OHIO NATIONAL GUARD
ONLINE PUBLICATION
Featuring the BG video newscast
Volume 42, Number 2
April - June 2024
Photo and video by Staff Sgt. Jillian Maynus / Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
I am the Ohio Air National Guard
The Ohio Air National Guard consists of four wings: the 121st Air Refueling Wing, 178th Wing, 179th Cyberspace Wing, and 180th Fighter Wing, which deploy worldwide to fulfill aerial refueling missions, air transport, communications, engineering, and security requirements. In addition, there are two subordinate geographically separated units in the state.
Video by Spc. Michael Baumberger / 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Ohio ARNG participates in the 56th Department of the Army Philip A. Connelly culinary competition
Nine Ohio Army National Guard culinary specialists from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 237th Support Battalion and an attachment support team participated in the 56th Department of the Army Philip A. Connelly culinary competition at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center in Newton Falls, Ohio, March 2-3, 2024. The PAC culinary competition is the personification of food service excellence executed by culinary specialists, presenting extremely gratifying dining experiences across all Army food service platforms in garrison and field environments.
OHARNG | 37TH IBCT | WATCH FULL NEWSCAST | WATCH THIS SEGMENT
Video by George B. Davis / Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
Recruits utilize Bucks for Buckeyes Incentive Program
High school students from across Ohio gathered in Columbus recently to celebrate their commitment to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. A celebration honoring students joining the military was presented by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, Ohio National Guard and the USO. At the event, 24 recruits signed a commitment to enlist or commission with the Ohio Army or Air National Guard. The Ohio National Guard offers a scholarship which covers 100% of tuition charges for an associate or bachelor’s degree, a diploma-granting nursing program, as well as approved trade certification, credential-certifying, or licensing programs at participating public colleges and universities.
Video by Airman 1st Class Colin Simpson / 178th Wing Public Affairs
178th Wing marks first MQ-9 Reaper landing during Operation Advanced Wrath
An MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Attack Wing was temporarily stationed at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base, Ohio in March 2024 during the Advanced Wrath training exercise, in support of U.S. Special Operations Command. The arrival of the MQ-9 in Springfield marked the first military flight operation conducted at the base in over 13 years.
Video by Sgt. Katelin Uhinck / 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
2024 OHARNG Best Warrior Competition
Seventeen Ohio Army National Guard Soldiers, alongside seven competitors from the Hungarian Defense Forces and Serbian Armed Forces, participated in the 2024 Ohio Army National Guard State Best Warrior Competition at Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center in Newton Falls, Ohio, April 5-7, 2024. This hype video includes the BWC marksmanship qualifications, weapons skills, the Army Combat Fitness Test, the Expert Physical Fitness Assessment, and the 12-mile ruck march. The video also includes shots of soldiers from Serbia and Hungary competing in the BWC as guests of the Ohio National Guard State Partnership Program.
LINEAGE LINKUP
featuring
the Ohio Army National Guard’s
285th Medical Company,
organized April 27,
1927,
in Columbus, Ohio.
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHT
A Tale of Two Tornados
Occurring just under 50 years apart, the 1924 Lorain-Sandusky tornado and 1974 Xenia tornado were among the deadliest and most destructive in Ohio history. The Ohio National Guard was there in the aftermath of both to help those communities recover. Learn more in a visit to the Buckeye Guard archives.
READ MORE: Lorain Sandusky (1924) | Xenia (1974)
OHIO NATIONAL GUARD NEWS
Sgt. Olivia Lauer / Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
Soldier's final mission to aid fellow veterans led to historic PACT Act legislation
Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, a combat medic in the Ohio Army National Guard and Iraq War veteran, developed a rare autoimmune disease and lung cancer from toxic burn pit exposure overseas. Although he died from his illness in 2020, his veterans advocacy efforts before his passing were a driving force behind the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, which enables veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits to receive health care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Senior Airman Ivy Thomas / 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
121st ARW conducts readiness exercise validation to ensure mission capability
The 121st Air Refueling Wing conducted Operation Buckeye Resolve in May 2024 at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. The three-day, 24/7 basewide exercise demonstrated the wing’s ability to perform various aspects of its mission, including deployment processing, loading and launching aircraft, defending the base, emergency and attack procedures and casualty care.
05.14.24 ~ OHANG | 178TH WING
Senior Airman Colin Simpson / 178th Wing Public Affairs
178th Wing hosts Air Force units from across US during El muster
More than 150 Airmen from 16 engineering installation squadrons across the country participated in a weeklong muster in June 2024 at the 178th Wing in Springfield, Ohio. The muster provided Airmen in the EI career field an opportunity to discuss issues impacting their mission to deliver communications infrastructure and capabilities to support and expand the IT capabilities of the entire Department of Defense and ensure the cyber network necessary for future conflicts.
05.19.24 ~ LEADERSHIP | ADJUTANT GENERAL
OHNG Heritage Center Photos/OHNG Graphic
Maj. Gen. Richard C. Alexander, former adjutant general, dies at 88
The Ohio National Guard remembers Maj. Gen. Richard C. Alexander, 88, of Westerville, Ohio, who passed away May 18, 2024. Alexander served as Ohio adjutant general from 1987 to 1998 under Govs. Richard Celeste and George Voinovich. A native of Cleveland, he joined the Ohio National Guard in 1960 after serving in the Marine Corps for four years. He was commissioned in 1965 through Officer Candidate School and worked as a federal technician for the Ohio National Guard. A trailblazer, Alexander was the OHNG’s first race relations and equal opportunity officer, and his appointment as adjutant general made him the first Black general officer and adjutant general in the then nearly 200-year history of the organization.
OHIO NATIONAL GUARD ONLINE PUBLICATION
Volume 42, Number 2 ~ April-June 2024
Adjutant General: Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr.
Director, Government and Public Affairs: Mr. Joseph R. Gabriel
State Public Affairs Officer: Capt. Jenna L. Walton
Deputy Director, Communication: Ms. Heidi M. Griesmer
Editor: Mr. Steve Toth
Layout and Design: Ms. Cindy Ayers Hayter
Historian: Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Mann
Editorial/Electronic Design Support: Ms. Carleeann Smiddy
Video Editor/Producer: Staff Sgt. Thomas Moeger