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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Each year, Florida Guardsmen from across the state gather at the state’s Capitol to engage with elected officials and the community. Their goal during the day-long event is to inform the public on how the military supports the state and nation. More than 140 Florida Guardsmen supported this year’s event at its usual location in the Capitol’s courtyard near the end of the state’s legislative session Monday.
“It gives a lot of people the opportunity to see things that they would not normally get to see,” said Senior Master Sgt. Alison Blitch, a member of the 125th Fighter Wing, whose unit displayed a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Response Trailer and a Mobile Emergency Operations Center.
The annual event allows the guard an opportunity to showcase their military equipment to the public, so that visitors can view and touch some of the Florida National Guard’s mission-essential equipment. The day also provides guardsmen the opportunity to share what they do during their training exercises and drill days through demonstrations. One demonstration consisted of Soldiers rappelling from the 22-story Capitol building throughout the day.
The guard’s mission, officially enacted in 1903, has evolved over time with a dual purpose of serving the nation on deployments to places such as Afghanistan and helping civilian agencies and local communities during natural disasters and times of emergencies. These state missions are referred to as Defense Support of Civil Authorities.
“These events, such as National Guard Appreciation Day, provide us another opportunity to practice our mission essential tasks and the day ties in well with our Defense Support of Civil Authorities,” said Maj. Jorge Iturralde, 83rd Troop Command operations officer, as he explained the importance behind the annual event.
The planning for this year’s appreciation day began in late November, where military leaders coordinated among the participating units. The participating units are located throughout the state and are assigned to four different major subordinate commands, including the 83rd Troop Command headquartered in Tallahassee that leads the planning and coordination; the 164th Air Defense Artillery out of Orlando; the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team out of Pinellas Park; the 50th Regional Support Group out of Homestead; along with representatives from the Joint Forces Headquarters in St. Augustine and elements from the Florida Air National Guard.
The months of preparation leading up to the event involve planning and logistics coordination among the units and the community to get the equipment and guardsmen safely to Tallahassee. This included finding ways to transport equipment that is too large to meet department of transportation policies for safe transportation.
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 03.02.2018 16:39 |
| Story ID: | 267944 |
| Location: | TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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