Vigilant Guard In-Processing

Photo By 1st Sgt. HollyAnn Nicom | Soldiers of the 213th Personnel Company in-process participants in Vigilant Guard 2014 May 11 at Ft. Indiantown Gap, Pa. The Joint Reception, Staging, Onward-movement and Integration Process is essential for maintaining accountability of the more than 1,700 military participants.  

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, ANNVILLE, PA, UNITED STATES

05.10.2014

Story by Spc. Zane Craig 

109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Joint Reception, Staging, Onward-movement and Integration began here May 9, the facility will in-process the participants of Vigilant Guard 2014, an emergency preparedness exercise.

Vigilant Guard is designed to test the abilities of the National Guard in working with first responders, state and federal agencies for domestic situations.

Staff Sgt. Warren Wolfe, a human resource sergeant with the 213th Personnel Company, 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard and a Jonestown, Pa. native, said he expects more than 1,700 military participants to come through during the course of Vigilant Guard. Each service member receives a briefing, has their military ID scanned, mailing address confirmed, and is issued a badge with a unique number.

Soldiers of the 213th Personnel Company will maintain accountability based on the initial check-in at JRSOI. Individual units will send personnel and other reports throughout the exercise.

The 213th PC used a new, instantaneous system to in-process each servicemember with up-to-date, internet-based technology and mobile capabilities.

In a real world disaster situation, it’s important to have a very tight grasp of the facts regarding the number and location of service members and first responders.

“My role is to in-process Soldiers from Pennsylvania and other states arriving here to participate in Vigilant Guard,” said Spc. Gregory Bucher, a human resource specialist with the 213th Personnel Company and a Harrisburg, Pa. native

“We’re only on day two and we’ve already processed more than 300 Soldiers,” he said.

Although most of the servicemembers being in-processed are doing their annual training, Vigilant Guard simulates a state active duty situation where multiple units respond to a large-scale disaster.

The JRSOI duty is exactly what the Personnel Company would do in this or a deployed situation.

The main mission of Soldiers in the Personnel Company is to take care of other Soldiers, said Bucher. Maintaining accountability of all participants’ movements is essential for both pay and safety.

• Date Taken: 05.10.2014
• Date Posted: 05.12.2014 14:54
• Story ID: 129546
• Location: FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, ANNVILLE, PA, US