WEBVTT 00:44.240 --> 00:46.351 the south Carolina National Guard has 00:46.351 --> 00:48.462 played an integral role on the global 00:48.462 --> 00:50.629 war on terrorism . Since september the 00:50.629 --> 00:52.796 11th 2001 , the men and women who make 00:52.796 --> 00:54.962 up this great organization volunteered 00:54.962 --> 00:57.184 to serve the citizens of south Carolina 00:57.184 --> 00:59.407 and the United States and have deployed 00:59.407 --> 01:01.518 time and time again in defense of the 01:01.518 --> 01:03.407 rights and freedoms we value as a 01:03.407 --> 01:05.480 nation , whether you are a service 01:05.480 --> 01:07.702 member who has deployed overseas , have 01:07.702 --> 01:09.730 mobilized within the U . S . Have 01:09.730 --> 01:11.786 served in support role for deploying 01:11.786 --> 01:15.090 unit or you are a family member of one 01:15.090 --> 01:17.312 of our soldiers or airmen . Thank you . 01:17.312 --> 01:19.201 Thank you for your service , your 01:19.201 --> 01:21.201 commitment , your dedication to the 01:21.201 --> 01:23.312 mission and for your support for your 01:23.312 --> 01:26.590 brothers and sisters in uniform . The 01:26.590 --> 01:28.757 south Carolina National Guard supports 01:28.757 --> 01:30.868 and defends our fellow citizens , the 01:30.868 --> 01:32.990 state and the nation whenever and 01:32.990 --> 01:35.310 wherever the threat arises or the need 01:35.310 --> 01:37.910 exists . South Carolina National Guard 01:37.910 --> 01:39.799 soldiers and Airmen conduct their 01:39.799 --> 01:42.340 federal mission to serve in support of 01:42.340 --> 01:45.260 National defense overseas and in the U . 01:45.260 --> 01:49.100 S . Since September 11 , 2001 the south 01:49.100 --> 01:51.156 Carolina National Guard has deployed 01:51.156 --> 01:53.670 more than 20,000 Army and Air National 01:53.670 --> 01:56.150 Guard Service members in support of the 01:56.150 --> 01:58.790 global war on terrorism . Every south 01:58.790 --> 02:00.750 Carolina National Garden major 02:00.750 --> 02:02.920 subordinate command has a history of 02:02.920 --> 02:05.680 units participating and mobilizations . 02:05.690 --> 02:08.790 Since september 11th 2001 , the south 02:08.790 --> 02:10.901 Carolina National Guard has mobilized 02:10.901 --> 02:13.460 in support of operations Noble equal 02:13.470 --> 02:16.610 Iraqi freedom , new dawn enduring 02:16.610 --> 02:19.700 freedom freedom sentinel inherent 02:19.700 --> 02:22.630 resolve and spartan shield among other 02:22.630 --> 02:25.050 overseas contingency operations . 02:25.460 --> 02:27.630 Service members have also contributed 02:27.630 --> 02:29.797 to the war fight while at home through 02:29.797 --> 02:32.470 support provided to mobilize units as 02:32.470 --> 02:34.526 well as maintaining a ready force at 02:34.526 --> 02:36.526 home that is capable of meeting the 02:36.526 --> 02:39.090 mission when called since 9 11 , we 02:39.090 --> 02:43.020 have deployed well over 20,000 army and 02:43.030 --> 02:45.750 air guardsmen that we have continuously 02:45.760 --> 02:49.110 had soldiers and airmen deployed either 02:49.110 --> 02:52.960 directly to centcom a are or were in 02:52.960 --> 02:55.360 some type of role in support of that . 02:55.370 --> 02:58.020 We don't have as many deployed today as 02:58.020 --> 03:00.640 we did at one time . But I think , uh , 03:00.650 --> 03:03.490 it's still though , is a challenge for 03:03.490 --> 03:05.840 all of our soldiers and airmen to 03:05.850 --> 03:08.072 always be prepared for that potentially 03:08.072 --> 03:10.072 next mobilization that could come . 03:10.072 --> 03:12.340 What we're doing now and what we 03:12.350 --> 03:14.980 probably will continue to do is 03:14.980 --> 03:18.420 important . The south Carolina Air 03:18.420 --> 03:20.587 National Guard out of McIntyre , Joint 03:20.587 --> 03:22.809 National Guard Base played a vital role 03:22.809 --> 03:24.976 in the initial response to the attacks 03:24.976 --> 03:27.087 of 9 11 South Carolina . Air National 03:27.087 --> 03:28.864 Guard was in the fight from the 03:28.864 --> 03:30.920 beginning at McIntyre , we're flying 03:30.920 --> 03:32.864 are normal a flying period for the 03:32.864 --> 03:34.860 morning . Well , obviously some 03:34.860 --> 03:37.082 significant events happened and as soon 03:37.082 --> 03:38.749 as the jets landed . Uh , the 03:38.749 --> 03:40.804 leadership immediately jumped on the 03:40.804 --> 03:43.220 task at hand . Uh , really without a 03:43.220 --> 03:45.164 whole lot of direction , they just 03:45.164 --> 03:47.276 figured out , okay , what do we think 03:47.276 --> 03:48.998 we need to do ? So immediately 03:48.998 --> 03:48.930 maintenance started generating 03:48.930 --> 03:51.490 airplanes and uh , while we're breaking 03:51.490 --> 03:53.490 out missiles were loading guns were 03:53.490 --> 03:55.490 getting airplanes airborne and it's 03:55.490 --> 03:58.190 just a matter of hours for . We had 03:58.200 --> 04:00.850 armed aircraft providing combat air 04:00.850 --> 04:03.660 patrols over the city of Atlanta . Now , 04:03.670 --> 04:05.900 as uh we got a little bit more time . 04:05.900 --> 04:07.789 We're able to generate a few more 04:07.789 --> 04:09.930 airplanes that went from gun only two 04:09.940 --> 04:12.970 guns , missiles . And we put pilots 04:12.980 --> 04:15.250 into a status where they're getting 04:15.250 --> 04:17.220 their arrest . And we set up uh an 04:17.220 --> 04:19.180 alert facility in the squadron 04:19.180 --> 04:21.069 operations building and we pulled 04:21.069 --> 04:23.291 everything together to make sure that , 04:23.291 --> 04:25.180 you know , we had people ready to 04:25.180 --> 04:27.347 defend the United States immediately . 04:27.440 --> 04:30.820 And I think it's quite a testament to 04:30.830 --> 04:33.700 the leadership and capability of the 04:33.700 --> 04:36.970 entire wing that uh we were on mission 04:36.970 --> 04:39.020 within hours of airplanes , the 04:39.020 --> 04:41.131 airplane striking the twin towers and 04:41.131 --> 04:43.131 the pentagon . These attacks on the 04:43.131 --> 04:45.187 nation launched the Swamp Fox airmen 04:45.187 --> 04:47.410 into action with numerous deployments 04:47.410 --> 04:49.360 conducted in the 20 years since 04:49.360 --> 04:52.730 September 11 , 2001 to locations all 04:52.730 --> 04:56.110 over the world to include Qatar Iraq 04:56.120 --> 04:58.450 and Afghanistan and totaling thousands 04:58.450 --> 05:01.010 of combat flight hours supporting it 05:01.010 --> 05:03.410 from home . At first , when we sent six 05:03.410 --> 05:05.790 airplanes out to Al Udeid Air Base to 05:05.800 --> 05:09.710 fly over Afghanistan later uh in 2000 05:09.710 --> 05:12.610 and two , tasking came down for uh 05:12.620 --> 05:15.080 Brigadier General Patrick . Uh He was 05:15.080 --> 05:16.858 our Chief of Staff of the south 05:16.858 --> 05:19.024 Carolina National Guard at the time to 05:19.024 --> 05:19.010 go out and be the deployed wing 05:19.010 --> 05:21.030 commander at Manas Air base in the 05:21.030 --> 05:22.808 Republic of Kyrgyzstan and they 05:22.808 --> 05:26.000 currently had uh Marine Corps f 18 05:26.040 --> 05:29.330 hornets and uh mirage fighters over 05:29.330 --> 05:31.940 there doing close air support for 05:31.950 --> 05:34.320 Afghanistan . Well , the plan was to , 05:34.330 --> 05:37.260 to rotate those aircraft out and rotate 05:37.270 --> 05:39.800 in european partner air forces . We 05:39.800 --> 05:42.630 call that a path F sixteen's . He goes , 05:42.630 --> 05:44.408 I need an exact who's currently 05:44.408 --> 05:46.519 qualified to help me with this task . 05:46.519 --> 05:48.852 And uh I was relatively new to the unit . 05:48.852 --> 05:50.963 They asked me to go , I jumped at the 05:50.963 --> 05:53.140 opportunity and it was a very , very 05:53.140 --> 05:55.362 unique opportunity . Normally a fighter 05:55.362 --> 05:57.418 pilot doesn't want to get out of the 05:57.418 --> 05:59.529 cockpit , but uh this this was a good 05:59.529 --> 06:01.529 opportunity . nine nation coalition 06:01.529 --> 06:03.362 working together to , you know , 06:03.362 --> 06:05.362 protect America . Now , at the same 06:05.362 --> 06:07.330 time , we had a fire team from our 06:07.330 --> 06:09.497 Security Forces squadron deployed over 06:09.497 --> 06:11.552 there in Kyrgyzstan . And we had the 06:11.552 --> 06:13.552 2/40 combat communications squadron 06:13.552 --> 06:16.010 deployed there as well for 2000 and 06:16.010 --> 06:19.100 three , The 157th Fighter Squadron was 06:19.100 --> 06:21.267 the primary unit deployed there now as 06:21.267 --> 06:23.770 a pilot in that squadron and when the 06:23.780 --> 06:27.780 squadron mobilizes it has all 06:27.780 --> 06:29.836 the maintenance complement that goes 06:29.836 --> 06:33.070 along with it . We took uh probably in 06:33.070 --> 06:35.292 the neighborhood of 4 to 500 airmen . I 06:35.292 --> 06:37.514 don't recall what that total number was 06:37.514 --> 06:39.626 at this time . The south Carolina Air 06:39.626 --> 06:41.848 National Guard has supported many other 06:41.848 --> 06:43.737 overseas contingency operations , 06:43.737 --> 06:45.903 including a pacific command theaters . 06:45.903 --> 06:49.330 Support package rotation In 2006 . A 06:49.330 --> 06:52.050 deployment to Balad air base in Iraq in 06:52.050 --> 06:54.970 2010 providing close air support to 06:54.970 --> 06:57.330 ground troops and sending 18 jets to 06:57.330 --> 07:00.470 Kandahar , Afghanistan in 2012 . And I 07:00.470 --> 07:02.303 think that's one is particularly 07:02.303 --> 07:05.820 important because , You know , we're 24 07:05.830 --> 07:08.590 primary aircraft assigned squadron at 07:08.590 --> 07:11.350 that point in time . And Central 07:11.350 --> 07:13.017 Command asked us to deploy an 07:13.017 --> 07:15.470 additional six aircraft . So we had 18 07:15.470 --> 07:17.920 aircraft deployed to Afghanistan and we 07:17.920 --> 07:20.130 flew continuous surge operations . Now 07:20.130 --> 07:22.330 you go , hey , that's , that's not too 07:22.330 --> 07:24.497 hard . You have 24 aircraft assigned . 07:24.497 --> 07:26.386 You took 18 , you know , you have 07:26.386 --> 07:28.163 plenty . Well , those other six 07:28.163 --> 07:31.850 aircraft , We're performing 24 7365 07:31.940 --> 07:33.940 airspace control alert back at home 07:33.940 --> 07:36.580 station . So that was about as full 07:36.580 --> 07:38.802 court press of an effort that you could 07:38.802 --> 07:41.540 have where we're simultaneously working 07:41.540 --> 07:44.270 for two combatant commands with every 07:44.270 --> 07:46.437 one of our assigned aircraft committed 07:46.437 --> 07:49.250 to a mission . And we did that uh 07:49.440 --> 07:52.420 without any backfill without any real 07:52.420 --> 07:55.170 help from outside and sustain that over 07:55.170 --> 07:57.281 the entire time of the deployment . I 07:57.281 --> 07:59.337 think that's a , that's a very proud 07:59.337 --> 08:01.226 moment for the south Carolina Air 08:01.226 --> 08:02.892 National Guard In total , the 08:02.892 --> 08:05.020 deployment included nearly 400 08:05.020 --> 08:07.530 personnel who mobilized together with 08:07.530 --> 08:10.130 an additional 90 personnel deploying 08:10.130 --> 08:12.130 late in order to replace airmen who 08:12.130 --> 08:14.760 returned home mid cycle . During this 08:14.760 --> 08:16.816 deployment , the unit flew more than 08:16.816 --> 08:19.930 2200 sorties totaling more than 08:19.940 --> 08:23.940 9400 combat hours providing ground 08:23.940 --> 08:26.370 commanders with close air support for 08:26.370 --> 08:29.570 24 hours a day , seven days a week for 08:29.570 --> 08:32.790 120 days straight . Additionally , the 08:32.790 --> 08:34.679 South Carolina Air National Guard 08:34.679 --> 08:38.080 deployed in 2014 and 2018 To the 08:38.080 --> 08:40.490 Central Command area of operation 08:40.660 --> 08:42.827 supported the Pacific Command again in 08:42.827 --> 08:46.640 2016 and in 2021 the South Carolina Air 08:46.640 --> 08:48.529 National Guard deployed airmen to 08:48.529 --> 08:51.260 Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia . 08:51.840 --> 08:53.951 The south Carolina Air National Guard 08:53.951 --> 08:56.118 has not only provided aviation support 08:56.118 --> 08:58.007 during mobilizations . Many other 08:58.007 --> 08:59.951 operational units within the south 08:59.951 --> 09:02.062 Carolina Air National Guard have also 09:02.062 --> 09:03.840 played a role in the success of 09:03.840 --> 09:05.840 deployed missions , including civil 09:05.840 --> 09:08.830 engineers , firefighters for support , 09:08.910 --> 09:12.010 mortuary affairs , Air traffic control 09:12.020 --> 09:14.630 and many others . There's been a lot 09:14.640 --> 09:16.980 for the Air National Guard . So it's a 09:16.990 --> 09:20.260 it's been very busy since 9:11 . The 09:20.260 --> 09:22.371 south Carolina Air National Guard has 09:22.371 --> 09:24.600 had very very few moments when we 09:24.600 --> 09:26.780 haven't had some number of airmen 09:26.780 --> 09:30.030 mobilized and or deployed in support of 09:30.030 --> 09:32.550 combat operations in the centcom area 09:32.550 --> 09:35.050 responsibility . In addition to the 09:35.050 --> 09:37.383 support being provided around the world , 09:37.383 --> 09:39.494 the south Carolina National Guard was 09:39.494 --> 09:41.606 also tasked with keeping the homeland 09:41.606 --> 09:43.960 safe . In 2011 , the south Carolina Air 09:43.960 --> 09:45.904 National Guard took over the north 09:45.904 --> 09:47.849 american Aerospace Defense Command 09:47.849 --> 09:50.160 alert mission from the 20th Fighter 09:50.160 --> 09:52.140 wing out of Shaw Air Force Base . 09:52.540 --> 09:55.360 That's a very taxing mission for active 09:55.370 --> 09:58.980 duty wing because it is very manpower 09:58.980 --> 10:01.560 intensive and they have a very high 10:01.560 --> 10:04.320 training throughput requirement so it 10:04.320 --> 10:07.360 can be pretty challenging . So uh 10:07.370 --> 10:09.481 Lieutenant General retired Williams , 10:09.481 --> 10:11.703 He was the wing commander at the time . 10:11.703 --> 10:13.759 You know , work to bring the mission 10:13.759 --> 10:15.481 over to McIntyre . So we uh we 10:15.481 --> 10:17.760 renovated what we are alert facility 10:17.760 --> 10:20.170 from back in the Cold War days . We 10:20.170 --> 10:23.750 used to sit alert uh F 102 S and F 104 10:23.750 --> 10:25.960 is at McIntyre . So those facilities 10:25.960 --> 10:28.470 were renovated and updated And we 10:28.470 --> 10:30.637 started sitting alert in 2011 with the 10:30.637 --> 10:34.390 F 16 , the 59th Troop 10:34.390 --> 10:36.501 Command , headquartered in Eastover , 10:36.501 --> 10:38.570 is currently comprised of the 51st 10:38.570 --> 10:40.950 military police battalion in Florence , 10:41.330 --> 10:43.990 the 60th transportation Battalion and 10:43.990 --> 10:47.060 Barnesville and the seven 51st Combat 10:47.060 --> 10:49.600 sustainment support battalion also in 10:49.600 --> 10:52.850 east over From logistical support 10:52.860 --> 10:54.890 maintenance and transportation to 10:54.890 --> 10:57.240 security force and detention center 10:57.240 --> 11:00.110 operations . The soldiers of the 59 11:00.110 --> 11:02.166 troop command have supported the war 11:02.166 --> 11:04.550 fight for the past 20 years . The 11:04.550 --> 11:06.520 attacks on U . S . Soil created 11:06.530 --> 11:08.700 unknowns for the future of the nation 11:08.720 --> 11:10.887 and the National Guard . But the south 11:10.887 --> 11:12.942 Carolina National Guard was ready to 11:12.942 --> 11:14.998 respond in order to protect american 11:14.998 --> 11:17.320 citizens . The environment definitely 11:17.320 --> 11:19.620 was different obviously in the country 11:19.620 --> 11:23.050 as a whole . I think it transformed our 11:23.050 --> 11:26.390 role uh in a big sense was as far as 11:26.400 --> 11:28.567 you know , the National Guards concern 11:28.567 --> 11:31.880 and probably about 10 30 is when I got 11:32.110 --> 11:34.420 a phone call from my platoon sergeant 11:34.420 --> 11:36.587 at the time , just kind of giving me a 11:36.587 --> 11:38.698 heads up that hey , We may be calling 11:38.698 --> 11:40.809 you guys in later on today or tonight 11:40.809 --> 11:43.031 just stand by . I think it was probably 11:43.031 --> 11:44.864 by 17 or 1800 that night we were 11:44.864 --> 11:48.060 mustering at a good many of us were 11:48.440 --> 11:50.710 starting to muster already and report 11:50.710 --> 11:52.821 to the one 32nd army which is a Bluff 11:52.821 --> 11:55.320 road at the time . Initially from what 11:55.320 --> 11:58.660 I remember um we had a few briefings , 11:58.660 --> 12:00.771 we spent the night at the armory that 12:00.771 --> 12:02.993 night , we had a few briefings , got up 12:02.993 --> 12:05.104 the next morning , I think some local 12:05.104 --> 12:07.160 law enforcement folks were coming in 12:07.160 --> 12:10.560 with our upper leadership And then we 12:10.560 --> 12:13.310 were getting issued R . M . 9s and we 12:13.310 --> 12:15.421 were going armed and a few of us were 12:15.421 --> 12:18.540 being positioned out at the access 12:18.540 --> 12:20.540 control area behind Bluff Road Army 12:20.540 --> 12:22.540 which is now , you know a gated and 12:22.540 --> 12:24.762 fenced in area which I don't believe it 12:24.762 --> 12:26.984 was at that time it was open and then a 12:26.984 --> 12:29.096 few more of us were positioned out of 12:29.096 --> 12:31.096 McCready Training center um to work 12:31.096 --> 12:33.490 some access control out there . So um 12:33.490 --> 12:35.601 and that went on for probably quite a 12:35.601 --> 12:37.657 few weeks after that . So we all did 12:37.657 --> 12:39.879 shift work and doing both of the rotate 12:39.879 --> 12:42.046 between both of those places . We were 12:42.046 --> 12:44.212 basically the the gate at the backside 12:44.212 --> 12:46.268 of the Bluff road armory that is off 12:46.268 --> 12:48.434 the National Guard Road that the force 12:48.434 --> 12:50.900 protection guys do now . Um we had set 12:50.900 --> 12:53.440 up a couple of vehicles and a couple of 12:53.450 --> 12:55.790 like temporary tents basically for for 12:55.790 --> 12:58.730 a gate . We had perimeter patrols on 12:58.730 --> 13:00.870 the outskirts all the way over to the 13:00.870 --> 13:04.330 back side of um behind where the armory 13:04.330 --> 13:06.350 and the credit union now meets the 13:06.350 --> 13:08.461 backside of I think shaw flooring and 13:08.461 --> 13:10.820 all that . So we had a back gate set up . 13:10.820 --> 13:13.580 They're very similar . We had a which 13:13.580 --> 13:16.690 is now where the the the sign is out by 13:16.690 --> 13:18.468 the bluff , rode the tea estate 13:18.468 --> 13:20.523 merchant sign itself in front of the 13:20.523 --> 13:22.690 tank there we had another gate kind of 13:22.690 --> 13:24.857 set up there . So we had three or four 13:24.857 --> 13:27.079 access control points and Couple roving 13:27.079 --> 13:29.079 patrols . Um and then of course the 13:29.079 --> 13:31.134 same similar setup that was out here 13:31.134 --> 13:33.246 McCready as well in late September of 13:33.246 --> 13:35.520 2001 . Then President George W . Bush 13:35.530 --> 13:37.363 requested that governors provide 13:37.363 --> 13:39.419 national guard members to supplement 13:39.419 --> 13:41.730 security personnel at the nation's 13:41.740 --> 13:44.090 commercial airports . Then we got word 13:44.090 --> 13:46.090 that we were going to be going on a 13:46.090 --> 13:48.257 different set of orders to start going 13:48.257 --> 13:50.423 out to the airport and training with . 13:50.423 --> 13:53.470 Um I don't know if it was customs , I 13:53.470 --> 13:55.830 can't remember at the time before T . S . 13:55.830 --> 13:59.040 A . Was officially stood up . Um And so 13:59.040 --> 14:01.330 long story short we were tasked with um 14:01.340 --> 14:04.170 screening people in the airports and so 14:04.170 --> 14:06.700 that went on for another probably three 14:06.700 --> 14:08.990 or four months or so . We were a few of 14:08.990 --> 14:11.046 us were on kind of shifted from that 14:11.046 --> 14:13.157 from that mission to to the airport . 14:13.157 --> 14:15.101 So it started giving me a sense of 14:15.101 --> 14:18.860 purpose I think . Um of course you know 14:20.540 --> 14:22.762 being able to be a part of a deployment 14:22.762 --> 14:24.707 and that , that was the first time 14:24.940 --> 14:27.660 experience for a lot of people that had 14:27.670 --> 14:30.003 just recently joined in the unit myself . 14:30.003 --> 14:33.260 So we , we all kind of had that silent 14:34.140 --> 14:36.480 unknown about where things were going 14:36.480 --> 14:38.820 to go , but I think there was starting 14:38.820 --> 14:41.570 to become the era of a sense of purpose 14:41.580 --> 14:43.670 to for us and where things were 14:43.670 --> 14:45.840 eventually going to go . Following the 14:45.840 --> 14:48.010 initial domestic missions conducted 14:48.010 --> 14:50.310 with the US , the nation began to call 14:50.310 --> 14:52.550 on service members to deploy overseas 14:52.580 --> 14:55.180 to include the one 32nd military police 14:55.180 --> 14:57.120 company . With the deployment to 14:57.120 --> 15:00.360 Guantanamo Bay Cuba in October 2002 , 15:00.740 --> 15:03.330 some are professional standpoint 15:03.330 --> 15:05.552 operational standpoint , I think we all 15:05.552 --> 15:07.774 knew that what we were getting ready to 15:07.774 --> 15:10.490 do was very big . Um , a lot of eyes 15:10.490 --> 15:12.930 were already on Gitmo for the latter 15:12.930 --> 15:15.097 part of almost a year . By the time we 15:15.097 --> 15:17.152 get there , by the time we got there 15:17.152 --> 15:19.208 and hearing about how many detainees 15:19.208 --> 15:21.263 were being brought down there at the 15:21.263 --> 15:23.041 time , which was in the several 15:23.041 --> 15:25.208 hundreds , um , we all kind of knew in 15:25.208 --> 15:25.000 the back of my mind that this is , this 15:25.000 --> 15:27.000 is gonna be a pretty big high level 15:27.140 --> 15:29.140 mission and some of the people that 15:29.140 --> 15:31.196 were going to be charged with caring 15:31.196 --> 15:33.362 and protecting or for some pretty high 15:33.362 --> 15:35.473 level people that are obviously there 15:35.473 --> 15:37.570 for a reason . So , so it kind of 15:37.570 --> 15:40.320 opened up a lot of even younger people 15:40.320 --> 15:42.431 like me in our minds like wow , we're 15:42.431 --> 15:44.487 getting ready to do something pretty 15:44.487 --> 15:46.376 big as missions in support of the 15:46.376 --> 15:48.376 global war on terrorism continue to 15:48.376 --> 15:50.264 adapt . So did the south Carolina 15:50.264 --> 15:52.264 National Guard in order to meet the 15:52.264 --> 15:54.431 demands of increased mobilizations and 15:54.431 --> 15:57.660 operational tempo . I did notice um , 15:58.340 --> 16:00.562 a little bit of a transition in some of 16:00.562 --> 16:03.510 our training , uh , even though the one 16:03.510 --> 16:07.200 third , 132 at the time was a a guard 16:07.200 --> 16:09.770 Mp company which is primarily detention 16:09.770 --> 16:11.960 operations . But we did start to shift 16:12.440 --> 16:14.551 Probably in the latter part of when I 16:14.551 --> 16:16.551 became an n . c . o . for the first 16:16.551 --> 16:18.910 time , I believe back in 2005 , I did 16:18.910 --> 16:21.132 start to see a little bit of transition 16:21.132 --> 16:23.354 in our training and training plans that 16:23.354 --> 16:25.521 we're moving a little bit more towards 16:25.521 --> 16:27.632 combat support oriented . Even though 16:27.632 --> 16:29.910 we didn't have a lot of the stuff on r . 16:29.910 --> 16:32.077 M toe at the time . Uh , but I did see 16:32.077 --> 16:33.910 a lot of the things that we were 16:33.910 --> 16:35.632 starting to do shift away from 16:35.632 --> 16:37.854 detention operations and and go in that 16:37.854 --> 16:40.077 direction , which eventually led to our 16:40.077 --> 16:42.243 next mission a couple years later . So 16:42.243 --> 16:45.000 In 2000 and the latter part of 2006 , 16:45.000 --> 16:48.470 we got a nose for Iraq and 16:48.940 --> 16:51.510 another unknown at the time , of course , 16:51.510 --> 16:53.566 that's with any , you know , mission 16:53.566 --> 16:55.621 that gets put down on you at first . 16:55.621 --> 16:58.730 But um , our primary mission was to 16:58.740 --> 17:00.920 train the Iraqi police and when we got 17:00.920 --> 17:03.087 there , that's , that's primarily what 17:03.087 --> 17:05.087 we did . We also had some secondary 17:05.087 --> 17:07.690 emissions helping to secure some of the 17:07.690 --> 17:09.690 volatile areas and violent areas of 17:09.690 --> 17:11.523 like Soder City , which is right 17:11.523 --> 17:14.000 outside of our a o in Eastern Baghdad 17:14.000 --> 17:16.111 there . But primarily we were charged 17:16.111 --> 17:18.000 with kind of mentoring training , 17:18.000 --> 17:21.460 helping to develop a policing type , um , 17:21.470 --> 17:23.780 structuring system of government there 17:23.790 --> 17:25.790 in Eastern Baghdad with uh with the 17:25.790 --> 17:29.590 Iraqi police . So so that transition 17:29.590 --> 17:31.701 from , I guess maybe coming back from 17:31.701 --> 17:34.230 Gitmo and before that mission of some 17:34.230 --> 17:36.286 of our training now that I look back 17:36.290 --> 17:38.346 and of course , you know , we we did 17:38.346 --> 17:40.290 eventually transition and get more 17:40.290 --> 17:42.590 equipment and stuff too , um really 17:42.590 --> 17:44.812 lead us to being more prepared for that 17:44.812 --> 17:46.979 mission . So I kind of look back now , 17:46.979 --> 17:48.979 I can see the bigger picture of why 17:48.979 --> 17:51.201 that was happening . Uh and that was uh 17:51.201 --> 17:53.312 ended up being a good thing . But our 17:53.312 --> 17:55.312 mission was important . Uh we we we 17:55.312 --> 17:57.534 helped to train them um and then we did 17:57.534 --> 17:57.410 some other secondary missions in 17:57.410 --> 17:59.688 between . Very challenging , obviously , 17:59.688 --> 18:01.688 um not just language barriers , but 18:01.688 --> 18:03.790 culturally speaking from a religious 18:03.790 --> 18:05.957 standpoint , very , very different way 18:05.957 --> 18:08.179 of life that they live over there was a 18:08.179 --> 18:09.957 challenge , but it was , it was 18:09.957 --> 18:12.012 rewarding at times . And I think , I 18:12.012 --> 18:13.846 think we did our mission will in 18:13.846 --> 18:15.734 addition to the military police's 18:15.734 --> 18:17.790 mobilizations , the other units that 18:17.790 --> 18:19.957 make up the 59 troop command were also 18:19.957 --> 18:22.179 deploying and support of the global war 18:22.179 --> 18:24.234 on terrorism , including the 10 52nd 18:24.234 --> 18:26.401 transportation companies deployment to 18:26.401 --> 18:28.623 Iraq in 2000 and three , I was a second 18:28.623 --> 18:32.240 platoon leader slash the company excel 18:32.250 --> 18:34.361 because we were short officers at the 18:34.361 --> 18:36.610 time . And mind you , I still this was 18:36.610 --> 18:38.721 an infantry officer . I didn't branch 18:38.721 --> 18:42.140 transportation , so I have just got a 18:42.140 --> 18:44.730 sign there and volunteered to go with 18:44.730 --> 18:48.590 him . And uh in the beginning we didn't 18:48.590 --> 18:50.868 know our mission other than , you know , 18:50.868 --> 18:53.034 hauling commodities , didn't know what 18:53.034 --> 18:55.450 division it would be for . Um And there 18:55.450 --> 18:58.310 was a unique mission because we fell 18:58.310 --> 19:00.470 under seven Transportation Battalion 19:00.470 --> 19:02.860 out of Fort Bragg at the duty unit . 19:03.340 --> 19:06.760 And Within that battalion was like 14 19:06.760 --> 19:09.370 different units from Navy Air Force , 19:09.380 --> 19:12.020 all transportation assets , but mostly 19:12.020 --> 19:14.890 Army and Army Reserve , a regular army 19:14.890 --> 19:17.960 units to uh so it was a huge battalion , 19:17.960 --> 19:20.400 were the only one in country traveling 19:20.410 --> 19:24.020 anywhere from Iran to Syria . And 19:24.030 --> 19:26.540 uh Arab john all the way up to Mizzou 19:26.550 --> 19:28.550 so we cover the entire country trav 19:28.940 --> 19:31.060 it's a little bit more dynamic now 19:31.060 --> 19:34.460 because we have to secure ourselves if 19:34.470 --> 19:37.430 mps sets are not available for uh 19:37.440 --> 19:39.970 convoy escorts . So we have to be 19:39.970 --> 19:42.270 prepared for that knowing that those 19:42.270 --> 19:45.440 assets may not be uh primary for 19:45.440 --> 19:47.960 transportation to maybe break a platoon 19:48.140 --> 19:50.560 um and make a gun truck platoon and get 19:50.560 --> 19:53.460 them trained up on some tactical things 19:53.460 --> 19:55.800 on the on the highways there , protect 19:55.810 --> 19:58.230 all of the commodities to get convoys 19:58.240 --> 20:00.296 moving through something we actually 20:00.296 --> 20:02.500 had to learn as O . J . T . Job for us 20:02.500 --> 20:04.820 but we established them as T . T . P . 20:04.820 --> 20:07.490 S . Now if those assets are not 20:07.490 --> 20:10.990 available I think in the sustainment 20:10.990 --> 20:13.157 world have gotten a little better over 20:13.157 --> 20:16.230 the years . Uh As far as the value of 20:16.240 --> 20:19.570 those logistical assets uh nothing 20:19.570 --> 20:23.020 moves unless we involved with it . And 20:23.030 --> 20:25.610 the resupply efforts have been more 20:25.610 --> 20:28.930 structured uh since back then . Uh 20:28.940 --> 20:31.740 more units have come to the forefront 20:31.740 --> 20:33.962 since then . It was just transportation 20:33.962 --> 20:36.073 and maintenance units back then . Now 20:36.073 --> 20:38.018 we have combat sustainment support 20:38.018 --> 20:39.910 battalions , uh Vision support 20:39.910 --> 20:42.380 battalions , theater sustainment groups 20:42.390 --> 20:45.570 now so it's it's more well rounded now 20:45.570 --> 20:47.403 it was it was just it was in the 20:47.403 --> 20:50.000 beginning as far as a guard was 20:50.010 --> 20:53.330 concerned , wow a piece of the seven 20:53.330 --> 20:55.390 51st combat sustainment support 20:55.390 --> 20:57.660 battalion has also deployed numerous 20:57.660 --> 21:00.820 times to include to Iraq in 2009 and 21:00.820 --> 21:04.180 Kuwait in 2013 and 2019 where their 21:04.180 --> 21:06.347 missions included contracting , work , 21:06.347 --> 21:08.850 range operations , dining facility , 21:08.850 --> 21:11.120 operations , building management and 21:11.120 --> 21:14.640 more 59 is a large 21:14.640 --> 21:18.350 robust unit . uh They also have Mp 21:18.360 --> 21:21.360 have an mp battalion that mobilized I 21:21.360 --> 21:24.690 think uh Iraq and Afghanistan seven 21:24.690 --> 21:27.250 51st . The CSS be they've lowered to 21:27.250 --> 21:31.100 Kuwait uh Iraq to my knowledge , never 21:31.110 --> 21:32.870 Afghanistan and of course the 21:32.870 --> 21:34.870 transportation battalion on several 21:34.870 --> 21:37.560 units within so all of those battalions 21:37.570 --> 21:40.810 have a bunch of double A units that 21:40.820 --> 21:44.060 deployed separately and uh 21:44.070 --> 21:46.960 robust wave emissions . And sometimes 21:46.960 --> 21:49.182 the sustainable unit is not mentioned , 21:49.182 --> 21:51.404 you know , like a combat units , but in 21:51.404 --> 21:53.516 the end of the day , all of us on the 21:53.516 --> 21:53.920 front lines .