri-Care experts DeborahO’Brien, in Augusta, and Lori Theriault, inCaribou, conducted a presentation to pro-vide information and answers todependants and service members.

With the support of the family pro-gram, together we are developing a well-informed family, that is committed to the

National Guard and supportive of the Na-tional Guard member.

Salina Palmer walks beside DawnHardwick seated on horse. (Photo by:SFC Angela Blevins, PA, MEARNG)

SSG Cindy Pantalone, a counselor, spots for Katie Merritt as sheswings across at Prouty's Landing. (Photo by: SFC Angela Blevins,PA, MEARNG)

Maine's Army & Air National Guard

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Guard Beefs Up Homeland Defense

response was to name former Pennsylva-

nia Governor Tom Ridge to a new cabinet position. The newly created HomelandDefense position is designed to focusAmerican efforts on securing the safety of its citizens within American borders.

The Adjutant General of Maine, MGJoseph E. Tinkham II directed the head-quarters staff to draw up contingency

plans for the State of Maine, should theorder for federalization come from thePresident. The plan, known as DirigoWatch, was developed to ensure the inter-ests of Maine and its citizens would be

protected. According to COL Robert G.Carmichael, the Director of Operations,this is a different war than we’ve fought inthe past. “We are facing a different en-emy now. This isn’t a one country versusanother country war. The nature of thethreat facing America has changed.”

Additionally, members of both theMaine Army and Air National Guard have

been assisting the Federal Aviation Ad-ministration with airport security. “Opera-tion Friendly Skies” has 80 Guardsmen onorders to provide an additional “show of force” at six of Maine’s public airports.

They have been assisting security personnel at the x-ray machines as pas-sengers check their carry on bags. “Our objective is to get the flying public back inthe airplanes,” said COL Carmichael. “Af-ter the attacks there was a precipitousdrop off in the number of Americans fly-ing. In the last few weeks, that number seems to be climbing, and hopefully shall

begin to approach the pre-attack numbersshortly.” The public reaction to thetroops at the airports has been well re-ceived. CPT Bill Riley, the officer incharge of Operation Friendly Skies, said“Although our soldiers and airmen aren’tto interact conversationally with the pub-lic to the point of losing focus on their

mission, they have been receiving many positive comments from passengers.Some of them simply stop or pause to say‘thank you’ or ‘keep up the good work’.”“It’s a good feeling and it definitely helpsus realize just how important this missionis to the American people.”

The Maine Army National Guard hasalso been working with the Maine Emer-gency Management Agency (MEMA) andthe State Police assessing our ability torespond should a threat show itself inMaine. Three areas the Guard has beenlooking at are Force Protection, Risk and

'Homeland Defense'

Continued from page 3

Resource Availability.COL Mark Gilbert, the MEARNG’s

Chief of Staff, said, “The Maine Army Na-tional Guard has made a seamless transi-tion into the airport security role, in part,due to the planning accomplished byDirigo Watch. The Maine Army NationalGuard responded immediately and after di-rection from the National Guard Bureau,we were in the airports in just a couple of days. Our mission is going well and theconduct and appearance of all our troopshas been outstanding. In fact, the efforts

of the entire Guard staff has been abso-lutely top notch.” Although the terroristhijackings of our airliners and the subse-quent suicidal flights into the WorldTrade Center and Pentagon horrified andstunned both the Nation and World, re-cent developments with the anthrax viruson the loose within our borders threatento disrupt everyday life even further.

Just a few short months ago thethought of a biological or chemical attack on the civilian populace of the UnitedStates might have seemed unlikely to theaverage citizen. However, for the members

of the recently formed 11 th Weapons ofMass Destruction-Civil Support Team unitin Waterville, Maine, this is precisely whatthey train for.

Soldiers of this unique unit are taskedto assess a suspected nuclear, biologicalor chemical event, advise civilian respond-ers on the appropriate action and facilitaterequests for assistance to expedite the ar-rival of additional state or federal assets tohelp save lives, prevent suffering and miti-gate great property damage.

Designed to provide support to local,

county and state authorities, they areamong the first respondents to an un-known threat involving suspected biologi-cal or chemical weapons.

Since September 11 th, members of theunit have traveled to various towns withinthe state to perform their duties in re-sponse to suspected biological events.Fortunately, none of the events has

proven to be legitimate. Nevertheless, theunique equipment and capabilities of the11 th WMD-CST make it a highly respectedand frequently sought weapon against ter-rorism.

Members of the 11th WMD-CST mask and prepare for entry into a potentially contaminated area. (Photo by SFC Angela Blevins, PA,MEARNG)

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A little understood, and less appreci-ated, function of the Department of De-fense, Veterans and Emergency Manage-ment (DVEM) is the creation of new laws.The process begins with an idea, or prob-lem, and to be successful, the resulting billmust be approved by the House and Sen-ate and signed by the Governor.

The “life cycle” of the Maine MilitaryAuthority (MMA) legislation provides anexcellent understanding of the process.

While the history of the beginningand growth of the Maine Readiness Sus-tainment Maintenance Center (Loring Re-Build) is well known, what is not well

known is that the Center did not have theauthority to work for entities other thanthe National Guard Bureau. The legislationcreating the MMA would allow them toenter into contracts with other govern-ment entities and foreign governments.This would allow expansion of theworkforce, development of new produc-tion lines and a diversification of work necessary to sustain the site.

Introducing the Bill. Only legislators, public interest groups, the Governor,study groups, joint select and standingcommittees and state agencies may re-quest that bills be drafted and only legisla-tors may introduce bills for formal consid-eration. After drafting by a team that in-cluded representation of staff and com-mand, MG Tinkham sought out legislatorswho would be willing to sponsor, or for-mally introduce, the MMA bill.

The Committee Process. The SenateSecretary and House Clerk jointly recom-mend a committee to which the bill will beassigned. The suggested committee usu-ally is the one that seems most appropriate

based on the bill’s subject matter. In this

case, the bill was assigned to the JointStanding Committee on Legal andVeteran’s Affairs.

Public Hearings. Bills have a publichearing before the committee of jurisdic-tion where citizens, state officials andother legislators and lobbyists can informcommittee members on their views. As arule, the most persuasive testimony is

brief, to the point, easy to understand andsupported by evidence. Several membersof the Department offered testimony insupport of the legislation and answered

questions by the committee.

Work Session. At subsequent work sessions, committee members discuss the

bill and vote on final recommendations.While open to the public, work sessionsdo not accept additional public testimony.

Committee Report. A committee’s fi-nal verdict on a bill is expressed by itsreport, which is often the most importantinfluence on its passage or defeat. Severaltypes of unanimous and divided reportsare possible. In the case of the MaineMilitary Authority legislation, the commit-tee report was a unanimous “Ought toPass”.

Senate and House Action. To be passed, a bill must go through at leastfour steps on the floors of both the Houseand Senate that result in debate, votes,engrossment, or printing, and enactment,or final passage. Bills that require statefunding (the MMA bill did not) gothrough one final step of consideration bythe Appropriations Committee to ensurethat the budget is balanced.

The Governor’s Role. After a bill has been enacted by the Legislature, it is sentto the Governor who has ten days to takeone of three actions:

- Sign the bill which becomes law

ninety days after adjournment of the legis-lature or at an earlier date if it is emergencylegislation (The MMA bill was emergencylegislation and became effective with theGovernor’s signature)

- Veto the bill which can only be over-ridden by a 2/3 vote of both the Houseand Senate

- Not sign the bill, which allows it to become law after ten days. This action istaken if the Governor does not support a

bill but does not wish to veto it.

While the legislative process beginsin the early Fall with submission of pro-

posed bills, it doesn't end until up to ninemonths later with the Governor’s signa-ture or veto.

But without the idea or problem iden-tified, as noted in my introductory para-graph, new or amended laws do not occur.

It is your right and responsibility as acitizen, and in a narrower context, as amember of the Maine National Guard, toensure that those ideas and problems are

brought to the attention of the individualsand groups who can introduce legislation.

This is how the Maine Military Au-thority came to be and precisely how the

National Guard Educational AssistanceProgram began.

You can make a difference!

Legislative ProcessBy: BG John Libby, DAG

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History of Army National Guard Aviation

Army Aviation with a motto of “ABOVE THE BEST” started in the MaineArmy National Guard in the early 1950’s.Headquarters Battery, 152d Field Artillerylocated in Caribou and the 103d Regimen-tal Combat Team located in South Port-land both had “Air Sections”. Each sec-tion had two L 19A’s, a two place fixedwing observation aircraft called the“Birddog”.

When received, they were brandnew from the Cessna factory. Later, thecombat team received a Bell H 13 obser-vation helicopter, called the Sioux.

The State Headquarters, located inAugusta, had one L 17 Navion four

place fixed wing aircraft to transport theAdjutant General and staff. All sec-tions had at least one mechanic whoserved as a jack of all trades. An inter-esting fact, LTC (ret.) Lee Doody, aformer 152d Field Artillery BattalionCommander had his start in the Battal-ion as an airplane mechanic.

In May of 1959, all three sectionswere consolidated at the Augusta Stateairport. Aviation assets consisted of three L 19A’S one H 13G, and one L20A “Beaver”, these were supported byfour full time mechanics.

CPT John Kelley became the firstfull time Army Aviator to work for theMEARNG as a maintenance officer andState Aviation Officer. He was followed

by 1LT Albert White, MAJ JamesTinkham, MAJ Robert Carmichael andtoday LTC David Smith.

The largest aviation unit in theMEARNG is the 112th Medical Company(Air Ambulance), located in Bangor. Thelineage for all practical purposes is as fol-lows:

- Aviation Company 103rd ArmoredCavalry Regiment organized in 1959.

- Redesginated 112th Aviation Com- pany (Fixed Wing) (Light) Transport June1961

- Redesginated 112th Aviation com-

By: BG Albert J. White, Jr. (Ret) pany (Corps Artillery) February 1963- Redesginated Battery F (Aviation

Corps Artillery) 152 FA December 1964- Redesginated 112th Medical Com- pany (Air Ambulance) December 1967 to present. It is interesting to note, that dur-ing the times shown above, the unit hashad fourteen Company Commanders andthirteen 1st Sergeants.

During the late 1960’s, Aviation Sec-

tions were part of HHC, 240th Engineer Group, and HHC, 262d Engineer Bn. Avia-tion assets included The UH 1 Iroquois(Huey) and the OH 58 Kiowa. The unitswere manned predominately by Vietnamveterans.

When the aviation sections were phased out of the two engineer units, C

company (1st 192) was organized later to become C Company (1st 137). These unitswere equipped with the UH 1 helicopters.

As the reader may see, Army aviation

Army Guard Aviation undergoes numerous 'face-lifts' over the years

Continued from Page 4'Forward Observers'

what grid on the map they are in. The bet-ter we are at this, the faster that first roundcan be on its way. We then spot that ini-tial round coming in and if we do our jobright, the call for "fire for effect" can goout.”

Forward observer SSG Roderick J.

Plourde added, “Plotting targets is veryimportant in our job. We also have to beable to draw very detailed sketches of the

battlefield. Time is crucial in our job, andwe really need to be able to call in accu-rate strikes within one or two rounds.”

Being a forward observer can be alonely, dangerous job. While the forwardobserver is out among the enemy looking

for the ideal spot to observe, the enemy istrying to wipe them out. The success of the battalion and the mission rests in thethe forward observers hands and eyes. A

poorly judged distance can result in a tar-get slipping away, a poorly picked spot toobserve can result in their discovery, cap-ture or elimination. Forward observer, theultimate game of cat and mouse.

units have changed frequently since 1959.The following fixed wing aircraft have

been assigned to the units in theMEARNG; L 5 Sentinel, L 16 Champ, L 17 Navion, L 20 Beaver, U 1A Otter, U 3, U 8Seminole, C 12 Huron.

The following rotary wing aircrafthave been assigned: H 13 Sioux, H 23Raven, CH34 Choctaw, Oh 58 Kiowa, UH 1Iroquois and the UH60 Blackhawk.

Full time support personnel havegrown from four in 1959 to forty who nowwork out of the Army Aviation SupportFacility, located at the Bangor Interna-tional Airport.

The Maine Army National Guard can be extremely proud of its Aviation units past and present which have been manned

by highly professional and competent per-sonnel.

A UH1 Iroquois (Huey) in flight along the Maine coastline. (Photo from MEARNGarchives)

8/14/2019 US Army: fall2001


From the State Command Sergeant Major

CSM Mark J. Collins

Looking to the Maine Army National Guard Soldier

If you were the First Sergeant for the day what one changewould you make?

PV2 Kirsty A. MyersCombat Medic, HHD, STARC

SGTJason R. WhiteAssistant Supply Sergeant, RTI

SGT Francis Simmler Computer Specialist, DOIM

SSG Diane RobinsonAdmin NCO, HHD, STARC

11Summer 2001 Guard ME

Continue High Motivation and MoralDuring the past month,

I have had the opportunityto visit soldiers in a widevariety of environments

these range from a live fireexercise at CFB Gagetown,Canada to National Guardsoldiers providing an armedmilitary presence at our air-

ports to the formal setting of the Maine Army NationalGuard Military Ball. In ev-ery environment, I observed

professional, highly moti-vated soldiers accomplish-ing the mission to standard.

The tragic events of September 11th have re-sulted in a heightenedawareness of the militaryand the military uniformamong the general public.When I visit our airports, Ifind that our soldiers arestanding tall, looking sharp,

being vigilant and conduct-

ing themselves in a profes-sional manner. Never in mycareer can I remember seeingso many of our soldiers stand-

ing in positions where somany people see them. Wemust take advantage of this in-creased awareness and expo-sure to build confidence, trust,admiration and respect for allwho wear the uniform. The

biggest recruiting advertise-ment in the State of Mainestands guarding our airports.

This increased visibilityand awareness of the militarydoes not only apply to our sol-diers on duty at our airports.It applies to each and everyone of you each time you stepout in public in your uniform.The public supports our sol-diers and takes the time tothank them for what they aredoing. On several occasionssince September 11th, com-

plete strangerswalked up to me andsaid “thank you for what you are doing”.

What they were do-ing was thanking allwho wear the uni-form, not thankingme personally.

The war on ter-rorism could last for a long time. Withthe passage of time,there is the danger of

becoming noncha-lant. One incident of un-professionalism,not performing our duties within estab-lished standards, of not presenting ourselves in asoldierly manner can destroyall the good things that we aredoing. The challenge to all of us is to continue this high stateof motivation and morale

while performing our duties.Be vigilant and keep up thegood work.

I wouldn't do anything dif- ferently than our current 1SG does.

I wouldn't change a thing. I would work with the other units 1SG's to ensure all their

soldiers show up for their SRP's and physicals.

I would organize a group funrun for all members of STARC.

8/14/2019 US Army: fall2001


State HeadquartersMaine Army National GuardCamp KeyesAugusta, ME 04333-0033

PRST. STDUS Postage

PaidAugusta, MEPermit #114

a

www.1800goguard.com lest we forget

us army: fall2001

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