IGR Leads the Way for Holiday Celebrations
Dozens of Guard Reservists and Naval Sea Cadets led
the 2011 Lafayette - West Lafayette Christmas Parade this year. More than 100 floats and the Purdue Marching band took
part in the annual event, Indiana's largest holiday parade. Rain and temperatures in the 40s did not stop thousands
of people from lining the streets to greet the IGR soldiers and other participants in the parade.
________________________________________________________________ Honoring
America's Veterans
  
In preparation
for Veterans Day, dozens of members of the Indiana Guard Reserve, along with Indianapolis Public Schools JROTC Cadets, North
Central High School JROTC Cadets and Naval Sea Cadets carefully placed thousands of flags at Veterans' graves throughout
Crown Hill Cemetery. They braved a chilly November morning to recognize those who gave so much for their country. ________________________________________________________________
| IGR Annual Training Right on Target |
|
Indiana Guard Reserve Tackles Training at Camp Atterbury
Annual
Training 2011 was different than most other training periods for Guard Reservists. Over the weekend of 30 Septermber
- 2 October IGR soldiers spent hours getting quality trigger time with M4 and M9 firearms at the
Camp Atterbury range. Also on the agenda at AT, HMMWV rollover simulator exercises and phyiscal
training.
________________________________________________________________
IGR Teams up with Marines to Deliver Holiday Cheer
2nd Brigade assists
the U.S.M.C. and the Marine Corp Legion in providing "Toys for Tots" at the Valparaiso National Guard Armory
on 17 December. The brigade members packed toys for distribution, provided crowd control and parking lot assistance.
Merry Christmas!
________________________________________________________________
Operation
Cookie Donation
By Tom Lange / Johnson County Daily
Journal
 A freshman at Roncalli High School wanted to find a way to help welcome home returning soldiers and to let those leaving for
overseas deployments know that people were thinking of them. Megan
Powell asked her classmates early this month to help gather cookies for soldiers at Camp Atterbury. She thought the school
would collect enough cookies to fill the trunk of a car.
In
three weeks, Powell and the 1,100 Roncalli students collected 602 packages containing 21,000 cookies, enough to fill a truck.
The treats from Roncalli filled one-third of the goal set by the organizers
of Operation Cookie Donation. The drive, in its second year, is collecting cookies for the soldiers and civilians preparing
to leave for or arriving at Camp Atterbury from overseas deployments. Last year organizers collected 55,000 cookies for
soldiers at Atterbury, and this year they're hoping to collect at least 60,000.
The cookies are a small way for the community to say thank you to soldiers who have been deployed to
places such as Iraq or Afghanistan. They also open a door for chaplains to talk with soldiers about how their deployments
went and how they feel about returning home, said David Owens, chaplain and donation organizer.
"The cookies give a ‘welcome home' to the taste buds but just as importantly open a door
to see how the soldier is doing," Owens said.
When
a solider stops to grab a cookie from Atterbury's chapel, it gives the base's chaplains a chance to see how soldiers
are doing, how their families are, whether they have a job lined up and whether they're having problems dealing with any
issues from their deployment, Owens said.
For other soldiers,
a cookie simply serves as a small but significant welcome home. Owens remembered talking to a soldier last year who said the
donated cookies were the best meal she'd had in 400 days. Owens told the soldier to remember to be respectful of the company's
cook. The soldier told Owens she was the company's cook.
Forty-eight organizations donated cookies or money to buy drinks for soldiers last year, and Owens hopes even more groups
will contribute this year. Powell, whose father, the Rev. Mark Powell, is one of the organizers, thought it would be
a good idea to pair gathering cookies with Roncalli's annual canned food drive.
"At Roncalli we are given so many blessings to be able to go to that school, that when we have much,
much is expected," she said.
Powell worked with Bob
Tully, coordinator of special projects at Roncalli, to create announcements for students during the school's daily 30-minute
study hall. The first announcements went out Nov. 14, and by the end of the week 21,000 cookies had been collected, Powell
said.
Organizers don't know whether the donation will
become a regular occurrence, but Powell already is thinking about next year and hopes Roncalli can collect 1,000 packages
for Atterbury. And she's hopeful the school will continue collecting cookies after she graduates, she said.
________________________________________________________________
| IGR Commemorates 9/11 |
|
| 1st Brigade led the 9/11 parade in Warsaw. (Photo from Times-Union) |
| Guard Reservist shares message of Memorial Day |
|
| PFC Barry Ulerick and his daughter,Emma, place flags at Greenlawn Cemetery. (Daily Journal photo) |
Guard Reservist's message sparks manhunt in Johnson County
PFC Barry
Ulerick captured the imagination and attention of dozens of people gathered at Greenlawn Cemetery over the Memorial
Day weekend. His words about the meaning and message of the American flag moved those in attendance.
From the Johnson County Daily Journal:
"The soldier walked among the headstones of Greenlawn
Cemetery in Franklin, pausing at each veteran’s headstone to place a small American flag. With every flag,
he bent down and spoke to a young girl following close behind. He told her about the meaning of the stars and stripes on the
flag, how to properly display it and what it means to a soldier like himself. The conversation was between
him and the girl, but his words drew a crowd of more than two dozen. Nobody asked his name, and the soldier
left when the flags had been passed out. After weeks of searching for his identity, American Legion leaders and cemetery officials
believe they’ve tracked down the soldier whose impromptu message perfectly captured the spirit of Memorial Day."
After learning PFC Ulerick's identity, the Daily Journal contacted him and published an excellent profile that
recognized his service and the spirit of the Indiana Guard Reserve... Hoosiers Serving Hoosiers!
 IGR Shows Its Best
for Gary Air Show
2nd Brigade assisted the Gary Police Department by operating
more than a half-dozen checkpoints at the Gary Air Show. Guard Reservists operated for 28 hours in the field and logged more
than 300 man hours to this event. The Gary Police Department provided very good logistical support, including
food, water, and radios for each check point. GPD is hopeful that the IGR will be able to assist again in the future!
Summer Sizzles for IGR Soldiers
More than two dozen Guard Reservists
provided training at the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge at Camp Atterbury. IGR members braved the 90+ degree heat
to make sure the 275 cadets from across Indiana had a safe, fun experience. Click here to see the article in the Indianapolis Star. The IGR also supplied traffic control and support for the annual
National Guard Assocation of Indiana Car Show in Downtown Indianapolis. Thousands of people packed the American Legion
Mall to see the dozens of classic cars.
Ready...
Aim...
Dozens of IGR Soldiers from HHD and Support Command converged on the Stout Field FATS Weapons training
Center for training and qualification opportunities on M16 rifles and M9 pistols. This was the first of a number
of training opportunities at Stout Field, Atterbury, and other locations throughout the state for all Guard Reservists. More
dates and locations to be announced soon.
| Two big missions; one big week! |
|
| IGR Soldiers assisted participants at a mock disaster and at the Indianapolis Air Show |
Guard Reservists deliver safety and security
Within days of each other, IGR Soldiers tackled two large-scale events.
At a national earthquake drill at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Guard Reservists secured
parking areas and escorted participants from the Army and Department of Homeland Security, along with Indiana first
responders and VIPs from as far away as Israel. More than 1,000 participants took part in the week-long exercise.
Each year, the Indanapolis Air Show counts on the IGR to provide traffic control and security
for the show's planes, their crews and the crowd. This year was no exception. Dozens of Guard Reservists
kept both crews and spectators safe by assuring that everyone was in the right place at the right time. The IGR was
also responsible for the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets, who assisted in the mission.
"Welcome Home"
show features Indiana Guard Reserve
WFDM,
Freedom 95.9 in Franklin highlighted the work of the IGR on its program on 12 February.
Listen to the "Welcome Home Show"
| Mini Mission Accomplished! |
|
| A sea of runners and walkers passes the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with help from the IGR |
500 Festival Mini-Marathon a Success
Thousands of runners and walkers filled the streets of Indianapolis as part of the Indianapolis
500 Festival Mini-Marathon. Hundreds of Guard Reservists were on the sidelines and side streets, making sure the runners
were safe from interference during the race. The IGR Soldiers were joined by dozens of members of the U.S. Naval Sea
Cadets and students from the Hoosier Youth ChalleNGe Academy.
IGR Protects Escorts for 9/11 Memorial
Dozens of Guard Reservists served in security
and traffic control roles on 9 April in Richmond. They protected thousands of motorcyclists who escorted two World
Trade Center beams as part of Project 9/11 Indianapolis. The beams will be part of a memorial to be dedicated on
the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The memorial will be built on the downtown canal.
|
| Richmond Mayor Sally Hutton addresses IGR soldiers before Project 9/11 Indianapolis |
|
| Lead Instructor, LT Millen & Incident Commander, CPL Kennedy at FUNSAR mock. |
IGR SAR Team Assists in Training
All
four members of the IGR Search and Rescue Training Team participated in running
an ICS-based wilderness SAR operation in March 2011. The 24-hour overnight
SAR exercise was the capstone activity for the National Association for Search and Rescue's (NASAR)
fundamentals of Search and Rescue (FUNSAR) course. This exercise took place in the Hoosier National
Forest in south-central Indiana near Lake Monroe.
Busy schedule helps Indiana Guard Reserve train for worst-case
scenarios Guard Reservists have had a busy late winter practicing SAR and CERT skills. Firefighting techniques
took center stage at Community Emergency Response Team training at the Bloomington National Guard Armory (left).
Dozens of IGR soldiers learned new Search and Rescue skills at Camp Atterbury (right). This critical
training will help the Indiana Guard Reserve protect Hoosiers in case of an actual emergency.
| CERT Training |
|
| IGR trainers lead CERT students through a simulated burning building. |
Guard Reservists Train to React to Bioterrorism Threat
Members of the 1st Brigade took part in a bioterrorism class in late January
at the Elkhart County Health Department. Training lasted for 16 hours and concluded with a tabletop exercise at the end. There
were over 30 people, including doctors and nurses who represented every health department in the Indiana Department of Homeland
Security District 2 area.
In the photo from left to right: SSG Dathan Reed, CPL Teresa Reed,
Kosciusko County LEPC Chairman Gary McDaniel, CSM Scott Hawks
IGR Gets Mention in Major Indiana Newspapers
An op-ed piece about the IGR's mission was published in about a dozen Indiana newspapers around
Christmas and New Years. Take a look at one of them.
| Taste of "Home Sweet Home" |
|
| Indiana Guard Reservists led the effort to collect cookies for Soldiers at Camp Atterbury |
Sweet Mission for the Troops - Operation Cookie Donation
Indiana Guard Reservists led the effort to bring a taste of home to the 86th
BDE troops returning from Afghanistan. This was a group of about 3,500 Soldiers,
predominantly from the northeast United States. The goal was to have 40 dozen cookies each day between 1 November
and 4 January. This amounted to almost 30,000 cookies. We ended up with a total donation of approximately
4,500 dozen or 54,000 cookies. The were both store bought cookies and homemade cookies.
The cookies were in all five SRC buildings, the chapel, both initial briefing
areas and the USO at Camp Atterbury and Indianapolis International Airport.
The program was chaired by CH (CPT) Bob Fiers with help from CH
(1LT) Dave Owens and CH (1LT) Jerry Curry along with a local pastor Mark Powell.
Guard
Reservists Help Peru Salvation Army
MAJ Terry Harris,
CPL James White, CPL Stanley Higgins III, and PFC Corey Townsend volunteered to ring bells to help the Salvation Army raise
funds this December. The Guard Reservists worked at several different businesses over a two-day period.
When
Earth Rocks, Indiana Guard Reserve Rolls
Indiana
Guard Reservists have a new weapon in their arsenal, real-world search and rescue experience.
As part of October’s annual training, dozens of IGR soldiers put their NIMS and CERT training to the test during
a mock earthquake. They combed through collapsed buildings, secured the structures,
searched for victims, and rescued them. The exercise took place at Muscatatuck
Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Ind.
When
the training began, 15 Patriot Academy students scattered throughout three collapsed buildings across Muscatatuck. They were
the victims. IGR members, who already had hours of classroom training, scanned
the structures, located the injured, provided first aid, and helped bring them to safety. Maj.
James Needler was an evaluator for the training exercise. “I saw the benefit, firsthand of our training that we did in the
months leading up to AT,” Needler said. “We know we have a mission that is of value to the state of Indiana.”
Many Guard Reservists are already paramedics,
law-enforcement officers or firefighters in their daily lives. Now they, along
with other IGR members, have additional life-saving skills they can use during a crisis.
The
IGR worked in a unified command setting, teaming up with White River Township Fire and Rescue, Johnson County EMA, Seals Ambulance,
and Salvation Army Disaster Services. These partners in this mission helped stabilize
the crumbling structures, transport victims to the hospital, and feed the victims and troops.
Col. Jackie Stump,
commander of the 1st Brigade, evaluated the exercise. He said the
Guard Reservists validated their skills as CERT members for the State of Indiana. “Observing their seamless operations
with mutual aid partners was extremely gratifying for a military man who has participated in numerous exercises over the past
46 years,” Stump said.
Maj.
Robert Dawalt said he was impressed. “I am very pleased and proud,” Dawalt said. “We showed again that we
can be an effective resource for the state of Indiana in times of trouble.”
|
