Guard warrant officers celebrate century mark

Photo By Lisa Crawford | Nebraska Army National Guard Warrant Officers came together July 9 at Haymarket Park in Lincoln for the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Warrant Officer Cohort. The event included a static display with a Humvee, a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and other U.S. Army National Guard vehicles and equipment. The Warrant Officers and their families were invited to enjoy a Lincoln Saltdogs baseball game where the players wore patriotic jerseys and played on behalf of the Nebraska National Guard against the Kansas City T-Bones. Many of Nebraska’s Warrant Officers and family members had an opportunity to participate in the game, including Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph Amen who had the honor of throwing the first pitch. Warrant Officer Timothy Beckman’s son, Jayden, was selected as the junior manager for the game and also announced “Play Ball,” at the start of the game. Before the fourth inning, the stadium announcers wished a happy 100th Anniversary to the Warrant Officer Corhort, complete with a traditional cake cutting broadcast on the big screen. (Nebraska National Guard photo by Spc. Lisa Crawford)  

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, UNITED STATES

07.11.2018

Story by Spc. Lisa Crawford 

Joint Force Headquarters - Nebraska National Guard

Nebraska Army National Guard warrant officers came together July 9 for a full day of events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the July 9, 1918, founding of the Warrant Officer Cohort.
The day kicked off with an early morning fun run at the Nebraska National Guard air base in Lincoln, where dozens of Nebraska warrant officers, family members and Nebraska National Guard leaders trekked around the base.
Later, at the Nebraska State Capitol building in Lincoln, more than two dozen Nebraska Army National Guard warrant officers witnessed the signing of a proclamation by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts honoring the anniversary and marking July as the Month of the Warrant Officer in Nebraska.
“It’s really kind of a cool thing we can celebrate the centennial here today of the warrant officers in the Army, and the special role Nebraska has played in that history as well,” Ricketts said. Nebraska produced the first female warrant officer in the U.S. Army, Olive Hoskins, in 1926, and more recently saw Chief Warrant Officer 5 Teresa Domeier become the first female command chief warrant officer for the National Guard.
Before the proclamation, Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska adjutant general, had the opportunity to introduce the Nebraska National Guard’s newest state command chief warrant officer, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kenneth Henderson, and share the Nebraska National Guard Warrant Officer Cohort story with the governor.
“Warrant officers bring continuity and technical expertise to the formations,” Bohac said. “They deliver readiness in spades, to make sure that when we go forward we’re ready to go and deliver where needed.”
Bohac said while the group in attendance may look a little older, it’s because most of them start off as enlisted Soldiers and are later identified for warrant officer commissioning for the expertise and talent they bring to the formations in which they serve.
Warrant officers are highly specialized technicians spanning 17 different Army branches and 44 warrant officer specialties. Currently, more than 26,000 warrant officers – roughly 2.5 percent of the U.S. Army – are distributed throughout the Total Force, with about 8,600 serving in the National Guard.
The Nebraska National Guard steadily meets or exceeds 100 percent strength levels with approximately 140 warrant officers, and proudly runs a warrant officer school at the Regional Training Institute at Camp Ashland.
The final event saw Nebraska Army National Guard Warrant Officers coming together at Haymarket Park in Lincoln for the official 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Warrant Officer Cohort. This event included a static display complete with a Humvee, a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and other U.S. Army National Guard vehicles and equipment.
Shelle Powell, the wife of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tom Powell, a maintenance test pilot with Company G, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, brought their two children, Braden and Kennedy, out to Haymarket Park to participate in the celebration.
“I think it’s awesome,” Shelle said. “It’s great the kids get to be part of it and they get a better understanding of Tom’s job and the sacrifices we all make.”
“I am honored to be part of an amazing organization that has been around for a century, and to be part of that continuing history,” Tom said.
Brittany Bigham, whose son Ryder is obsessed with helicopters, said she was excited to bring her family out to Haymarket Park. Bigham marked the occasion by taking a photo of three generations of family members sitting together in the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter: her son, husband Drew and father-in-law Mark Bigham, who retired from the Nebraska National Guard in 2009 after nearly 40 years of military service.
The warrant officers and their families were invited to enjoy a Lincoln Saltdogs baseball game where the players wore patriotic jerseys and played on behalf of the Nebraska National Guard against the Kansas City T-Bones. Many of the Nebraska warrant officers and family members had an opportunity to participate in the game, including Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph Amen, who threw the first ceremonial pitch.
“It was a neat experience and a lot of fun,” Amen said. “I missed the strike zone by a hair, but it was a good throw and I was proud to have the opportunity to do it, to represent the Cohort.”
Amen said overall it was a well-planned event, adding he was impressed by how the Saltdogs incorporated the Soldiers and their families into every part of the game, including letting his son, Parker, run around with the team.
Warrant Officer Timothy Beckman’s son, Jayden, was selected as the junior manager for the game. In his role, he helped the two teams exchange rosters and also announced “Play Ball” at the start of the game.
Before the fourth inning, the stadium announcers wished a happy 100th Anniversary to the Warrant Officer Cohort, complete with a traditional cake cutting broadcast on the big screen.
After the cake cutting - as the sun began to set - many baseball fans came out of the stands to watch the Nebraska Army National Guard’s UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter take off back to the National Guard air base located across town.

• Date Taken: 07.11.2018
• Date Posted: 12.31.2018 19:25
• Story ID: 305957
• Location: LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, US