Photo By Wayne Hall | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – U.S. Soldiers and Airmen with the Pennsylvania National...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – The Pennsylvania National Guard and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs hosted an open house here for members of the public Nov. 16, 2024.
The event began with an opening ceremony featuring remarks from Brig. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s acting adjutant general, at 11:00 a.m., closely followed by a flyover by one KC-135 Stratotanker and two MC-130J Commandos from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.
“What a wonderful day to be an Airman, Soldier, Veteran, citizen of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania!” said Pippy. “We are so excited to have all of you here today with us.”
The organization “Guitars for Vets” and the enlisted band provided musical entertainment, while Miss Pennsylvania made an appearance, offering photos and autographs to visitors.
“I would like for people to understand that we’re still here, we still care, and even though we secured the post, we’re not shut off from the local community,” said Col. Kevin Potts, garrison commander.
The Pennsylvania National Guard’s 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion demonstrated aerial medical evacuations and aerial sling operations.
Lindsey Handel, who brought her two children aged 7 and 9, said they have been here before but had never seen so many assets and demonstrations in one accessible place.
“So far the Black Hawk helicopter doing a rescue was our favorite,” said Handel. “This is the first time we’ve ever seen that.”
Visitors also had the opportunity to tour Fort Indiantown Gap's Training Support Center, a new 63,000-square-foot facility housing training aids, devices, simulators and simulations and graphic training aids for the diverse audiences and scenarios hosted here.
“This is a really good turnout, I’m glad to see the interest,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Madrigale, a transportation support specialist with Northeast Counterdrug Training Center, Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
Madrigale and his colleagues showed visitors the incinerators they use to destroy illegal drugs seized by law enforcement agencies at no cost to those agencies.
“People are actually asking about what we do, so I have the chance to spotlight what we’re doing for the taxpayer, for the community, for law enforcement and also talk about the broader mission of the National Guard as a whole,” said Madrigale.
Finally, the Pennsylvania National Guard’s ambassador demonstration team showed off the high level of expertise and professionalism with which all Guardsmen are expected to perform their basic Soldier skills.
“We’re not a closed post, we’re just a controlled access post,” said Pippy. “We’re more than just the military and the veterans’ services, we’re a part of this community. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of this community.”
During the fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, Fort Indiantown Gap hosted 132,150 personnel for a total of 804,714 man-days, making it the second-busiest National Guard training center.
Fort Indiantown Gap is the primary training site for the Pennsylvania National Guard and regularly hosts personnel from all branches of the military, both active-duty and reserve-component, as well as personnel from foreign militaries, law enforcement agencies and other local, state and federal agencies.
The installation is also home to several schools, including the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, the 166th Regiment Regional Training Institute, the Regional Equipment Operators Training Site, the Lightning Force Academy, the Northeast Counter Drug Training Center and the Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy.
| Date Taken: | 11.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2024 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 485482 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 354 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Fort Indiantown Gap
