Photo By Capt. Matthew Gilbert | The Adjutant General Tennessee National Guard, Maj. Gen. Terry M. "Max" Haston, visits...... read more read more
NOVO SELO, Bulgaria – Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” Haston, the top leader of the Military Department of Tennessee, conducts a construction site visit on June 28, 2016.
Maj. Gen. Max Haston is The Adjutant General for the State of Tennessee. Often referred to as the “Tennessee TAG,” he is in charge of all the military matters of the Tennessee Army National Guard, the Tennessee Air National Guard, the Tennessee Emergency Management Association, and the Tennessee State Guard.
His visit was important – it marks a step in the evaluation of the Tennessee Army National Guard’s progress in Operation Resolute Castle.
The 194th Engineer Brigade, Tennessee Army National Guard has mission command over Operation Resolute Castle, a division of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a U.S. and NATO led operation in Eastern Europe. Atlantic Resolve is tasked with improving interoperability between militaries, emboldening local economies, and building lasting relationships with the host nations. While most divisions of Atlantic Resolve – Operation Dragoon Ride, Operation Sarmis, Operation Anakonda – focus on interoperability of militaries through simulated combat operations, Resolute Castle focuses on military construction of bases in Hungary, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Lt. Col. Corey Scates, the quality control officer for Resolute Castle, brings his nearly two decades of experience to making sure the construction stays on schedule. During Haston’s visit, Scates gave a presentation showing the progress made to this point and the plans moving forward.
“The staff of the 194th Engineer Brigade gave him a construction update brief on the locations that he did not see in person – the locations in Romania, Hungary, and Estonia,” stated Scates, adding “we were able to report to him, generally speaking, very good progress across the board.”
Another soldier involved in the extensive planning is Sgt. Justin Marlow. At only 23 years old, Marlow has taken on significant responsibilities in planning and quality assurance roles. During Resolute Castle, he has performed daily quality assurance checks of tank ranges and ammunition holding areas in Bulgaria.
Marlow reported this progress to Haston.
“It was an honor to meet and to be introduced to Maj. Gen. Haston,” stated Marlow. During the construction progress report, Haston signaled his appreciation by giving Marlow a service coin, a tradition in the United States Armed Forces signaling respect and recognition of a Service member’s accomplishments.
“Getting a coin from Maj. Gen. Haston signaled that we are making great progress here in Bulgaria. We have momentum on our side, now we just need to keep it up” stated Marlow, adding “It is great to participate in an operation designed on forming strong ties with our state partner, the country of Bulgaria.”
The partnership program referred to by Marlow is the National Guard Partnership Program. Under this program, Bulgaria has been partnered with the Tennessee Army National Guard for the past two decades, performing numerous joint-training operations during that time period.
In addition to these progress reports, Haston took time out of his visit to honor the work of soldiers who operate behind the scenes. For every soldier in the field performing construction, there are several soldiers on the base and back home ensuring they have all of their logistical needs met. These soldiers are responsible for everything from obtaining equipment and supplies to making sure everyone gets the paycheck they deserve.
Sgt. Cody Geffre, administrative support specialist with the 230th Engineer Battalion, 194th Engineer Brigade, Tennessee Army National Guard was one of these soldiers. Haston signaled his appreciation towards her efforts, acknowledging the hard work she puts in often when nobody is looking.
“It’s exciting to be part of Operation Resolute Castle. A mission like this is an opportunity. I get to have an impact on ensuring soldiers arrive in Bulgaria with all of their needs met, including everything from making sure they get paid to making sure their bags arrive,” stated Geffre. “If we don’t get our part done, the construction cannot go on. We take pride in making sure that everybody has what they need when they need it.”
With soldiers like Lt. Col Scates, Sgt. Marlow, and Sgt. Geffre, Maj. Gen. Haston can depart with one thing for certain – that Operation Resolute Castle is in great hands.
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2016 06:56 |
| Story ID: | 203161 |
| Location: | NOVO SELO, BG |
| Web Views: | 266 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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