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© 2013 KentuckyGuard
Goodbye 2012. Hello 2013!
Happy New Year to all!
Once again, the Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs directorate has been lauded as THE MOST published Public
Affairs office in the entire National Guard.
I want to personally thank the entire Public Affairs team, including my PA team in Joint Forces Headquarters, our State Command Historian, our Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, our Air Wing PA team, our J6-Visual Information team and our outstanding Unit Public Affairs and Historian Representatives-all who made these stories on our news website possible!
I asked my Public Affairs staff to give me their most-memorable posts from our Kentucky Guard website.
These stories are listed below.
Enjoy these links as we bring in the new year.
To all, Cheers! Lt. Col. Kirk Hilbrecht - Director, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
| Gov. Beshear: Devastation is “unlike anything I have ever seen” [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Civic Leaders and Employers experience ‘Kentucky Guard’ life [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Operation Immersion: Boot camp for health professionals [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Kentucky Soldiers conduct IED training with Japanese forces in Africa [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Kentucky Guard sponsors first Bluegrass Mud Run [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Documenting Kentuckians in the War of 1812 [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Fifth Annual Border Bowl brings out the best in athletics, life [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Kentucky Guard, high school football gear up early for upcoming Border Bowl [click on the image above to see associated story] |
| Kentucky Guardsmen take charge in Horn of Africa [click on the image above to see associated story] |
New Agriculture team takes charge in Afghanistan [click on the image above to see associated story] |
| Guardsmen assist community with water shortage [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Appalachian ChalleNGe Academy in full swing [click on the image above to see associated story] |
| Top White House official honors 123rd Airlift Wing for 15th Air Force Award [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Louisville-area youth learn about military aviation at Kentucky Air Guard [click on the image above to see associated story] |
| Army Aviation community experiences first-ever Command Sergeant Major Challenge [click on the image above to see associated story] |
Care packages bring smiles, support to Guard Families [click on the image above to see associated story] |
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nj2oBaeLg4]
University of Kentucky versus the University of Louisville in the “Battle for the Bluegrass”
This game just kicked off at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville and these troops are cheering on their favorite team from overseas.
Some stats on this intense rivalry (according to Wikipedia):
| Total meetings | 44 |
| Series record | Kentucky leads, 30-14 |
| First meeting | February 15, 1913 |
| Kentucky 34, Louisville 10 | |
| Last meeting | March 31, 2012 |
| Kentucky 69, Louisville 61 | |
| Next meeting | December 29, 2012 |
| Largest win | Kentucky, 91–57 (1948) Kentucky 85-51 (1986) |
| Longest win streak | Kentucky, 5 (1916, 1922 (twice), 1948, 1951) |
| Current win streak | Kentucky, 4 (2010–present) |
| Trophy | none |
Who’s going to win this year?
Story and photos by Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs Office
Christy Faulkner, founder and dirctor of Operation Resilient Warrior, packs care packages at her office in Radcliff, Ky., Dec. 13, 2012. The packages will be sent to Soldiers of Kentucky’s Agribusiness Development Team 5 in Afghanistan for Christmas. (KYNG photo by Sgt. Scott Raymond)
RADCLIFF, Ky. – Care packages have probably been around since the first warriors left home to fight in some far off place. The special boxes or bundles have meant the world to the recipients for the small amount of comfort provided or the little thoughts of home.
This Christmas, deployed Soldiers of the Kentucky National Guard’s Agribusiness Development Team 5 will be on the receiving end of some small packages of luxuries thanks to a nonprofit designed to support service members regardless of their need.
Operation Resilient Warrior, a Radcliff, Ky.-based organization, just down the road from Fort Knox, has adopted the unit as a means to thank them for their service to our country and for the meaningful work they are doing in Afghanistan.
“We pack love into these boxes,” said Christy Faulkner, founder and director of Operation Resilient Warrior. “We’re just getting started, and we’re ready to keep supporting them all the way through their deployment.”
ADT 5 recently mobilized and are scheduled to spend nine-months in Afghanistan continuing the work of previous Kentucky teams in the fields of the country.
New socks, clean wipes, hand warmers and snacks were packed along with Kentucky magazines and notes from local school children, some as young as 3rd graders.
Faulkner said the majority of the donations that fill the boxes have come from 4-H clubs and FFA (Future Farmers of America) from nearby counties.
Operation Resilient Warrior supports other units from around the nation, as well as individuals who have stayed in contact with them through multiple tours abroad. They have sent more than 125 boxes overseas in the first three weeks of December. Faulkner said their support knows no bounds; Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen from across the country are on their mailing list. But she said ADT 5 is different.
“I love all of my Soldiers and families, but these are our friends and neighbors. I was born and raised here (in Kentucky), my heart is here, so to be able to support people in your own community and your own state, it means everything.”
“It’s close to home, and it’s a family thing.”
Members of the Mead County 4-H pack care packages for Soldiers overseas as part of Operation Resilient Warrior. (Photo courtesy of Christy Faulkner)
A chance meeting between Faulkner’s daughter and the Citizen-Soldiers of ADT 5 in Elizabethtown, Ky., prior to their departure sparked the relationship. As a member of the Mead County FFA, the 17-year-old is agriculturally minded, potentially pursuing a degree in the field from a Kentucky university. When she met ADT 5, she was impressed with the team’s mission of assisting Afghans improve their own agriculture.
As one of the organization’s volunteers, she immediately told her mother that she wanted to do something for this unique unit. They quickly began collecting donations for the care packages. Several weeks later, the boxes were ready to go and should arrive in Afghanistan by Christmas. Faulkner said after the packages are shipped, she would start collecting for next month’s shipment. As 2013 begins, Operation Resilient Warrior aims to provide packages for at least 225 service members overseas.
Many of the nonprofit’s volunteers have more than one tie to the military and Christy Faulkner is no different. She has been volunteering with military organizations for years, she has worked at the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Knox and her husband has been there in uniform. She said she has surrounded herself with “a lot of good people doing a lot of very good things.”
“Operation Resilient Warrior is basically for the resiliency of Soldiers and families,” said Faulkner. “We’re here to make sure that they can be self-sufficient and productive, and we facilitate that.”
She said they understand the struggles that military families face, from financial questions to post traumatic stress disorder. Out of her own family’s needs, Faulkner learned the ins and outs of Veterans’ benefits and resources, eventually becoming certified to process VA claims. She and her 10 volunteers provide counseling for issues such as military medical boards, higher education, even substance abuse.
From their Kentucky office, Operation Resilient Warrior reaches out to Soldiers at home as well. They have helped and continue to assist military families from New York to Nevada. Faulkner said the organization would be there every step of the way and as long as there is a need from those she called extensions of her own family.
The organization’s motto is, “making a difference, one warrior at a time.” And Faulkner couldn’t be more satisfied with the strides they are making for the benefit of service members around the world.
“It is absolutely the most rewarding thing I have ever done, I can’t imagine doing anything else,” she said. “Anything we can do to say thank you, I want to be standing first in line to do that.”
To learn more about Operation Resilient Warrior, visit their website at www.operationresilientwarrior.org.
Like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-Resilient-Warrior
By Master Sgt. Philip Speck 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Members of the 41st Civil Support Team survey a cabin where suspected bomb making substances are present during a U.S. Army North exercise on Oct. 2, 2012, in Frankfort, Ky. (Kentucky Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Members of a highly specialized Kentucky National Guard unit demonstrated their skill in combating weapons of mass destruction during an emergency-response exercise held here Oct. 2.To see all the photos, please click HERE.
The 41st Civil Support Team–Weapons of Mass Destruction, a unique group of Kentucky Army and Air National Guardsmen, was called in to participate in the U.S. Army North training scenario after hunters stumbled across a bobby-trapped cabin laden with simulated explosives, said Kentucky Army Guard Maj. John Cline, the team’s commander.
Kentucky Air National Guard Sgt. Jacob Beach, 41st Civil Support Team survey team member, makes final adjustments on his re-breather prior to suiting up in Level A ensemble for entry into the “hot zone” at an U.S. Army North exercise on Oct. 2, 2012, in Frankfort, Ky. (Kentucky Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)
The hunters contacted local authorities, triggering a police special-response team to clear the building. When police discovered more bomb-like materials, they asked the 41st CST to investigate.
The scenario is a perfect example of the kinds of threats the unit was created to address, Cline said. One of more than 50 National Guard CSTs located around the country, the 41st was established in 2000 to support civilian emergency preparedness programs and to respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and the deployment of nuclear, biological, radiological or chemical weapons, Cline said. The Kentucky unit features 22 full-time Airmen and Soldiers with expertise in 15 career fields, including medical, communications, logistics and environmental operations.
The U.S. Army North exercise required the 41st CST to carefully survey the scene, determine what kinds of chemicals were being used, and assess the threat they posed to the surrounding area. Team members took samples of all the materials on the scene and analyzed them at their temporary base of operations.
“Being exposed to this type of scenario allows us to hone our core skills of WMD exploitation while dealing with the austere environment of terrain and extreme distance from target area to our footprint,” Cline said. “This created challenges for navigation, communication, personnel management and security.”
The scenario was designed by Cline, who coordinated with U.S. Army North, the agency that oversaw and evaluated the team’s performance in executing the exercise.
The 41st CST performs similar exercises at least once a month to prepare for any kind of incident, Cline said. The unit can be called upon at any time to support civil authorities at a domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive incident by identifying agents, assessing the current and projected consequences, advising authorities on how to respond, and assisting in saving lives, preventing human suffering and mitigating property damage.
Headquartered at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, the unit has supported many local events such as the Kentucky Derby, Thunder over Louisville, the 2010 World Equestrian Games and the 2009 Ryder Cup. Its members also have been called to support national events such as the Presidential Inauguration and the Super Bowl.
The 41st CST’s first commander was Kentucky Air National Guard Col. Neil Mullaney, who currently is director of air staff for Joint Force Headquarters—Kentucky. Mullaney previously served as commander of the 123rd Maintenance Squadron and Kentucky National Guard Agribusiness Development Team III.
The unit is always seeking current Active Guard-Reserve Airmen who would be interested in joining, Cline noted.
“It takes a joint effort to develop a team of this type and of this caliber,” he said. “We are always looking for the right people that have the potential to be a member of this team. Having Army and Air members allows the 41st to be a well-rounded, successful organization. ”
It’s not too late to sign up for the 2013 first semester!
Cadets from the Appalachian ChalleNGe academy in Harlan, Ky., on a tour of the Kentucky state capitol building. (photo by Will Daniels, Appalachian ChalleNGe Academy)
Story by David Altom, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
FRANKFORT, Ky. — One of the best kept secrets about the Kentucky National Guard is its Youth ChalleNGe program. Jointly funded between the federal and state governments, Youth ChalleNGe is designed to help at-risk youth get a jump start on life.
There are now two academies in Kentucky — the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy is located at Fort Knox and the Appalachian ChalleNGe Academy is in Harlan. The 22-week curriculum covers extensive academic studies geared toward completing a high school diploma as well as physical fitness, leadership and community awareness projects.
The program has been around for nearly 20 years.
The newest of the two academies, Harlan, just held its first graduation honoring 60 cadets who successfully completed the program.
More than 100,000 cadets have graduated from the program nation-wide.
In addition to intense academic studies, ChalleNGe Academy cadet work to improve their physical fitness, teamwork and leadership skills. (photo by Will Daniels, Appalachian ChalleNGe Academy)
Both academies are currently taking applications for next semester, by the way. If you are the parent of a young person who is in need or you know someone who you think needs help, this program just may be the answer.
Following are the top five myths and facts to help you better understand what the ChalleNGe program is all about.
MYTH #1. The ChalleNGe Program is another juvenile detention center for teenagers who are troublemakers.
FACT: The ChalleNGe Program is a voluntary program for families needing direction for at-risk teenagers who have the desire to complete their high school education or earn a GED, and to learn life skills to enhance their future.
MYTH #2. Most participants are court ordered to attend the ChalleNGe Program.
FACT: The ChalleNGe Program is a voluntary program for all participants.
MYTH #3. The ChalleNGe Program is 22 weeks of discipline and military training.
FACT: The ChalleNGe Program earns participating Cadets more than discipline and structure. Over the course of the 22 week residential phase, Cadets work daily towards earning a GED or earning credits to return and rejoin their high school class. They also complete a minimum of 40 hours of community service, and take part in many local events.
Kentucky’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini meets with members of the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy during a ceremony marking the National Guard’s 376th birthday at Fort Knox, Ky., Dec. 13, 2012. (KYNG photo by Sgt. Scott Raymond)
MYTH #4. Participants must be of a qualifying low income level to attend the ChalleNGe Program.
FACT: Acceptance to the ChalleNGe Program is open to all teenagers ages 16-18 who are educationally at risk, regardless of income level. The program is also of no cost to participants.
MYTH #5. Participants graduate from the ChalleNGe Program to enter into the military.
FACT: Participants graduate from the ChalleNGe Program to enter into many types of placement - there is no requirement to enter into the military upon graduating. Many cadets enter into college, gain full-time employment, or enroll back into their high schools to complete their high school diploma.
To find out more about the Kentucky Youth ChalleNGe program call 1-877-KYYOUTH (877-599-6884)
Click here to contact the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy at Fort Knox, Ky.
Click here to contact the Appalachian ChalleNGe Academy at Harlan, Ky.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KqmC2f9dE0]
Video by 2/138th Field Artillery Regiment Public Affairs.
Check out and LIKE the Task Force Longrifles facebook page www.facebook.com/taskforcelongrifles
Story by David Altom, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Photos by Spc. Felicia Harris, Kentucky National Guard Family Programs
Some of Santa’s youngest helpers got into the giving spirit in support of Operation Military Cheer. More than $33,000 worth of toys, bicycles, clothes and gift cards were given to 450 children of military families across the state. (Photo by Spc. Felicia Harris, Kentucky National Guard Family Programs)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — It’s interesting to see all of the traditions that surround Santa Claus. In some countries Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) arrives by steam boat and in others “Father Christmas” rides a goat. In most of the United States he drives a sleigh driven by a pack of reindeer. In Kentucky, however, he relies on the National Guard to distribute toys to deserving young girls and boys.
Click here to see more photos from this story.
Operation Military Cheer is geared toward supporting military families across all the services, active duty, reserve and National Guard. Contributions for this year’s drive came from a wide range of sources, local businesses, civilians, churches and schools as well as Kentucky National Guard troops and their families.
“This year we were able to provide gifts of clothes, shoes, and toys for more than 450 youth across the state,” said Cindy Culver, Child and Youth Programs Lead Coordinator. “It’s one of the largest drives we’ve ever conducted.”
Spc. Melissa Moore, 223rd MP Co., and Child and Youth Coordinator Linda Jones show off some of the donated toys to Chaplain (Maj.) Bill Draper. (Photo by David Altom, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs)
According to Culver, approximately $33,000 in toys, bicycles, clothes and gift cards were donated, sorted, assigned and delivered to families from Pikeville to Paducah.
“There is a great need for support out there,” said Linda Jones, Child and Youth Programs Coordinator. “I’m so proud to see everyone pull together to bring comfort to these military families that sacrifice so much of themselves for our country.”
Don Sullivan represents one of the largest single contributors to this year’s drive, Home Builders Care, which is affiliated with the Home Builders Association of Lexington.
“Our focus this year has been on our military veterans,” said Sullivan “On Veterans Day we built and dedicated a home for a disabled veteran, so it was only natural that when the holiday came around that we said we just had to support Operation Military Cheer.”
Santa is surrounded by just some of the organizers, volunteers and contributors to this year’s Operation Military Cheers at the headquarters of Home Builders Care, an affiliate of the Home Builders Association of Lexington. Home Builders Care contributed more than 600 toys and 30 bicycles valued up to $7,500 to the drive. (Photo by Spc. Felicia Harris, Kentucky National Guard Family Programs)
Together with associates of the Home Builders Association, the Remodeler’s Council, local real estate offices and the public, the group collected more than 600 toys and 30 bicycles valued up to $7,500.
Even former service members like the Veterans Widows and Friends got into the action, donating 9 bicycles.
“I really like Operation Military Cheer,” said Spc. Melissa Moore, 223rd Military Police Co. “It’s a great idea for families that are struggling and it give the kids a little bit of hope, something to smile about and be happy about on Christmas.”
A combat medic who’s been to Iraq, Moore sees Operation Military Cheer as a personal mission. “It’s helping out your brothers and sisters in uniform, which is what the military is all about,” she said.
Story by Capt. Stephen Martin, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Members of the Agribusiness Development Team 4 return from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan to Frankfort, Ky., Dec. 21, 2012. (photo by Capt. Andi Hahn, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Just in time for the holidays, approximately 50 members of the Kentucky National Guard’s Agribusiness Development Team 4 were honored during a welcome home ceremony at the Capital City Airport in Frankfort, Ky.To see all the photos from the Welcome Home, please click HERE.
Family and friends weathered the snow and the delayed arrival of the troops by several hours as they anxiously awaited the return of their loved ones.
Staff Sgt. Benjamin Toushee holds his son Benjamin Jr. after returning from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan with the Agribusiness Development Team 4 in Frankfort, Ky., Dec. 21, 2012. (photo by Capt. Andi Hahn, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs)
For Elizabeth Toushee and her son Benjamin Jr., today was the best gift anyone could ask for just before Christmas as her husband Staff Sgt. Benjamin Toushee returned from his first deployment.”It’s been a hard deployment but at the same time, it has been worth it,” Elizabeth said. “Today is so amazing and wonderful, I just feel so grateful.”Benjamin Jr. agreed with his mom.
“This is my daddy!” he screamed and jumped into his arms.
ADT 4 was charged with sustaining the relationships built between former ADTs and Afghan farmers to ensure the country becomes agriculturally self-sufficient through the development of the agricultural marketplace. The task force is composed of Army and Air National Guardsmen with a variety of skills in agricultural matters.
This was the fourth agribusiness mission for the Kentucky National Guard. ADT 5 is currently in Afghanistan and has just replaced ADT 4.
Maj. Gen. Lonnie Culver, Deputy Adjutant General for the Kentucky Guard, presided over the ceremony welcoming the Soldiers and Airmen back into the Commonwealth.
“ADT 4 had the unique responsibility of bringing some good old-fashioned Kentucky agricultural know-how to a people plagued by decades of war,” said Culver. “Welcome home from a job well done and Merry Christmas!”
Regina Harris is a personal financial counselor who serves the citizen soldiers, airmen and families of the Kentucky National Guard. You can contact her at rharris@mflc.zeiders.com or call her at 502-607-1680.
FRANKFORT, Ky. — It is almost a universal truth that money is not the key to happiness, although, almost none of America has bought into that truism. While having money will not automatically bring you the key to happiness, it sure moves issues out of your way so you can find it. The pursuit of happiness, when dissected or perfected is just synergy; having every area of your life on track, a positive track according to your standards.
This particular pursuit encompasses all the top 10 New Years Resolutions which includes: get out of debt, stop smoking, and lose weight… Why is it that New Year Resolutions are so popular, but dropped within months? So many of us are off-track all year long and when a New Year rolls around think, “Puff!! I am woman (or man) hear me roar!” We somehow believe that we will have a stronger resolve, a plan or a clue as soon as the clock strikes mid-night. I suspect we wait because a New Year signifies newness, a new beginning.
In light of New Year Resolutions failures of the past I say we resolve to use each new morning, each stroke of midnight as a new beginning. Give ourselves permission to start again and again, more often than just yearly, to get on track. Wake up to a new day, set a goal and start again.
Here are a few essential steps toward meeting your goals:
Write down your goals and review them often. Be sure you are making daily, hourly, decisions that are in keeping with your plan. Tell a friend your goal, even your plan for achieving your goal. Friends can help keep you on track, by reminding you of them and maybe even assisting. In my case, my friends can assist me with my goals by not inviting me to events often and instead plan free outings.
Good planning is essential whether you’re on the firing range or making long range financial plans. (Photo by Sgt. Sandra Fariss, 206th Engineer Battalion Unit Public Affairs Historian Representative)
Writing down your goal and your success plan makes them concrete and makes them seem more attainable. Be as specific as possible. Break down big, long-term goals into smaller bite-sized ones. For example, you want to save $1000 in one year, which sounds daunting, and it seems sooo far away. So break it down. That is a weekly, 7 day goal of $19.23. Nineteen dollars and twenty-three cents sounds a lot more doable than $1,000. Also create a non-goal related reward for each week you hit your goal. A reward every week is motivation.
Make a plan. How many of us actually write a detailed plan to achieve our goal that includes a timetable, automatic check-ups and rewards? Yes, rewards, everyone works a little harder when a reward is on the line. Time is a big issue. Absolutely every, every goal in the world will take some time. Even a goal that is behavior related takes time. It takes time in thought and planning, time that you can not effectively do anything but concentrate on doing or not doing that particular thing.
Make time to work your plan. The time allotted for my savings goal (necessary to save my $1000) is the night before payday. How likely I am to stick to my plan is wholly dependent on how well I thought out my plan. Can I really afford $19.23 per week? Yes I can, if I make a few lifestyle changes. So, I take my lunch; quite inconvenient some days, so I don’t!
It is okay to tweak your original plan. It is even expected that you will have to shake things up to do something great, achieve a desperately wanted goal.
We are all different; what works for me may not work for you. I do what I do. You should do you!
Whatever you pursue, plan it your way and do it. Only don’t wait for a New Year to start. Start today, the very first day of the rest of your life.
By Airman Basic Joshua L. Horton, 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron received a state-of-the-art Mobile Emergency Operations Center on Nov. 27, 2012. The $750,000 MEOC will enhance the Louisville, Ky.-based unit’s ability to support civilian emergency responders following a catastrophe in the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Maxwell Rechel)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Airmen at the Kentucky Air National Guard have enhanced their ability to work with civilian agencies following a catastrophe, thanks to a new Mobile Emergency Operations Center.
The state-of-the-art trailer, informally called a MEOC, arrived Nov. 27 and provides an extremely capable command-and-control hub that can be towed to the scene of any domestic disaster, said Senior Master Sgt. Carol Davis, emergency manager for the 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron.
Kentucky Air National Guard Senior Airman Eric Finley, an emergency manager for the 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron, operates a surveillance camera in the unit’s new Mobile Emergency Operations Center in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 1, 2012. The $750,000 MEOC features an on-board generator, a full suite of civilian communications capabilities and meeting room space. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Maxwell Rechel)
One of the things that makes the MEOC unique is its ability to tap into the civilian communications infrastructure, Davis explained. Most military equipment is designed to access military computer and communications networks instead.
“The MEOC provides on-scene communications and response capability we did not have previously,” Davis said. “We refer to our MEOC as having ‘.com communications,’ meaning it’s all civilian-capable. Military responders could also use it, but it isn’t equipped with ‘.mil’ communication systems. It is specifically designed for use with civilian agencies, and we would deploy the MEOC at the request of the civilian community. The civilian emergency management officials could then work out of it side-by-side with our military responders.”
The MEOC is 36 feet long by 13 feet wide and is a self-contained system, featuring its own generator capable of supporting 24-hour operations for three to five days. A satellite-based communications suite integrates multiple radio systems, three dedicated phone lines, national and local TV reception and a surveillance camera. The trailer also includes such amenities as a toilet, meeting room, microwave and refrigerator.
The $750,000 MEOC will be based in Louisville, but Davis said it will be shared with other Air Guard units on an as-needed basis.
Senior Airman Eric Finley, Technical Sgt. Josh Thompson and Staff Sgt. Tim Cummins, all emergency managers for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron, train on the video conferencing capabilities of a new Mobile Emergency Operations Center in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 1, 2012. The $750,000 MEOC will enhance the unit’s ability to support civilian emergency responders following a catastrophe in the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Maxwell Rechel)
“It’s a regional asset that the National Guard Bureau has placed in the state of Kentucky. Ultimately, there will be 30 deployed to various wings throughout the United States.”
Kentucky was one of the first states to get a MEOC because of its proximity to surrounding Federal Emergency Management Agency regions, according to Senior Airman Eric Finley, an emergency management journeyman for the 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron.
“We can take it to any scene, whether it’s a hazmat incident or a natural disaster,” he said.
The first planned use of the MEOC’s capabilities will occur in March during a scheduled Major Accident Response Exercise, Davis said.
“We plan to put the MEOC to the test during the upcoming MARE. Until then, we have some work to do in acquainting our emergency managers and Emergency Operations Center personnel with the MEOC’s capabilities.”
