Photo By Sgt. Hector Tinoco | Indiana National Guard soldiers demonstrate tower rappelling procedures at the...... read more read more
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Hoosier community leaders attended a VIP Guard Day hosted by the Indiana National Guard at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Friday, October 20, 2023, that aimed to showcase what it means to serve as a Guardsman while enriching the relationship between Indiana’s stateside military force and its community partners. Community partners participated in a variety of experiences, including a UH-60 Black Hawk familiarization flight, rappelling from a 45-foot tower and firing the M249 squad automatic weapon.
Guardsmen often dedicate more time than “one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year” to maintain the levels of readiness necessary to deploy at any moment. The VIP Guard Day helps show community partners that time spent in uniform is time well invested and makes soldiers and airmen better citizens.
“As an organization, we actively seek to grasp a complete understanding of the generational gaps we face with the intent to strengthen our relationships with our schools, community partners, and areas that allow us to reach our potential recruits,” said Lt. Col. Alain Samples, commander of the Indiana National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion. “Not only is our relationship with community partners important but their expertise and experiences are valuable components of our team’s success.”
Attendees included professionals from a variety of fields and organizations from across the state. Each partner was asked to attend because of their influence in their community including civilian employers, educators and employees who dedicate their time in service to veterans.
“Today has been a great experience in two ways. One, we got to meet other influential people. And by that, I mean influential to motivate people to think about military service,” said Allison Barber, president of the Indiana Fever. “Secondly, we get a better understanding of the work that’s being done here. Flying in a Black Hawk and climbing down a wall, it just gives you a little bit of a sense of the excitement but what it really does is deepen your respect for the people who raise their hand and volunteer to do it to protect our country.”
| Date Taken: | 10.24.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.25.2023 07:46 |
| Story ID: | 456436 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY , INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Indiana National Guard VIP Day: Bridging the Gap Between Hoosier Communities and Guardsmen, by SSG Hannah Clifton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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