Photo By John Hughel | Brig. Gen. Alan Gronewold, Adjutant General, Oregon, delivers his remarks during the...... read more read more
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"Our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen continue to answer the call"
By Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, Adjutant General, Oregon National Guard
As the season changes, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible accomplishments of our Oregon National Guard over the past few months and look ahead to the opportunities before us.
This summer, our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen continued to answer the call to serve both at home and abroad. Whether supporting wildfire suppression efforts across the state, participating in large-scale training exercises, or deploying overseas in support of our nation’s defense, you showcased the professionalism, dedication, and resilience that define our Oregon National Guard.
As we move into the fall, we remain committed to readiness, cohesion, and strengthening our capabilities. We will continue investing in the professional development of our Guard Members, ensuring they have the training and skills necessary to excel in their roles. Fostering a culture of teamwork and mutual support that extends beyond individual units is paramount. We will also enhance our capabilities, constantly refining our ability to face any challenge that comes our way.
As we approach Veterans Day in November, let us take a moment to honor the service and sacrifice of all who have worn and continue to wear the uniform. Our duty is to carry on their legacy of service and support to our state and nation, and we will continue to build upon the foundations laid by those who came before us.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for your continued unwavering commitment to the Oregon National Guard. Your dedication to excellence, responsiveness to the force, and reputation as a winning organization are what make us the service of choice. I am honored to lead this remarkable organization and look forward to working alongside you as we continue to strive for excellence and ensure the Oregon National Guard remains a source of pride for all.
Always Ready, Always There!
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"A few items of importance for every Soldier and Airman"
By Command Sgt. Maj. Lee G. Smith, Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Oregon National Guard
First, integrating new Soldiers and Airmen into your formations. This is an essential part of team building when you make new members feel part of the organization’s family. We as an organization created a program called Integrate, Council and Retain Soldiers (ICRS). It is used statewide on the Army side, and in the future it would be my desire to see it integrated into the Air force side of the house as well. Its sole purpose is to integrate Soldiers returning from Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) into your ranks. First impressions count! Make the new service members’ first impression of your unit be a positive experience. Follow the checklists in the program, which is very simple to use and you cannot go wrong on the first step to creating a cohesive team.
Next, I can’t overly stress the importance of being individually ready. What does that mean? It means to focus on each Soldier being ready to deploy – to include having your medical situations sorted out, having your dental records up to date, having your financial documents in order at your unit, striving towards to getting your military schools done, passing your physical fitness test, complete your annual PHA, keeping your security clearance updated, etc. I am not talking about a list of advanced items; I am talking about getting the basic service member required items done and out of the way, and then making sure you maintain those important items.
Lastly, for this article, I want you to focus on building your team. Commanders and Senior Enlisted Advisors, I encourage you to empower the Company / Squadron level Command Teams to develop training schedules that are solely focused on training at the platoon and shop level and below. It has been proven time and time again that squads who are highly proficient in their skill set are a tight cohesive team. Tight cohesive teams, stay in the guard. Tight cohesive teams can function at higher levels of mission accomplishment.
If all your squads or sections in your company/battery/squadron or troop were proficient and a cohesive team, you could accomplish platoon and company level missions proficiently. Try to train on your MOS/AFSC specific skills in a field environment as much as possible. Our members didn’t join the military to do recruiting events, they joined to do their Military Occupational Skill!
When a Soldier goes to drill, trains on their MOS/AFSC skill and then has fun doing it, and takes on challenging tasks associated with their skill specialty that builds effective teams. This is when Soldiers naturally recruit their friends to join our ranks. We have been talking about this for years, it’s time to do it.
Training in the field at platoon level and below should be everyone’s focus. I understand there’s higher level requirements for CTC rotations however, we as command teams need to scrutinize what is absolutely necessary and what is not. We need our individual service members and their squads to master the basics and be subject matter experts in their MOS/AFSC vocation.
See you downrange!
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2024 14:09 |
| Story ID: | 481641 |
| Location: | SALEM, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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