May 2019 Gallery

Buckeye Guard online publication recognized by Defense Department

The Buckeye Guard digital magazine has earned first place in the 2018 Department of Defense (DOD) Media Merit Awards (DMMA) for online publications. The DMMA program recognizes excellence among public affairs professionals assigned to combatant commands, joint task forces, defense agencies and DOD field activities, including the Defense Media Activity. It is the second consecutive year the Buckeye Guard has earned the honor, winning most recently for its annual people issue, which featured the top human interest stories from the previous year about Ohio National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.

~ AWARD-WINNING 2018 PEOPLE ISSUE |  BUCKEYE GUARD ARCHIVES

Honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day May 2

Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., (left), Ohio adjutant general, presents a plaque of appreciation to Sandy Hackman, a child of Holocaust survivors, for her support as the featured speaker during a Holocaust Days of Remembrance presentation entitled “Beyond Religious Boundaries: Learning from the Holocaust,” April 29, 2019, at the Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Armory in Columbus, Ohio. Hackman shared a detailed account of what her mother’s family went through while growing up in Trochenbrod, Poland during the Holocaust, then later fleeing to the nearby forest and surviving for 2 1/2 years until the war was over.

~ DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

Celebrating National Nurses Day May 6

National Nurses Day celebrates the important role nurses play in society and marks the beginning of National Nurses Week, which ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is known as the founder of modern nursing and came to prominence for her coordination of wounded British soldier care during the Crimean War. The Ohio National Guard honors our Soldiers and Airmen who serve in these critical health care roles in their military and/or civilian jobs. In this photo, Sgt. First Class Dustin Hartman, a medic with the 285th Medical Company and registered nurse, performs a medical assessment on a civilian patient Oct. 27, 2017, in Jayuya, Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.

Celebrating National Teacher Appreciation Day May 7

First Lt. Ashley Chapa, assigned to the 180th Fighter Wing as the director of equal opportunity, has pursued both of her career goals — to serve in the military and work in the education field. A member of the Air National Guard since 2004, Chapa has served for the past five years as an intervention specialist at Liberty Center Elementary School in Northwest Ohio, where she works with kindergarten and first-grade students with disabilities. The Ohio National Guard salutes all of our Airmen and Soldiers who balance work in the education field with serving their communities, state and nation.

Celebrating Asian-American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Airman balances many roles

Lt. Col. (Dr.) Peter Lee, a surgeon at the 179th Airlift Wing, has always had a love for science, engineering, medicine and space. This combination of interests led him to become a physician, surgeon, professor, Airman and researcher who flies experiments in space. In this photo, Lee holds a mission patch and challenge coin that were designed by elementary school students in Dublin, Ohio, who participated in a three-month after school program, led by Lee, which taught the students about the space environment and how to design experiments.

OSU graduate student project helps in fight to retain Soldiers

Col. Daniel J. Shank, Ohio assistant adjutant general for Army, presents Ohio State University graduate student Matt Rosebaugh a plaque recognizing his participation in a 14-week study project, Hacking 4 Defense Team “Green Grass,” May 9, 2019, at Defense Supply Center Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. Rosebaugh and two other OSU students, Laura Walker and Emma Wenckowski, provided critical analysis and recommendations to improve the Ohio Army National Guard’s Soldier retention program, under the mentorship of Lt. Col. David Swisher, OHARNG Recruiting and Retention Battalion commander.

39th annual Governor’s Holocaust remembrance ceremony

Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., Ohio adjutant general, was one of the featured speakers at the 39th annual Governor’s Holocaust remembrance ceremony May 9, 2019, at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. Harris introduced Donald Jakeway, 96, a highly decorated World War II veteran who talked about his role in liberating a Jewish family of five found hiding in an attic in Holland’s Den Heuvel Woods. The theme of this year's commemoration was “Works of Compassion: Stories of Rescue.”

Representing the Buckeye State during Region IV BWC

Sgt. William Collins (left), of Company B, 237th Support Battalion, and Spc. Adam Pinkerton, of Company D, 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment, stand for a photo prior to the ruck march event during the Army National Guard Region IV Best Warrior Competition, May 7-10 at Fort Custer Training Center in Augusta, Mich. Collins and Pinkerton represented the Ohio Army National Guard in the noncommissioned officer and Soldier categories, respectively, during the Region IV BWC, a grueling three-day test of a Soldier’s endurance, mental toughness and military skills through a series of events.

~ FLICKR PHOTO ALBUM | WATCH VIDEO

A day to show our spouses how much they’re appreciated

On Friday, May 10, we celebrate National Military Spouse Appreciation Day. The Friday before Mother’s Day has been a day to honor the contributions and sacrifices made by military spouses. They are the backbone of our families during missions, training and deployment. Please tell your spouse or significant other “thank you” for supporting you during your time in the Ohio National Guard. They are essential to the strength of our organization.

~ READ TAG MESSAGE

Ohio National Guard team prepares to defend critical infrastructure

A team of 10 Ohio National Guard cyber warriors has been selected to participate in a pilot program designed to protect critical infrastructure that services Department of Defense installations. The Ohio National Guard Cyber Mission Assurance Team (CMAT) participated in a network and industrial control systems threat assessment exercise to test their capabilities this spring as part of Cyber Shield 19 at Camp Atterbury, Ind. The National Guard is standing up CMATs as part of recent DOD initiatives to develop partnerships with industry, as well as local and state government, to address vulnerabilities in the nation’s critical infrastructure.

~ READ STORY

Profile of Master Sgt. Charlotte Ortiz, the assistant recruiting and retention superintendent for Headquarters, Ohio Air National Guard in Columbus, Ohio, who is fighting Extramedullary Granulocytic Sarcoma with Central Nervous System Involvement (EGS/CNSI), an extremely rare form of cancer.

~ READ STORY

The Ohio National Guard celebrates Armed Forces Day May 18

Armed Forces Day, traditionally celebrated on the third Saturday in May, is a day to pay special tribute to the men and women of the armed forces serving in all branches of the U.S. military. The Ohio National Guard is proud of all of our Soldiers and Airmen, both past and present, who have served their communities, state and nation with honor.

Making a difference by serving her Military Family

Sgt. 1st Class Kellie King Feciuch, an equal opportunity advisor assigned at Ohio National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, is a psychological health coordinator for the Ohio Army National Guard in her civilian career and also co-founded a veterans support group called Veterans in Recovery in 2014. She credits the support of her husband of 19 years, James Feciuch, for allowing her to have successful military and professional careers.

~ OHIOcares.ohio.gov |  VETERANS-IN-RECOVERY FLIER |  READ STORY

Partnering with Attorney General’s Office during ‘Two Days in May’

Maj. Karisa Myers, sexual assault response coordinator for the Ohio National Guard, talks with participants in the Two Days in May Conference May 21, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio, during a workshop about the Ohio National Guard’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program. The Ohio National Guard was a partner for the Office of the Ohio Attorney General’s Two Days in May, an annual training event that provides professional development opportunities for sexual assault victim advocates from around the state.

~ SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION ASSAULT AND PREVENTION PROGRAM

Celebrating Asian-American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Chaplain born to troubled home utilizes his personal adversity to help strengthen Military Families

Maj. Nicholas Chou, the 73rd Troop Command brigade chaplain, oversees the Ohio National Guard’s Strong Bonds Program. Strong Bonds is a chaplain-led Army-wide program that seeks to develop strong relationships for Military Families, marriages and even single Soldiers. Chou, who grew up in a troubled home, is now devoting his life to strengthening Military Families through his service as an Army chaplain.

~ STRONG BONDS PROGRAM |  CALENDAR OF EVENTS |  READ STORY

Governor’s Wreath Laying ceremony honors fallen Ohio service members

Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr. (from right), Ohio adjutant general; retired Maj. Gen. Deborah Ashenhurst, director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services; Jim Groves, a Gold Star father; Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine; Ohio First Lady Fran Dewine; and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose stand and render respect after emplacing a wreath at the Ohio Veterans Plaza, during the annual Governor’s Wreath Laying Ceremony, May 22, 2019, on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The observance honors the memory of Ohioans who lost their lives in military service to their country.

Honoring fallen service members during Memorial Day

This Memorial Day weekend is an opportunity to pay tribute to the legacy of all of our fallen military heroes. We must never forget that because of their sacrifices, our democracy thrives and freedom endures. Read the full Memorial Day message from Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., Ohio adjutant general.