Neighbors, Idahoans, soldiers
Soldiers from the local 145th Brigade Support Battalion pose Thursday at an Idaho Army National Guard Armory open house. From left: Pvt. Erin Hawkins, Pfc. Austin Jensen, Pvt. Bailee Swanson. (Judd Wilson/PRESS)
During an open house at the Idaho Army National Guard Armory in Post Falls Thursday, veterans Mark Glenn and Owen Mir discuss the Army’s current weaponry with Staff Sgt. Nick Fowler of Coeur d’Alene and Pvt. Ty Ward of Priest River. “Everything’s changed,” said Mir. (Judd Wilson/PRESS)
Judd Wilson/PRESS Spc. Wade Beyers of Post Falls takes aim with the engagement skills trainer at the Idaho Army National Guard Armory in Post Falls Thursday. The electronic marksmanship program allows local soldiers from the 145th Brigade Support Battalion to improve their skills on multiple weapons systems without firing real ammunition.
POST FALLS — Today’s Idaho Army National Guard is far from the Hollywood stereotype, said Master Sgt. Sean Rash at an open house Thursday. The top enlisted soldier at the Idaho Army National Guard Armory in Post Falls said he once believed that the National Guard was made up of ill-clad hillbillies. As an active-duty soldier, he mocked the “weekend warriors.” Then he met some — and his tune changed.
“I am humbled by the professionalism of the Guard soldiers,” he said.
They are normal farmers, mechanics, students, and workers who lay down their tools to defend their nation. Many are older and more experienced than many of their active-duty counterparts, and they bring their civilian employers a degree of leadership, poise, and self-discipline that’s hard to find, Rash said.
Staff Sgt. Jason Brewer was a refrigeration mechanic in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves before joining the Guard in 2011. He loved the Marine Corps but said the local mission of the Guard is what drew him to cross over. Brewer said he has shoveled snow from local schools, responded to natural disasters in other states, and volunteered at high schools in Sandpoint and Priest River as part of the Idaho Army National Guard.
“It’s really all about the local mission,” he explained.
The National Guard began in the days of colonial American militias and is legally rooted in the concept of state sovereignty, said Rash. Guard soldiers serve their state as well as the nation.
Private Erin Hawkins from Coeur d’Alene enlisted last week. She chose the Guard over the Marine Corps because she liked the Guard’s focus on community involvement. Hawkins will ship out to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., this summer to train as a combat engineer.
“I get to blow stuff up,” she said with a laugh.
The eldest of eight children was homeschooled and began classes at North Idaho College at age 16. Hawkins said she looks forward to finishing her college education with money in the bank rather than with debt. In addition to the GI Bill, the Guard offers qualified individuals an enlistment or re-enlistment bonus up to $20,000, and $50,000 in student loan repayment, Brewer said.
Deary High School senior Bailee Swanson enlisted last November to become a truck driver. The small town Idahoan said her parents encouraged her to join the Guard.
“I love drill and always have fun,” she said. “It’s always nice to meet new people.”
The Post Falls Armory is home to the 145th Brigade Support Battalion’s Alpha and Bravo Companies. Alpha Company consists of combat truckers and ammunition specialists, while Bravo Company supplies mechanics, welders, and HVAC repairmen, said Rash.
Most troops who drill here are local, but a few come from Washington or Montana. These days, units deploy overseas about once every four years, plus other shorter commitments to places like Cambodia, where the Idaho Army National Guard regularly trains with the Cambodian Army.
“We’re not the one weekend a month, two weeks of summer camp kind of Guard,” said the former active component soldier.
The Idahoan 145th Brigade Support Battalion has performed well at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., he said.
“The Guard absolutely deserves and has earned respect,” Rash concluded.