Newly-organized guard history unit sends two Florida mission

LINCOLN, NE, UNITED STATES

11.20.2017

Story by Pfc. Elyse Lyons 

Joint Force Headquarters - Nebraska National Guard

While most Nebraska National Guard Soldiers were returning home from Florida after the Hurricane Irma relief efforts, the 105th Military History Detachment was sending two Soldiers into the efforts to tell the story of what had occurred in Florida during the historic storm.
Maj. Andrew Nelson and Staff Sgt. Sherri Maberry of the newly-organized 105th MHD left Nebraska on Sept. 21 to help with Florida’s collection of Hurricane Irma event stories. They spent most of two weeks in St. Augustine where the Florida National Guard Headquarters is located.
According to the two Nebraska Guardsmen, they worked with the Florida historian to gather interviews of people involved in the efforts, talking with 28 people about their roles in Hurricane Irma relief. These interviews included the Florida adjutant general, assistant adjutant general and the officer-in-charge of Joint Operations.
“It isn’t just looking at the good or the bad. It is capturing the whole picture of what happened,” Maberry said.
Hurricane Irma was one of the largest hurricanes Florida has been hit by in recent years. Thus, the Florida relief effort required a historic mission.
“Every available Florida National Guardsmen was activated,” Nelson said. “It was the first time that Florida had activated such large numbers of out of state units to help with the response.”
All of the components were represented; the Army active duty, Army Reserves, and Army National Guard, Air Force, Air Guard, Navy and Coast Guard were all there to help Florida.”
Less than a year old, this was the military history detachment’s first real world mission. The unit stood up in October 2016. The 105th Military History Detachment is one of seven history detachments in the National Guard.
“The fact that within a year we got deployed for our first mission is a little mind-blowing,” Maberry said. “Being able to put together what we learned at the Military History School into a real world mission just reinforces it for the next time.”
The three-person detachment is full of experience. Nelson, an armor officer, has a military public affairs background and is also a journalist for the Omaha World Herold. Maberry has her bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a minor in classics and works as a clerk for a post office.
Being such a young unit meant that they had a lot to learn about their mission. While neither Soldier is new to historical writing, they both said that it was a challenge from the beginning.
“Our confidence from beginning to end really soared,” Maberry said.

• Date Taken: 11.20.2017
• Date Posted: 12.12.2017 14:44
• Story ID: 258487
• Location: LINCOLN, NE, US