From The Desk Of: Col. Eric Gagnon
Always Ready - Always There! As many of us experienced throughout the pandemic, the Vermont National Guard’s Soldiers and Airmen are eager to support our neighbors and communities in times of need. Shortly after Governor Scott signed Executive Order 03-23 on the 9th of July, select members of the Vermont National Guard were activated to respond to disasters caused by the severe weather and flooding that struck several towns throughout the State.
The Vermont National Guard is built to support disaster response. While state and local emergency services may have robust plans to deal with the unexpected, disasters typically overwhelm their initial resources and staffing. In these cases, the National Guard becomes a critical and key partner. In partnership with Vermont’s Division of Emergency Management and the State Emergency Operations Center, our joint Army and Air response teams collaborated to meet pressing life safety needs ranging from food, water, transportation, personal protective equipment, and shelter.
The joint response teams consisted of a wide representation of our Army and Air major commands. This team’s diverse skillset made it uniquely interoperable and exceptionally user-friendly. Its mission set ranged from working side-by-side with our inter-agency partners to coordinate and conduct rescue efforts with urban search and rescue teams, to guiding traffic for evacuations, to transporting and distributing supplies, or sending liaison teams to assess and communicate damages in nearly half of Vermont’s towns.
The opportunity to support our local communities alongside Vermont’s Army and Air National Guard members is a truly rewarding experience. The strength and capability of our Guard family is remarkable. Put the Vermonters Ahead!
- Col. Eric Gagnon, Chief of Staff, Vermont Army National Guard
Vermont Airmen and Soldiers Assist After Historic Flooding
The Vermont National Guard Soldiers' quick reaction force worked with North Carolina and Massachusetts urban search and rescue teams to rescue and relocate 27 people and their pets in Cambridge.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Paul Pennoyer and Staff Sgt. Neils Huisman, Vermont National Guard, used Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTV) to provide aid to flood-affected residents, their efforts resulted in the successful rescue and relocation to safer areas away from the flood zone.
"The damage and flooding was extensive,” said Huisman, quick reaction force member, who is also a member of the 40th Army Band, Garrison Support Command. “We are glad that we were able to help people and assist the fast water rescue teams from North Carolina and Massachusetts."
Vermont has experienced significant flood damage, with two months' worth of rainfall occurring within a mere two-day period. As families and pets found themselves in need of evacuation, the Vermont National Guard was activated on state active-duty orders to assist with flood response and search and rescue operations.
"It was fantastic to see the emergency management community as a whole come together to support the town of Cambridge,” said 1st Lt. Pennoyer, the commander of the 172nd Law Enforcement Detachment, Garrison Support Command. “The inter-agency operability was unparalleled, and it was an honor to support these fast water rescue teams accomplish the mission."
The Vermont National Guard was activated to action to assess the damage after historic and catastrophic devastation throughout the state of Vermont from floodwaters.
“Events like these require extensive amounts of data collection and dissemination,” said 1st Lt. Nick LeBeau, Liaison Officer (LNO) Operations & Plans Officer in Charge , “and as with any sudden overwhelming amount of information, things can fall through the cracks. For this reason, we want to make sure that no community or family is forgotten.
“We saw one house that had its entire driveway disappear,” said Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Powell, 158th Cyber Operations superintendent. “They were cut entirely cut off from all resources until the town was able to get to them.”
“It feels good, as a Guard member, to be out here, helping people that I grew up with,” said Powell. “To witness their resilience and to help them get to a place that was better than they were before the flood.”
Vermont National Guard Delivers Water as Part of Flood Relief
In response to the recent floods that struck several towns in Vermont, 186th Brigade Support Battalion Soldiers stepped up to provide critical aid. On July 13-14, the battalion delivered approximately 70,000 liters of water, contained in 92 pallets, to the towns of Marshfield, Morrisville, Woodstock, and Ludlow, ensuring that essential supplies reached the affected communities.
The logistical operation was efficiently executed with the deployment of Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks with Load Handling Systems (HEMMT-LHS). The versatile vehicles are capable of moving a payload of 11 tons on their flatbed in addition to pulling an 11-ton payload on an attached trailer according to the manufacturer’s website
“This is one of the reasons I joined the Vermont National Guard. I want to be one of the people helping our state when needed, that’s what I do,” said Sgt. Jeffrey Coleman, motor vehicle operator, also with Alpha Company, who delivered water to Marshfield “When I was told there would be an activation for this, I said I wanted to be one of the people to help.”
Vermont Army National Guard promotes its first female to Brigadier General
CEMGA visits Vermont
Sengalese Lt. Gen. Mbaye Cissé, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGA), spent a weekend in Vermont to celebrate 15 years of partnership between the Vermont National Guard and Senegal through National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program.
Lt. Gen. Cissé toured met with multiple units and leaders at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho and attended the Army Mountain Warfare School change of command ceremony. Cissé and his delegation spoke with guard leaders and discussed future opportunities for the partnership as well as praising our efforts over the last 15 years.
Infantry annual training features multiple honors
U.S. Army Soldiers with 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont Army National Guard, salute while the National Anthem plays during a ceremony awarding the Meritorious Unit Citation to the 3-172 IN (MTN) for their actions during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, July 27, 2023, Ethan Allen Firing Range, Jericho, Vt. The unit was awarded the MUC for their actions performed throughout Central Command during their 2021 deployment with assistance to the mission in Afghanistan.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steffan Asper, commander, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont Army National Guard, points to a memorial plaque honoring Master Sgt. John Thomas Stone, who was killed in 2006 while deployed to Afghanistan, July 27, 2023, Camp Ethan Allen Firing Range, Jericho, Vt. The armory was renamed the MSG John Thomas Stone Memorial Armory in honor of his dedication to the unit.
D Co. culminated their Annual Training by working with a CH-47 Chinook Crew from the 10th Mountain Division. The company strategically moved vehicles and Soldiers through the air using sling load techniques to establish a new area of operation.