Militiaman the presidential inauguration Supporting the presidential inauguration Supporting The Contents The Iowa Militiaman 4 Suicide Prevention: Winter 2008 Help save lives by Spc. Amy Rickelman The Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Ron Dardis 6 Iowans take part Public Affairs Officer in historic inauguration Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood by Pfc. Cassandra Monroe Commanding Officer 9 2009 - “Year of the NCO” Maj. Matt Carver M1 Iowa Gold Star Editor Military Museum insert 1st Sgt. Duff E. McFadden Staff 11 Retirement ends 30-year Capt. Heather Guck training site legacy Sgt. 1st Class Sara Maniscalco by Pfc. Brandon Babbitt Staff Sgt. Jerald Phippen Sgt. Gary Theel Sgt . Matthew McArthur 16 Air Guard Security Sgt. Christina Beck Forces return to Iowa Sgt. Chad Nelson by Tech. Sgt. Wendy S. Ohl Spc. Robert Jones Spc. Amy Rickelman Spc. Bryan Lloyd 17 Chaplain assistant is Spc. Luis Ohmstede best in Air National Guard Pfc. Cassie Monroe by by Sr. Airman Dave Riddle Pvt. Jennifer Montagna 1 Pvt. Zach Zuber The Iowa Militiaman is an Regular Columns unofficial publication authorized under the provisions of AR 360-81. It is published by the Iowa National 3 TAG Sends Guard Public Affairs Office and is printed four times annually. 12 Through the Ranks News and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily 13 From the Education Office those of the Adjutant General of Iowa, or Department of the Army. 15 Chaplain’s Corner Address all submissions to: 18 Iowa National Guard HIstory The Iowa Militiaman Public Affairs Office A few of the federally-activated Iowa Na- 7105 NW 70th Ave. tional Guard servicemembers pose by the Johnston, IA 50131-1824 Capitol Building, after the National Guard Bureau requested approximately 1,000 Iowa or E-mail [email protected] Soldiers and Airmen to help assist in Presi- dent Barack Obama’s inauguration. The Iowa Militiaman2 Winter 2008 This is our legacy Today’s Iowa National Guard is in very capable hands First, let me begin by thanking the enlisted of our organization. This is your legacy. men and women of the Iowa National Guard As I prepare to turn over command to Col. who contributed to our success these past nine Tim Orr, I leave knowing that you will continue years. We succeeded because we approached to build on this legacy and that the Iowa Na- our many challenges, not as individuals, or sep- tional Guard will remain mission-focused and arate organizations, but as one team – Team warrior ready. Iowa. And, I am confident that Brig. Gen. Orr, Brig Teamwork is the foundation of my command Gen. Greg Schwab, Brig. Gen. Steve Bogle, philosophy and is, I strongly believe, the foun- Brig Gen. Janet Phipps, Chief Warrant Officer dation of our success. So, I thank each of you for 5 John Wynn, Sgt. Maj. Doyle Norris, Com- being a team player and for being a valued mand Chief Master Sgt. Gary Garland and the member of the Iowa National Guard Team. rest of the senior leadership team will continue Together, we have made his- to lead the Iowa National Guard tory in the Iowa National Guard. in the challenging times ahead. Just as our ancestors did during Orr is young and enthusias- the Civil War and World War tic and will have sufficient time II, we answered our nation’s to chart a successful course that call to duty with honor and dis- will take the Iowa National TAG tinction. Guard to even greater heights. We trained and mobilized I’m confident you will serve Sends more than 12,000 Soldiers and him with the same degree of Maj. Gen. Airmen. We’ve transformed professionalism and dedication Ron Dardis, nearly all of our Army National that you provided to me. The The Adjutant General Guard units and undergone ma- Iowa National Guard is not jor conversions throughout the about one person, or one posi- Iowa Air Natio-nal Guard. We’ve closed and tion. It’s about the people who serve in her consolidated armories where needed, and ex- ranks. panded and built new facilities to maintain And, after more than 42 years of serving strength and readiness. among them, I know there are no finer citizens We’ve responded to natural disasters, here at than the thousands of Iowa National Guard home and across the country. We’ve trained for Soldiers and Airmen who proudly wear the challenging exercises and prepared for difficult uniform. inspections. We’ve made hard decisions now, Thank you for your hard work, your commit- in order to position our organization for future ment, your dedication, and for continuing to set success. the pace for Team Iowa. Team Iowa has earned a well-deserved repu- God bless you and your families and God tation for accepting challenging missions and bless our Soldiers and Airmen serving in harms achieving remarkable results. This is the legacy way. Team Iowa has earned a well-deserved reputation for accepting challenging missions and achieving remarkable results. This is the legacy of our organization. This is your legacy. The Iowa Militiaman3 Winter 2008 Suicide Prevention By learning the subtle warning signs, leaders, Soldiers and friends can save lives by Spc. Amy Rickelman Since Pfc. Joe had re- turned from his tour of duty in Iraq, his home- town buddies had no- ticed subtle changes af- ter Joe began to tell them about the guilt he felt after three members of his unit were killed on a patrol he took part in. He began to display massive mood swings and started drinking heavily. Formerly a model Soldier, he was written up by his first sergeant for arguing over whether or not they should bring rain gear out to the field. Of course, his friends had talked with him, kidded with him, and told him everything would be fine, now that he was home. Joe gave away some of his most prized possessions, including his Jimmy Page-autographed guitar and entire Led Zeppelin record collection. Joe told them he didn’t need that stuff any more. That was the last they saw of Joe. A week later, they found him dead, of a self-inflicted wound. The Iowa Militiaman4 Winter 2008 In order to become more aware of the signs of Suicide rates among suicide, it is important for Soldiers to under- stand why servicemembers become suicidal in servicemembers are the first place. Some of the reasons include a growing concern, depression or mental illness, alcohol or drug use, family history, brain chemistry or serious due to increasing illness. deployment rates, “The number one reason that many young more cases of PTSD, males commit suicide is the breakup of a rela- tionship,” said Selof. and the high pressure Other factors that play a role include gender. demands of today’s More women actually attempt suicide than men, but more men succeed. Native Americans and military environment. caucasians have higher suicide rates than other groups. Suicide is most common among the In the two years Chaplain (Capt.) Gary Selof elderly, but it is becoming more and more has served as full-time Support Chaplain for the common among teens and young adults. Iowa Army National Guard, seven Iowa Na- People who are married are much less likely tional Guard Soldiers have committed suicide. to attempt suicide than those who are single, Suicide rates among servicemembers are a divorced, separated or widowed. Soldiers who growing concern within the National Guard due are unemployed are at greater risk of suicide to increasing deployment rates, more and more than their colleagues. cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as Suicide warning signs include talking about well as the high-pressure demands of today’s suicide, becoming severely depressed, prepar- military environment. ing for death by giving away possessions, or By the same token, suicide prevention is uniquely challenging for National Guard mem- bers. Because National Guard Soldiers only see Suicide prevention each other two days out of the month, it’s harder to identify the signs of suicide. continued on page 14 “Because of the way our training is set up, it is extremely difficult for the Soldiers to talk to other Soldiers or ad- mit they need help,” said Selof. Even though Soldiers may seem to be acting nor- mally on drill week- end, they may just be disguising signs of sui- cide, leading fellow Soldiers to believe ev- erything is okay. Five of the seven Iowa Na- tional Guard suicides occurred after a drill weekend. Selof feels, commu- nication is even more difficult for high-rank- ing officers, NCO’s and females, “because they don’t want to be perceived as weak,” he said. The Iowa Militiaman5 Winter 2008 Iowans take part in historic presidential inauguration by Pfc Cassandra Monroe tion awaited the day of his swearing in. As the Recent history has proven the Iowa National inauguration approached, the number of visi- Guard is indeed a ready force. In addition to tors in Washington D.C. grew rapidly, necessi- assisting with flood relief duties in areas of tating an increase in security and support. Na- Iowa and Louisiana early this summer, Iowa tional Guard troops from several states, to in- Soldiers and Airmen also provided security clude Iowa, were called upon to perform these assistance and support to Minnesota state po- duties. lice officials during the Republican National When the National Guard Bureau requested Convention. approximately 1,000 Soliders and Airmen from Following the historic election of Barack the Iowa National Guard, Soldiers from the 2nd Obama as the United States President, the na- Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, “We’re always ready and we’re always there.” Brig.