Alaska Guardsmen visit Nome community as part of rural operations [Image 2 of 5]

NOME, AK, UNITED STATES

12.17.2019

Photo by Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead 

Alaska National Guard Public Affairs   

Capt. James Tollefson, Alaska Army National Guard recruiting and retention operations officer, talks with several men about joining the Guard who attended a meet-and-greet at the Alaska Army National Guard armory in Nome, Dec. 18, 2019. Members of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs visited Nome, Alaska, Dec. 17-18, as part of the department’s new rural operations hub concept to strengthen the department’s ties with Alaska’s rural communities. Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, Alaska National Guard commander and adjutant general, and commissioner of the DMVA, brought a team that included representatives from the state Office of Veterans Affairs, Air and Army Guard recruiters, members of the joint staff, and the Alaska State Defense Force. During the Nome trip, a sixth site visit in support of the hub concept, the group met with Nome Mayor Richard Beneville, visited tribal and Native corporation members at the Katirvik Cultural Center, had the opportunity to watch Nome-Beltz Jr/Sr High School students perform traditional Native dances and music, and took part in an interview with Davis Hovey, journalist with KYUK radio. Plans to grow rural operations in Alaska have also included stops in the Alaska communities of Bethel, Kwethluk, Napaskiak, Galena, and Kodiak, and future visits include Utqiagvik and Kotzebue. (U.S. Air National Guard photos by Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead)

• Date Taken: 12.17.2019
• Date Posted: 12.20.2019 19:09
• Photo ID: 5995634
• VIRIN: 191217-Z-MF300-0017
• Resolution: 5472x3648
• Size: 2.17 MB
• Location: NOME, AK, US