THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WISCONSIN NATIONAL GUARD VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1 • SPRING 2014 Click here to find out the story behind this photo. Wisconsin National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Joe Trovato 20 2013 NGB Media Contest winner Fighting Falcons fly Spring 2014 south for winter Volume 6, Issue 1 on the cover Official Newsletter of the training opportunity Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard Milwaukee renamed a portion of Richards Street in front of the Richards Street Ar- http://dma.wi.gov mory April 6 in honor of Spc. Michelle Wit- The Adjutant General: mer. Witmer, who served with the 32nd Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar Military Police Company, became the first Deputy Adjutant General Army: female National Guard Soldier to be killed in combat on April 9, 2004. See the story Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson 30 on page 4. Wisconsin National Guard photo Deputy Adjutant General Air: Wisconsin National Guard by 1st Lt. Joe Trovato Brig. Gen. Gary Ebben Deputy Adjutant General, Civil Support: Soldier makes good 3 FROM TAG 6 829th ENGINEER COMPANY Brig. Gen. John McCoy impression at first biathlon PREPARES FOR AFGHANISTAN 9 RED ARROW Director of Public Affairs: TEAMS KUWAIT-BOUND 11 SENDOFF FOR DE- Maj. Paul Rickert TACHMENT 52 12 SECURITY FORCES SQUADRON At Ease Editor: RETURNS 14 HELPING BUILD THE ROMANIA Vaughn R. Larson TRANSIT STATION 16 WINTER STORM RESPONSE Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs 17 128TH ARW TRANSPORTS WOUNDED WAR- 112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment RIORS 19 WISCONSIN AIR GUARD CHANGES 40 115TH FW PART OF CAJUN CARE 112TH 22 24 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Sixth member of military MPAD TRAINS IN GERMANY 25 SOLDIER READI- Public Affairs NESS PROCESSING 27 DISASTER TRAINING 157th Maneuver Enhancement family enlists in Wisconsin WITH LOCAL RESPONDERS 28 FOOD SERVICE Brigade Public Affairs National Guard SECTION IN NATIONAL COMPETITION 115th Fighter Wing Public Affairs 32 BLACK-OUT DRIVING 33 JOB FAIR 34 WERC 128th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs PLACES 500TH APPLICANT IN JOB 38 SYMPO- SIUM FOR POTENTIAL OFFICERS, WARRANT OF- Volk Field Combat Readiness The on-line, interactive @ease offers many features you FICERS 39 MOBILE MAINTENANCE UNIT 42 FISH Training Center Public Affairs may not be aware of. Follow the red caption text to see ad- STORY WITH A HAPPY ENDING 43 PREPARING ditional photos and videos. Click on the blue text to open re- YOUTH FOR EMERGENCIES 44 INAUGURAL ALL- How to Reach Us lated sites. Click on the teasers above to go directly to that SAINTS CELEBRATION 46 FITNESS PROGRAM E-mail: [email protected] LAUNCHES 47 UW MEN’S BASKETBALL SALUTE Phone: (608) 242-3056 Fax: (608) 242-3051 page in this issue. 48 HOMETOWN HEROES HONORED 49 MENDING Department of Military Affairs; The pages are designed to print out at 8.5-by-11 inches, BROKEN WINGS 50 MERITORIOUS SERVICE Attn: Vaughn R. Larson giving you the option of reading @ease off-line. 53 VETERANS, FAMILIES, RETIREES 2400 Wright Street; Madison, WI 53708-8111 Submissions: For photo or story submissions, The Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard’s At Ease newsletter is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of At Ease please call (608)242-3056 are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, or the Department of the Army or Air Force. The editorial content of this publication or e-mail [email protected] is the responsibility of the Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Officer. @ease 2 Spring 2014 From the Adjutant General “Hagel digs deep into military ethics many stories of ethical violations? I believe problem,” reads the headline of a recent Army the answer — at its core — is that when these Times report. “New military ethics chief ethical lapses occur, it is because one of our will face a full plate,” according to a story colleagues as placed their own needs first. on National Public Radio. “18 outrageous A poor decision. Make no mistake about it, military ethics violations,” screams the these stories are based on conscious decisions Business Insider. “Chairman promises and did not occur by accident. Sexual assault vigorous military ethics campaign,” states a is not accidental. Cheating on your spouse news article on the Department of Defense does not occur by accident. Cheating on an website. exam did not occur without notice. You get the idea. I am not perfect and neither are you. None Our profession is under scrutiny for ethical of us has had an error-free career. But that’s violations like cheating, sexual assault, not what this is about. Mistakes are part of corruption — and those are making the the normal give and take of life in the service. headlines, crowding out the wonderful work When they occur, we fix them and learn from of our Soldiers and Airmen. Our profession is them and try to avoid them in the future. based on trust and should be under scrutiny. Ethical violations which call into question We should have no fear of scrutiny and should the core commitment of wearing the uniform welcome it. That being said, unlike previous have no place in our profession. years, the scrutiny is highlighting egregious We are privileged to serve in the National failures — and the question for us is, why? Guard and to be a Soldier or an Airman. We We hold ourselves to a higher standard. We enjoy a well earned position of trust with the spell out our expectations in our core values, citizens we serve. We must continue to live which reflect our commitment to something our core values — for our nation, for each greater than ourselves. The military is more other and for all those who wore the uniform than an occupation, more than a duty — it before us. We are not just a face in the crowd is a culture. We hold ourselves to a higher — America and Wisconsin looks to us for standard than the average citizen because leadership in a time of crisis and trusts us to we are asked to do more than the average do the right thing. They trust us to do the right citizen. We choose this path and our character thing all the time — even when no one is is always on display. For us in the National watching. Guard, we don’t change our character when we take off the uniform. Duty with the National Guard may be part-time duty, but it is a full-time passion and we don’t get days off from our commitment to the service, our comrades or ourselves. The question is, why the failures? Why so @ease 3 Spring 2014 Remembering Spc. Michelle Witmer 1st Lt. Joe Trovato the Witmer family, Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs the 32nd Military Office Police Company and leadership from the Ten years ago on the night of April 9, County and City of 2004, Spc. Michelle Witmer and her sister, Milwaukee gathered Rachel headed out on a patrol through in front of the 32nd’s Baghdad. Members of different squads headquarters at the within the Wisconsin Army National Richards Street Armory Guard’s 32nd Military Police Company, in Milwaukee to Rachel’s vehicle turned one direction, and name a street in Spc. Michelle’s headed another. Witmer’s honor. Spc. Michelle Witmer, of New Berlin, A sign reading “Honorary — Michelle manned the gunner’s seat in her vehicle. Witmer” now hangs below the sign A short time later, the street erupted for North Richards Street directly in with small arms fire. A rocket-propelled front of the National Guard armory at grenade struck one of the patrol’s vehicles. the intersection of Richards Street and Gunmen opened fire and a bullet struck Fiebrantz Avenue. Witmer — killing her almost instantly. “When the county executive Witmer became the first female in the approached me about this idea of re- history of the National Guard and the first naming the street, I said, I think that’s Wisconsin National Guardsman in almost a fabulous idea, and every member of 60 years to be killed in combat. Almost 10 years later, on April 6, 2014, Continued on Page 5 Milwaukee renamed a portion of Richards Street in front of the Richards Street Armory April 6 in honor of Spc. Michelle Witmer. Witmer, who served with the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32nd Military Police Company, became the first female National Guard Soldier to be killed in combat on April 9, 2004, when her vehicle was attacked with small arms fire and an improvised explosive device. Wisconsin National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Joe Trovato @ease 4 Spring 2014 Lt. Col. Scott Southworth Milwaukee street renamed for fallen Guard member speaks during a Continued from Page 4 street renaming the common council wholeheartedly agreed as well,” ceremony April Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said during a ceremony 6 in Milwaukee. to unveil the new street marker. “Because we understand Southworth was that it is important for us as citizens to never ever forget the commander those who make the ultimate sacrifice. We cannot as a of the Wisconsin people, whether it’s what happened in Baghdad or in any Army National other conflict overseas, forget those men and women who Guard’s 32nd made that sacrifice on our behalf.” Military Police Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele agreed and Company in 2004, urged citizens to take every opportunity to honor service when Spc. Michelle and sacrifice. Witmer became “Michelle represented a lot of what’s great in this the first female country — a lot of what’s great in this state, and there is National Guard no more appropriate place to add another chapter to the Soldier killed in recognition she gets and she deserves than right here on combat.