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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – It was another historic year for the Pennsylvania National Guard in 2021.
Throughout the year, Soldiers and Airmen of the Pennsylvania National Guard deployed around the world, responded to numerous domestic missions – including COVID-19 support missions, the presidential inauguration, civil unrest and extreme weather – and conducted their usual readiness training.
“From COVID-19 support, to civil unrest missions, to overseas deployments, to readiness training, our Soldiers and Airmen did it all in 2021,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general. "It truly was a historic year for the Pennsylvania National Guard. We live here, train here and serve here, thanks to the unwavering support of the families and employers of our great service members.”
In 2021, over 2,100 Pennsylvania National Guard members deployed in support of ongoing contingency and force protection operations in Kuwait, Egypt, Poland, Germany and Africa, among other locations.
The Pennsylvania National Guard also supported domestic operations, mobilizing approximately 4,200 personnel in Pennsylvania and nationally to assist local authorities with the presidential inauguration, COVID-19 pandemic response, civil unrest and natural disasters. Pennsylvania Guard members also supported COVID vaccination efforts, personally administering 85,000 doses and supporting sites that administered hundreds of thousands more.
Fort Indiantown Gap continued to play a major role supporting National Guard activities as the Pennsylvania National Guard’s headquarters and primary training site. The installation hosted over 113,000 personnel in 2021, making it the busiest National Guard training center in the nation for the second year in a row and fifth time in the last seven years.
COVID-19 Response
Pennsylvania National Guard members continued to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2021. PNG Soldiers and Airmen have been conducting COVID missions continually since March 2020.
Beginning in mid-March, 88 Soldiers and Airmen supported COVID-19 vaccination clinics for teachers and school staffs at seven Intermediate Units in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. The Pennsylvania National Guard teams included medical specialists who administered injections and general-purpose personnel who performed non-medical tasks. They are all volunteers who were already on orders assisting in long term care facilities.
“The Pennsylvania National Guard continues to be a proud part of the team fighting the pandemic in our communities,” Schindler said. “We are honored to support the mission to help vaccinate our teachers and support staff. An important mission of the Pennsylvania National Guard is to support our own communities. Assisting and serving our communities is a personal effort for our service members, as the local communities are where we live, work and train.”
A total of 41 Soldiers and Airmen from the Pennsylvania National Guard supported the state-run, federally-supported the Center City Community Vaccination Center at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia in March. The vaccination center was a partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania National Guard contingent augmented active-duty Marines and Sailors from Combat Logistics Battalion 22 who had been serving at the vaccination center since late February.
Approximately 150 Pennsylvania National Guard members supported a second COVID-19 community vaccination center in Philadelphia starting April 9. The vaccination center was known as the Esperanza Community Vaccination Center and was located in North Philadelphia. It was a partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
By the time the Pennsylvania National Guard’s public vaccination mission ended on June 29, about 350 Soldiers and Airmen administered 81,571 vaccine doses to commonwealth residents and supported sites that administered 566,163 doses overall.
In addition to the vaccination mission, Pennsylvania National Guard members provided support to long-term care facilities across the commonwealth that faced staff shortages throughout the year. This mission has been ongoing since April 2020, and since then, the Pennsylvania National Guard has conducted about 140 staffing support missions and provided some form of assistance to more than 130 long-term care facilities. In all, PNG service members have worked more than 14,500 shifts.
Domestic Operations
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pennsylvania National Guard supported several other domestic missions throughout the year.
Over 1,000 Pennsylvania National Guard members were activated Jan. 7 to support the District of Columbia National Guard and local civilian authorities through the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C.
“Pennsylvania Guard members are well-trained and well-prepared to assist our communities, commonwealth and country in any way they can,” Schindler said. “We are also very fortunate that our Guard members have extensive experience working alongside the D.C. National Guard as part of past training events and presidential inaugurations.”
Over 1,400 additional Pennsylvania National Guard members were subsequently activated ahead of the inauguration and to provide security in both Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. An additional 1,000 Soldiers and Airmen deployed to Washington for inauguration support, while 450 others provided security in Pennsylvania.
Over 400 Pennsylvania National Guard members were put on state active duty orders to support the safety and security efforts within the commonwealth that coincide with the presidential inauguration .
Following the inauguration, about 450 Pennsylvania National Guard members continued to support enduring operations in Washington, D.C., through mid-March. Known as Task Force Panther, the force of National Guard members was requested to continue supporting federal law enforcement agencies with security, communications, medical, evacuation, logistics, and safety support in Washington. The force numbered about 7,000 members initially and drew down to about 5,000 by late February.
In August, members of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard served as imagery experts, providing live aerial video streaming to fire bosses working on the front lines of the devastating California wildfires . The Airmen were Tactical Air Control Party Specialists (TACP) and part of the 148th Air Support Operations Squadron; they activated at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center. This was the first time the Pennsylvania Air National Guard used this asset to fight fires.
TACPs normally embed with Army or Marine units and call-in airstrikes. When fighting wildfire, they observed the fire areas and provided the information to the first responders. The team used0 imagery, also known as Distributed Real-Time Infrared or DRTI, from an RC-26, a fixed-wing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft operated by Air National Guard pilots.
About 120 Pennsylvania National Guard members were placed on state active duty as Tropical Storm Ida bore down on Pennsylvania in late August. The Soldiers and Airmen were staged, along with about 35 high-water capable vehicles, at several locations across the Commonwealth. Two helicopters and crews that are part of the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team were also on stand-by. The PA-HART is a joint partnership between the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, along with credentialed civilian rescue technicians.
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard activated 43 Airmen in support of Operation Allies Welcome to support Afghan ally refugees in the United States in September. They provided general base support, such as security, firefighting and ground transportation duties as needed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.; Volk Field, Wis.; and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Overseas missions
The Pennsylvania National Guard continued to play a key role in supporting the overall U.S. military mission overseas in 2021. over 2,100 Pennsylvania National Guard members -- over1,400 Army personnel and nearly 700 Air personnel -- deployed to locations around the world.
Approximately 80 Soldiers with the 108th Area Support Medical Company, 213th Regional Support Group, deployed to Europe following a deployment ceremony on Feb. 20. The Soldiers provided medical support for the U.S. and NATO allies in Poland, the Baltic Region and Germany.
More than 200 Soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat team, 28th Infantry Division, departed June 15 for a deployment as multi-national force observers to the Middle East.
Soldiers from the 228th Engineer Company, 337th Engineer Battalion, 55th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, deployed to the Middle East following a departure ceremony on Oct. 10. It is the company’s first deployment since it was formed in 2015. Originally designated as Bravo Company, 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, the unit was reorganized in 2016 as the 228th Engineer Vertical Construction Company.
More than 250 Soldiers from the 1067th Transportation Co. , 228th Transportation Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group departed Nov. 30 to begin their pre-mobilization training in Fort Hood, Texas, ahead of a deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The 272 Soldiers will provide transportation and logistical support to units within Kuwait and the operational area of U.S. Central Command during their approximately year-long deployment.
Eight 28th Infantry Division Soldiers deployed to Africa following a deployment ceremony Dec. 5. The Soldiers are from the Light Counter Mortar Radar sections of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-107th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and HHB, 1-108th FA, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Following pre-deployment training at Fort Bliss, Texas, the Soldiers will deploy to Africa in a force protection role, providing early warning of indirect fires at air bases.
In addition to those who left on deployments, nearly 1,000 other Soldiers from the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade successfully completed an 8-month deployment to the Middle East and returned home in May.
Training for Excellence
Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced restrictions on travel and public gatherings, resulting in the postponement or cancellation of some training, the Pennsylvania National Guard adapted to the challenges and conducted important and necessary training successfully while mitigating against the spread of infection.
Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers installed a VHF antenna mast during training on Jan. 14, 2021. The combined team of Soldiers from the 55th MEB, 28th Infantry Division, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team and 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team trained with the Disaster Incident Response Emergency Communications Terminal.
Soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, conducted movement to contact and other battle drills at a training area near Williamsport, Pa., April 9. These Soldiers deployed from a CH-47 Chinook to the training site.
The Pa. Guard filled a gap in the training of Soldiers in the intelligence Military Occupational Specialties with the May launch of the Intelligence Electronics Warfare program and the fielding of the Intelligence Electronics Warfare Tactical Proficiency Trainer. Located at Fort Indiantown Gap's Mission Training Complex, the IEWTPT allows units to run full training exercises.
Pennsylvania National Guard helicopter crews conducted water bucket training May 11 at Fort Indiantown Gap. Crews manning UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters filled their water buckets at Memorial Lake State Park and dumped them in Fort Indiantown Gap’s training corridor between Blue and Second mountains.
Eight cyber experts from the Pennsylvania National Guard participated in Cyber Shield, Department of Defense’s largest unclassified cyber defense exercise, July 10-23.
As military leaders at all levels emphasize the importance of connectedness, inclusion and resiliency to the health of the force, Pennsylvania Air National Guard members gathered for a first-ever Resiliency Summit to explore strategies, identify best practices, and synchronize resilience efforts across the PAANG. The summit, which was held at the 171st Air Refueling Wing's base outside Pittsburgh, was a next step in advancing the PAANG’s Diversity, Inclusion and Resiliency initiative launched in 2020.
Strengthening Partnerships
The Pennsylvania National Guard maintained its many partnerships in 2021, including the partnership with the nation of Lithuania through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program; numerous partnerships with local, state and federal agencies and other military components; and partnerships civil organizations.
Four technical Soldiers assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Defensive Cyber Operations Element trained more than 50 high school students and educators from the Agora Cyber Charter School during a virtual Wi-Fighter Cyber Challenge exercise Jan. 4-8. During the event, the students learned hands-on practical skills with the goal of sparking a new interest or accelerating their current understanding of key technologies through real-world exercises and challenges like utilizing common system misconfigurations to elevate privileges, cryptography and encryption, and information obfuscation.
The Pennsylvania National Guard teamed up with the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg for its 15th annual Homeless Veterans Stand Down event on March 6 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. The event is usually focused on homeless and in-need veterans; however, the 2021 stand-down was expanded to include those veterans who were deemed at-risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These community events are very important to both the Pennsylvania National Guard and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs as a whole,” Schindler said. “But when we can assist veterans, our brothers and sisters in arms, during a time of need it becomes an even greater endeavor.”
Sgt. Bradley Taylor and Spc. Bradley Hoyt, medics with the 108th Area Support Medical Company, 213th Regional Support Group, arrived at a Lithuanian Army base in Marijampole, Lithuania, April 8 to provide medical support to the U.S and Lithuanian troops on the base through May. They primarily provided medical support to U.S troops from the 259th Movement Control Team from Fort Hood, Texas, and the 659th Support Maintenance Co. from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who were at the base.
Sgt. 1st Class Lorena Monge Prieto and Sgt. 1st Class Javier Navarro-Blasco, both CH-47 helicopter repairers with the Spanish Army, completed the 15U20/30 Chinook Repairer course at EAATS in May.
Approximately 145 aviation maintenance Soldiers from the Iowa, Virginia and West Virginia National Guards honed their skills repairing helicopters at Fort Indiantown Gap’s Muir Army Airfield June 1 to 15. While Soldiers with the 628th Aviation Support Battalion, 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, Pa. Army National Guard, remain on leave following their recent overseas deployment, these Soldiers from out of state completed nearly 100 work orders for the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Following a year-long hiatus due to COVID-19, more than 80 cadets from six states attended the Civil Air Patrol – Pennsylvania Wing’s annual encampment at Fort Indiantown Gap in June. During the weeklong event, cadets ages 12 to 16, undergo intensive training, stay in barracks, and learn from a contingent of Civil Air Patrol cadre.
Nine Soldiers from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s Defensive Cyber Operations Element along with their Lithuanian counterparts participated in Amber Mist, a week-long cyber defense exercise Aug. 18-28. The annual joint training exercise was held in Lithuania, Pennsylvania National Guard's partner nation, after being remote the previous year due to COVID-19.
Fort Indiantown Gap hosted 33 Soldiers from Lithuania’s land forces reserve component Sept. 6-17 for an annual platoon exchange, part of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s partnership with Lithuania through the National Guard's State Partnership Program. Approximately 40 Soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard traveled to Lithuania at the same time for joint multinational training in engineering operations as part of Exercise Engineer Thunder.
More than 60 emergency management communicators gathered in-person at Fort Indiantown Gap and virtually to discuss disaster communications and best practices Nov. 3 and 4. The FEMA Region 3-facilitated the Fall Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group improves interoperability between agencies at the federal, state and local level as well as private industries, according to organizers.
Achievements and Milestones
The Pennsylvania National Guard continued to achieve excellence in 2020 while adapting to the new reality of COVID-19. Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen served their communities in many ways and earned recognition for their service.
Staff Sgt. Dylan Pitetti of Pennsylvania Joint Force Headquarters won Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Spc. Derek Knoll of 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team won Soldier of the year, and Staff Sgt. Trevor Howard won the Command Sgt. Maj. Jay H. Fields NCO Leadership Award in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 2021 Best Warrior Competition in March.
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard selected its annual Airmen of the Year for 2021 in March: Airman of the Year Senior Airman Ruth-Ann Bell, 193rd Special Operations Wing, Middletown; Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Tech. Sgt. Devon F. Kuny, 193rd Special Operations Wing, Middletown; First Sergeant of the Year Senior Master Sgt. Brian E. Zarilla, 111th Attack Wing, Horsham; and Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Master Sgt. Peter T. Gottshalk II, 111th Attack Wing, Horsham.
A new 63,000-square-foot Training Support Center opened at Fort Indiantown Gap in early 2021, consolidating the operations previously located in six World War II-era buildings into one state-of-the-art facility. The TSC's mission is to train, manage, maintain and provide training aids, devices, simulators and simulations, and graphic training aids to National Guard, active-duty Army and Army Reserve units, entities and agencies, with a regional area of responsibility consisting of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Northern Maryland.
The Pennsylvania National Guard Marathon Team placed third among National Guard teams at the Lincoln Marathon, which served as the All-Guard Marathon Team time trial held May 2 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The race has served as the official time trial for Soldiers and Airmen vying for a spot on the All-Guard Marathon Team since 1984, with the exception of 2020. The Pa. National Guard team finished third out of 42 Guard teams, and all five members qualified for the All-Guard Marathon Team.
Warrant Officer 1 Amanda Taylor of Joint Force Headquarters was named Ms. Pennsylvania World Universal 2021 June 4 in Washington, D.C. She went on to the Ms. USA World Universal pageant Nov. 22 in New Orleans.
Soldiers and Airmen from the Pennsylvania National Guard competed in the annual Adjutant General’s Combined-Arms Match at Fort Indiantown Gap June 4-6. A total of 45 service members were put through different rifle, pistol and shotgun challenges to test their marksmanship skills and physical fitness. Chief Master Sgt. Edward Altmeyer of the 171st Air Refueling Wing was named Combat Pistol Individual Overall Champion, Combat Rifle Individual Overall Champion and Combined Arms Individual Overall Champion, and the 171st ARW was named Combined Arms Team Aggregate Champions.
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard welcomed its first female infantry recruit into its ranks. Pfc. Tianna Ford graduated from initial entry training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in June, earning the 11B military occupational specialty and the coveted blue infantry shoulder cord.
Family, friends and fellow Soldiers of three Pennsylvania National Guardsmen killed in Afghanistan in 2011 gathered at FTIG to dedicate a memorial in their honor July 18. The dedication took place exactly ten years after the convoy carrying Staff Sgt. Kenneth VanGiesen, Staff Sgt. Brian Mowery, and Sgt. Edward Koehler III, all motor transport operators with the 131st Transportation Company, 213th Regional Support Group, was attacked with an improvised explosive device, killing all three and injuring two others.
Staff Sgt. Amanda Elsenboss, an instructor with the Marksmanship Training Unit, Pennsylvania Joint Force Headquarters, broke two national records in the National Trophy Rifle Team Match during the 2021 CMP National Trophy Rifle matches held at Camp Perry, Ohio, July 26-Aug. 9. Elsenboss earned the Pershing Trophy for the High National Trophy Rifle Team Individual and the Rattlesnake Trophy for the High Army Individual with a score of 500-34x.
The Pennsylvania National Guard’s Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site was the first unit in the Army to receive a new variant of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on July 27. Known as the UH-60V, or “Victor,” it was developed with a focus to overhaul the aging UH-60A/L fleet and includes an upgraded digital glass cockpit, certified GPS RNAV database and advanced flight planning and mission capability.
The “Victor” model was officially unveiled during a ceremony on Oct. 6 at EAATS.
Sgt. 1st Class Steven Kloss of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion and Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Long of the 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team were recognized as the 2021 recipients of the prestigious Maj. Octavius V. Catto Medal during an event Oct. 2 at the Union League of Philadelphia. The Catto Medal recognizes members of the Pennsylvania National Guard who distinguish themselves as leaders through community support and public service.
For the second year in a row and fifth time in the last seven years, Fort Indiantown Gap was the busiest National Guard training center in the country. During the 2021 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, FTIG hosted 113,075 personnel for a total of 727,878 “man-days” of training. Man-days are a computation of the number of personnel multiplied by the number of days they trained on post. FTIG was also the busiest training center in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2020.
The 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade was awarded a Deployment Excellence Award by U.S. Transportation Command for its performance in fiscal year 2020 during the brigade’s deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Haberle of Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 28th Infantry Division was recognized as the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Colonel Carl F. Eifler National Guard award during the National Military Intelligence Foundation’s “Night of Heroes” virtual event on Nov. 17. The award is given to one reserve-component military intelligence Soldier each year.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Capt. Travis Mueller (717) 861-6254, or e-mail ng.pa.paarng.list.pao@mail.mil
| Date Taken: | 01.07.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 01.07.2022 10:13 |
| Story ID: | 412580 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 933 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 2021: A year of challenges and achievements for Pa. National Guard, by SFC Zane Craig, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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