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© 2013 KentuckyGuard
By Master Sgt. Phil Speck, 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office
KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A combat controller from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in a ceremony here March 14 for meritorious service while deployed to Afghanistan.
Senior Airman Robert Willging served with a combined joint special operations task force in Afghanistan from June 1 to Nov. 1, 2014 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During that deployment, Willging assisted in the planning and execution of more than 100 combat patrols and served with lead maneuver elements while coordinating aerial weapons teams, close air support and medical evacuation operations.
Willging personally controlled more than 120 aircraft during multiple day operations, to include combined operations with Afghan National Army Commandos in which he controlled, de-conflicted and engaged with 24 aircraft to ensure the safety of all ground elements, according to the award citation.
“Airman Willging’s utilization and control of aerial weapons teams, close air support, and medical evacuation platforms was second to none, and aided in the timely extraction of multiple wounded Afghan National Security Forces and (U.S. Special Operations Forces),” the citation said.
The Bronze Star Medal was authorized by executive order on Feb. 4, 1944, and is awarded to service members who have distinguished themselves by heroic or meritorious achievement or service in connection with military operations against an armed enemy.
Story by Staff Sgt. Vicky Spesard, 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Col. Matthew Davidson (left), commander of the 24th Special Operations Wing, presents Staff Sgt. Nicholas P. Jewell, a combat controller in the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, with the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony Feb. 7, 2015, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. Jewell earned the award for meritorious achievement while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2014. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Vicky Spesard)
KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A combat controller from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron was awarded the Bronze Star Medal here Feb. 7 for meritorious service while deployed to Afghanistan, where he engaged enemy forces and deterred their advances.
Staff Sgt. Nicholas P. Jewell served as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller assigned to an Army Special Forces team from Aug. 12, 2014, to Nov. 10, 2014, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Jewell was tasked to provide tactical advice and assistance to Afghan Army Commando teams performing combat operations in northeastern Afghanistan when he and his team came under small-arms fire.
As rounds impacted within feet of his position, Jewell ran to cover behind a ridgeline and immediately returned fire while simultaneously relaying enemy locations to aircraft overhead, according to the award citation. He then controlled an immediate air-to-ground engagement with high explosives from an AH-64 attack helicopter, resulting in multiple enemies killed in action.
“So obviously he found himself in a bad spot,” said Col. Matthew Davidson, commander of the 24th Special Operations Wing, who officiated the award ceremony and presented the medal to Jewell. “He went out and saved his teammates and saved the mission. It’s folks like him that we want to emulate.”
Jewell also was recognized for his actions during a clearing operation when his element came under direct small-arms fire. He immediately coordinated efforts between ground signals intelligence forces and overhead aircraft to locate and engage the enemy fighting location with devastating effects.
“What we have asked Nick to do, and his teammates to do — in fact what we ask a lot of Americans out there to do for us sometimes — they have extraordinary responses to that,” Davidson said. “Like (Jewell) did on numerous occasions.”
The Bronze Star Medal was authorized by executive order on Feb. 4, 1944, and is awarded to service members who have distinguished themselves by heroic or meritorious achievement or service in connection with military operations against an armed enemy.
Capt. Cliff Flanagan, commander of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation sends a holiday greeting from the Middle East. (Courtesy photo)
This Christmas, the Kentucky National Guard wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas. We are reminded throughout the year, but never as much as the holidays, that Kentuckians are serving their country far from home. We salute the brave Soldiers of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation currently deployed to the Middle East, the 1988th Contingency Contracting Team in Afghanistan and other Guardsmen deployed around the world.
Please keep them, and all U.S. Service members in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season.
Story by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Sgt. Brad Sizemore of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation walks with his family following a departure ceremony for his unit in Frankfort, Ky., June 4, 2014. Sizemore and approximately 50 Soldiers of the unit will deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Friends and family joined the Kentucky National Guard to say farewell to the Soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation at the Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, June 4. The aviation unit will deploy to the Middle East this summer.
Kentucky Adjutant General Edward W. Tonini presided over the departure ceremony and called the unit well-trained and well-suited for their mission.
Sgt. Joshua Back kisses the hand of his wife, Kristie during a departure ceremony for Soldiers of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation in Frankfort, Ky., June 4, 2014. Back and his wife both say the unit feels like family and gives them strength to handle the upcoming deployment. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
“We honor these aviators and aviation Soldiers assembled before us as they answer our nation’s call once again,” he said. “They have the experience, they know what they are doing and they are ready for this specific mission.”Click here to see more photos from the ceremony.
Bravo Co. 2-147th will head to Fort Hood, Texas where they will prepare for their deployment overseas. During their tour, the unit will fly UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in airlift support missions for U.S. military operations throughout the region.
The unit previously deployed to Kosovo in 2009-2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and prior to that in 2005-2006 for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Capt. Cliff Flanagan, Bravo Company commander, who has been in charge of the unit since October of 2013 echoed Tonini’s praise and acknowledgement of the unit’s preparedness.
“After spending time with Bravo Company, I have quickly learned how skilled, talented and professional every member of this unit is,” said Flanagan. “It’s a rare occasion when an outstanding group of individuals come together and call themselves a team. I am very proud to be a member of that team.”
Members of that team include Sgts Joshua Back and Brad Sizemore, both crew chiefs with Bravo Co. and both departing on their first deployment.
“This deployment will be hard, being away from family and my beautiful wife, but I couldn’t be sent out with a better group of guys,” said Back.
Sizemore also said, as many other Soldiers agreed, Bravo Co. is a tight-knit family. “It’s bittersweet, leaving my family and home but I know this is going to be a good deployment and we are ready as a unit. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
Chief Warrant Officer Joel Bowling with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation uses the window of a UH-60 Blackhawk for a photo with his son and daughter following a departure ceremony for the unit in Frankfort, Ky., June 4, 2014. Bowling will pilot a Blackhawk in support of U.S. military operations in the Middle East during the unit’s deployment. (U.S. Army national Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
“This is our first deployment together,” said Back’s wife, Kristie. “But I have made great friends here through the FRG (Family Readiness Group) and the spouses. That’s one thing that has eased his mind is that I will be taken care of at home by these amazing people and my supportive family.”
“It’s a long road ahead of us, but we knew what we were getting into and I know these boys will take care of him.”
Bravo Co. is expected to spend nine months overseas and should return home next spring.
Story and photos by Sgt. Paul Evans, 103rd BSB Unit Public Affairs and Historian Representative
Soldiers of the 103rd Brigade Support Battalion’s Task Force Summit stand in one final formation at their homecoming ceremony in Harrodsburg, Ky. on April 19, 2014. Dozens gathered Saturday to welcome Task Force Summit home from their nine-month deployment in Afghanistan supporting the Special Operations Command’s withdrawal. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Paul Evans)
HARRODSBURG, Ky. — Dozens of families and friends gathered in Harrodsburg on Saturday, April 19, 2014 outside the Armory that is home to the Kentucky Army National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters’ Co., 103rd Brigade Support Battalion, 138th Fires Brigade. Miniature American flags waved in the hands of many onlookers while others held up homemade posters to welcome their heroes home from a successful journey abroad.
The 15 Soldiers spent nine months in Afghanistan supporting the Special Operations Command’s withdrawal from the country.
As the three vans carrying the Soldiers and their gear unloaded at the armory, Soldiers were met with tears of joy, gentle greetings among old friends, and loving embraces of those who silently served at home while the Soldiers served overseas.
A returning Soldier embraces his daughter outside the National Guard Armory in Harrodsburg, Ky. on April 19, 2014. Dozens gathered Saturday to welcome home the 103rd Brigade Support Battalion’s Task Force Summit from a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan supporting the Special Operations Command’s withdrawal. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Paul Evans)
Capt. Justin Watts, a 32-year-old Lexington, Ky. resident, served as the Officer-in-Charge of the 103rd’s small Retrograde Assistance Team, officially referred to as ‘Task Force Summit.’ He addressed the large crowd of family and friends anxious to take their Soldiers home after their short period of reconnecting.
“These are Soldiers who bought into the idea of supporting something greater no matter what,” Watts observed. “In a greater sense, what these guys were part of was something much bigger than they could do themselves. We took the equipment in the (Afghanistan) Theatre, and we took it to where the fight was taking place.”
“We, as senior leaders can give our Soldiers the training to be successful in combat, we can give them the equipment needed to complete the mission…but what we can’t give them is something that you as family and friends can do.”
“It’s what you did for us,” Watts recalled. “You provide my Soldiers with morale. A simple letter, email, package, a Facebook post—(all) kept my Soldiers going.”
“I can’t give my Soldiers peace-of-mind, but the spouses and family members, parents, siblings, (they) can step-up and take care of business at home to give the Soldiers the peace-of-mind they need…because a Soldier whose mind is not at war can’t be in the fight.”
For his Soldiers, Watts was happy to highlight their contributions. “Those guys, they did everything I asked for and more,” he explained. “No problem was too complex. They solved it without fail.”
Soldiers with the 103rd Brigade Support Battalion’s Task Force Summit applaud after Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey McCrystal was promoted to Command Sgt. Maj. of the 103rd in Harrodsburg, Ky. on April 19, 2014. Dozens gathered Saturday to welcome Task Force Summit home from a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan supporting the Special Operations Command’s withdrawal. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Paul Evans)
Following the ceremony to welcome Task Force Summit home, Sgt. 1st Class Daniel McSpadden, a 41-year-old Lexington resident, took a few moments to reflect on the 103rd’s accomplishment of the mission before rejoining his family.
“I think we set a great precedent for things to come as far as retrograde throughout the (Afghanistan) theatre,” he said. “Hopefully, the units behind us will meet that or exceed it. But other than that, the mission’s complete…so I’m just ready to go home.”
The following is a compilation of significant dates in our nation and in our commonwealth’s military history. For more on the legacy of our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen, visit the Kentucky National Guard eMuseum.
Battle for Bataan, April, 1942
April 1, 1945 – Invasion of Okinawa began (World War II)
April 1, 1968 – Operation Pegasus began (Vietnam War)
April 1, 1977 – Kentucky Air National Guard wing vice commander John B. Conaway appointment as Deputy Director of the Air National Guard at National Guard Bureau approved by Congress.
James Alexander Sherrill
April 3, 2005 – Sgt. James Alexander Sherrill, of Ekron, Ky. in Meade County, was killed in Bayji, Iraq, when his armored medium truck encountered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Sherrill was assigned to the 2113th Transportation Company, Paducah, Ky. This unit mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom in December 2004 and deployed to Southwest Asia in January 2005.
April 5, 1951 – Operation Rugged began (Korean War)
April 6, 1972 – Operation Linebacker began (Vietnam War)
April 8, 1972 – Siege of An Loc began (Vietnam War)
April 9, 1845 – The officers of the 123rd Regiment of Kentucky Militia unanimously, by newspaper communications and petitions, seek the abolition of the present militia system.
April 9, 1858 – Twenty-one companies volunteered for service. Only 10 companies were selected by Governor Morehead (The Utah War)
Confederate Soldiers surrender to Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain during the Army of Northern Virginia’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, Va., April 9, 1865.
April 9, 1856 – Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Va. (Civil War)
April 9, 1942 – Fall of Bataan (World War II)
American and Filipino Soldiers during the Bataan death march, April, 1942.
April 10, 1942 – Bataan Death March – Sixty-six Kentucky Army National Guardsmen from Harrodsburg took part in the march; only 33 survived captivity to return home. (World War II)
April 10, 1968 – Battle for Lang Vei began (Vietnam War)
April 10, 1990 – Staff Sgt. Regina L. Isenberg of Bowling Green was killed in a military vehicle accident on the Western Kentucky Parkway near Leitchfield in Grayson County. She was assigned to Headquarters, State Area Command (STARC) Kentucky Army National Guard. She was transporting a M-60 tank engine from the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center to the Combined Support Maintenance Shop (CSMS) in Frankfort in an engineer dump truck on rain slick roads. She was a Technician Material Control and Accounting Specialist at the Unit Training Equipment Site (UTES 2) in Greenville. Isenberg graduated from Warren Central High School in 1978 and joined the 2123d Transportation Company in Bowling Green in February 1981. She also served in Headquarters and Headquarters Battery of the 138th Field Artillery Brigade.
April 11, 1873 – Brig. General Edward R.S. Canby, U.S. Army, commanding the Department of Columbia, murdered by Captain Jack, chief of the Modoc Indians, while mediating for their removal from their rocky fastness on the northern border of California to a government reservation. General Canby was a native of Mason County, Kentucky.
April 11, 1991 – Persian Gulf Official Cease Fire
April 13, 1865 – Louisville native, U.S. Army Maj. John Francis Weston, while serving with the 4th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry, was part of a daring raid on Confederate supply boats near Wetumpka, Ala., capturing all supplies and boats. He would receive the Medal of Honor for his actions. Weston enlisted in the Union Army at the age of 16 while his father, uncle and brother joined the Confederacy. After the Civil War, Weston would serve for more than 40 years in the Army, reaching the rank of major general before retiring in 1909. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
April 15, 1777 – First attack on Fort Boonesborough by Indians (Early Indian Wars)
April 16, 1851 – John Marshall Harlan appointed Adjutant General of Kentucky by Governor John L. Helm. At time of his appointment Harlan was 17 years old, the youngest individual to hold the position. He served as Adjutant General from 1851 to 1859.
April 16, 1953 – Battle of Pork Chop Hill began (Korean War)
April 16, 1978 – Private First Class Jeffery Clinton Howard died while training with his unit, the 307th Maintenance Company – Central City, at Ft. Campbell. Howard reportedly retrieved his gas mask from the cab of the truck to put it on as a part of training and unknowingly released the hand brake before he walked behind the truck, which had been parked on a gradual incline, the vehicle rolled backwards some 4 feet and pinned him between a tree and the trailer of a truck.
Master Sgt. Clinton Wayne Cubert
April 16, 2006 – Master Sgt. Clinton Wayne Cubert, died at the Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lexington, Ky., of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his armored Humvee during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq, on Sept. 11, 2005. Cubert was assigned to the 2113th Transportation Company, based in Paducah, during his deployment.
April 17, 1868 – The remains of General John Hunt Morgan Re-interred, with impressive ceremonies, at the cemetery in Lexington, Ky.
Robert Henderson
April 17, 2004 – First Lieutenant Robert Lewis Henderson, II, of Alvaton, Ky., (Warren County) died in Diwaniyah, Iraq when his convoy tried to avoid an overturned trailer and came under small arms attack. Henderson, though mortally wounded, continued to drive his vehicle and lead the convoy out of the ambush and repositioned his vehicle so that the other soldiers in the vehicle could return fire before he collapsed. Henderson was assigned to Detachment 1, 2123rd Transportation Company, Owensboro, Ky.
April 18, 1847 – Storming of Cerro Gordo, Mexico. Captain John S. Williams’ company (the only Kentucky company engaged) behaved with distinguished valor (Mexican-American War)
April 18, 1942 – Doolittle Raid on Japan (World War II)
Sgt. Randolph Sigley
April 18, 2010 – Sgt. Randolph A. Sigley Jr., of Richmond (Madison County), was found dead in his quarters at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan where he was serving with the 2123rd Transportation Company. A member of the Kentucky Army National Guard since 2006, Sigley served from 2000-2004 with the United States Marine Corps. He served a tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Marines.
April 19, 1906 – Henry Robert Lawrence appointed Adjutant General of Kentucky by Governor J. C. W. Beckham.
April 19, 1968 – 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, Kentucky National Guard with units in Louisville, Bardstown, Elizabethtown and Carrollton, Kentucky were ordered to active duty by President Lyndon B. Johnson (Vietnam War)
April 19, 1968 – Operation Delaware began (Vietnam War)
April 20, 1953 – Operation Little Switch began (Korean War)
Capt. Clayton Adamkavicius
April 20, 2006 – Capt. Clayton Lee Adamkavicius, of Louisville, was mortally wounded by small arms fire while investigating an anti-coalition weapons cache discovered near Dihrawud district, Uruzghan Province, Afghanistan. Adamkavicius, a native of California, joined the Kentucky Army National Guard in 1999, and was assigned to Headquarters Company, 149th Brigade in Louisville. Adamkavicius was on his third operational deployment with the Kentucky National Guard. His first deployment was to Eastern Europe in 2003 where he served as Commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Armor, in support of Operation Joint Forge at Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. In a subsequent deployment to Bosnia in 2004, he served with Headquarters Company, 149th Brigade. Adamkavicius had been training Afghan soldiers when he was killed.
April 21, 1945 – Second Lieutenant Everett R. Preston, assigned to Company A, 192nd Light Tank Battalion (Harrodsburg Tankers), died at Fukuoka Camp #1-D Honshu, Japan of acute enteritis.
April 22, 1942 – Sgt. Edward Theodore French, Company D, 192nd Light Tank Battalion (Harrodsburg Tankers) died in a field hospital on Bataan while recovering from shrapnel wounds received in a Japanese bombing attack. He perished when the hospital was inadvertently hit by artillery fire from Fort Drum.
April 24, 1873 – Kentucky Legislature directs that the remains of General Cary H. Fry, Colonel Theodore O’Hara, and Adjutant George N. Cardwell to be brought from distant states, and buried in state military lot at Frankfort, and graves marked with appropriate stones.
April 24, 1967 – Battle of the Hills began (Vietnam War)
The Battle of Derne, Triploi, April 27, 1805
April 27, 1805 – Battle of Derne – Lt. Presley O’Bannon led an expedition across North African desert and captured the fortified city then held against numerous attempts to retake the place until peace treaty was signed on June 4 1805. O’Bannon was the first to plant the American Flag on foreign soil. The phrase “the shores of Tripoli” from the U.S. Marine Corps Hymn refers to O’Bannon’s expedition. O’Bannon is buried in the Frankfort Cemetery. (War with Tripoli)
April 28, 1967 – Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army and was stripped of his boxing title.
April 29, 1984 – Private Steven E. Jones of DeMossville (Pendleton County), died while training with his unit, Company C, 201st Engineer Battalion in Cynthiana. Jones was killed after an accident near the armory when the unit was training on erecting and using gin poles. Jones was struck by the pole when the rigging failed and he was unable to escape the falling pole. He was given immediate aid by members of the 475th Combat Support Hospital who were at the armory and transported to the hospital but he died from his injuries a short time later. Jones had just joined the unit on March 2, 1984 and was training with the unit until he got orders sending him to basic and advanced training as a Combat Engineer.
Story by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Spc. James Moore with the 1103rd Military Police Detachment hugs his fiance during a welcome home ceremony in Louisville, Ky., March 25, 2014. The unit spent nine months in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Excited friends and family members joined ranking officials of the Kentucky National Guard to welcome home the Soldiers of the 1103rd Military Police Detachment in Louisville, Ky., March 25.
“These are some of the best days in the Kentucky National Guard, when we welcome our Guardsmen home,” said Brig. Gen. Scott Campbell, the Kentucky Army National Guard’s Land Component Commander. “I want to thank the 1103rd for representing the United States Army and Kentucky Army National Guard in an outstanding manner.”
MPs of the Brandenburg, Ky.-based unit spent nine months as the sole law enforcement unit stationed in Regional Command North in Afghanistan. An area the size of Washington State. The unit provided force protection support, police investigations, patrols and military customs enforcement.
To see more photos from the ceremony, click here.
The 1103rd worked as law enforcement liaisons with NATO military police organizations in a true interagency and multinational mission. The Guardsmen served alongside German, Croatian, Mongolian, Swedish, Belgian, and Latvian MPs and Soldiers daily, and with numerous U.S. contractors.
A couple of the Kentuckians worked as undercover agents for a FBI task force and the unit assisted with counterintelligence investigations within the country. The mission marked the first time in 10 years that a Kentucky Guard MP unit operated overseas as a MP asset in theater.
Capt. Michael Holliday, commander of the 1103rd Military Police Detachment speaks to his unit and friends and family members during a welcome home ceremony in Louisville, Ky., March 25, 2014. Holliday said the mission was the first in 10 years for the Kentucky Guard that a MP unit served as a military police asset overseas during a deployment. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
“We had quite a diverse mission,” said Capt.Michael Holliday from Harrodsburg, Ky., commander of the 1103rd. “But we were lucky to have the opportunity to use the skills they have been taught as military police officers. We did a purely law and order mission and it’s pretty extraordinary to do that.”
Police work was not the only duty, however, for the unit as they helped reduce the U.S. military’s footprint in Afghanistan by retrograding $5.1 million worth of unnecessary unit equipment and redeployed 15 personnel before Feb. 1, without affecting their mission readiness or completion.
An additional highlight of the deployment for the 1103rd was their humanitarian mission in providing winter clothing to an Afghan orphanage in Mazr e Shariff.
Lt. Col. John Treufeldt, commander of the 198th Military Police Battalion complimented the unit on a job well done and expressed his gratitude to the Soldiers for using their MP training.
“I am extremely proud of their many accomplishments,” he said. “But mostly that they proved once again that military police Soldiers can deploy in small teams and accomplish the mission in a distinguished manner fitting of the MP Corps.”
Brig. Gen. Scott Campbell welcomes home Soldiers of the 1103rd Military Police Detachment in Louisville, Ky., March 25, 2014. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
As the Soldiers got off their bus, some needed to take few steps to be in the arms of family.
Spc. James Moore from Hopkinsville, Ky., was met quickly by his fiance, daughter and niece. Moore described his feelings as unlike anything he has felt before.
“It’s like I just jumped out of a plane, I’m almost hyperventilating,” said Moore. “My insides are shaking, my knees are buckling. I just remember grabbing people and hugging them. It’s crazy, but just great.”
“This is the best feeling ever. I feel like I’ve feel in love with everything again. I won’t take anything for granted after this. I’m just so happy to be home.”
Story by Lt. j.g. Bryan Mitchell, ISAF Regional Command North
Sgt. Dana Stringer prepares to leave Afghanistan. (Photo by Lt. j.g. Bryan Mitchell)
CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan – Two dozen troops from the Kentucky National Guard 1103rd Military Police Detachment recently finished their tour supporting Regional Command North.
Soldiers normally deploy to war with their focus clearly set on defeating the enemy. And the soldiers of the Kentucky National Guard 1103rd Military Police Detachment have plenty of experience in that field. With most members touting several combat tours in Iraq, the detachment arrived here in northern Afghanistan well prepared for the mental and physical rigors of a deployment.
But things are different here this time.
First, the Afghan National Security Forces are taking the lead in the fight against the insurgency. No longer are Americans and their coalition partners on point in the struggle to vanquish the enemies of a free and prosperous Afghanistan.
And then there’s geography.
Northern Afghanistan has long enjoyed relative security compared to the restive regions in the south and east of the country. The war began here where enemies of the Taliban collaborated with American forces to topple the government that harbored Osama bin Laden.
Finally, while their past missions have more focused on training or combat support, the Bluegrass State troops this deployment were tasked with maintaining law and order on this sprawling complex sandwiched between the shadow of the Hindu Kush mountains and the city of Mazar-e Sharif.
These factors allowed the troops to spend time getting to know Afghans rather than fighting them, and forge unique bonds with coalition partners who hail for 16 countries.
“That’s been the biggest difference for me,” said Staff Sgt. Bradford K. Stone. “I’ve gotten to learn a lot more about the average Afghan and understand their lives.”
The 36-year-old Carlisle, Ky., guardsman said the cultural differences do not separate a common thread between Afghans and Americans.
“They want to live in security, work hard to take care of their families and come back the next day to do it all over again,” he said.
Regional Command North is arguably one of the most diverse fighting coalitions in modern warfare. Seventeen nations collaborate daily to support the training of the Afghan National Security Forces.
Sgt. Tyler Offutt prepares to depart Afghanistan. (Photo by Lt. j.g. Bryan Mitchell)
Along the way, troops from vastly different background form bonds common to any workplace.
Lt. Col. Marcus D. Ray, 48, of Elizabethtown, Ky., who served as the Provost Marshall, said his team approached enthusiastically the opportunity to serve and protect with six other military police units.
“We came here with an open mind and we met everyone here with that mindset, keeping an open mind and mutual respect,” Ray said. “As our coalition grew stronger over time, we were able to do things as a team. Not the American way, or the European way. We found a coalition way here.”
Sgt. Dana A. Stringer, 25, of Bowling Green, Ky., said the nine-month tour helped her mature.
“Before I got here, I had never had to pull someone over before. It was all just training,” she said. “I remember the first time I had to do it here and you think ‘Ok, I’m the enforcer now. I need to be professional’.”
Sgt. 1st Class Walter A. Carter Jr., 56, of Houstonville, Ky., said watching troops like Stringer grow into their roles was the highlight of his tour.
“To being apprehensive on their first traffic stop to now where it’s just a matter of fact,” Carter said.
“They were gaining respect on post because they treated people the way they would like to be treated. That’s what I will take away from this experience. And knowing how much better they will all be next time because of this experience.”
Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Adkins Jr., 34, of Bowling Green, Ky., who in a past tour trained the Iraqi police, has two colorful accomplishments he will recollect on fondly many years from now.
He served as the personal security detail as well as escort for a group of mixed martial artists who spent a week touring Regional Command North in January and then performed the same role for a visit by the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders.
“It was the kind of work you could never expect but was very rewarding,” he said. “All of the visitors were so respectful and wanted to learn as much as possible about the soldiers and our work.”
The Miami Dolphins cheerleaders arrived hours ahead of a massive winter storm. Blinding wind, inches upon inches of snow and icy pavement slowed the base to a crawl and tortured troops not accustomed to cold weather operations.
“(The cheerleaders) never complained once, and it was some nasty weather we fought through,” he said. “They just kept smiling and wanting to get out with the troops.”
Sgt. Tyler D. Offutt, 30, of Brandenburg, Ky., also enjoyed a memorable moment here.
“You can try to come up with the most outlandish request for how you are going to do your re-enlistment ceremony. So I just threw out there that I wanted to do mine with (U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Craig Q. Timberlake) aboard a Black Hawk, not thinking it could ever happen,” he said.
But Timberlake, a Kentucky native who serves as the deputy commander for Regional Command North, wanted to thank Offutt for his work as the personal security detail when Timberlake left the installation and obliged.
“That was a great moment for me, and something I’ll never forget,” he said.
Timberlake expressed his appreciation for the unit’s service.
“Kentuckians are most appreciative of all the efforts of her sons and daughters but especially those that serve wearing the cloth of our nation,” Timberlake said. “The 1103rd served this command with honor and distinction. They are a professional outfit and their performance has been superb.
Equally important, Offutt said, was the unit’s philanthropic work. In October, a handful of the guardsmen delivered donated winter clothes to an Afghan orphanage.
“Our unit took a lot of pride in that mission, and to know helped those children stay warm over the winter was very satisfying,” he said.
All told, the Kentucky guardsmen served with distinction and return home knowing they made a positive impact in Afghanistan.
“The people of Kentucky should be very proud of these soldiers and of their sacrifice,” Ray said. “We left this area better than we found it and these soldiers can return home with pride.”
The following is a compilation of significant dates in the Nation and in our Commonwealth’s military history. For more on the legacy of our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen, visit the Kentucky National Guard eMuseum.
Takur Ghar, Afghanistan, March 4, 2002
March 1, 1781 – Attack on Strode’s Station, Clark County. (Early Indian Wars)
March 1, 1847 – Central mound in the Frankfort cemetery conveyed to the State for a public burying ground, The State Mound.
March 2, 1943 – Battle of Bismarck Sea began. (World War II)
Operation Rolling Thunder, Vietnam, 1968
March 2, 1968 – Operation Rolling Thunder began. Operation Rolling Thunder marked the first sustained American assault on North Vietnamese territory and thus represented a major expansion of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. (Vietnam War)
March 3, 1931 – “Star Spangled Banner” made U.S. National Anthem.
March 4, 1966 – Operation Utah (Vietnam War)
March 4, 2002 – Takur Ghar, Patkia Province, Afghanistan-Tech Sgt. Keary Miller, a Combat Search and Rescue Team Leader from the Kentucky Air Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, earns a Silver Star for his actions in pulling wounded men out of the line of fire after their MH-47E helicopter crashed landed due to ground fire. Once he established a safe causality treatment area he immediately began giving first aid to a growing number of men. Later he stripped ammunition from the dead and injured and, while repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire, resupplied those men still able to defend the position. Although seven soldiers lost their lives and ten others were seriously wounded during this 17-hour engagement with Taliban fighters, probably several more would have died without Miller’s heroic service. (Global War on Terrorism)
March 5, 1860 – Act for organization of the Kentucky Militia (State Guard Law).
March 7, 1777 – First siege of Harrodsburg by 47 Indians, under their chief, Blackfish. (Early Indian Wars)
March 7, 1862 - Capt. William Black from Woodford County, Ky., while serving with the 37th Illinois Infantry, single-handedly confronted a Confederate assault during the battle of Pea Ridge, Ark., and turned the tide of the battle. Black would receive the Medal of Honor for his actions. Black’s brother, John, also received the award later that year at the Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., making them one of the few sets of brothers to earn the Medal of Honor. (Civil War)
March 7, 1951 – Operation Ripper began. (Vietnam War)
March 7, 1867 – 235 copies ordered to be purchased of Adjutant General Daniel W. Lindsey’s Report for 1861-66, known as the “History of Kentucky Soldiers during the late War;” by the Kentucky State Legislature.
March 9, 1867 – The Kentucky legislature cedes to the United States government jurisdiction over the national cemeteries at Perryville, Camp Nelson, Lebanon, and at Mill Springs.
March 9, 1870 – Josiah Stoddard Johnston is appointed Adjutant General of Kentucky by Gov. John W. Stevenson.
March 11, 1968 – Operation Resolve to Win began. (Vietnam War)
Sgt. Glenn Scott Stanfill
March 12, 2004 – Sgt. Glenn Scott Stanfill, Perry County, sustained fatal injuries when the HUMMWV (M998) he was driving was struck by a tractor-trailer on the Hal Rogers Parkway just East of Manchester, Ky. Stanfill was in route to the East Kentucky Training Site in Artemus with Bravo Company, 206th Engineer Battalion, Hazard, Ky., as part of a battalion Field Training Exercise (FTX).
March 13, 1922 – Pvt. Frank Crone of Covington, a member of the Kentucky National Guard, was on duty as a guard at the Newport Rolling Mill, he was being relieved from duty by John Yates of Newport. Crone was accidentally killed when a revolver slipped from Yates’ pocket and fell to the ground, discharging and mortally wounding Crone.
March 14, 1862 – Engagement at Pound Gap, Letcher County. (Civil War)
Henry Herman Denhardt
March 14, 1932 – Henry Herman Denhardt is appointed Adjutant General of Kentucky by Gov. Ruby Laffoon.
March 18, 1969 – Operation Breakfast. (Vietnam War)
March 18, 2014 - In the largest Medal of Honor ceremonies in U.S. history, President Barack Obama presents 24 Army Veterans with the nation’s highest honor for their actions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The Soldiers were previously recognized with the Distinguished Service Cross, but upgraded after further review of their actions.
March 19, 1836 – Arsenal at Frankfort burnt, with 4,740 stand of arms, besides equipments.
March 19, 1912 – Kentucky State Guard officially renamed the Kentucky National Guard.
March 19, 1924 – James Arthur Kehoe is appointed Adjutant General of Kentucky by Gov. William J. Fields.
Sgt. Jonathan Adam Hughes
March 19, 2005– Sgt. Jonathan “Adam” Hughes, of Lebanon, Marion Co., Ky., was killed in Iraq when his armored HMMWV vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device (IED) during an escort patrol for a convoy enroute to Baghdad International Airport. At the time of his death, Hughes was assigned to B Battery, 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery, based in Campbellsville, Ky. He joined the Guard in May 2001 when he was 17. His unit mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom in November and deployed to Southwest Asia in January 2005. (Global War on Terrorism)
March 22, 1782 – Estill’s defeat by Indians, near Little Mountain (Mount Sterling). (Early Indian Wars)
Staff Sgt. Brock A. Beery
March 23, 2006 – Staff Sgt. Brock A. Beery, of Whitehouse, Tenn., was killed when his armored vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device (IED) near Al Habbaniyah, west of Fallujah in Iraq. At the time of the incident Beery was driving a fully-armored light medium tactical vehicle (LMTV). Beery was assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Armor, based in Bowling Green. The unit mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom in March of 2005 and deployed to the Persian Gulf that July (Global War on Terrorism)
March 24, 1992 – SSgt. William Dean Bentley of Elizabethtown (Hardin County) died while on active duty for training at Fort Knox from cardiac arrest while training at the Kentucky Military Academy’s Non-Commissioned Officer Academy in the Primary Leadership Development Course during a field problem. Immediate aid was rendered by members of the 475th MASH and Emergency Room Staff member from Ireland Army Hospital, also participating in PLDC, but they were unable to revive him. Bentley was a member of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, located in Elizabethtown.
March 25 – Medal of Honor Day.
March 25, 1917 – Claude Somerville of Portland Tenn., died at the Louisville city hospital, following surgery. He had been ill with measles and later developed pneumonia and after recovering from that became ill from emphysema. He enlisted in the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Kentucky National Guard in Franklin, Kentucky. He died shortly after returning from federal active duty on the Mexican Border.
March 29, 1973 – Last remaining U.S. forces withdraw from South Vietnam.
March 30, 1825 – Confederate General Samuel Maxey is born in Tompkinsville, Ky.
March 30, 1951 – Capt. Merlin R. “Bob” Kehrer perished in the crash of his F-51 “Mustang” near Leesburg, Va., while returning to Louisville from Bolling Air Force Base , D.C. He was a member of the Kentucky Air National Guard.
Sgt. Eric Lee Toth
March 30, 2005 – Sgt. Eric Lee Toth, of Edmonton, Metcalfe Co., Ky, was killed in Iraq when his HUMVEE encountered a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while returning from an escort patrol for a convoy along the main supply route in Baghdad. Toth joined the National Guard in May 2001. He was assigned to A Battery, 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery, based in Tompkinsville, Ky. This unit mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom in November and deployed to Southwest Asia in January 2005. (Global War on Terrorism)
Story by Lt. j.g. Brian Mitchell, ISAF Regional Command North
Soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard 1103rd Military Police Detachment recently trained members of the Afghan National Army on personal security detail. Members of the ANA are training on how to remove a dignitary from a threatening situation. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Brian Mitchell)
CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan — Back in Kentucky, Master Sgt. Timothy Mullins and Sgt. Brad Stone are two of the scores of dedicated law enforcement officers working to keep citizens of the Bluegrass State safe.
But here in Afghanistan, where both served as military police officers aboard the largest military outpost in the northern part of the country, they represent so much more.
Their cumulative civilian experience, Mullins patrolling the southeastern Appalachian corner of Kentucky for the state police while Stone maintains order at Lexington’s Federal Medical Center, is vast.
Add to that their combined deployed experience, Mullins served previously in Iraq training customs officials while Stone is on his fourth tour following three in Iraq, and you’d be hard pressed to find soldiers with a better understanding of what is means to protect and serve both at peace and at war.
So they leapt at the opportunity to share their knowledge with the burgeoning Afghan National Army.
The two members of the Kentucky National Guard 1103rd Military Police Detachment recently spent several days teaching a group of Afghans how to conduct personnel security detail, which is the finely honed skill of protecting dignitaries and military leaders.
“This was a great chance for us to give back and show the Afghans some of the specialized skills a military needs to protect its leadership,” Mullins said.
Their experience mimics that of the hundreds of fellow soldiers deployed to this sprawling German-run outpost. With the war winding down, American and coalition troops are taking a back seat to the burgeoning Afghan National Army.
After investing hundreds of millions in training and equipping the Afghan National Security Forces – essentially the combined forces of the nation’s army, police forces and specialized law enforcement institutions – the coalition is decreasing its footprint here while the Afghans take the lead in combating a stubborn insurgency.
While most soldiers deployed here train their Afghan counterparts on basic military tactics and techniques – everything from marksmanship to logistics, vehicle maintenance to pilot training – Mullins and Stone recruited two of the Kentucky National Guard colleagues to conduct the two-day training evolution.
But here in Afghanistan, where the average citizen lives on roughly $3 per day and illiteracy still plagues a majority of the population, simple training can be challenging. The more complex scenarios like personnel security detail can be especially daunting.
“We were worried because we realize they don’t have a background in this work, and it’s more complex and involved than simple soldiering,” Stone said.
They packed a lot in two days, touching on escort formations, arrivals and departures, advance work, motorcade operations and a broad overview of how protective services fits into a larger military structure.
Nevertheless, like so many other soldiers here, the guardsmen were pleasantly surprised with how well their pupils took to the course.
“Honestly, I was amazed at how quickly they picked it up,” Mullins said. “You quickly realize they may be illiterate but that does not mean they’re not intelligent.”
Stone echoed the sentiment.
“It was amazing to watch them quickly come into their own,” he said. “It didn’t matter who you put in what position or what sort of format we threw at them. They would be able to shift and show you how quickly they adapt.”
The training exercise proved to be the highlight of an interesting tour during a pivotal time during this 13-year conflict.
Camp Marmal is as colorful an installation to be found anywhere in this Texas-sized country.
Seventeen nations contribute troops to the mission here.
A German two-star general commands the region, Mongolian soldiers serve as sentries at the gates while F-16s from the Royal Netherlands Air Force patrol the skies above the base.
A Fort Knox-based Cavalry unit just finished its nine-month tour providing combat arms support while a Missouri National Guard unit equipped with Apache attack helicopters, Chinook and Black Hawk transport choppers ferries troops and gear between snow-capped mountains and lush river valleys.
The diverse coalition stirs a lively base life.
It’s a place where you can hear a half dozen languages before breakfast and where troops are just as likely to travel from their tent to work and to the gym by bicycle as they are by tactical vehicle.
Despite the differences in culture and war-zone regulations, Mullins found his coalition partners to be capable, professional and mission focused.
“We learned a lot from each other, but you really learn that military people are similar in so many ways,” he said. “We all come here wanting to do a good job and you find all the differences aren’t as important as everyone’s commitment to serve at a high level.”
Now, as the unit eyes its return to Kentucky, Stone and Mullins are hoping their brief encounter with the Afghans will result in the same commitment.
“These people have been through so much, but they work hard and they showed me a lot of professionalism and purpose,” Stone said. “I’m hopeful for them.”
