Photo By Sgt. Aimee Grace Trinidad | North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Soldier Staff Sgt. Samuel Shore and a young boy...... read more read more
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Dunn, NC – Members from the North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) 5th-113th Field Artillery Battalion and the City of Dunn hosted a “Touch-A-Truck” event in Dunn, North Carolina on June 5, 2025. This kickoff event, executed in collaboration with the City of Dunn, the Town of Erwin, and Harnett County Emergency Services, marks a powerful chapter in both military readiness and local cooperation.
For the first time in history, the 5th-113th Field Artillery Battalion of the North Carolina National Guard has launched a joint training operation unlike any before—one that brings together military precision and community partnership.
“They’ve (the cities) been very gracious in hosting us and helping us achieve our training objectives, while we also support them and their training objectives in the exercise,” said U.S. Army Maj. Ronald Colvin, Executive Officer of the 5th-113th. “So it's been a great situation that I hope we can build on in the future.”
For one Soldier, this event is more than just a mission. It’s a homecoming.
Born and raised in Dunn, Colvin isn’t just leading part of the operation—he’s doing so in the very city where he grew up.
A graduate of Triton High School in Dunn and Campbell University, just down the road in Buies Creek, Maj. Colvin’s roots in this community run deep. His family has long been woven into the fabric of Dunn: his father served as a school principal in the city for 31 years, and his mother
dedicated over 40 years as a teacher—shaping generations of students in the very neighborhoods where the battalion now trains.
Soldiers from Alpha Battery, in the midst of their annual training, worked with first responders, emergency management, and police to bring together vehicles for the event. They welcomed local civilians, including families and children, to interact with a variety of vehicles and speak with soldiers about the NCNG.
“We’ve gotten a lot of training value out of it so far: working on our operational readiness, going somewhere unfamiliar, doing something that we haven’t done before, while also getting to do something that’s pretty familiar, which is work with our civilian partner – fire, emergency services, the police department – to achieve a goal,” said Colvin.
The exercise not only displays tactical capabilities but also strengthens mutual understanding.
For Soldiers like U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Adam Elmilgy, 2nd Platoon Sergeant for Alpha Battery, the event offers a bridge between the military and everyday life.
“I think it’s an awesome opportunity that we have to work with Dunn and all the emergency services and incorporate ourselves in the town,” said Elmilgy. “But also, just to interact with the general public and create those relationships and those bonds.”
That sentiment echoed throughout the battalion.
“[The event] helps us get to know the community…Get some hearts and minds,” said Cdt. Luke Bowling, a Soldier in Alpha Battery and a senior in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Army ROTC program. “It’s been really good to see the kids coming out here, wanting to get in the trucks, taking pictures with helmets on, and getting to see a lot of our soldiers interacting with the kids, which is heartwarming.”
The event has grown from a small, local initiative to a county-wide collaboration involving multiple departments.
“It morphed into one department having a small role to it being a county-wide event”, said Deputy Chief Rodney Eason, Dunn Emergency Services.
This historic collaboration sets a strong precedent for the future—not just for the 5th-113th Field Artillery Battalion, but for all communities looking to partner with those who serve them. Together, they are proving that when duty and community meet, both are stronger.
“This event here at Dunn has just been an excellent…training event for these guys to get out and actually take on some civilian considerations and interact with people,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Samuel Shore, who operates the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). “[It is] a good opportunity for the folks to come out and see what we do…maybe inspire some guys and gals to join the National Guard one day.”
(Story by U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Catherine McGuire)
| Date Taken: | 06.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2025 14:51 |
| Story ID: | 500408 |
| Location: | DUNN, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | DUNN, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | ERWIN, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | HARNETT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
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This work, NCNG 5th-113th's Touch-A-Truck Experience, by 2LT Bridget Pittman-Blackwell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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