FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. –
Throughout 2023, Soldiers and Airmen of the Pennsylvania National Guard deployed around the world, responded to domestic missions and conducted their usual readiness training.
“This has been an outstanding year for the Pennsylvania National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general. “Thanks to the unfailing support of the families and employers of our great service members, we are always ready, always there, to serve our community, our commonwealth and our country.”
In 2023, approximately 2,000 Pennsylvania National Guard members deployed in support of ongoing contingency and force protection operations in Kuwait, the Horn of Africa, Romania and other locations.
The Pennsylvania National Guard also supported domestic operations, mobilizing approximately 20 personnel to assist local authorities with natural disasters.
Fort Indiantown Gap continued to play a major role supporting National Guard activities as the Pennsylvania National Guard’s headquarters and primary training site. The installation hosted 139,391 personnel in 2023.
Fort Indiantown Gap was once again the busiest National Guard training center in the country in fiscal year 2023, with 858,523 total man-days of training. Man-days are a computation of the number of personnel multiplied by the number of days they trained on post.
The Pennsylvania National Guard rounded out the year with the implementation of access control at Fort Indiantown Gap Nov. 1, making the installation a safer place to live, work and train.
Domestic Operations
The Pennsylvania National Guard faced comparatively few severe weather events or civil disturbances in 2023. Guardsmen are always on duty at the Pennsylvania National Guard’s joint emergency operations center. The center maintains continuous communications with the National Guard Bureau and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to anticipate future requirements that could be assigned to Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.
In July, the Pennsylvania National Guard mobilized 19 personnel and one helicopter in support of flooding in Pennsylvania. In September, one public affairs officer was mobilized to support the relief efforts in Hawaii following their devastating wildfires.
Overseas missions
In 2023, the Pennsylvania National Guard continued to play a key role in supporting the overall U.S. military mission overseas.
Approximately 20 Airmen with the 211th Engineering Installation Squadron, 193rd Regional Support Group, 193rd Special Operations Wing left Jan. 20, 2023, for a six-month deployment to the Middle East in support of U.S. Central Command. While overseas, the 211th EIS will be responsible for engineering, installing and moving various information systems and infrastructure like antennas, cables, radios, GPS and meteorology equipment.
Thirteen Soldiers with the 252nd Composite Supply Company, a Pennsylvania Army National Guard unit deployed to the Middle East, completed the grueling Danish Contingent March, or DANCON, in Kuwait Jan. 15, 2023. 252nd CSC Soldiers hosted the march at Camp Buehring, which included 560 participants from the U.S. and Canadian militaries. They all stepped off with a goal to march 22 kilometers in four hours, while carrying 22 pounds in full uniform.
The 252nd CSC, a subordinate unit of the 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group, deployed in June 2022 in support of Operation Spartan Shield and U.S. Central Command and returned home in April 2023.
More than 500 Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 28th Infantry Division, who deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield in Oct. 2022 returned home in 2023.
More than 300 Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment were honored during a deployment ceremony Dec. 17, at Zembo Shrine Auditorium in Harrisburg. A battalion under the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, these Soldiers are leaving their homes and families for a nine-month deployment to the Horn of Africa. They will serve with Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa supporting U.S. Africa Command and partner forces with security objectives in the region.
Training for Excellence
The Pennsylvania National Guard is constantly training to be always ready, always there in support of our Warfight abroad, domestic operations at home, and our partnerships with allies and government agencies at all levels.
The Pennsylvania National Guard’s 3rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team trained in preparation for an upcoming external evaluation Feb. 2 in Harrisburg. The 22 U.S. Army Soldiers of the 3rd CST simulated being called upon by civilian authorities to investigate and respond to potential drug production laboratories.
Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 3rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) conducted phase one of a two-day training proficiency exercise at Harrisburg International Airport Feb. 15, and phase two at Harrisburg Area Community College’s Senator John J. Schumaker Public Safety Center Feb. 17.
In an effort to reduce a shortage of Stryker mechanics – military occupational specialty 91S – both in the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the Washington National Guard’s 81st SBCT, a new six-week course was developed that will allow current Soldiers to reclassify without going back to Advanced Individual Training.
Instructors with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 4th Battalion, 166th Regiment Regional Training Institute (Medical Battalion Training Site) sent off the Army’s newest batch of combat medics March 3, 2023. Located at Fort Indiantown Gap, the 4/166th RTI (MBTS) is one of the largest Army National Guard medical schoolhouses in the nation. Their mission is to train medical tasks to medical and non-medical personnel, with the MOS transition course being one of its primary functions. The 68W MOS Transition Course lasts 57 days and is offered three times per year. Each class starts with 48 students.
Marines from the 2nd Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, part of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, conducted a variety of training exercises while at Fort Indiantown Gap in April, including individual and team level training. The training included air assaults with UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade and close air support training with MQ-9 Reapers from the 111th Attack Wing and A-10 Thunderbolts from the Maryland National Guard’s 175th Fighter Wing.
Seventeen Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers from around the state competed in three categories at the 2023 state Best Warrior Competition April 15-19. The Soldiers competed in nine events designed to test their physical and mental endurance: night land navigation, a medical event, a written exam, a mystery event, weapons zero and qualification, the obstacle course, the Army Combat Fitness Test, a 12-mile ruck march and a leadership/appearance board.
The 131st Transportation Company, 213th RSG, transported 111 20-foot conexes filled with different ammunition from Pennsylvania to Nevada during their annual training, a 6,200-mile drive that took place the last week of April. It was the first phase of Army Materiel Command’s Operation Patriot Press, an annual nationwide ammunition redistribution mission that supports the Army’s overall strategic positioning goals.
Air crews from the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade conducted training with specialty rescue teams May 18 as part of an extreme weather exercise. The exercise was coordinated by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and was designed to test various emergency support functions in response to a simulated hurricane.
More than 2,100 service members from several states participated in a large-scale exercise known as a Warfighter June 2 to 11 at Fort Indiantown Gap. A Warfighter is simulated exercise designed to train and evaluate Army division-sized elements on mission command in large-scale combat operations.
Approximately 25 Soldiers with 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat team conducted rappel training June 13 at a rock formation near Fort Indiantown Gap known as Boxcar Rocks.
Five Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers participated in Cyber Shield, the nation’s premiere unclassified cyber training exercise. The exercise, which ran from June 2 to 16, involved about 800 participants, including National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, service members from other branches, interagency partners from all levels of government and cyber leaders ranging from high-tech corporations to local utilities.
More than 150 Airmen from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard's three wings participated in Exercise Iron Keystone Aug. 3 to 6 at Fort Indiantown Gap. The exercise marked the first joint endeavor among the three wings.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team fired AT4 anti-tank weapons during training Aug. 16 at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Approximately 25 Soldiers and Airmen with the Pennsylvania National Guard worked together Oct. 13 to load a UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter onto a C-17 cargo aircraft and transport it from Army Aviation Support Facility in Johnstown, Pa., to Pittsburgh and back.
Strengthening Partnerships
The Pennsylvania National Guard maintained and strengthened its many partnerships in 2023, including the partnership with the nation of Lithuania through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program; numerous partnerships with local, state and federal agencies and other military components; and partnerships civil organizations.
Children of National Guardsmen go through the same struggles as children of active-duty service members but lack access to the same kinds of programs, services and community offered to those active-duty children. Despite that lack of access, the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s State Family Programs office does what they can to connect National Guard kids and families and build a community where they can support each other such as through the child and youth summer camp program. The Pennsylvania ARNG’s Child & Youth team coordinates a handful of overnight camps throughout the year but more popularly in the summer.
The commander and senior enlisted leader of the Lithuanian Air Force visited Pennsylvania where they met with Pennsylvania National Guard leaders and toured Pennsylvania National Guard facilities. Col. Antanas Matutis and Command Sgt. Maj. Alvydas Tamošiūnas arrived at Fort Indiantown Gap March 20 for a week-long visit.
Lithuania air force Capt. Matas Leckas and Capt. Valius Urbonas became the first Lithuanian pilots to graduate from the UH-60M Aviator Qualification Course at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence during a ceremony at Fort Novosel, Alabama, then known as Fort Rucker, April 4, 2023.
A team of Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers visited Lithuania in May and conducted several engagements with their counterparts from the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team participated in a reconnaissance and security operations class, while Soldiers from the Fort Indiantown Gap Training Center assisted the Lithuanians in developing a new training area.
The Pennsylvania National Guard celebrated its 30-year military-to-military partnership with the Lithuanian Armed Forces, as part of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, during a ceremony at the Commonwealth Keystone Building in Harrisburg June 6. Established on April 27, 1993, the Pennsylvania-Lithuania partnership is one of the original partnerships in the SPP.
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard and Pennsylvania State Police held a U.S. Army Partnership for Your Success (PaYS) signing ceremony Nov. 10 at Fort Indiantown Gap. The PaYS program is a strategic partnership between the U.S. Army and a cross-section of corporations, companies, and public sector agencies. The program allows Soldiers and ROTC Cadets to serve their country while they prepare for their future.
Soldiers and Airmen with the Pennsylvania National Guard teamed up with commonwealth employees to support the 33rd annual Holiday Wish Program Dec. 6 at the Keystone Building in Harrisburg. The Holiday Wish Program is a volunteer, donation-based program designed to provide holiday gifts to families and seniors across the commonwealth.
A grass-roots collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania Department of Veterans Affairs, Pennsylvania National Guard and the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association accomplished a special goal: to ensure that all Pennsylvania veterans and National Guard members in need are provided an opportunity to have a “real” Christmas tree in their home this year.
Achievements and Milestones
Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen earned recognition for their many successes and achievements in 2023.
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard selected its Outstanding Airmen of the Year (OAY) for 2023. This year’s statewide recipients were: Airman of the Year Staff Sgt. Garrett J. Swanson, 171st Air Refueling Wing, Coraopolis; Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Tech. Sgt. Phillip J. Kapelewski, 171st Air Refueling Wing, Coraopolis; Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Master Sgt. Annie J. Link, 193rd Special Operations Wing, Middletown; and First Sergeant of the Year Master Sgt. Eric J. Wearing, 171st Air Refueling Wing, Coraopolis.
The Pennsylvania National Guard held its inaugural Black History Month event, organized by the Black Advancement Special Emphasis group, part of the State Joint Diversity Council which focuses on improving diversity and inclusion, Feb. 13 at Fort Indiantown Gap. It featured the Army's highest-ranking Muslim, Col. Chaplain Khallid Shabazz, the U.S. Central Command chaplain, who spoke through video conference to approximately 100 Pennsylvania National Guard members and Department of Defense civilian employees.
Roman Tymczyszyn, a civilian contractor for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, celebrated 53 years of service to the Pennsylvania National Guard on Feb. 28. Tymxzyszyn enlisted in 1970 and has worked as a civilian contractor for recruiting since April 2005.
A Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier placed second overall at the 2023 U.S. Army Small Arms Championships. Maj. Ian Swisher of the 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team finished second out of 260 service members who took part in the competition March 12-18 at Fort Benning, Georgia.
The 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team held the 162nd Anniversary Dinner of the First Regiment Infantry at the Union League of Philadelphia on April 1, 2023. The current day 103rd BEB traces its lineage to the First Regiment Infantry known as the “Dandy First” and the evening was made to salute the proud Pennsylvanians who have served with the regiment from 1720 to present day.
May 2023 marked 125 years since the Pennsylvania National Guard mustered in for federal service for the Spanish-American War. An often-overlooked conflict in the organization’s history, the conflict demonstrated the value of the post-Civil War reforms enacted by Maj. Gen. John Hartranft and provided valuable combat experience to young leaders, which would shape the 28th Division in the First World War.
Second Lt. Lea Lenker received the Capt. Brian Faunce Memorial Scholarship Award, which is presented annually to a graduating Penn State Army ROTC student who best demonstrates the spirit, leadership and courage of Faunce April 27. The award is designed to help the recipient begin their military career with monetary gift and a gift card to AAFES for the purchase of uniforms, boots and other required gear.
Four members of the Pennsylvania National Guard made the All-Guard Marathon Team at the team’s tryout May 7 at the Lincoln Marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska. Staff Sgt. Tyler Lundquist, Capt. Matthew Stern, Sgt. 1st Class Earnest Fullwood and Lt. Col. Deborah Fisher will now travel around the country representing the National Guard at other races over the next two years.
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard formed a new demonstration team designed to raise awareness of the National Guard and aid recruiting. Known as the Ambassador Demonstration Team, the 15-member team includes Soldiers from different units from across the state with different military occupational specialties, including infantrymen, engineers and medics. The team made its first public appearance at the Big 33 Football Classic May 28 at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg.
Airfield manager Joshua Dietrich was named Army National Guard 2022 Airfield Manager of the Year, and safety officer Joseph Sandbakken was named Army National Guard 2022 Safety Officer of the Year, both national-level awards from the Army National Guard during a ceremony June 21.
Nearly 70 Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers and Airmen competed in the annual Governor’s Twenty marksmanship competition. A total of 68 competitors took part in the match, held June 30 to July 1 at Fort Indiantown Gap, for the right to wear the coveted Governor’s Twenty uniform tab.
Staff Sgt. Frank E. Kiler, a small group leader who teaches the Advanced Leader Course at the EAATS Noncommissioned Officers Academy, was selected as the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Aviation Enterprise Noncommissioned Officer Academies Small Group Leader of the Year following a challenging two-day competition conducted July 11-12.
Muir Army Airfield was redesignated as an Army Heliport effective July 21. Prior to the change, which was approved by the U.S. Army Aeronautical Services Agency, Muir Army Heliport was classified as an airfield but did not meet guidelines required for that title set by the Army and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The National Guard Bureau awarded the Mission Execution Grants & Cooperative Agreements Award to Patrick Cabinaw, a grants officer representative for the Pennsylvania National Guard’s United States Property and Fiscal Office, July 18. The annual award is one of 20 in various categories awarded annually by the NGB’s USPFO Excellence in Contracting and Agreements Award Program.
The 193rd Special Operations Wing accepted a new MC-130J Commando II military aircraft during a ceremony Aug. 4 in Middletown, Pa. The 193rd SOW is the first – and currently the only – ANG unit to receive the MC-130J Commando II mission, a core, flagship mission of Air Force Special Operations Command.
Lt. Col. Mark Martella, commander of the 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, was recognized during a Manheim Township, Lancaster County, board of commissioners meeting Aug. 28, for his lifesaving actions June 1.
Chief Master Sgt. Edward Altmeyer with the 171st Air Refueling Wing won the overall individual championship and the individual pistol championship of the Marksmanship Advisory Council’s Region II Marksmanship Sustainment Exercise, held Aug. 25 to 27 at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Command Sgt. Maj. Shawn Phillips was selected to be the state's 10th senior enlisted leader. He succeeds Command Sgt. Maj. Jon B. Worley, who retired Sept. 15, 2023, after serving as the SEL since 2020.
The Pennsylvania National Guard and the USO hosted the 12th Annual March for the Fallen at Stricker Field Sept. 23 at Fort Indiantown Gap with about 300 participants amid strong winds and heavy rains. Conducted annually, March for the Fallen is opportunity for military and civilian communities to come together and honor the memory of fallen service members.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Darren Dreher accepted appointment as the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s new command chief warrant officer, taking over for Chief Warrant Officer 5 James Fontini, who had served in that position since April 2021.
Lt. Col. Benton Jackson and Senior Master Sgt. Jessica Barder of the 193rd Special Operations Wing; Master Sgt. Duke Elliott-Harmon of the 111th Attack Wing; Command Sgt. Maj. Tyrone Mickens of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion; and Master Sgt. Anthony Varner of the 213th Regional Support Group received the prestigious Maj. Octavius V. Catto Medal at a ceremony Oct. 7 at the Union League of Philadelphia.
For the third time in the last four years, Fort Indiantown Gap was the busiest National Guard training center in the country. During fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30, the installation hosted 139,391 personnel for a total of 858,523 man-days. Man-days are a computation of the number of personnel multiplied by the number of days they trained on post.
Fort Indiantown Gap was also the busiest overall training center in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021 and has been in the top three every year since 2013.