Texas Guardsmen rescue 140 in Houston floods

Texas Guardsmen from the 736th Component Repair Company, 36th Sustainment Brigade, 36th Infantry Division work alongside local and state emergency responders to rescue Texans in need from severe flooding in Houston, Texas, April 19, 2016. Texas Guardsmen, working with Harris County emergency response units and Texas Task Force 1, rescued 140 people in five hours. (U.S. Army National Guard photo courtesy of 736th Component Repair Company, 36th Sustainment Brigade/Released)

Texas Military Department
Story by Capt. Martha Nigrelle

HOUSTON – Texas Guardsmen from the 736th Component Repair Company, 36th Infantry Division, pulled 140 people to safety from severe flooding in Houston, April 19, 2016.

Working alongside Harris County Police officers, firefighters, Sheriff’s Office and Texas Task Force 1, guardsmen worked through the night to help Texans in need.

After linking up with partner emergency responders at the Harris County Fireman Training Center in Humble, the soldiers split up to provide assistance to severely flooded neighborhoods, sending half of their trucks to Ponderosa, a neighborhood located on the north side of Houston.

“We went into the water for about an hour and a half and came out with about 20 people,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Hoover, 736th Component Repair Company. “One of our other trucks stayed in the water until after 9 p.m. and pulled out 90 people.”

Each truck went out with officers from the Sheriff’s Office or the local police department and some also went with boat rescue squads from Texas Task Force 1.

“Our trucks can only go into 40 inches of water,” said Hoover, explaining that some of their trucks went out worked with rescue boats. “Task Force 1 boats would go ahead of us in their boats and bring them back to the truck, then we would bring them to dry land.”

The Emergency Medical Technicians, working with 9-1-1 dispatch, received addresses of distressed citizens, and passed the addresses on to guardsmen and firefighters so they could respond.

“As we would go to the address, we would pick up others who needed help,” said Sgt. Allan Abel, 736th Component Repair Company. “We were supposed to stop at dark, but we got four priority calls just after dark and that took us a while because we kept filling up with people.”

Deep waters made military land navigation training important in their ability to help those in need.

“In some places we had to go light pole to light pole; there were essentially no markers,” said Abel. “Our training in hasty navigation and terrain association was hugely beneficial – that’s what we were doing.”

Texas National Guard high profile military vehicles were essential in rescue operations, said Chief Bob Royall, Assistant Chief of Joint Emergency Operations, Harris County Fire Marshall’s Office. The majority of first responder vehicles are unable to maneuver through such deep waters and many rescue boats are limited to holding about six people, said Royall.

According to Abel, the military trucks were able to safely seat up to 25 people, in addition to the necessary soldiers and emergency first responders that accompanied each mission.

“Many Harris County residents underestimated the dangers of rising flood waters; they lost all power and were cut off from society. Simple things like going to the doctor became very dangerous,” said Royall. “Had it not been for the National Guard’s high water vehicles, we would not have been able to get to many of these folks. There are untold hundreds, possibly thousands, we would not have been able to get to.”

Members of the community also worked to support rescue efforts.

“We went to Tin Roof Barbecue in Humble with Task Force 1 for lunch, about 60 people, and the owner refused to let us pay,” said Hoover. “There are a lot of civilians out here doing really outstanding stuff, supporting the guard, the task force and the police. They make our work a lot easier.”

Throughout Harris County, and the state, people worked together to help those in need.

“I’ve always felt the need to serve,” said Abel. “This is my main driver, to be able to do things like this for my fellow Texans.”

To date, Texas Guardsmen have helped rescue 221 people and 41 pets from severe flooding in southeast Texas.

Airmen honored for rescuing 3 after helo crash

Maj. Matthew Arnold, right, the 336th Training Group chief of standards and evaluations, receives the Airman’s Medal during a ceremony April 8, 2016, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. In 2013, Arnold and Tech. Sgt. Dean Criswell, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron NCO in charge of rescue operations, were participating in a routine training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, when an HH-60G Pave Hawk went down. They helped save three of the four Airmen on the helicopter. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell)

Tech. Sgt. Dean Criswell, right, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron NCO in charge of rescue operations, receives the Airman’s medal during a ceremony April 8, 2016, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. Criswell and Maj. Matthew Arnold, the 336th Training Group chief of standards and evaluations, put their lives in danger to save the lives of three Airmen on a HH-60G Pave Hawk that crashed during training. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell)

By Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell,
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs / Published April 12, 2016

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFNS) -- Two Airmen were given the Airman's Medal during a ceremony at Fairchild Air Force Base on April 8 for rescuing three Airmen injured in a 2013 helicopter crash.

Maj. Matthew Arnold, the 336th Training Group chief of standards and evaluations, and Tech. Sgt. Dean Criswell, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron NCO in charge of rescue operations, were participating in a routine training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, when an HH-60G Pave Hawk went down.

Both descended from the helicopter they were in to the flaming crash site. The fire had spread quickly, causing live rounds of ammunition to shoot off in all directions. The two managed to navigate the harsh surroundings to find their fellow Airmen.

"Everyone's skills came together when it really mattered, including the pilot and the flight engineers; we all worked seamlessly together," Arnold said.

When they arrived on scene, Criswell performed a perimeter search for members of the crew. After the first member was found, Arnold recovered him and began to treat the crew member's wounds. Criswell continued to search for the other crew members and found two pilots who were both injured; one was unable to walk, requiring Criswell's assistance to move. Criswell escorted both men to a hovering helicopter. Once in the helicopter, Criswell administered medical aid.

"We happened to be the ones put on the ground closest to the danger,” Criswell said, “but there are many unsung heroes to include many of the agencies we work with, the firefighters, the pilots, maintainers; anything we needed for the rescue was there.”

Arnold returned to the area twice, helping the two pilots and filling the overhead command and control role while looking for the final crew member, Tech. Sgt. Mark Smith, who did not survive the crash.

"Mark Smith was a good friend whose loss was greatly felt. Every time we look at this medal we will think of him," Arnold said. "It is bittersweet because we saved three but lost one."

The Airman's Medal is the highest award that an Airman can receive for heroic acts in a non-combat situation.

The Cal Guard and CAL FIRE train up for fire season

Sgt. Barbara Kizer, a fueler with 1st Battalion, 168th Task Force Medevac out of Mather, California, fuels a UH-72 Lakota helicopter during training near Sutter Creek, April 16. The annual Wild Land Fire Fighting training prepares the California National Guard and CAL FIRE to work together during the upcoming wildfire season. (U.S. Army National Guard photo/Sgt. Brianne M. Roudebush)

69th Public Affairs Detachment
Story by Sgt. Brianne Roudebush

SUTTER CREEK, Calif. – At the top of a hill overlooking Lake Pardee, two motorcyclists stop to take in the view of the scene below them. Boats float across the water, people fish along the banks, and on the other side of the lake, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter dips a bright orange bucket into the water. The motorcyclists have seen this before – it’s a common site during California’s wildfire season.

“I didn’t know anything was burning,” one of them said.

The helicopter was not responding to a fire this time; rather, it was participating in joint Wild Land Fire Fighting training between CAL FIRE and the California National Guard held April 15-17.

The three-day training kicked off Friday with classroom instruction and concluded with two days of practical exercises at a helibase near Sutter Creek, California.

“The purpose of the training was to ensure that CAL FIRE firefighters and agency personnel that are called upon to fight fire from the air can interact with the National Guard in their aircraft and assimilate into their air crews,” Chief Dan Reese, the deputy chief of tactical operations for CAL FIRE, said. “We want to ensure that they can all effectively work together.”

During California’s exhaustive wildfire season, CAL FIRE often relies on additional support from the National Guard.

“We can go to the National Guard for extra helicopters and air power,” Reese said. “In the summertime when we typically do call in the Guard, [all of our assets] have been deployed already, so they are a surge capability for us to be able to utilize.”

Reese explained that California’s ongoing drought has caused a severe tree mortality issue – meaning that there are millions of dead trees throughout the state – which could potentially have devastating effects during the fire season.

“We always have to prepare for the worst, right?” Reese said.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Shaun Hollins of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment echoed these sentiments, adding, “I don’t have any forecasts personally, but every fire season is usually expected to be worse that the last and that’s what we plan for.”

This year, the Guard faces the added challenge of managing CAL FIRE support requests without the 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment (Air Assault), which is currently deployed in Kuwait.

“They won’t be getting back until September so they will be completely out of the mix for this fire season,” Maj. John Allen, the executive officer for the 3-140th, said. “That’s one-third of the aviation assets that we provide.”

Several pilots in command, crewmembers and airframes from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 640th Aviation Support Battalion are augmenting the air assault battalion in Kuwait as well.

“There’s really no way you can make up for a whole air assault battalion being gone,” Allen said. “It just means a higher operational tempo for the Black Hawks out of Mather Airfield and leaning on the Chinooks out of Stockton for the bucket drops.”

The CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters were recently modified with radio equipment that can communicate with the system CAL FIRE uses, so the entire fleet is available for this year’s fire response.

The Chinooks, which are more powerful than the UH-60 Black Hawk and HH-60 Pave Hawk utility helicopters, are able to carry 2,000-gallon water buckets. The Black Hawks and Pave Hawks carry buckets with about a 600-gallon capacity.

“We got a [new valve system] that is made for low water sources,” Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric Aguilar, a CH-47 pilot with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, said. “It allows us to pick up water in as little as 28 inches of water, so that’s a big plus for our aircraft now.”

The valve is especially important during times of drought when water sources run very low. The entire training was conducted with the drought in mind – water was used sparingly and drops were conducted along the side of a hill allowing the water to run back into the lake.

“Overall, the training was excellent,” Aguilar said. “This was our first time using the new bucket system, so it’s good familiarization.”

“Hopefully, we won’t be too affected with the CAB deploying, but I believe we can handle it, along with our civilian assets,” he continued. “We have very competent crews to facilitate those missions.”

Champion: Pilot earns California Military Cross

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nathan Champion, second from left, of the California Army National Guard’s Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, displays the California Military Cross he received from Col. Robert A. Spano, left, Director, California Military Department Joint Staff, and CAL FIRE representatives Dan Reese and Robert Winder, April 15 at the State of California Office of Emergency Services in Sacramento, California. While single-handedly flying a UH-72 Lakota helicopter during the August 2014 Lodge Fire in Mendocino County, California, Champion responded to an emergency that led to the rescue of eight firefighters after their position was overrun by a wildfire. The California Military Cross is the state’s second-highest award for military valor, behind only the California Medal of Honor. (U.S. Army National Guard photo/Staff Sgt. Eddie Siguenza)

By EDDIE SIGUENZA
California Army National Guard

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California Army National Guard pilot received the state’s second-highest honor April 15 for his actions during the 2014 Lodge Fire in Mendocino County, California.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nathan Champion, a state aviation maintenance officer with the Cal Guard’s Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, earned the California Military Cross for assisting in rescuing eight firefighters who were overrun by a wildfire. Flying a single-pilot UH-72A Lakota helicopter through smoke and low visibility, Champion used his aviator skills and experience to find the firefighters and help coordinate the rescue.

“There was no other option available to extract these personnel. Were it not for his heroic actions, these (people) may not have survived the night,” stated Col. Laura L. Yeager, Chief of Staff, California Military Department Joint Staff.

Champion and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) helicopter manager Capt. Mike Deacon surpassed their daily seven-hour flight time to remain airborne. They stayed in communication with the firefighters — some of whom sustained injuries — and coordinated water drops on the area where they were trapped.

“There were two calm factors in the cockpit that came together that day,” said Capt. Dan Reese, CAL FIRE tactical air operations commander. “That’s a no-joke award. It was rightfully earned, rightfully awarded.”

The California Military Cross is the state equivalent to the federal Distinguished Service Cross, according to Col. Robert A. Spano, Director, California Military Department Joint Staff. The DSC is the nation’s second highest award for military valor, behind only the Medal of Honor.

“We present this on behalf of a grateful command,” Spano said, as Champion accepted the prestigious honor at the State of California Office of Emergency Services in Sacramento, California, in front of a room crowded with CAL FIRE and Cal Guard personnel. “Champion’s confidence as a single pilot aviator — along with his great understanding of his Lakota — allowed him to heroically fly into very challenging conditions and extract injured personnel, potentially reducing the severity of their injuries.”

“There were critical conditions they faced up in the air. There were tremendous smoky conditions, but they remained calm and cool,” Reese added. “Everyone was lucky and glad to have experienced people up in the air.”

As stated in the California National Guard’s Awards and Decorations regulation, recipients of the California Military Cross “must have been such as to merit recognition of service rendered in a clear exceptional manner within the scope of a special requirement or of an extremely difficult duty performed in a clearly outstanding manner.”

American MPs, HR personnel, firefighters return from Romania

Soldiers assigned to 149th Adjutant General Company (Forward), 438th Military Police Company Detachment (Law and Order), and 907th Engineer Detachment (Firefighting Headquarters) bow their heads during a prayer at the welcome brief at the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group April 2.

Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS Fort Bliss
Story by Adam Holguin

Soldiers assigned to the 149th Adjutant General Company (Forward), Texas Army National Guard, and the 438th Military Police Company Detachment (Law and Order), and the 907th Engineer Detachment (Firefighting Headquarters), both Army Reserve units, arrived here April 2 after completing nine-month deployments in Romania.

The military units worked at Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) Air Base providing custom services, law and order for all U.S. forces in Romani and Bulgaria, weapons and tactical training, base security, accountability of U.S. personnel, and firefighting services.

“MK air base, Romania, is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve,” said 1st Lt. Christopher Stell, commander, 907th Eng. Det. (FF). “The installation is there for the purposes of moving NATO troops in and out for whatever missions come up.”

The 149th AG Co. (Fwd.), based out of Wichita Falls, Texas, was responsible for the accountability of all personnel that moved into and out of MK air base, as well as providing VIP escorts to high profile visitors. The unit processed over 6,400 personnel through the air base during their mission.

“We used a tactical personnel system to scan IDs of passengers coming into the airbase. We would scan them in, in-process them, and conduct welcome briefs of the rules of the base,” said 1st Lt. Brett Lancaster, officer-in-charge, 149th AG Co. (Fwd.). “The unit did really well. We never had any issues as far as accomplishing the mission; everything got done.”

The 907th Eng. Det. (FF) provided firefighting services for MK Air Base, a mission they excelled at performing.

“We provided structural fire protection for the facilities,” Stell said. “The good thing is that fire prevention was taken very seriously, but then there are no fires. So, as firefighters, we kind of defeated our own purpose.”

The 438th MP Co. Det. (LO), headquartered in Salt Lake City, provided a variety of services and training while working closely with host nation forces, an interaction that provided an insight to the Romanians.

“It was a very unique experience. I have worked with a lot of host nations. I’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan and we never quite jived this much,” said Staff Sgt. Randy Clark, senior desk sergeant, 438th MP Co. Det. (LO), who completed his fifth deployment. “The Romanians worked with us hand in hand. We could have been the same unit. The communication was great, we learned a lot from them and they learned a lot from us.”

Interacting with different cultures was one of the main takeaways for the American Soldiers who completed the missions.

“Romania has been a democracy for over 20 years now, but everywhere you look in that country you can still see the communism and what it does to a country,” Clark said. “They are clawing their way out of it and it is amazing to see the resiliency that they have. I have a lot of respect for the Romanian people.”

As western influence slowly makes its way into Romanian society, it was clear that their culture affected the U.S. Soldiers.

“Romania is such a beautiful place. I have seen more love in nine months in Romania than I have seen in 28 years,” said Sgt. Chearonne Allen, 149th AG Co. (Fwd.). “Every family walks. From baby to grandpa and grandma together in the street holding hands. You can see the love they have for each other—every family. It’s like what it used to be (in America) before cell phones and constant technology. And, I miss that.”