Photo By Capt. Owen Dietrich | Members of the Djibouti Coast Guard, United States Navy, Air Force, Army and Spanish...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Throughout 2024, Soldiers and Airmen of the Pennsylvania National Guard deployed around the world, responded to domestic missions and conducted their usual readiness training.
“This has been a historic year for the Pennsylvania National Guard,” said Brig. Gen. John R. Pippy, Pennsylvania’s acting adjutant general. “Thanks to the unwavering support of the families and employers of our Soldiers and Airmen, we are always ready, always there, to serve our community, our commonwealth and our country.”
In 2024, approximately 2,100 Pennsylvania National Guard members deployed in support of ongoing contingency and force protection operations in Kuwait, the Horn of Africa, Jordan and other locations.
The Pennsylvania National Guard also supported domestic operations, mobilizing approximately 40 personnel to assist local authorities with natural disasters.
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 132,150 personnel in 2024.
Fort Indiantown Gap was the second busiest National Guard training center in the country in fiscal year 2024, with 804,714 total man-days of training. Man-days are a computation of the number of personnel multiplied by the number of days they trained on post.
Domestic Operations
The Pennsylvania National Guard faced comparatively few severe weather events or civil disturbances in 2024. Guardsmen are always on duty at the Pennsylvania National Guard’s joint emergency operations center. The center maintains continuous communications with the National Guard Bureau and PEMA to anticipate future requirements that could be assigned to Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.
Soldiers with the 628th Aviation Support Battalion, 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division provided potable water to Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center during an emergency response mission at Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, Aug. 10. An emergency water advisory affected nearly 42,000 customers in that part of the commonwealth as remnants of Tropical Storm Debby damaged several areas across Pennsylvania earlier in the weekend.
Overseas missions
In 2024, the Pennsylvania National Guard continued to play a key role in supporting the overall U.S. military mission overseas.
Task Force Paxton’s command team, Lt. Col. Eric Ponzek and Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Barclay, led one of the most memorable moments of a Soldier’s career at during a ceremony at Camp Simba, Kenya, March 21. Known colloquially as the combat patching ceremony, this signifies the soldier’s service in a combat zone and forever links that soldier and their service to the history of the unit.
Task Force Paxton, which was comprised of Soldiers from the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, deployed in late 2023 to the Horn of Africa and provided critical security support at installations across the region. As the United States’ largest tactical unit on the continent of Africa, the security task force makes up more than two-thirds of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa force and is critical to providing security and building partnerships throughout East Africa in support of U.S. Africa Command.
Additional Soldiers from the 56th SBCT deployed to Africa in April support of Special Operations Command Africa. Task Force Iroquois was comprised of teams, with nine Soldiers going to Somalia in the Horn of Africa, and five Soldiers going to Benin in West Africa.
In an ongoing effort to bolster relations between U.S. and Kenyan military forces, U.S. Army medical, U.S . Air Force Fire Fighting, and other U.S. military personnel facilitated a three-day training event May 27-29 with Kenyan Rangers and Infantrymen at Kenya Navy Base Manda Bay.
Nearly 50 Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 213th Personnel Company were honored during a deployment ceremony Aug. 4. A company under the 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group, these Soldiers departed for a yearlong deployment to Kuwait and Jordan where they will serve with Task Force Spartan supporting U.S. Central Command.
More than 150 Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 56th SBCT were honored during a deployment ceremony Aug. 21. Part of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th SBCT, these Soldiers departed for a year-long deployment to Germany where they served with Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine.
Soldiers with the 56th SBCT, deployed in Kenya as Task Force Paxton, held a four-day Ranger/Sapper Assessment Program event in August while in Kenya to test candidates interested in attending Ranger or Sapper School.
Nearly 700 Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment were honored during a deployment ceremony Aug. 30 at Valley Forge National Park. Part of the 56th SBCT, these Soldiers departed for a year-long deployment to Africa.
Training for Excellence
The Pennsylvania National Guard is constantly training to be always ready, always there in support of our Warfight abroad, domestic operations at home, and our partnerships with allies and government agencies at all levels.
Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Individual Training Branch and Marksmanship Training Unit conducted a crew-served weapons course at Fort Indiantown Gap Jan. 19 to Feb. 2. The class of 28 mostly noncommissioned officers with some officers and junior enlisted, received instruction on planning and execution of unit marksmanship training, range operations, and machine gun theory/competencies. Students conducted hands-on testing and live fire of the M249, M240B, M2A1, and Mk19 weapons systems.
The 193rd Special Operations Wing began using virtual reality maintenance training to instruct Airmen on MC-130J Commando II maintenance.
In March, the Pennsylvania National Guard swore in a unique recruit who, at just 19 years old, will join the Army as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilot. The recruit joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard through a program affectionately known as “streets to seats” or “high school to flight school.” As those names imply, the program allows a prospective Army National Guard soldier to enlist and go to flight school after basic training.
It was announced in March that Fort Indiantown Gap will receive $1,550,000 in federal funding to construct a 10-lane multi-purpose machine gun range. This range will enable service members to hone skills in detecting, identifying and engaging both stationary and moving infantry and armor targets in tactical scenarios.
The Pennsylvania National Guard’s 3rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team trains rigorously so they are prepared to respond to a wide variety of threats, at any time or place across the entire commonwealth. This highly-specialized 22-member unit responds to incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear high-yield explosives by identifying substances, toxic industrial chemicals and materials, and disasters.
Airmen from the 171st Air Refueling Wing’s Fire and Emergency Services Flight participated in a training event with Pennsylvania Strike Team 1 aimed at enhancing skills in search and rescue and emergency response operations May 8 at the Allegheny County Fire Academy.
The 56th SBCT is getting more than 300 upgraded Stryker vehicles. The brigade, which is headquartered at Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham and has units across the state, turned in 322 old Strykers in June. They will be replaced by 316 upgraded vehicles.
Nearly all Airmen assigned to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s three wings took part in Exercise Iron Keystone 2024 across the commonwealth – and other locations – in June.
Medics from the Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard trained together recently to simulate a real-life medical emergency while in the field. Over 30 medics from the 628th Aviation Support Battalion, 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade and the 193rd Special Operations Wing trained to become proficient in their medical tasks June 18.
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s Cyber Team played a pivotal role in Cyber Shield 2024, a comprehensive and highly sophisticated cyber defense exercise held from May 31 to June 14, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach.
Fort Indiantown Gap Fire and Emergency Services conducted their annual aircraft live fire training exercise here, July 23-26. This training was unique as it was the first time they could train using a new, real-life model of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Using the model helps the trainees be prepared for real-life scenarios.
Soldiers with Delta Company, 128th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team trained in the mire pits Aug. 11, at Fort Indiantown Gap during their annual training. Fort Indiantown Gap has both a wet and dry mire pit that provide vehicle extraction training in a controlled environment.
Thirty Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard participated in a five-day Army combatives training program, August 12-16 at Fort Indiantown Gap. Army combatives is used to prepare Soldiers for hand-to-hand combat. The goal of the course is to take what they learned from their training class and share it with their unit.
Soldiers attending 19D Cavalry Scout Advanced Leader Course at the 166th Regiment - Regional Training Institute conducted field training Sept. 3 at Fort Indiantown Gap. Trainees established an objective rally point (ORP), completed reconnaissance and security patrols, and performed an ambush involving claymore mines.
Soldiers with Delta Company, 128th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted drivers training with Night Vision Goggles in order to be qualified to drive at night using NVGs and blackout lights on their military vehicles.
Instructors at the 166th Regiment – Regional Training Institute have been training Soldiers to use drones for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes using fixed-wing drones for nearly a decade. In November, instructors practiced using smaller, more modern quad-copter drones to call for artillery fire using and soon will begin training Soldiers to do so as well.
Strengthening Partnerships
The Pennsylvania National Guard maintained and strengthened its many partnerships in 2024, 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.
Lithuanian soldiers from the Griffin Brigade’s Anti-Tank Company conducted MAAWS training with Soldiers from Alpha and Charlie companies, 1-110th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team March 14 to 17. The M3 MAAWS, commonly referred to as the Carl Gustaf, is a man-portable recoilless rifle that allows dismounted soldiers to engage different types of targets, including vehicles, personnel and structures.
Lithuania Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis branded the Pennsylvania National Guard’s cooperation with Lithuania as “exemplary” during a visit to Fort Indiantown Gap, March 23.
Pennsylvania’s chapter of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve held a Bosslift event for approximately 20 civilian employers of Pennsylvania National Guard members May 8 and 9 at Fort Indiantown Gap.
The Pennsylvania National Guard held its annual Guard and Veterans Day at the Capitol in Harrisburg June 4. Representatives of the Pennsylvania National Guard and the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs were present to share about their duty and military service to the commonwealth and country. Soldiers and Airmen were on hand answer questions that state legislators, employers and others had about their specific jobs in the second-largest Guard in the nation. The theme for this year's Guard Day was: "Together We Serve: Past, Present, and Future."
Every state and territory’s National Guard has a senior active-duty Army officer assigned to it to act as an advisor and a liaison between the Army and Army National Guard. Known as the Senior Regular Army Advisor to the Guard, or SRAAG, their job is to assist and advise their state’s Army National Guard commanders, including training, operations, organizations and readiness. Col. Stuart James is currently the SRAAG for the state of Pennsylvania. His office is located at the Joint Force Headquarters at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Approximately 200 family members joined nearly 250 Soldiers with the 1st Battalion 109th Field Artillery Regiment, 55th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade for a family day event during the unit's annual training July 20 at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard Cyber Branch hosted 13 students aged 11-18 from the Pequea Valley School District Apple Core Team at fort Indiantown Gap Aug.1 for a day of learning and competition. The students experienced a day in the life of a Pennsylvania National Guard cyber team member and competed in a cyber Wi-Fighter challenge to test their hacking skills in a hands-on realistic scenario.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Fulton Bank was recognized as a recipient of the 2024 Secretary of Defense Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the Department of Defense to employers for their exceptional support of National Guard and Reserve members, in a ceremony at the Pentagon Aug. 22.
Soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team participated in Exercise Strong Griffin in Lithuania. A total of 71 Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment; 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment; and the 2nd IBCT headquarters took part in the exercise, which was held Oct. 14 to 31 at General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area in Pabradė.
Achievements and Milestones
Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen earned recognition for their many successes and achievements in 2024.
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Almquist was recognized for his volunteer efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region during a ceremony Jan. 30. Almquist, a range operations noncommissioned officer with the Fort Indiantown Gap Training Center, has served with the program for over eight years, and received a Certificate of Appreciation for his exceptional mentoring efforts.
The Pennsylvania National Guard held its second annual Black History Month event, featuring the U.S. Army’s inspector general, Feb. 21. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Donna W. Martin, the first black woman to serve as the U.S. Army inspector general, spoke through video conference to nearly 100 Pennsylvania National Guard members and Department of Defense civilian employees.
Sgt. Alan Loskoch, assigned to the 128th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd IBCT, who works full time for Pittsburgh Regional Transit, was recognized for helping to save the life of a man who was not breathing by the PRT in February.
Nearly 57 years after rescuing more than 80 U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War, retired Army Capt. Larry Liss received the Silver Star medal during a ceremony March 5 at Valley Forge Military Academy.
The Pennsylvania National Guard biathlon team participated in the 50th anniversary of the Chief National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championship in Utah. More than 200 National Guard members from 24 states competed in the championship, which was held Feb. 17–21 at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah.
Each year, the Department of Defense joins national, state and local governments, schools, military-serving organizations, companies and private citizens in celebrating military children and the sacrifices they make, especially every April during the Month of the Military Child.
This year the marks the 23rd anniversary of April being set aside to increase awareness of sexual violence across the nation and throughout the Department of Defense, raising awareness of sexual violence can have a significant impact on everyone, as well as a positive impact on military readiness.
Fifteen Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers from around the state competed in three categories at the 2024 state Best Warrior Competition at Fort Indiantown Gap April 11-14. The Soldiers competed in nine events designed to test their physical and mental endurance: night land navigation, a medical event, a written exam, a mystery event, weapons zero and qualification, the obstacle course, the Army Combat Fitness Test, a 12-mile ruck march, and finally, a leadership/appearance board.
Eighteen Soldiers graduated from Warrant Officer Candidate School in April at Fort Indiantown Gap. Until this year, Pennsylvania has only ever instructed phase one of the 25 training day WOCS program. This change in program is the result of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard being given authorization to instruct the second phase of WOCS by the Warrant Officer Career College, which serves as the executive agent for all warrant officer training and education in the U.S. Army.
More than 100 Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen competed in the annual Governor's Twenty marksmanship competition at Fort Indiantown Gap May 9 to 11. A total of 107 service members competed in the event, which determines the top 20 marksmen in the state. They earn the right to wear the coveted Governor’s Twenty tab on their uniform.
Brig. Gen. John Pippy, then the director of the joint staff, Pennsylvania National Guard, was the featured speaker an Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration at Fort Indiantown Gap May 17. Pippy, whose mother is from Thailand, spoke about his family background, military family, the Army and the Asian American and Pacific Islander personal views, and the next steps for the future of military culture.
The 228th Transportation Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group was named the U.S. Army Transportation Corps’ Reserve Component Large Unit of the Year for 2023 in June 2024.
Approximately 28 Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen competed with rifles and pistols in multiple courses of fire during The Adjutant General’s (TAG) Combined Arms Match at Fort Indiantown Gap June 21-23.
Pennsylvania’s oldest Air National Guard unit celebrated its 100th birthday June 27. The 111th Attack Wing’s 103rd Attack Squadron traces its lineage to the 103rd Observation Squadron, which was established on June 27, 1924, as a unit of the Army’s 28th Division.
Soldiers with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion gathered for one last battalion photo Aug. 2. The 728th CSSB and its subordinate units currently serve under the 213th Regional Support Group, based in Allentown. After the restructuring, they will fall under a Division Support Brigade within the 28th Infantry Division, based in Harrisburg, and will be redesignated as the 728th Division Sustainment Support Battalion.
Five members of the Joint Force Headquarters public affairs team were recognized for their hard work and dedication to the Pennsylvania National Guard during a ceremony Aug. 20 at Fort Indiantown Gap. Consisting of 1st Lt. Kate Kramer, Zane Craig, Maj. Travis Mueller, Brad Rhen and Wayne V. Hall, the Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs team was selected as the Department of the Army's 2023 Public Affairs Organization of the Year (small division) during the annual Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Communication Awards Competition.
It was announced in 2024 that the 28th Infantry Division’s artillery force structure will see several major changes in 2025 as part of an Army-mandated reorganization. The division will inactivate 1st Battalion, 109th Field Artillery Regiment and the 2803rd Forward Support Company on Aug. 31, 2025, and will activate the 28th Division Artillery, or DIVARTY, on Sept. 1, 2025. The 1-109th FA and 2803rd FSC are both part of the 55th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.
Three Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers, one of the few all-female crews in the state’s history, conducted a flyover Sept. 21 during of the annual March for the Fallen at Fort Indiantown Gap. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Heather Oglesby, a flight instructor at Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Allison Moser, also a flight instructor at EAATS, and Sgt. Victoria Glasgow, a Black Hawk crew chief with the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, crewed a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in recognition of Girls in Aviation Day.
A Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier was named a 2024 Distinguished Military Service Award recipient by Latina Style Inc. Master Sgt. Alejandra M. Long, senior human resources noncommissioned officer for the 213th Regional Support Group, received the award during the 21st National Latina Symposium on Sept. 19 in Arlington, Virginia.
Two Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers received the prestigious Octavius V. Catto Medal during a ceremony Oct. 5 at the Union League of Philadelphia. Master Sgt. Marcos Figueroa of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion and Master Sgt. John Shaw of the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade were selected to receive the medal this year.
The Pennsylvania National Guard’s annual photo and video contest recognized Soldiers and Airmen who are not in public affairs roles and encourages them to capture the work of their fellow servicemembers through photo and video. The contest also encourages Soldiers and Airmen to tell the Pennsylvania National Guard’s story from their own points of view.
First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, a unique organization linked to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd IBCT, celebrated its 250th birthday in November.
A Soldier with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard received a Purple Heart in a ceremony Nov. 1 at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pa. Sgt. 1st Class Michael Picard, with Recruiting and Retention Battalion, was recognized for actions he took while to deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the Oklahoma National Guard.
The Pennsylvania National Guard and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs hosted an open house, the first in a decade, for members of the public Nov. 16.
A Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier attended a holiday reception at the White House with First Lady Jill Biden. Capt. Nicole Barela-Vess and her children, Michael and Isabella, attended Biden’s Joining Forces Holiday Reception Dec. 2. The reception was held for junior grade National Guard members from the 54 states and territories and their families. Each state or territory’s representative was announced, and they had the opportunity to meet and take a photo with Biden.
Sgt. Autumn Czaplicki of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team was selected to join and serve with the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program as she trains with the U.S. women's national rugby team in an effort to make the Olympic team in 2028.
2024 marked the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, which the observed the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge and commemorated the 28th ID's role in the battle with a ceremony Dec. 16 at Fort Indiantown Gap.
While coming in second in 2024, Fort Indiantown Gap was the busiest overall training center in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023 and has been in the top three every year since 2013.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Wayne Hall (717) 861-6254, or e-mail ng.pa.paarng.list.pao@mail.mil
| Date Taken: | 01.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.06.2025 13:56 |
| Story ID: | 488674 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Looking Back: 2024 in the Pennsylvania National Guard, by SFC Zane Craig, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Fort Indiantown Gap
