vol.10 no. 3vol.10 no. 3 grizzly · 2015-08-24 · california national guard troops mobilized as of...

O f f i c i a l N e w s m a g a z i n e o f t h e C a l i f o r n i a N a t i o n a l G u a r dGRIZZLYO f f i c i a l N e w s m a g a z i n e o f t h e C a l i f o r n i a N a t i o n a l G u a r dGRIZZLY

20152015

w w w . c a l g u a r d . c a . g o v / p aw w w . c a l g u a r d . c a . g o v / p a

June-JulyJune-July

Annual Training 2015

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Vol.10 No. 3Vol.10 No. 3

The HRF heads to Hawaii for Vigilant Guardpages 14-15

Making our Mark in Many Different Ways

Major General David S. Baldwin

L e a d e r s h i p C o r n e r

The past two months have seen our dedicated Soldiers and Airmen carry out a tremendous variety of missions. That diversity of tasks and customers - and the dedication of our fine service members - were striking, but they were not unique; they are defining features of the Cal Guard.

Headlines in Northern California, and elsewhere in the country, are currently dominated by images of wildfires once again tearing through our great state. Out on the front lines, assisting Cal Fire, are 12 Cal Guard Army helicopters and crews, two Cal Guard planes and crews from the 146th Airlift Wing, and three Army hand-crew task forces, bring-ing the total Cal Guard contingent to about 550 men and women protecting Californians' homes, lives and natural resources.

Containing wildfires is an annual mission for the Cal Guard; it is as much a part of who we are as the traditional military roles we master to prepare for our federal responsibilities. In addition to fighting-men and -women, we are domestic response specialists, and we are members of the California and world communities.

A much less common, but no less meaningful, mission just wrapped up in Southern California, where more than 500 Cal Guard and teenage Cadet Corps members enjoyed supporting the Special Olympics World Games, a once-in-a-lifetime event for most of us, which we were honored to support.

In addition to providing logistics, communications, emer-gency preparedness, luggage handling and other support at every World Games venue and athlete housing location, our service members consistently went above and beyond their duties to make the athletes from more than 160 countries feel welcome in California.

Supporting the World Games gave us opportunities for a wide range of beneficial training, but more than anything, we will remember the privilege of contributing to an event that has done so much to benefit people with disabilities, and has inspired and educated those of us who witness their feats of courage and dedication.

Other visitors to California this summer included a del-egation from one of our longtime partners, the military of Ukraine, which came to Cal Guard training ground Camp Roberts to learn about interagency coordination during do-mestic operations such as the ongoing wildfire fight. We re-turned the favor in July, deploying about 20 Soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Ukraine to serve as mentors during the multinational exercises Rapid Trident and Saber Guardian.

The Cal Guard and the Ukrainian military have been close partners since 1993, shortly after the Cold War ended and Ukraine established itself as an independent nation. Through the National Guard's State Partnership Program, the Cal Guard has helped Ukraine modernize its forces and develop its capacities for security and emergency manage-ment. The exercises in July were just one more instance of our efforts to advise this young nation's military, maintain good working relationships and build a stable platform for democracy in that part of the world.

We also deployed troops this summer to respond to a simu-lated hurricane and resulting chemical spill in Hawaii as part of exercise Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili. More than 150 Army and Air Guardsmen from California coordinat-ed with Guardsmen from other states and several civilian agencies to provide humanitarian assistance, save lives and protect critical infrastructure. Our 9th Civil Support Team assessed the chemical threats and the resources needed to

respond; the 330th Military Police Company provided secu-rity for contaminated areas; and the 49th MP Brigade Home-land Response Force performed command and control.

Not to be outdone by the multi-unit coordination of Vigilant Guard, the 144th Fighter Wing flew to Oregon for Sentry Eagle, an air combat exercise with Air National Guardsmen from six states as well as members of the active duty Air Force, Navy, Marines and the Canadian Air Force. The ex-ercise enabled the various fighter squadrons, with about 50 total aircraft, to train like they fight in combat, learn from each other and build inter-component relationships. The 144th then flew to Georgia for another air combat exercise, Atlantic Spear, this time with the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts National Guard.

Meanwhile, on the front lines of the fight against illegal nar-cotics, the Cal Guard increased its presence up and down California's 840-mile coast. As part of Operation Triton, our Counterdrug Task Force brought on an additional 65 Sol-diers this summer to monitor the coast and detect smug-glers. Several units across the state contributed troops, who underwent intense training on maritime-observation tech-nology and techniques before heading to their duty stations.

Technology came into play this summer as well during a search-and-rescue mission in the El Dorado National For-est. When Army Guard helicopter crews and other search-ers were unable to locate the subject, we launched a re-motely piloted aircraft (RPA) from the 163rd Attack Wing capable of staying aloft for extended periods and relaying real-time video and infrared images. This was the first time a National Guard RPA had been used in a search-and-res-cue mission anywhere in the country, just as we were the first to use one in a wildfire fight in 2013.

The Silicon Valley-based 129th Rescue Wing, which is al-ways busy with domestic search-and-rescue missions, also is currently training for a September deployment to the Horn of Africa to provide combat-rescue support to ongo-ing operations there. Their Northern California neighbor, the 162nd Combat Communications Group, has been just as busy, working to convert itself into the 195th Wing, the newest wing in the Air National Guard.

The 195th, which will officially stand up in September, will tackle cyber, space, combat communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Headquartered at Beale Air Force Base, with subordinate units spanning the length of the state, the 195th is the Cal Guard's fifth wing, matching New York for the most in the country. More importantly, it gives us greater footing in some of the most important emerging fields in the Armed Forces, and it brings highly qualified citizen-Airmen into military fields that will benefit from their experience in the private sector.

Since 2001 the California National Guard has deployed more than 41,000 Soldiers and Airmen overseas in support of the fight against terrorism, including multiple deploy-ments for many individuals. We take up that responsibility with pride and vigor, but we also do much more.

We are emergency responders who run in the direction of every type of disaster. We are mentors to our partners and caring supporters of our community. We are technological experts who come to your rescue, watch our coastline and protect the cyber realm.

The Cal Guard's diversity and flexibility are among our greatest strengths. Few organizations can boast of our var-ied accomplishments during the past two months, and I for one, am proud of the tremendous service our Soldiers and Airmen are providing to our state and nation.

ABOVE LEFT: Col. Larry K. Morden, left, and Col. Timothy J. Kelley, both of the California Cadet Corps, welcome Special Olympics World Games athletes to the Opening Ceremony at the Los Angeles Coliseum on July 25. Photo by Brandon Honig BOTTOM LEFT: Sgt. Daron Robinson, left, and Sgt. Andrew Bituin, of the 330th Military Police Company’s Casualty Assistance and Support Element, participate in Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 on June 2 at Bellows Air Force Station in Oahu, Hawaii. Photo by Sgt. Brianne M. Roudebush Soldiers from Task Force Alpha remove a burnt tree stump on Aug. 9 near the mountains of Wildcat Butte, Humboldt County, California, during the Humboldt Lightning Fire. Photo by Sgt. Eddie Siguenza

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Camp Bob proactive with waterCamp Roberts keeps the water flowing during annual train-ing through efficient water management

Vietnam vet feeds the troops Richard Squier cooks hot dogs on the grill at his popular Guard Dog BBQ on Camp Roberts

Purple flowers bloom on Camp BobRare flower thrives alongside heavy weaponry out on Camp Roberts’ training ranges

Camp Roberts facility earns goldThe new Tactical Unmanned Aerial System facility on Camp Roberts earns a Leadership in Engery and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification

HRF hits Hawaii for Vigilant Guard The Cal Guard’s Homeland Response Force (HRF) trains for disaster response in Hawaii’s Vigilant Guard exercise

First A.T.Spc. Erika Holmes steps it up at her first annual training

JAG helps the HRFSix-man JAG team provides legal guidance during Vigliant Guard disaster response exercise in Hawaii

40th CAB completes WarfighterSoldiers from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade practice combat scenarios at Warfighter exercise before upcoming de-ployment to Kuwait

Aerial gunnery1-140th Aviation Regiment conduct’s aerial gunnery training

Airman gives backMaster Sgt. Cesar Jurilla volunteers in the Philippines to help those in need

Sunburst turns lives aroundThe Cal Guard’s Sunburst Youth Academy gives troubled teens a fighting chance

Europe

Asia

Africa

Horn of Africa

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Kuwait162

Other2

Iraq1

U.S.112

U.S.125

AfghanistanDjiboutiGermany

JordanKoreaKuwait

NetherlandsQatar190

Air Army

In EveryIssue

LeadershipCorner2 At a

Glance10 News &Benefits

Did YouKnow?1919

July 2015California National Guard troops mobilized as of

June-JulyThe Official Newsmagazine ofthe California National Guard

2015

Grizzly

E-mail submissions and feedback to:[email protected]

Submissions

PublisherMaj. Gen. David S. BaldwinThe Adjutant General

Director of Public AffairsCol. Peter B. Cross EditorCapt. Jason Sweeney

Cover photo by Master Sgt. Paul Wade

Cal Guardsmen assigned to the 1-184th Infan-try Battalion conduct night fire operations on Camp Roberts on June 9 during annual train-ing. The Soldiers, trained as mortar men, use their 120-mm mortars to light up the mid-night sky with illumination rounds.

Vol. 10 No. 3

Articles:

� Articles range from 350 to 2,000 words. All articles should be accompanied by multiple high-resolution images.

� Include first names, last names and mili-tary ranks. Always verify spelling.

� Spell out acronyms, abbreviations and full unit designations on first reference.

� Only submit articles that have been approved by your unit’s public affairs officer.

Photographs:

� Highest resolution possible: MB files, not KB.

� No retouched photos, no special effects.

� Include the photographer’s name and rank, and a caption: what is happening in the photo, who is pictured and the date and location.

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Annual Training 2015Camp Roberts was overrun with more than 4,000 troops for two weeks in June during consolidated training that includ-ed combat and disaster response exercises

UAS ideal for disaster responseSoldiers hone skills with Cal Guard unmanned aerial sys-tems, for both combat and domestic emergency support

Behind enemy linesCal Guard scouts train at Camp Bob for worst-case scenario

Tankers tear it up at A.T.M1 Abrams battle tanks and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehi-cles from the 1-185th Armor Regiment return to Camp Rob-erts after 12-year absence

Medics get dusty1-18th Calvary medics practice their skills under the rotor wash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

Infantry attacksInfantry Soldiers from 1-160th Infantry Regiment assault the objective during a live-fire exercise at Camp Roberts

Digital warsThe Army’s Dismounted Soldier Training System allows Soldiers to train on a virtual battlefield

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GTMO152

TablE of CoNTENTs

Kosovo3

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Live firepage 8

Afghanistan52

Grizzly | 2015 | June-July

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UAS Soldiers master their craftBy BRANDON HONIGCalifornia Military Department Public Affairs

Carlos Altamirano got a big surprise when he returned to his unit in 2004 after com-pleting advanced individual training to be-come a power generation mechanic.

“They told me, ‘You’ve been selected to go to school and then Iraq as a UAS maintain-er,’” said Altamirano, now a staff sergeant and unmanned aerial system (UAS) main-tenance chief for the California Army Na-tional Guard’s Detachment 1, Delta Com-pany, 578th Brigade Engineer Battalion. “Well, I had never heard of a UAS before. I really don’t know how they chose me, but it was the best thing that could have hap-pened to me.”

Altamirano had his 21st birthday in Iraq, which was not the place he had envisioned celebrating that occasion, but he wouldn’t trade the deployment experience. He en-joyed the camaraderie with the other Sol-diers, learned a ton about his job and, most importantly, grew into an adult.

“The deployment changed me, from a per-sonal perspective,” he said June 15 at the Cal Guard training base Camp Roberts, Calif. “I matured a lot quicker over there. When I came back, I needed responsibili-ties in my life.”

On a professional level, he found that un-manned aerial systems — like the 12-foot-long RQ-7 Shadow flown by the Camp Roberts-based Detachment 1 — are tre-mendously valuable to troops in a variety of situations.

Altamirano’s unit flew 3,500 hours dur-ing its 10-month deployment, supporting convoys, performing surveillance on high-value targets, monitoring power lines —

which were a target for enemy forces — and fulfilling many other missions.

“We would follow patrols and make sure there were no ambushes waiting for our troops or snipers on top of buildings, so our guys could take them out before they hit our Soldiers,” he said. “We’d be doing flight op-erations [later], and random Soldiers would come up and want to shake our hands and thank us for saving their lives.

“It was really touching, and it motivated us to keep doing our jobs as best we could to help out our battle buddies.”

Altamirano and the other members of his detachment are honing their skills during two weeks of annual training this June at

Camp Roberts. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Dan-iel Choi said the detachment’s Soldiers learn the basics of their UAS specialty during several months of full-time school, but they master their craft during training at Camp Roberts.

Choi, an operations technician for the de-tachment, said there are many potential uses for the Shadow and pointed out that operating it (or its hand-launched cousin the RQ-11 Raven) is cheaper than using a manned aircraft or a larger remotely piloted aircraft: The Shadow requires less fuel, no satellite link, less maintenance and fewer man-hours.

The Shadow also can be launched from just about anywhere, using a hydraulic system

that can be swiftly assembled to catapult the aircraft skyward.

“This unit is mobile,” Choi said. “We just need a clear area that is unobstructed and controlled, where we can launch and [safely integrate with] civilian and military air-craft.”

Choi, who flew for three years as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot before switch-ing to the UAS mission, said the Shadow is an ideal aircraft for supporting civil authori-ties in a domestic emergency.

“If something happens like a dam breaks or an earthquake, we can put eyes on the scene and gather near-real-time imagery for the incident commander,” he said. “We can provide damage assessments and help them understand what they’re dealing with.”

Choi said his experience as a helicopter pilot helped ease his transition to the UAS section three years ago: The physics surrounding flight doesn’t change, and neither do the rules regulating airspace. Nonetheless after 15 years in the Army, including six on active duty, he said the UAS mission is the most challenging — and therefore most gratify-ing — of his career.

“Learning the tactics is very different [from manned aviation], to understand how to share the airspace and best use it against the enemy,” he said.

Once those tactics are learned, though, the aircraft has great potential, and Choi hopes its role will grow for the Cal Guard.

“UAS is a growing industry, and technology will continue to improve,” he said. “There’s a lot of potential for the Shadow to help in disaster-response efforts, and many other applications for the National Guard.”

Unmanned aerial systems bring unique capabilities to Cal Guard

Spc. Martin Rebollo performs pre-flight checks before an RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial system for the California Army National Guard takes off from Camp Roberts, California, during annual training for Detachment 1, Delta Company, 578th Brigade Engineer Battalion. Photo by Brandon Honig

By CPT. WILL MARTINCalifornia Military Department Public Affairs

More than 4,000 California Army National Guard Soldiers from across the state congregated on Camp Roberts June 6-20 to conduct a series of combat and disaster-response exercises. The two weeks of consolidated training, an an-nual requirement for all National Guardsmen, serves to sharpen the Cal Guard’s readiness in responding to both state and overseas missions.

Included in the training were unit- and squad-level ma-neuver drills, medical evacuation and helicopter transport operations, command post exercises that tested the Cal Guard leadership’s ability to coordinate missions involv-ing multiple units, and the firing of M1 Abrams tanks, mortar rounds and .50-caliber machine guns.

The training, said one field grade officer who spent two weeks in the field among his troops, was true to the combat mission of the troops.

“Our MPs got some exceedingly valuable training, both traditional combat and law and order missions,” said Maj. Peter Lewis, executive officer for the Cal Guard’s 185th

Military Police Battalion. “The integration of our MPs with combat arms reflected what they’d do in a real-world mis-sion, where they would set up the infantry and other com-bat arms personnel for their attacks.”

Camp Roberts serves as an ideal location to conduct an-nual training. Assigned to the Cal Guard’s operational con-trol in 1971, the post encompasses more than 40,000 acres and more than 50 weapon ranges, training courses and fir-ing points. In addition, its 4,200 beds – many located in newly renovated barracks – help it support the more than 15,000 troops that train there in a typical year.

But Camp Roberts can also be austere and hot. With tem-peratures exceeding triple digits during parts of annual training, the environment itself provided realistic training to Soldiers who might find themselves deployed to harsh climates overseas. With more than 41,000 deployments un-der their belt since 9/11, such deployments are a very real possibility for California’s guardsmen.

“It rivals any training post you might find on active duty installations,” said Lewis. “Above all, a Soldier must be able to shoot, move and communicate; we can train on all those at Camp Roberts.”

The 301st Airlift Squadron provided airlift in a C-17 Globemas-ter III on June 6 for more than 70 California Army Guardsmen, four Humvees and one truck from Mather Air Force Base, Cali-fornia, to Fort Hunter Liggett, California, as part of an earth-quake exercise during annual training this year. The overall exer-cise provided a seamless integrated training experience for Air Force Reservists, active duty and Army National Guard service members. Photo by Senior Airman Madelyn Brown

Cal Guard takes over Camp BobTroops descend on Camp Roberts for Annual Training 2015

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By BRANDON HONIGCalifornia Military Department Public Affairs

You’ve been lying in a hole for days. It’s your turn to get 30 minutes sleep, so you roll over, using every last inch of space. Within moments, you get an elbow in the back — a teammate alerting you someone’s coming.

This is the “oh no” moment — the moment scouts hope never comes.

“He’s 10 meters out. You know he sees you, and he knows you see him,” Staff Sgt. Jef-frey Nelan said to a scout platoon from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, on June 11 in the dry yellow hills of Camp Rob-erts, California. “What do you do now?”

Nelan didn’t bother explaining to these troops what they already knew: These types of missions take place behind enemy lines, where scouts are outnumbered, with no hope for immediate support if discovered.

“Seconds matter at this moment,” he said. “The ‘blowout’ is what’s going to save your life.”

A good three-person team’s surveillance site is virtually undetectable, which is why troops practice facing an enemy only 10 meters away: From any real distance, their location should blend perfectly with the surroundings.

“The guy on glass” — the one looking through his scope or binoculars — “en-gages the contact. Bang, bang, bang,” Nelan said. “The guy [taking] notes blows the claymore [mines] and throws the smoke grenades, and the guy [who was] on rest does the blowout — throws the nets and branches off, and tosses the ruck[sacks] out behind him."

“Then, whoever’s on rest, grab a ruck — it doesn’t matter whose — get to cover, and start firing,” he continued. “It doesn’t sound too complicated, but [contact] al-ways comes when you least expect it.”

The scouts’ hidden lair during their mis-

sions is 3 to 4 feet deep and just long and wide enough to accommodate three Sol-diers. The trench is dug a little deeper on the edges to handle their waste. All the dirt is carried off in duffel bags at least 100 me-ters from the surveillance site, where it is spread around to blend with its surround-ings.

Branches are measured and cut to fit the surveillance site, then stacked over the dug-out. Camouflage nets go over the branches, then foliage is placed on the nets. The pro-cess takes six Soldiers five to six hours, working in complete darkness and com-plete silence.

The 1-184th scout platoon had been in-serted to this location on Camp Roberts via CH-47 Chinook helicopter the previous night around 10 p.m., when they set up two three-man surveillance sites on opposite hills overlooking a road. The spot was on a suspected smuggling route for weapons and military advisers on their way into the fictional country of Atropia from neighbor-ing Donovia.

The movement the 1-184th was looking for

began at daybreak.

“We saw vehicles and weapons traveling down this road beginning at 0515, and re-ports of additional activity came in con-tinually throughout the day,” said 1st Lt. Stephen Strickland of the 1-184th. “We monitored patterns of movement, equip-ment, uniforms, times, number of people, any information we could gather.”

In the late afternoon, three members of Del-ta Company, 578th Brigade Engineer Battal-ion, who were dressed as guerrillas, walked down a road near the fictional border of At-ropia and Donovia, where they happened upon the 1-184th scouts’ position. (For the purpose of this portion of the exercise, the scouts positioned themselves unusually near the road, and they did not fully conceal themselves.)

The guerrillas approached at a normal walking pace, and then suddenly contact was made — it was the I-see-you-and-you-see-me moment.

The Soldier on glass fired first, popping off blank rounds repeatedly while the Soldier on notes mimicked setting off claymore mines and throwing smoke grenades before training his weapon on the enemies. The Soldier on rest leapt into action, throwing off the notional camo-nets and tossing three heavy rucksacks to the rear, then sprinted to the treeline, grabbing a ruck on the way, and turned to fire.

Once he began firing, the notes Soldier jumped up and found his way to cover, where he turned to fire, and was followed by the glass Soldier, each finding his way to a strategic point that would enable his teammates to move under the cover of his fire.

No words were spoken or shouted — the Soldiers just listened for each other’s M4 carbines.

“At any point, anyone can go. If two go at the same time, that’s fine, as long as some-one is covering you,” Nelan said. “So pay attention to the sound of each other’s fire to know if it’s OK to go. ... The point of this is to be unpredictable.”

During annual training, the Atropia-Dono-

via border was an area of secondary con-cern for the 79th Infantry Brigade Com-bat Team, the higher headquarters for the 1-184th and the 578th, which was focused on another military confrontation during its two-week annual training period this June.

“The 79th IBCT is involved in a command post exercise focused on a more traditional battle, supporting Atropia against Ariana,” said a chief warrant officer for the 79th’s Headquarters and Headquarters Com-pany, who organized this portion of the scouts’ training and led the guerrilla role-players. “The Donovians saw that the 79th is busy with Ariana, so they’re pushing arms and military advisers to a guerrilla group in Atropia in hopes of destabilizing Atropia.”

In addition to putting the 1-184th to the test during this annual training period at Camp Roberts, the Donovian smugglers and guer-rillas performed their opposition-force mis-sion to train scouts and snipers from the Cal Guard’s 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regi-ment; 1st Battalion, 185th Armor Regiment; and 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry Regiment.

“This training is so important because we need accurate intelligence for our brothers-in-arms,” Nelan said. “If we fail at this mis-sion, lives are lost. It’s that simple. And if we do our job right, we can save lives.”

The value of the information gathered by scouts makes the specialty appealing to many Soldiers, but both the danger and the conditions associated with their missions turn many away.

“Once you’re in the surveillance site, you can’t leave until the mission is complete, which could be a five-day position,” Nelan said. “You can’t get up to stretch or move around, and at most you get to sleep one hour at a time.”

The three-person team rotates through the three positions — glass, notes and rest — typically at intervals closer to 30 minutes. Nelan said the intervals don’t last longer be-cause it is “painful” to be on glass for long periods of time, constantly peering through your scope or binoculars.

The people who commit to the scout spe-cialty and the danger and grit associated with its missions tend to be “type A person-alities,” said Spc. Nicholas Maness, “smart, hard-working, aggressive guys.”

“[The missions] are physically and men-tally demanding, but you know that going in,” said Maness, who has been a Soldier for three years and a scout for four months. “I initially joined the infantry because I thought it would be challenging, but then I moved to the scouts, because I thought it would up the [intensity].”

So far, he said, being a scout has been the most challenging and most rewarding ex-perience of his military career. And to hear him tell it, passing the time in that little hole doesn’t sound so tough.

“When you’re out there in a surveillance site, you’re very focused the whole time, so you don’t even think about [comfort or boredom],” he said. “You’re so focused on your task, you’re not thinking about much anything else.”

Scouts face worst-case scenario

ABOVE and BOTTOM LEFT: Scouts with the Cal Guard’s 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, break contact with enemy “guerrillas” from the 578th Brigade Engineer Battalion on June 11 during their two-week annual training period at Camp Roberts. Photos by Brandon Honig


By MASTER SGT. PAUL WADECalifornia Military Department Public Affairs

Each unit arriving at Camp Roberts for training makes it a point to showcase their might. Logistics and sustainment units roll by in their vast array of support vehicles, fuel trucks and heavy transporters. Field artillery brandish their guns. Aviation crews snap and crack the air before landing in a swirl of dust. Infantry and cavalry companies’ parade by in their turret mounted Humvees with equipment poking from every seam. And so on. All very impressive.

But when the main battle tanks and fighting vehicles of the California Army National Guard’s 1st Combined Arms Bat-talion, 185th Armor Regiment arrived the first week of June, it was like “The Greatest Show on Earth” just pulled in.

Most Soldiers who perform their two weeks of annual train-ing at the camp have never seen our armor there. It has been roughly 12 years since the unit’s tracks churned up the dirt of

California National Guard’s largest training installation. That is because the mainly Southern California-based unit keeps its hulking beasts housed at Fort Irwin. The home of the National Training Center is the perfect location for armor to train, with its vast open landscape and long-distance firing ranges. Lo-gistics to keep these mechanized monsters purring also play a decisive role.

The armor drought at annual training at Camp Roberts ended this year, and with the help of an armada of heavy equipment transporters, history was written. Each HET, courtesy of our Riverside-based, 1498th Transportation Company, deftly hauled a 27-ton Bradley, or the smaller, versatile, armored per-sonnel carrier variations, such as a M113, along California’s highways.

Spanning the 300 miles between the desert proving grounds of Irwin and the rolling coastal hills of Roberts, newly upgrad-ed rail yards at the 74-year-old camp made the transport of the 68-ton M1 Abrams and 50-plus ton M88 Hercules recovery

vehicle feasible.

Once in the hands of their eager crews they blazed a path into the camp’s backcountry, using tank trails, and got to work.

“Our overall intent was to integrate our heavy forces with oth-er units in the California Army National Guard, especially the light infantry of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team,” said Lt. Col. Kris Kough, commander of the armor battalion. “We liked the idea of giving our crews and dismounted infantry a different type of terrain to maneuver and train on.”

The armor of the unit isn’t the only war hammer they can throw down. The unit is considered a combined-arms bat-talion, meaning they have dismounted infantry, mortars and scout assets.

“Fort Irwin is great for mechanized heavy forces,” said Kough.

1-185 brings the big guns to A.T.

ABOVE: M1 Abrams battle tanks from the Cal Guard’s Delta Company, 1-185th Combined Arms Battalion, fire Sabot, high-explosive anti-tank warheads, and training rounds during a live-fire ex-ercise in the backcountry ranges of Camp Roberts, on June 7. Photo by Master Sgt. Paul Wade

Tank battalion returns to Camp Roberts for annual training for first time in over a decade

LEFT: Combat engineers with the 578th Brigade Engineer Battalion clear a path during company-level breach and assault training at Fort Hunter Liggett on June 16. RIGHT: Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles from the 1-185th Combined Arms Battalion support Soldiers from the 1-160th Infantry Battalion during training on June 16 at Fort Hunter Liggett. Photos by Capt. Cody Gallo

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The rotor wash from the UH-60 Black Hawk kicks up nee-dle-like weeds and swirling dust that surrounds the Fort Hunter Liggett landing zone, engulfing three Soldiers in a wave of scorched earth that hasn’t seen rain in months.

As the helicopter lands, Spc. Taylor Walker leans over a Soldier who is lying in the dirt on a litter, covering her from the debris. This protective nature is infused into Walker’s every now-dirt-clogged pore. He is a health care specialist, known better in the U.S. Army as a combat medic.

When not serving his state and nation as a citizen-Soldier assigned to Headquarters, 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry, a unit of the California Army National Guard, he doubles up his closet space with another uniform by protecting and serving the city of San Diego as a police officer.

Emerging from the aircraft is Spc. Brad Machado, a flight medic with 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Service and Sup-port, based out of Stockton. He bends down to speak with Walker, looks over the bandages and tourniquet that Walk-er had applied to his patient, and gives some final words of guidance and encouragement before updating his fellow crew chief and pilots.

Walker’s patient is Spc. Cesiro Martinez, who is as-signed to the Cavalry’s support unit, D Co., 40th Bri-gade Support Battalion, out of the same armory in Azu-sa as Walker’s headquarters. Martinez, a security guard at a hospital, is lending her own support as a role player in their medical evacuation training exercise on June 11, and is playing it well by thrashing, yelling and adding that extra layer of realism.

“[Calling in a medevac] in the classroom and then doing it out here with the heat, the dirt flying around, the helicop-ter noise and actual flight medics and pilots to talk to, it’s almost like the real thing,” said one medic.

Machado returns to the scene and signals Walker and Spc. Juan Perez to start transporting Martinez to the waiting bird. Perez, who works in private security, is the litter team leader. The team deftly maneuvers over rolling terrain, crashing through the needle-covered weeds, and slides the patient onto the aircraft’s metal floor, lashing the litter down with straps.

Walker guides them back into the start position and the role players are switched out for another run.

Machado and his crew take off, churning up the earth again, covering everyone on the ground with a layer of dirt that won’t be removed for another nine days.

“We have around 20 medics here at annual training,” said 1st Lt. Matt Keane. “They all worked on radioing in the request during last month’s drill weekend but to do it with actual pilots just improves this important skill even more.”

“Obviously, we don’t get to have a helicopter around very often,” said Walker. “So beyond our primary goal of con-ducting a patient handover so they can get to a higher level of care we also get this amazing opportunity to work with flight medics and learn about the inherent dangers of man-aging a helicopter extraction.”

“Annual training provides the perfect setting to recertify certain tasks within our skill set, like aeromedical evacu-ation,” said Capt. Giancarlo Lembo, officer-in-charge of the medical section and a physician at Kaiser Permanente.

“Best of all, this is motivating for the troops. They feel good about their [jobs].”

The helicopter returns and another sand storm blankets Lembo’s team. “This is an experience of a lifetime,” he said.

Field medics train up1-18th Cavalry medics load patients onto a medevac flight

Spc. Taylor Walker, left, and Spc. Juan Perez, right, cover Spc. Ce-sire Martinez from a sea of dirt and dust. Perez and Martinez are helping by role playing as litter patient and carrier at Fort Hunter Liggett during the California Army National Guard’s an-nual training, June 6-20. . Photo by Master Sgt. Paul Wade

7

“But not so great for dismounted infantry so our infantry squads benefitted greatly from the landscape at Roberts. In the end, we worked with engineers from the [578th Brigade Engineer Battalion] improving vehicle fighting positions and breaching obstacles. We conducted some air insertions of our scouts and infantry. Finally, we integrated with light infantry of the [1st Bat-talion, 160th Infantry Regiment] for company and team operations.”

While the foot Soldiers stomped dirt instead of sand, the tankers practiced maneuvering, focus-ing on attack and defend tasks.

“My driver had a blast,” said 1st Lt. Rito Guerra, commander of Delta Company, 1-185th, and a M1 Abrams tank commander. “We are just used to vast open spaces with little elevation but Roberts provided great training with some steep hills, riverbeds, water sources and TREES!”

Just the addition of a wooded area raised the danger factor a DEFCON level or two. The pow-dery dirt layering at Camp Roberts was an additional issue.

“We found out the dirt here clogs our road wheels causing a thrown track,” said Guerra. “So we brushed up a lot on track maintenance, which is a good thing. Overall, it was great fun.”

Despite its 44,000-acre training area, Roberts still has its limitations.

“We were not able to conduct tank or Bradley gunnery because Camp Roberts can’t facilitate those training requirements,” said Kough. “We did complete a dry run [gunnery table] with no firing in preparation for crew qualification coming up at Irwin. However, our tanks were able to knock out a Live Fire Accuracy Screen Test and put steel on steel targets, which is really awe-some to see.”

On a massive range surrounded by high hills, a company of tanks sent 120 rounds of high-explosive anti-tank warheads and Sabot projectiles into rusting hulks of old vehicles and armor that dotted the landscape.

“It was great [zeroing] our guns at the Roberts range,” said Guerra. “At Irwin we shoot at wooden targets. Here we had the chance to put actual hard targets in our crosshairs and light them up.”

The full brunt of force wasn’t on display during annual training due to expected restrictions but it appears it wasn’t needed to impress the Soldiers gathered there or the leadership. According to Kough the unit capitalized on all their available resources and truly enhanced the realism of the training exercise and could be summed up in one aviator’s words:

“Having the chance to train alongside armor made my annual training.”

‘big guns’ from page 6 Graphic by M

aster Sgt. Paul Wade

8


By SPC. MATTHEW DIXON79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother…’

It was William Shakespeare, from the play Henry V, who is credited with coining the phrase ‘band of brothers.’ The play chronicled King Henry V and the battle of Agincourt.

It’s unlikely that he knew the signifi-cance this term would take way back in 1599, but more than 400 years later, it has become an esprit de corps of the infantryman. The long days and nights of training in harsh conditions brings them together, sharing each other’s pain while motivating each other to push through.

Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment trained over the past year in anticipation of a platoon live-fire exercise slated to take place June 11 at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, but they would have to wait one more day as the arid conditions and blazing Central California heat led to a brush fire, eventually forcing Range Con-trol to close the training area for the day.

The Soldiers took a reprieve from the over-whelming heat, as they waited for word from Range Control, by huddling together in the small areas of shade provided by their Humvees, joking, talking about their dogs, fast food, and the dream of a long hot shower – downtime like this builds the bond Infantry Soldiers share.

Spc. Vincent Quinteros, a machine gunner from 3rd platoon, Alpha Company, 1-160th Infantry, a former combat-tested Marine

who deployed as part of Operation Endur-ing Freedom, went on to add that the ca-maraderie he shares with his team not only what makes these long hot days bearable, but it also becomes something he looks for-ward to as a contrast to his work as a men-tal health counselor in Los Angeles.

“We’re the best team in California,” he con-tinued.

The infantry serves as the tip of the spear of the Army. Infantrymen take pride in it. The intense training and grueling repetition keeps them sharp. Staying sharp means staying safe, as this makes up the culmina-tion of more than a year of rehearsals. They traded in their blanks for magazines filled with live rounds, locking them into their M-4 rifles. Arriving the following morning to a much

different scene – the charred landscape vir-tually free of concealment-providing tall grass, the burnt brush radiated a pungent fragrance. The conditions changed, but the mission remains the same.

If camaraderie stands as the foundation of the Infantry’s success, trust serves as the pinnacle.

“We’ve all been waiting for this for a long time,” said Sgt. Killianne Sath, acting third squad leader, first platoon, Charlie Compa-ny, 1-160th Infantry. “I have complete trust in my guys that we can achieve our goal here today as a platoon and at the company level.”

The Soldier’s objective on this day is to move as a platoon, using tried and true

Soldiers of 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1-160th Infantry, from Fullerton, California, move into the assembly area prior to conducting a platoon attack live-fire exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett on June 12. The exercise tests the ability of the unit to fire and maneuver on an objective to accomplish the core mission of the infantry – close with and destroy the enemy. Photo by Capt. Cody Gallo

Into the breach Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment assault the objective during A.T.

ABOVE LEFT : The assault and breach squads of 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1-160th Infantry, based in Fullerton, California, bound forward and provide covering fire during a platoon attack live-fire exercise held at Fort Hunter Liggett on June 12. ABOVE RIGHT: Sgt. 1st Class Darren Toedt, platoon sergeant for 3/A 1-160th Infantry and member of the Riverside Sheriff ’s Department, issues commands to his platoon following a live-fire attack exercise Fort Hunter Liggett on June 12. Photos by Capt. Cody Gallo

continued on page 9

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infantry tactics to breach an obstacle and attack the en-emy. Before the troops assault the hill, they would need a little help to gain the advantage.

A mantra for infantrymen since the beginning of their training states, “always initiate contact with the most casualty-producing weapon.” A Delta Company section pulled their gun trucks into defilade to give a coordinated and overwhelming sup-port-by-fire attack to the rifle platoon. Truck-mounted machine guns initiated contact at the onset of the assault.

After the onslaught of rounds decimated the hilltop objec-tive, the breach and assault squads charged from the final covered and concealed position of a hill toward whatever remained of the enemy.

The 1-160th Infantry’s platoon- and company-sized assault proves vital because it mirrors the intensity and concen-tration of the real-life operations they could encounter together if deployed to a combat zone.

Major Chris Walter, Executive Officer, 1-160th Infantry, stressed to his men the importance of situational aware-ness when it comes to operating on a platoon- and com-pany-level assault because of the coordination required with units to the left and right.

“If this was a real scenario I’m going to send a Company, that’s how we get things done effectively,” continued Walter, “and you’ll have platoons operating on either flank.”

Once the pinging sounds of the rounds impacting the metal targets subsided, the assault and breach squads bounded toward the hilltop objective, using dirt berms for cover and implementing individual movement tactics

(IMTs) to move toward the enemy and neutralize all threats. Once the gunfire ceased and the enemy lay defeated, the Soldiers faced another challenge – save one of their battle buddies’ life. Adding to the harsh realism and all-too-likely scenario of actual combat operations, the Infantry Soldiers along with a combat medic assessed a simulated casualty with a “gunshot wound to the armpit.” The pla-toon setup 360 degree security positions around the in-jured sergeant as his teammates buddy-carried him to the relative safety of a trench to provide combat life saving procedures and call in a nine-line MEDEVAC request, a message sent to aircraft crew notifying them of a casualty in need of airlift to a hospital.

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…” Shakespeare continued in Henry V, and 3/A, 1-160th Infan-try will return the next day to propel one another through the intense but necessary training yet again, understand-ing that the pain they feel now may save the life of their brothers-in-arms downrange.

‘breach’ from page 6


The U.S. Army’s Dismounted Soldier Training System located on Fort Hunter Liggett is located off the beaten path and in a building that could be in an episode of Storage Wars. Inside, however, sits more than a half million dollars of the latest vir-tual war gaming gadgetry.

During their annual training on June 11, three cavalry scouts from the California National Guard’s Alpha Troop, 1st Squad-ron, 18th Cavalry Regiment, based out of Ontario, walked in and Joe Ping, the su-pervisor for the U.S. Army Reserve base’s Training Aids, Devices, Simulation & Sim-ulators facility, got them started on the Call for Fire program.

“As scouts this is a significant part of what we do so any chance to practice this skill is a good thing,” said Capt. Josiah Faber, the incoming commander, as he peered through binoculars at a projected battle-field on a wall screen. “We find the enemy, report it and strike when we can and retro-grade out of there.”

Each Soldier drew up a range card, plot-ted their points using a map and protractor and called in their fire mission.

“Enemy vehicle in the open,” shouted Spc. Nefftali Guillen, a maintenance technician for Toyota when not sneaking and peeking around for the enemy in the woods.

“Send it,” said the Call for Fire instructor. Guillen timidly rambles off coordinates, which are entered and the instructor push-es the fire button.

“Splash over,” said the instructor finishing the sequence. The artillery round struck the ground near the target but did little dam-age.

Guillen quickly learned his mistake, made a slight correction and called in death from above.

“Fire for effect.”

“Target destroyed,” said the instructor as the three scouts, staring at seven black plumes of smoke on the screen, admired their virtual dirty work.

“Way better than the classroom instruc-tion,” said Guillen, as his team exited the simulator. “To be able to see the results and make on the spot corrections helps make the entire [call for fire] process clearer."

“What is that and can we have a go?” asked Faber staring at the DSTS like a kid spotting a new video game at the arcade.

In the most basics terms the DSTS is a system you wear that turns you into an avatar on a virtual battlefield. After strap-ping on a helmet, goggles, earphones, a computer backpack, and motion sensors on your arms, legs and shooting finger, you then grab a real looking play gun and stand on a padded foam circle to begin a scenario.

According to Joe, the DSTS has around 20 scenarios based on what Soldiers have faced during a deployment and he can custom build one to fit a unit’s need. The gaming tool isn’t just for combat arms troops. With its React to IED setting it can test the nerves of motor transport opera-tors during a convoy and those who con-duct presence patrols.

“Let’s go with the Defend the [Forward Operating Base] scenario,” said Sgt. Sam-uel Crook. “That way we get more ac-tion.”

Once suited up and looking like extras on the set of “Starship Troopers,” the three men lowered their visors and were virtually transported thousands of miles away to a desert-colored walled fortress in Afghanistan. Joe puts them through a few drills to help them understand their movements and weapon system and then the battle began.

Triggers were pulled. They spun and took a knee a few times. The sounds of battle echoed in the warehouse from mounted

speakers. Muffled curses were heard and a look of deep concentration was etched on each face. Enemy fighters dropped but each wave of attack got harder. Their ava-tars died. A lot. Joe watched the carnage from his command center.

“The FOB scenario is actually meant for three squads, not three people,” Joe said. “I have the AI setting on low but it doesn’t matter. If a unit brings enough troops one squad can go against another eliminat-ing the need for the AI. The [opposition force] gets really tough then because they know what you know.”

“It’s really cool but very disorienting at first,” said Crook, a freelance web de-signer. “It does help reinforce skills,” he continued while he removed his suit.

"The enemy was all over the place and it

took time to maneuver and engage but with more practice this would be a great tool to use," said Guillen.

"This is something I'd recommend my troops going through," said Faber, a Deputy Sheriff with Los Angeles County. "Even though it looks like a video game you shouldn't treat it as such. This could really benefit Soldiers and add another dimension of training and preparedness."

Becoming a member of the “Starship Troopers” mobile infantry and training in the virtual world is trending as the wave of the future. Faber, Crook and Guillen were among the first California Army National Guard’s Soldiers to use this resource. More than 200 Golden State Warriors have since added their own plumes of smoke and sent their avatars into battle.

First-person shooter Cavalry scouts battle digital enemies in Virtual Battlefield Arena

LEFT: Sgt. Samuel Crook, a freelance web designer, Capt. Josiah Faber, a L.A. County Deputy Sheriff, and Spc. Nefftali Guillen, maintenance technician for Toyota, are suited up to take on 3D battles in the virtual world of the Dismounted Soldier Training System located at Fort Hunter Liggett. TOP RIGHT: A screen shot from the Dismounted Soldier Training System. BOTTOM RIGHT: Sgt. Samuel Crook is suited up to take on 3D battles in the virtual world of the Dis-mounted Soldier Training System. Photos by Master Sgt. Paul Wade

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Sgt. Samuel Crook, top, Capt. Josiah Faber, middle, and Spc. Nefftali Guil-len, with Troop A, 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry Regiment, are suited up while using the Dismounted Soldier Training System at Fort Hunter Liggett, Cal-ifornia during annual training, June 6-20. Photo by Master Sgt. Paul Wade

Pvt. Steven Diaz, Bravo Battery,

1-143rd Field Artillery, pulls

landing zone security as a

CH-47F Chinook helicopter from

Bravo Company, 1-126th Avia-

tion Regiment takes off after

sling loading an M119A3 105mm Howitzer at Fort

Hunter Liggett, California on

June 15. Photo by Capt. Cody

Gallo

Soldiers from the Headquarters Company of the California National Guard’s 3-140th Aviation Battalion conduct Army Warrior Tasks and Bat-tle Drills at the urban assault course on Camp Roberts on on June 9. Photo by Sgt. First Class Benjamin Cossel

A t a G l a n c e

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Cal Guard Soldiers receive their combat patch on the Fourth of July in Afghanistan where they are participating in Operation Resolute Support. The Soldiers came together from 14 different Cal Guard units and are organized into a derivative unit of the 224th Sustainment Brigade. Their mission is to train, advise and assist logistical elements of the Afghanistan National Security Force. Courtesy photo

A Soldier from Bravo Company, 1-160th Infantry, takes a knee on a security halt during a company attack mission at annual training with the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, on June 16. Photo by Capt. Cody Gallo

Cal Guardsmen assigned to the 184th Infantry Battalion conduct night fire operations on Camp Roberts during their annual training, June 6-20. The Soldiers use their 120 mm mortars to light up the midnight sky with illumination and high explosive rounds. Photo by Master Sgt. Paul Wade

The Soldiers of Gun Three, Alpha Battery, 1-143rd Field Artillery, from Lodi, California, wait for the call to conduct a coordinated illlumination mission during annual training at Camp Roberts, California, on June 12. Photo by Capt. Cody Gallo

Cadet Gabriella Perez gives a shout-out to Cal Guard Sunburst Youth ChalleNGe Academy cadre and fellow cadets during a June 1 event at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Photo by Brandon Honig

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By SGT. NADINE WHITE69th Public Affairs Detachment

The summer months are the peak season at the California Army National Guard’s main training base, Camp Roberts. For two weeks, brigade-sized swarms of Sol-diers are stationed here to complete their annual training requirements. Which means it’s also the busiest time of year for the base’s longest-running, non-mili-tary eating establishment, the California Guard Dog BBQ shack.

What was originally a small, one-man run hot dog stand, the “Guard Dog,” as it’s most commonly called, has grown in size and popularity over the years. Start-ed in 2008 by Richard Squier, a Vietnam veteran, Guard Dog has never waivered in its service to the troops.

“He’s really the reason why it took off,” said Spencer Churchill, Squier’s son-in-law and the current Guard Dog manager and BBQ master. “He started out just staying here on base, every day from 1:30 to 5:30; seven days a week he’d be here selling hot dogs.”

Soldiers caught on to the quality of home-style grilled hot dogs, polish sau-sages and hot links, and eventually the small hot dog cart was overwhelmed with customers. In 2012, Churchill built the permanent Guard Dog shack locat-ed on California Avenue and expanded the menu to include tri-tip, chicken and sides of rice and beans.

“I pretty much turned it into a year-round thing,” said Churchill. “We’re open every day during AT and we don’t put the hours on the building. We’ll stay open until the food runs out or the Sol-diers stop coming.”

Even though they grill an average of 48 tri-tip steaks a day, and plenty of hot dogs and chicken beyond that, the food usually runs out before the Soldiers turn away. During annual training, a platoon-sized element of Soldiers is typi-cally lined up around the Guard Dog pa-tio, and the grill is constantly manned. Churchill and his staff’s dedication to serving the troops with appetizing, qual-

ity food is evident.

“The food is so good,” said Spc. Trey Hamilton, an IT specialist with the 115th Regional Support Group, between bites of a tri-tip “Guam bomb,” a mixture of meat, rice and beans. “It’s nice to take a break from Army food and MREs; I eat here multiple times when I’m here.”

It’s not uncommon for Soldiers to be frequent visitors of Guard Dog, and Churchill values the relationships he has with his customers.

“It’s cool, I’ll stand at the window, I’ll talk with the Soldiers and they’ll be talk-

ing about how they’re mobilizing,” said Churchill. “Then 9 months later, they’ll be back and it’s exciting to see how their deployments went.”

Many Soldiers admit that Guard Dog is the one thing they look forward to when training at Camp Roberts. Churchill takes pride in offering the troops a little bite of barbequed goodness while they’re here and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come.

“We’re here for the troops,” he said. “We’re here for the Soldiers. Anything that we can do to make AT just a little bit better, we’ll try our hardest.”

By SGT. NADINE WHITE69th Public Affairs Detachment

Infrastructure is typically out of sight, out of mind; that is, until it stops serving the very people who ignore it.

Due to California’s current severe drought conditions, water has become a popular and sensitive subject. During the summer months at Camp Roberts, annual train-ing significantly increases the amount of troop traffic and consequently the amount of water use and consumption on the post. Fortunately, the base has made a continu-ous effort in recent years to implement and maintain a comfortable, self-sustaining sys-tem for water collection and distribution, ultimately keeping the resource readily available to troops.

In order for the California Army National Guard’s training operations to run smooth-ly during annual training, the facilities, grounds and utilities have to be in ade-quate working order. John Morrow, Senior Environmental Scientist at the Camp Rob-erts Department of Public Works, tracks the methods used to protect and efficiently disperse the base water supply, along with other environmental concerns.

“During annual training, our water con-sumption goes up, but it doesn’t tax our resources,” said Morrow. “To prepare for the higher number of Soldiers, we just have

to run the wells more and keep the tanks full.”

Operating its own water treatment system, Camp Roberts has four active water wells, each capable of producing 500 gallons of water each minute. The wells pump drink-able water into three tanks, which when combined hold up to 2 million gallons.

However, having this abundance of water available to the base hasn’t slowed the ef-forts to minimize water waste and update the base infrastructure.

“One of the main ways we’re constantly making improvements in water conser-vation are utilities modernizations,” ex-plained Mark Williams, the Camp Roberts Training Sites Environmental Lead. “The barracks remodel, new bathrooms, new showers, new water lines - those are less likely to leak and are more water efficient than the 1941 versions that we had.”

Along with the updated, low-flowing bath-room fixtures, the barracks’ air condition-ing units also received an environmentally friendly upgrade that the troops can appre-ciate.

“The A/C systems we used before were all swamp coolers and those all used water,” said Williams. “Now we use regular refrig-eration units, which are more efficient and pleasantly more effective.”

Soldiers can also help save water while they’re on base by just practicing their nor-mal, at-home water conservation routines. Those include taking quicker showers, not running the water while brushing teeth, washing adequate loads of laundry, and not washing vehicles unless absolutely paramount to mission success.

Another aspect of the base water produc-tion that further supports troop care, as well as water consumption, is the drink-ing-water treatment system. All water pumped through the base wells is treated, tested and maintained for drinkability.

“The one thing we don’t want to limit is the drinking water,” Williams said. “More than anything, we make sure the troops stay hydrated.”

Camp Roberts is a public water system, regulated by the state of California. Wa-ter samples are taken twice each month to make sure it doesn’t contain a long list of chemicals. The base publishes a consumer confidence report annually, which is a summary of the previous year’s monitor-ing.

Morrow, Williams and their proactive en-vironmental science teams are constantly exploring new ways to help improve Camp Roberts’ energy and resource yield. By incrementally improving the over-all water conditions, they don’t foresee

a need for drastic changes to the water system or levels on base. Consequently, the Soldiers stationed here during annual training needn’t worry about water and can focus on their top priority: training for their state and overseas missions.

Proactive efforts minimize water worries on Camp Bob

The Camp Roberts Well 3 release valve is one of five release valves used to pump ground wa-ter for use on Camp Roberts and for water reserves. Water conservation is a priority on the camp. Photo by Sgt. Nadine White

LEFT: Richard Squier, a Vietnam veteran, takes an order from a Soldier at his popular Guard Dog BBQ shack during Annual Training 2015. Squier has been serving up hot dogs, Pol-ish sausages and tri-tip sandwiches on Camp Roberts since 2008. His offerings are a popular alternative to MREs during training. ABOVE: A Soldier prepares his “Guard Dog” for con-sumption at Camp Roberts during Annual Training 2015. Photos by Sgt. Nadine White

Guard Dog BBQ an annual training establishmentVietnam veteran Richard Squier serves up hot dogs, Polish sausages and tri-trip to hungry troops at Camp Roberts

13


By BRANDON HONIGCalifornia Military Department Public Affairs

Visitors to the California Army National Guard’s two-week annual training ses-sion at Camp Roberts may witness some rare sights — a howitzer dangling from a helicopter, mortars fired under cover of night, remotely operated weapons or even a truck rodeo. But none is more rare than a small purple flower found only at Camp Bob and its nearby Army cousin Fort Hunter Liggett.

The environmental experts at Camp Rob-erts care for 32 protected, threatened or endangered species, including the bald eagle, vernal pool fairy shrimp and bur-rowing owl. All of those species, though, are also known to live somewhere “off post,” meaning they don’t depend so heavily on Camp Roberts for survival.

“The purple amole is not very well-un-derstood yet,” said Jeanne E. Mayer, an environmental scientist at Camp Roberts. “We are in communication with the scien-tists at Fort Hunter Liggett, who we share information with. … We are contributing to the scientific knowledge of the plant.”

When the purple amole, a perennial of the Agavaceae family, was first identified at Camp Roberts in 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said to stay away from the habitat year-round to protect it. Experience at Camp Roberts since then, however, has shown that allowing mili-tary training there during the late sum-mer — when the bulb is dormant under-ground — can benefit the purple amole by reducing the presence of competing plant species. Camp Roberts’ environ-

mental staff now even uses controlled fires to eliminate competing plants while the bulb is dormant.

Those prescribed fires may help the 4- to 16-inch-tall plant survive, but other kinds of blazes pose a real threat to the plant also known as Chlorogalum purpureum.

“Because of the clumped and limited dis-tribution of the purple amole in a semiar-id environment, a wildfire could destroy a substantial portion of the population,” Fish and Wildlife warned in a 2008 re-port. The authors suggested that efforts should be made to find additional purple amole habitats in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.

The purple amole is currently found at three sites on Fort Hunter Liggett and only one site on Camp Roberts, with 19 miles separating the two. Camp Roberts, though, is home to most of the world’s purple amole plants, with more than 250,000 on about 215 acres in the rain shadow of the Santa Lucia Range. (The largest purple amole habitat on Fort Hunter Liggett was estimated to have 10,000 plants in 2000).

The purple amole also once grew in the flat upland areas near Camp Roberts and Fort Hunter Liggett, but grazing and de-velopment have depleted the population, Camp Roberts’ environmental staff said. The two Army bases — two of the area’s only properties that are not subject to farming or development — have there-fore become de facto preservation areas.

The extreme rarity of purple amole habi-tats makes it a special case for the Army,

but Mayer said the Army’s efforts to look after the plant are not unusual: The Army is very conscious of protected species on its installations and makes strong efforts to support them.

“I’m new to the Department of the Army,” said Mayer, who began working at Camp Roberts in November, “but the Army re-ally wants to instill a conservation ethic from the top all the way to the bottom. It’s been very proactive in many ways.”

Army installations, in fact, follow higher conservation standards than are required of other landholders, said Mark E. Wil-liams, environmental lead for Camp Rob-erts. Partly that’s because military lead-ers want to be good stewards and support biological diversity, but that’s not their only motivation.

“If we were to lose this facility,” Williams said of Camp Roberts, “where would we find another 42,000 acres to train our military units? … Our goal is to benefit the troops by protecting the environment and [consequently] reducing training re-strictions.”

The restrictions on Camp Roberts rarely have a major effect on training. In 2003, for instance, a pair of bald eagles got spooked by artillery shells near their roost. The Environmental Office re-sponded by closing some artillery points, merely pushing the training event down the road.

The sound of artillery, of course, would startle almost any species, and Williams said the bald eagles at Camp Roberts rarely get spooked by anything else. One eagle nest is only a mile from a small arms range, and the birds appear to be habituated to the environment.

“They’ve been seen flying around during training and seem unbothered,” Williams said, adding that the base’s controlled fires don’t seem to upset the majestic birds either. “They’ve gotten used to it.”

Camp Roberts has implemented night-time speed limits to protect wildlife; eliminated some poisons and pesticides; and prohibited hunting with lead ammu-nition to protect the California condor,

which eats carcasses. The post also curbs off-road driving in certain areas; restricts digging near pools and streams; and re-quires careful surveys prior to any exca-vation, to ensure the safety of protected animals — and of cultural sites.

In addition to myriad plants and animals, the history of Camp Roberts’ land in-cludes many generations of Native Amer-icans, who left behind a building founda-tion and a variety of tools and household items.

“I think of us as being like the National Park Service or the U.S. Forest Service — but with tanks. We have the same level of environmental requirements, ” Williams said. “If you see an arrowhead, call us, so we can manage it, curate it and take care of it.”

With more than 3,000 Soldiers descend-ing on Camp Roberts at once for annual training this June, and so many living and cultural resources to protect on post, one might think the influx would be an environmental headache. But Camp Rob-erts’ experts say they’re well-prepared to handle the traffic.

“The biggest component is the disposal of [dirty] water, which requires some coor-dination with each of the different units out there,” Williams said. “The Army National Guard was very proactive about planning in advance with us, so we don’t foresee any problems.”

Purple amole’s last standCamp Roberts protects 32 rare species, including a rare flower

ABOVE: The purple amole is known to exist only two places in the world: the California Army National Guard training base Camp Roberts and nearby Army Reserve base Fort Hunter Liggett. Photo by Amy Millan BELOW LEFT: The bald eagles on Camp Roberts are used to the military training activities. Photo by Michael L. Moore

By MASTER SGT. SHARON SHINNCalifornia Facilities and Engineering

The Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (TUAS) facility located at the McMillan Air Field on Camp Roberts, was named a Leadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design (LEED) Gold certified facility. This is the California Military Department’s first LEED certified con-struction project. Managed by the Fa-cilities and Engineering, Military Con-struction (MILCON) team, the two-year project was designed and engineered by Leidos, Inc. and constructed by Red Mountain, LLC.

LEED is a facility sustainability rating sys-tem established by the U.S. Green Build-ing Council, which has four certification levels for new construction – Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

The ‘LEED Gold’ level was achieved by earning additional points, beyond design, for exemplary performance in innovation. Specific innovations included maximizing open green space, exceeding the require-ments for manufactured recycled content, and exceeding the requirements for re-newable energy, all at no additional cost to the government. Some notable sustain-able facility features are a photovoltaic

system, a water well, a geothermal piping system, and a 5,000 gallon water retention cistern that reuses rainwater for irriga-tion. The infrared heating uses propane gas, and the maintenance hangar is cooled using a swamp cooler. Site improvements also include drought tolerant landscap-ing, using hardscape and plants native to the local environment. For all intents and purposes, the TUAS is a self-sustaining facility.

Maj. Lorren T. Deakin, Construction Facil-ities Management Officer for Facilities and Engineering, said, “This is an exceptional and timely accomplishment by the entire

project team. The energy and water saving features incorporated into this facility to achieve LEED Gold will save these valu-able resources and demonstrate our inno-vative path into the future for facilities.“

The TUAS became home to Detachment 1, Company D, 578th Brigade Engineer Bat-talion (TUAS) in April 2014. Chief War-rant 2 Mitchell S. Veino, UAS Operations Officer, said, “By having this facility, we don't lose time due to the emplacing and displacing of equipment. The facility al-lows the unit to maximize their training time by providing a place and means to conduct classes and flight training.”

Camp Roberts Tactical Unmanned Aerial System Project earns gold

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By SGT. BRIANNE ROUDEBUSH69th Public Affairs Detachment

More than 150 California Army and Air National Guard members from across the state participated in Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 on the Hawaiian Is-lands May 31-June 8.

VG/MP15 is a large-scale, multi-agency training exercise designed to improve collaborative efforts in response to do-mestic emergencies. The scenario, a hur-ricane that wreaked havoc on four of the Hawaiian Islands, required National Guard units from multiple states to team up with local, state and federal agen-cies in order to protect life, property and critical infrastructure and to provide hu-manitarian assistance and disaster relief in the wake of the hurricane.

“The reason it’s important [to conduct this type of training] is that if there is a state emergency of this magnitude, we can almost certainly bet that we will re-quest help from other states,” Col. Peter Cross, the commander of the 49th Mili-tary Police Brigade (Homeland Response Force), said. “It fosters and builds rela-tionships and simulates what will really happen if there is a disaster.”

The 9th Civil Support Team out of Los Alamitos, California assessed the threats and resources needed at the different training sites, the 330th MP Company Casualty Assistance and Support Ele-ment out of Ontario, California provided security for the contaminated areas, and the 49th MP Brigade (HRF) out of Fair-field, California provided the mission control element over the CSTs, CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Packages, and the CASE.

In the HRF’s tactical operations center, Soldiers and Airmen manning phones and computer monitors ensured opera-tional success. They tracked the scope of the disaster as well as each unit’s loca-tion, mission requirements, supplies and any issues encountered.

“Especially in this high-tempo environ-ment, whether it’s training or real-world, tracking information from higher and lower echelons is very important,” said Spc. Corinne Coleman, a human resource specialist with the 185th MP Battalion,

Headquarters Headquarters Detach-ment. “We need to track everything and close loops so we aren’t degrading the mission or letting our Soldiers down in the process.”

During this exercise, junior enlisted and junior officers were given the opportu-nity to run the show; they were in charge of running the day-to-day operations within the TOC.

Coleman, who has participated in a HRF exercise before on the search and extrac-tion team, said working in the operations center has been an eye-opening experi-ence. She was able to see how each ech-elon worked together and gain a clearer understanding of why each team oper-ates the way it does.

“This is a no-fault learning environ-ment,” Coleman said. “I was prepared to learn whatever I was tasked to do. Now when mistakes do happen, we know how to correct ourselves, not overreact, and quickly adjust fire.”

Major Isaac Bristow, the senior logistics officer for the brigade, agreed that the exercise was an ideal opportunity to pro-

vide training to junior personnel.

“Junior enlisted personnel need to be able to fill in the gaps in the absence of senior leadership,” he said. “To do that, they have to have a good foundation of what a senior does in order to step in to that role.”

Junior personnel need to be able to com-petently and successfully run the daily operations to allow senior leaders to en-gage in the planning process.

Cross said it helps keep the integrity of the mission when the junior enlisted and junior officers handle the day-to-day op-erations, allowing the senior staff to plan and focus on future operations.

“This exercise, more than any other ex-ercise, showcased our ability to do that,” Cross said. “Our junior enlisted and ju-nior officers really were the all stars for this particular mission.”

Members of the 149th Combat Communi-cations Squadron, an Air National Guard unit out of North Highlands, California, and the 42nd MP Brigade, and active-du-ty unit out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, were also invited to partici-pate in the training. They augmented the 49th MP Brigade in the tactical opera-tions center.

The 149th Combat Communications Squadron operated the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability, which provided satellite communications dur-ing operations.

“This simulates a real-world scenario in the event that cell towers go down,” 1st Lt. Steve Januario, the communica-tions officer in charge with 149th, said. “The unit will still need the capability to communicate with the different islands, teams and the joint task force.”

This was the first time the 149th support-ed the HRF.

“It was been a good experience working

with the Army to learn how they oper-ate,” he said. “It has been very beneficial for us to build these relationships in the event that a disaster does occur.”

Two members of the 42nd MP Brigade, Capt. Christina Tamayo and Sgt. 1st Class Adam Gossens acted as the chief and deputy of assessment and protec-tion. The active-duty unit does not usu-ally participate in HRF missions. They said they conduct similar training, but it is not usually disaster-based. They were able to learn a lot about the HRF mission and the different terminology used.

In a real-world incident, the 42nd would be the HRF’s active-duty counterpart. They were able to share their knowledge and capabilities with each other.

“Our intent was for all of us to work to-gether to help increase our cooperation between the components and establish a shared understanding,” Capt. Amber Luchtefeld, the brigade adjutant for the personnel section.

The ability for different Army and Air National Guard units as well as active-duty and civilian personnel to work to-gether was a critical component of the VG/MP15 exercise.

“They are dealing with a real-world situ-ation right now in Texas,” Sgt. Maj Cari Beetham, the brigade’s operations ser-geant major, said. “They need us to be able to handle these disasters. There is a real need for us to be able to support or civil authorities and our citizens.

Cross echoed theses sentiments and thanked Brig. Gen. Bruce Oliviera and the Hawaii National Guard for including California in the exercise.

“We would not be able to manage an emergency without or state partners,” Cross said. “By Hawaii inviting us, they are highlighting and emphasizing the importance of state partnerships and we look forward to working with them in the future.”

Vigilant Guard: Training for disaster responseThe Cal Guard’s Homeland Response Force trains in Hawaii in multi-state, multi-agency exercise

LEFT: An engineer with A Company, 227th Brigade Engineer Battalion, learns how to use an electric drill to breach a barrier as part of search and extraction exercises June 3 during Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 on Oahu, Hawaii. RIGHT: Spc. Marielle Abueg and Pfc. Ileen Vergilio, Soldiers with the 330th Military Police Company Casualty Assistance and Support Element, gear up to conduct rehearsals June 2 at Bellows Air Force Sta-tion on Oahu in preparation for the main Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 exercise June 4. The white decontamination suits are practice suits made of a lighter-weight and more breathable material to allow soldiers to train for longer periods of time. Photos by Sgt. Brianne Roudebush

LEFT: Sgt. Andrew Bituin and Spc. Jonathan Iniguez participate in Vigilant Guard June 2 at Bellows Air Force Station on Oahu, Hawaii. ABOVE: Airmen with the 60th Aerial Port Squadron out of Travis Air Force Base and the 165th Airlift Wing out of Savannah, Georgia, load a Humvee into a C-130 headed for Ha-waii for the Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015. Photos by Sgt. Brianne Roudebush

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Surrounded by officers, senior enlisted noncommis-sioned officers, and Soldiers with years of experience, Spc. Erika Holmes, a supply specialist with the 49th Military Police Brigade (Homeland Response Force) jumped right into the action during her first annual training event, Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 on the Hawaiian Islands May 31-June 8.

“She hit the ground running,” Sgt. Tami Watson, the property book HRF noncommissioned officer in charge for the 49th MP Brigade, said. “She asked a lot of ques-tions and was actively engaged.”

Holmes was part of the logistics team during the exer-cise. Using digital and analog maps and charts as well as a joint task force portal for communication, the lo-gistics team coordinated and tracked the supplies re-quired by subordinate units.

“I haven’t done anything like this before,” Holmes said. “This is totally all new stuff so I’m becoming comfortable with asking questions and not being afraid to speak up if I don’t understand.”

Holmes, who says she is naturally a shy person, sur-prised everyone when she decided to enlist in the Army National Guard during her sophomore year of high school. She said it was her dad who encouraged her to join the military.

“He wanted me to be able to get out and explore the world,” the 20-year-old said. “He knows I’m shy and he wanted me to have those experiences.”

She chose to do the split-training option: attending basic between her junior and senior year and then re-

turning to complete the rest of her job training after graduation.

Her first drill with the 49th MP Brigade was Dec. 2013. Overall, she said she has had a very positive experience in the Army so far.

Both Watson and her supervisor, Master Sgt. Paul Bauer, commended her for her great attention to de-tail.

“She has done very well,” Bauer, the brigade logis-tics noncommissioned officer in charge, said. “She didn’t know anything about [the HRF] at all but she has picked it up quickly and she accomplishes the tasks she’s given 100 percent.”

Holmes, a nursing school student at Sierra College, has enjoyed working with the HRF.

“I had never heard about these different types of units, so when I came into a HRF unit, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” the Roseville, Calif. resident said. “I think it’s cool that we would be one of the first units to help with natural disasters in our region.”

Throughout the exercise, she has learned about the dif-ferent terminology used in disaster response as well as the structure of the HRF and how the different teams work together to accomplish the mission.

The logistics section was given the opportunity to get out of the command center for an afternoon to tour some of the training sites in order to have a clearer understanding of the roles that the search and extrac-tion teams, the decontamination teams and the medical teams have in a disaster response.

Holmes said the tour was very beneficial in that it pro-vided her with a visual picture of what was happening outside the operations center.

“It’s good to get this experience because we don’t usu-ally do this kind of training during drill weekend,” she said. “If we were to be called to a real-world mission and hadn’t gone through these exercises, we would have no idea what to expect.”

Watson, who worked closely with Holmes throughout the exercise, said Holmes had a good grasp on the ex-ercise as a whole. She appreciated that Holmes was a team player and was very competent at applying her skills to the tasks given.

“She’s pretty excited and eager to learn,” Watson said. “She doesn’t wait around for someone to tell her what to do, which is important because we move so fast and there are lots of bit and pieces to track so we need peo-ple who work hard like she does.”

Spc. Erika Holmes, a supply specialist with the 49th Military Police Brigade, takes a tour of the search and extraction sites and the decontamination sites June 4 at Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 in Oahu, Hawaii. Photo by Sgt. Brianne Roudebush

Soldier rises to the occassion at first A.T.


"JAG," the TV series that ran for 10 years, between 1995 and 2005, served as many people’s first and only look into the roles and responsibilities of the Judge Advocate General. During disaster response training however, the JAG’s role is less criminal in-vestigation and more legal consultation.

Six JAG members with the 49th Military Police Brigade (Homeland Response Force) participated in the Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 exercise in Hawaii May 31 through June 8.

Their role during the exercise was to lend their experience to the Hawaiian counter-parts.

“We bring a good amount of operational law knowledge due to our experience with emergencies in California as well as work-ing with the HRF,” Maj. Christopher Weav-er, the command judge advocate, said.

The team was responsible for researching legal authorities for the deployment of the HRF outside California, preparing docu-ments and legal memos, and ensuring that

all units understand the rules for the use of force in Hawaii.

Their main effort was focused on provid-ing legal guidance and support to the com-mander.

“If JAG was not present at these types of trainings, we may not to be able to see legal ramifications that might be present that we need to consider during operations,” Sgt. 1st Class Bernie Lagasca, the chief parale-gal with Headquarters Headquarters Com-pany, 49th MP Brigade, said.

Operations during VG/MP 15 ran 24 hours a day, and at least one member of the legal team was always present in the tactical op-erations center.

“We need to be able to cover all the shifts so that we can support all aspects of the op-erations,” Lagasca said.

The six-man team consisted of a command judge advocate, attorneys and paralegal specialists.

“The homeland response force JAG is prob-ably the most experienced team in the state of California,” Weaver said. “We get this

experience from doing multiple exercises and because the Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency Region IX is located in California.”

Vigilant Guard/Makani Pahili 2015 is a large-scale, multi-agency exercise designed to improve collaborative efforts in the re-sponse to domestic emergencies. National Guard units from multiple states joined forces with local, state and federal agen-cies to respond to a hurricane that wreaked havoc on the Hawaiian Islands. The train-ing provides an opportunity for less expe-

rienced members to learn how all the com-ponents work together.

“It is important for junior enlisted Soldiers to participate in this type of exercise be-cause they are being exposed to the mission in its entirety instead of being locked down in an office,” Spc. Sean Chaffin, a paralegal specialist with the 49th MP Brigade, said.

Chaffin said his role was to provide re-search and analysis of regulations and policies and to gather information for the attorneys.

Sgt. First Class Bernie Lagasca and Spc. Sean Chaffin attend to legal matters during Vigilant Guard 2015 in Hawaii May 31 through June 8. Six JAG team members with the Cal Guard’s Homeland Response Force participated in the exercise. Photo by Sgt. Brianne Roudebush

Vigilant JAGJudge Advocate General troops give legal guidance to the Cal Guard’s Homeland Response Force

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40th CAB gets ready to rollWarfighter exercise at Fort Hood prepares the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade for upcoming deployment to Kuwait with high-tech simulated combat scenariosBy SGT. IAN KUMMER40th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

Most Soldiers are taught from the very first day of boot camp to “train like you fight.” For most troops, that mantra seems pretty straight-forward. Infantrymen practice foot patrols and room-clearing exercises. Drivers and gunners practice convoy op-erations.

But how does a command team train? How do the Soldiers in a tactical opera-tions center (TOC) practice the command and control of an entire brigade during a combat mission? How can these staff members safely learn how to manage doz-ens of flights, artillery strikes, medevac missions and fuel supply convoys on a real-life battlefield?

The Army’s answer to these questions is the Mission Command Training Program (MCTP). Every year the MCTP networks Army units from around the world in mas-sive combat simulations. These exercises allow the unit commanders and their staff members to navigate the most hazardous scenarios their Soldiers might ever face from the safety of a computer simulation.

One-hundred-and-forty-four men and women from the California Army Nation-al Guard’s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade attended the Warfighter Exercise (WFX) 15-05 at Fort Hood, Texas, June 3-12. This training is a crucial stepping-stone in the CAB’s preparation for a scheduled deploy-ment to Kuwait later this year.

The brigade command team, Col. Jeffrey Holliday and Command Sgt. Maj. Troy Eck, led 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regi-ment on the brigade’s deployment to Iraq in 2010-2011. More than three quarters of the CAB Soldiers have deployed before – now they all must learn their new roles in the new mission.

“This is an opportunity for us to improve our skillsets,” said Pleasant Hill, Califor-nia, resident Spc. Kristen Kaminski, an avi-ation operations specialist from 3rd Battal-ion, 140th Aviation Regiment, 40th CAB. “We have to take these exercises seriously,

it could save someone’s life out there.”

Every Soldier in the TOC, regardless of rank or status, is responsible for being aware of what is going on in the battlefield, and able to take additional responsibilities if needed. Kaminski, who deployed with her battalion to Kosovo in 2012, empha-sized the importance of learning as much as a possible about her own job and the jobs of the Soldiers in the TOC with her.

“You should know your job, the job of the person under you, and the person over you,” Kaminski said. “You have to be able to step into a job when someone steps out.”

During WFX the CAB served as the pri-mary aviation asset for the Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division. Active-duty Soldiers from the 101st Divi-sion Artillery were also present.

“WFX is all about integrating a joint force of reservists and the active component,” said Lt. Col. Rick Debowski, the MCTP operations officer. “Train like you fight.”

The CAB Soldiers got hands-on experi-ence with the tools they will be using dur-ing their mission in Kuwait. For example Command Post of the Future (CPOF), the Army’s primary mission-command soft-ware since 2006, allows the TOC staff and the subordinate battalions to track data ranging from unit locations to significant events, such as medevacs and air strikes. While CPOF is capable of being used to simulate engagements with enemy forces, WFX required something far more sophis-ticated: WARSIM.

WARSIM is not just a video game – it is an in-depth simulation tool that calculates the full logistical consequences of any troop movement or attack. WARSIM calculates the food, ammunition, fuel and other sup-plies consumed by Soldiers and equip-ment throughout the mission, providing real-world training for every section in the TOC.

Unlike most commercial war gaming soft-ware, WARSIM has human role-players for every subordinate unit involved, even en-emies. Informally referred to as “pucks,” battalion commands not physically pres-ent at WFX and enemy units were simulat-ed by Soldiers and civilian contractors in a separate training area from the division TOCs. Every subordinate unit is represent-ed by a real person at a WARSIM station.

“We actually have a thinking opponent that’s moving around enemy units,” said Maj. Daniel Goldsmith, the officer in charge of the brigade’s response cell.

WFX tested the CAB’s ability to provide air support operations against a “near-peer” opponent; an enemy military with training, technology and equipment equal or almost equal to that of the United States. This is an experience completely different from the counter-insurgency operations that the CAB conducted during their de-ployment to Iraq.

“[In the War on Terror], AH-64 Apache

helicopters have deployed in two-aircraft teams – aerial weapons teams – but doc-trinally we would be sending them in pla-toon, company or even battalion-sized el-ements,” said Champaign, Illinois, native 1st Lt. Ryan Close, a platoon commander from 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, 40th CAB, based out of West Jordan, Utah. “In Afghanistan and Iraq we haven’t done that in a long time, but with the wars winding down, we’re getting back to that doctrinal train-ing.”

Close worked as an attack planner in the TOC, an expert in the capabilities of his battalion’s attack helicopters. Staff officers like Close are responsible for keeping the brigade commander informed of his units’ capabilities and limitations during a mis-sion.

“We’re very useful to the brigade and the state if employed properly,” Close said.

But even the staff sections with a routine job stateside become vital during a com-bat mission. The S-1 personnel section is responsible for keeping accountability of every person under the command, and ensuring their administrative needs are taken care of. The S-1 is also responsible for notifying next of kin when a Soldier is killed or wounded.

“We let the commander know what the Soldiers’ limits are, and we make sure the Soldiers have what they need to stay in the fight,” said 1st Lt. Allison Henderson, the personnel officer in charge.

WFX taught the Soldiers of the CAB a lot, but there is still a lot of work and training to be done before they deploy to Kuwait later this year.

“There are whole battalions who aren’t here, we need to take what we learned and pollenate the rest of the brigade,” said Chief Warrant Officer Jeffrey Crandall, the chief warrant officer of the brigade.

LEFT AND RIGHT: Soldiers from the California Army National Guard’s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade tear down their tactical operations center during Warfighter 15-05 at Fort Hood, Texas, on June 12. The 40th CAB participated in the Warfighter exercise in preparation for its scheduled deployment to Kuwait later this year. Photos by Sgt. Ian Kummer

Soldiers from the 36th Infantry Division gather by a map board for a briefing in preparation for a simulated air assault operation during Warfighter 15-05 at Fort Hood, Texas, June 2. The Califor-nia Army National Guard’s 40th CAB participated in the Warfighter exercise in preparation for their scheduled deployment to Kuwait later this year. Photo by Sgt. Ian Kummer

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By MASTER SGT. JULIE AVEYSan Diego Regional Public Affairs

Thousands of miles away in remote Philippine villages there are families who lack access to medication and basic health care. The medical needs of the people in the Philippines are tremendous, especially in the rural areas, where many suf-fer from treatable ailments.

Every January for the past five years, Master Sgt. Cesar Ju-rilla, of the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing Communications Squadron, and his wife Cora travel to these remote loca-tions. They are part of a team of 25-50 doctors, nurses and non-medical assistants who volunteer with the Filipino Ministry of the Diocese San Bernardino in cooperation with Bishop Gerald Barnes Diocese of San Bernardino.

“A goal of the medical mission trip is to discover and redis-cover Filipino roots through indigenous people in the Phil-ippines – to know their health situation and to respond to their medical needs,” said Jurilla.

Most of the patients are kids, mothers and senior citizens be-cause the adult men are working out in the rice fields. How-ever, the volunteers have treated 12-year-old kids in the past with back pains from working in the rice fields before going to school.

The team sets up in one location for a couple of days then moves to another location. About 500 patients are treated each day for anything from infections, headaches, stomach-aches and even malnutrition. At one location, people from four or five villages will seek treatment, with some walking very far distances.

A typical day begins with Jurilla loading all the medicines in the vehicle and driving to the location to set up the different stations so when the doctors, nurses and pharmacy staff ar-rive everything is ready.

“In the mornings, there is a lot of preparation. Non-medical people like me are in charge of logistics and setting up. I help calm the patients and assure them that everyone will be seen. I tell them not to rush and not to push,” he said.

“After they’re seen by the doctor and get their prescriptions, they crowd the pharmacy because they’re afraid they won’t get their medicine. If we run out of medicine for patients, we will donate our personal stuff like aspirin because it’s dif-ficult to refuse villagers who walk two to three hours to get to us, but they arrive late so most of the medicine is gone.”

An inventory of medication is conducted at the end of every day to help determine what will be needed for the next mission.

“After the pharmacy collects the prescriptions we account for what medicine we passed out. At the end of our hot wash we know what was exactly in demand. For example, if high blood pressure meds are not in demand, we can lower the amount for next time. If there was a medicine in short supply, we can buy more the next time. There are always lessons learned,” said Jurilla.

Jurilla has to expect the unexpected sometimes and works with local security to ensure the process runs smoothly and safely. On their first trip, while the volunteers went out to take a group photo, someone stole their antibiotics.

“I have to be aware for safety and security as well. I keep accountability of our doctors, nurses and non-medical people. At the same time I work with the local people, local security and local volunteers because they speak the dialect. I let them know what is needed,” said Jurilla.

Through the assistance of contacts in the Philippines, the team decides where they will set up before making the journey overseas. Local priests survey the locations most in need and assign numbers for the patients to show up at a designated time.

“We don’t want to deal with the red tape and waste time,” said Jurilla. “It is not for us to, say, choose who can or can’t be seen.”

The medical expenses all come from donations and fun-draisers. The expenses for the team members are all out

of pocket.

“We pay our own way to the Philippines,” said Jurilla. “Cora and I spend about $2,100 each, including airfare, lodging and meals.”

As if this is not enough, Jurilla and Cora also purchase additional items to pass out to the patients, such as vita-mins, toothpaste, toothbrushes and flip flops for people who don’t have shoes. “One time we saw some kids go-ing to school carrying their flip flops. They didn’t want them to get dirty or broken in the mud so they would carry them and then wash their feet and put on their new sandals once they arrived at school.”

The Jurillas provide a 30-day supply of vitamins for chil-dren and adults due to the lack of vitamins in their diets and some are malnourished.

“The bad thing is the kids’ vitamins come in Gummy Bears and sometimes they take them all in one day, think-ing the vitamins are candy. Some of the kids came back the next day asking us for more vitamins,” he said.

The volunteers often stay with local host families due to very few lodging facilities in the remote areas. Some of the places they visit have been severely damaged from typhoons or earthquakes over the years, destroying some crops.

“We brought canned goods to our host families. We carry our own stuff so I brought canned Vienna sausages which is lighter. They were so happy – it was like Christmas for them. This family was so nice they shared it with other rela-tives. They appreciate the little things in life. You wouldn’t think it was much, but to them it is,” said Jurilla.

The volunteers often share their snacks and on one trip Ju-rilla shared beef jerky. Jurilla said “To my surprise one of the kids saved it to share with his family to have meat with their dinner. This is how much they appreciate.”

Jurilla was born in the Philippines. His father moved the family to the U.S. in order to have a better life.

“Every time we go back we see how fortunate we are. That’s why rediscovering our roots and giving back to the community is important - we feel grateful,” he said. “Some of the people are afraid to approach us but I explain to them that I was born there and grew up there. I tell them anything is possible. My dad grew up here on a farm.

“It feels good giving back. People approach me and say, ‘Thank you for being here for us. Now, instead of buying medicine we can buy food.’ It feels good.”

Master Sgt. Cesar Jurilla poses with local children during a vol-unteer medical mission in the Philippines. Photo courtesy of the Jurilla family

Airman volunteers abroadMaster Sgt. Cesar Jurilla of the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing helps those in need in the Philippines

By SGT. IAN KUMMER40th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

The California National Guard's 1st Battalion, 140th Avia-tion Regiment, conducted aerial gunnery training with their UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, July 17-19.

The battalion is scheduled to deploy to Kuwait later this year. The 1-140th is part of the Cal Guard's 40th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), which plans to deploy more than 1,000 California Guard soldiers to Kuwait this fall. They will be joined by 40th CAB members from Utah.

"It is important for [the Soldiers] to know their job well," said Staff Sgt. Evelina Gamboa, a petroleum specialist with the battalion.

The 40th CAB deployed to Iraq in 2011, when it flew more

than 19,000 missions and logged more than 121,000 flight-hours. More than 75 percent of the CAB soldiers slated to deploy this year are veterans of previous deployments.

"I am pleasantly surprised and thrilled from what I have seen [at the gunnery event] so far," said 1st Army Com-mand Sgt. Major J. T. Hall.

The 43,000-acre Camp Roberts in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties is the premier training facility in Cali-fornia for National Guard and Reserve military forces. Ele-ments of the 40th CAB will also conduct pre-mobilization training at Camp Roberts in August. This event certified helicopter crews to safely and precisely engage threats on the ground with their M240B machine guns and night vi-sion equipment during their deployment.

"Keep up the good fight, and learn everything you can about your job and the jobs of your fellow Soldiers. Put out

100 percent, and we will have a story we can be proud of," said Col. Jeffrey Holliday, commander of the 40th CAB.

1-140th Aviation Soldiers conduct aerial gunnery training

The Cal Guard’s 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment con-ducts aerial gunnery drills at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, July 16-19. Photo by Sgt. Ian Kummer


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Sunburst puts light back in troubled teens’ eyesBy BRANDON HONIGCalifornia Military Department Public Affairs

Sgt. 1st Class (CA) Timothy Edwards sets the tone right from the beginning. Even before new cadets arrive at Sunburst Youth Chal-leNGe Academy, he lets them know he is not their friend.

“You will not run my program!” Edwards yelled to a group of prospective cadets at a “Roll Call” introductory session on Saturday morning April 25. Pacing in front of a bleach-er full of high school students, Edwards’ pas-sion was evident in his classic drill sergeant demeanor. “Do I look like the kind of person who argues with children?! All that drama, leave it at home, because I do not care.”

Always underlying his bark, however, was the true message he wanted to get across: “If you act right,” he told them, softening his tone, “I will give you the world.”

That promise may sound bombastic, but youths who have gone through Sunburst’s transformative program say Edwards speaks the truth.

“My life was going down the drain [when] I decided to join Sunburst,” Cadet Gabriel-la Perez told a group of youths at a June 1 anti-gang event. “I’m five months into this academy, and I can’t believe how much I’ve changed. … I have become a girl that can achieve anything.”

A unique bondAs an outsider stepping onto the Sunburst campus at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos in June, it doesn’t take long to no-tice the change Perez spoke of.

The 193 cadets living there are dropouts and other youths whose behavioral and academic problems put them in jeopardy of not graduating. They have used alcohol and drugs and had run-ins with the law. But af-ter a few months at Sunburst, they are more

mature, respectful and hard-working than one would ever expect from students their age.

The relationship between sergeant and ca-det has become one of mutual respect and affection by this stage of the program, and both staff and student seem to enjoy every day together.

Even Edwards, the drill sergeant, who refus-es to get involved on a personal level with incoming cadets, says that by the time they graduate, “We’re going to be so close, I’m go-ing to have to hold back tears.”

A commitment to oneselfThe process starts at Roll Call, a series of Saturday morning physical training and drill sessions, where students get a taste of military school life and decide if Sunburst is right for them. A parent can send their child to Roll Call, but Sunburst won’t ac-cept any students into the full program un-less they show they truly want to be part of it.

“Roll Call makes sure you’re mentally and physically prepared for Sunburst,” said Cenaida Morales, who completed the Sun-burst program in December but comes back periodically to volunteer her time. “I real-ized after one Roll Call that I had to make a commitment and I wanted to change.”

The April 25 Roll Call ended at noon, and 20 minutes later, Morales accompanied about 25 of the 120 students to a theater on base to wait for their parents to arrive. The other students had already been picked up, but at 12:40, about 10 were still waiting. The last one’s ride showed up, after several stern phone calls from Sunburst cadre, at 1:27.

“A lot of the time, [the source of the stu-dent’s problem] is where they come from,” Edwards said. “If you have four kids, and they all need to come to Sunburst, there’s

likely something wrong in the home.”

That’s why parenting classes are required for all cadets’ families, and a certificate of comple-tion must be presented to the academy before relatives can attend any Family Day events.

A well-rounded experience At Sunburst, youths get a clean slate and receive the mentoring they need to make a positive change. The program’s first tenet is academic excellence, and cadets are expected to earn a year’s worth of high school credits in 5 1/2 months.

Sunburst is a community high school run by the California National Guard in partner-ship with the Orange County Department of Education (the teachers at Sunburst are typi-cally civilians). Credits earned at Sunburst can be taken back to a student’s home school and applied toward graduation, or a cadet can earn a high school diploma — not just a GED credential — from Sunburst.

“The average incoming cadet has a grade point average around 0.3 to 0.5,” on a four-point scale, according to Sgt. James Thomas, a member of the Sunburst cadre. “But virtu-ally every student when they leave here is earning a 3.5 to a 4.0. They start to learn that they have these capabilities and can be suc-cessful, and they just take off.”

A cadet’s day begins at 5:15 a.m. most days — once or twice a week it’s 4:30. Apart from an hour of free time, each day is fully sched-uled with daily exercise, study and activi-ties until lights out at 9 p.m. Cadets perform community service, receive hands-on voca-tional training and gain resume-building, interviewing and financial skills.

Perhaps most importantly, Sunburst builds character. Cadets are expected to maintain high moral and ethical standards and each cadet learns the qualities of a good leader, follower and team member, then has a chance to lead their fellow cadets.

Through a combination of classroom ac-tivities, group discussions and Sunburst’s structured living environment, students

gain self-esteem and learn to regulate their emotions and employ conflict resolution strategies.

“I have learned discipline, integrity and courage,” Cadet Eric Cobarrubio told about 1,900 nine-to-13-year-olds at the June 1 anti-gang event, which was held at Angel Sta-dium through the Orange County Gang Re-duction Intervention Partnership. “Sunburst has made me believe in myself and my abil-ity to be successful in the tough world we live in.”

Reluctant parting Gary Verge, who completed the Sunburst pro-gram in December, said it felt weird at first to live with people he didn’t know, especially in the barracks-style housing at Sunburst. But as the program went on, “we all came together as a family, as brothers and sisters.”

The shared experiences at Sunburst create friendships that will last a lifetime, he said. The cadets learn from each other’s struggles and understand each other’s challenges, and they grow into adults together.

And they credit the cadre and their teachers for their growth.

“Today when Gary saw the cadre, he got so excited,” Verge’s father, Gary Verge Sr. of the Los Angeles Police Department, said April 22 during another youth mentoring event at Angel Stadium. “When you’re in the military and you see your drill instructor, do you get excited? But these people changed his life.”

Gary Jr. said the cadre were “mean” early in the program, and they pushed the cadets as hard as they could. “But if you take the chal-lenge, they get nicer … as you start doing the right thing.” By graduation, he said, the ca-dets grow to love the cadre and don’t want to leave.

Perhaps the greatest endorsements, though, come from cadets’ happy parents.

“The light came back in Gary’s eyes,” his father said. “And I went from being a very worried parent to a very proud parent.”

The California National Guard’s Sunburst Youth Academy is turning lives around

ABOVE: Sgt. 1st Class (CA) Timothy Edwards, a drill instructor at the Cal Guard’s Sunburst Youth ChalleNGe Academy, explains to pro-spective cadets that he runs the show at Sun-burst, not them. RIGHT: A Sunburst Youth ChalleNGe Academy color guard takes the field for the national anthem sung by Andy Allo at the May 22 game against the Padres at Dodger Stadium. Photos by Brandon Honig

Cadets with the California National Guard’s Sunburst Youth ChalleNGe Academy march on Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos May 11. Photo by Brandon Honig

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A Bradley crewman from 1-185th Combined Arms Battalion keeps watch from atop his Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle on June 16 at Camp Roberts. Photo by Spc. Matthew Dixon

News & benefits

DID YOU KNOW...

Sanctuary/Lock-In is a federal program that protects military members from being separated from military service when they are close to attaining retirement eligibility. Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) Soldiers and Airmen must reach 18 years of Active Federal Service (regular service) for retirement in order to qualify for “Sanctuary” under the authority of 10 U.S. Code 12686(a) - Reserves on Active Duty within two years of retirement eligibility. This applies to AGR Soldiers and Airmen who reach 18 years of Active Federal Service through a combination of Active Duty and AGR service while assigned as a member of the National Guard. AGRs that achieve “Sanctuary” status can only be involuntary separated from service with the approval of the Secretaries of the Army (SA) and Air Force (SAF) or their approved designees.

Enlisted M-Day Soldiers must reach 18 years of National Guard Service (non-regular service) for retirement in order to qualify for “Lock-In” per National Guard Bureau (NGB) and Enlisted Drill Status Guardsmen (DSG). Airmen must reach 18 years of non-regular service for retirement in order to qualify for “Sanctuary” under the authority of 10 U.S. Code 1176(b) - Reserve Members in Active Status. The term “Active Status” means the Reserve Service Member is drilling with their unit and not assigned to either Inactive National Guard (ING) or Individual Ready Reserve (IRR); it does not mean the Service Member is on “active duty.” M-Day Soldiers that achieve “Lock-In” status can only be separated from service with the approval of the Chief, National Guard Bureau. DSG Airmen that achieve “Sanctuary” can only be separated from service with the approval of SAF.

M-Day and DSG Officers must reach 18 years of non-regular service for retirement in order to qualify for “Lock-In” per National Guard Bureau (NGB) under the authority of 10 U.S. Code 12646. AGR Officers must reach 18 years of regular service for retirement in order to qualify for “Sanctuary” under the authority of 10 U.S. Code 12686. The SA and SAF are the sole authorities for approving discharge requests for Officers that obtain 18 but less than 20 years of service for regular and non-regular service for retirement.

Leaders and service members at all levels must understand the difference between “Sanctuary” for regular service for retirement and “Lock-In” for non-regular service for retirement and how the terms apply to the current retirement status of service members. A key takeaway for Soldiers and Airmen to remember is that they can still be involuntary separated while in Sanctuary/Lock-in; however, involuntary separation must be processed according to regulation and approved at the appropriate level.

Training Panel gets vets jobsCalifornia’s Employment Training Panel has approved a contract through its veterans’ program for $199,050 to train and place in jobs 75 unemployed veterans. The program pro-vides veterans with the skills needed to enter the workforce and improves opportunities for advancement in high wage, secure jobs. Since its inception in 2008 as a pilot program, more than 650 veterans have received workforce training through the program.

Veterans who have served on active full-time duty in the Armed Forces and were honor-ably discharged or released from active duty due to a service-connected disability are eligible for training under this contract, as well as reservists who have served on active full-time duty and are still on reserve status.

“California employers recognize the talent and experience our veterans bring to the work-force,” said Stewart Knox, the Employment Training Panel’s Executive Director. “The Em-ployment Training Panel is proud support this program which helps businesses with the demand to train veterans for high wage jobs.”

Under the approved contract, the South Bay Workforce Investment Board will work with the Occupational Safety Councils of America to deliver vocational safety training to meet the demands of the manufacturing, petrochemical and construction industries.

For more info about the program, please visit www.etp.ca.gov, or call 916-327-5368.

Active Guard and Reserve Soldiers and Airmen, as well traditional M-Day Soldiers and Airmen, qualify for “Sanctuary/Lock-

In” after 18 years of service?

Camp Roberts firefighters help save landmarkIn what has already been an active fire season for Camp Roberts Emergency Services, fire personnel from the post were called upon to assist firefighters in the local community of San Miguel, helping to save a historic building from damage.

On July 22 at approximately 8:30 p.m., Camp Roberts Emergency Services (CRES) re-sponded to a grass fire burning along Highway 101 near San Miguel. Moderate winds were pushing the fire towards the Rios Caledonia Adobe, a 180-year old landmark that was originally part of the San Miguel Mission Complex. “

CRES firefighters positioned their attack from the north, between the fire and the historic structure, and stopped the fire before it could reach the adobe. In a cooperative effort with the San Miguel Fire Department, the burned area was limited to about one acre, with no damage to the historic buildings.

Two Cal Guard Airmen receive national honorsNearly 20 Soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), California Army National Guard, will traveled to Ukraine to serve as mentors during the multinational military exercises Rapid Trident and Saber Guardian 2015 held July 20-31 in Lviv Oblast.

Rapid Trident and Saber Guardian are annual exercises held among US, NATO, and Ukraine to strengthen cooperation between their military forces. The Cal Guard has a his-tory of cooperation with Ukraine through its State Partnership Program (SPP).

2015ThE GrIzzly NEwsmaGazINEw w w . c a l g u a r d . c a . g o v / p a

Second Lt. Alex Joyce, Bravo Battery, 1-143rd Field Artillery, pulls landing zone security during an air assault exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, on June 15. The exercise took place during a two-week annual training event when more than 4,000 Cal Guard Soldiers descended on Camp Roberts and Fort Hunter Liggett. Photo by Capt. Cody Gallo

Public Affairs Directorate, California National Guard . 9800 Goethe Road, Sacramento, CA 95827-3561

The Grizzly Newsmagazine Published by the Directorate of Communications, California National Guard Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force or the California Military Department. The Grizzly is an official publication authorized by Army Regulation 360-1 and Air Force Instruction 35-101.

Submissions and feedback: [email protected]/subscription: CNG members must make changes through their unit. Retired members, email [email protected].

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