Tennessee State Guard News
Summer 2021
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Georgia State Defense Force Leaders Visit TNSG Headquarters
Photos by Staff Sgt. John Pfeifer, TNSG Public Affairs

Leadership of the Georgia State Defense Force traveled to Nashville in early July to share knowledge and build relationships. The interstate trip by Commanding General Brig. Gen. Mark Gelhardt, Chief of Staff Col. Dirk Daube, and Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick O'Leary marked the first recent effort to ensure communication with neighboring states to be prepared for major incidents that may require a multi-state response. They met with TNSG Commanding General Juan Santiago, TNSG Command Sgt. Major Scott Caudill, Regimental Commanders and the leaders of units located at TNSG headquarters, and observed statewide communications training.

Brig. Gen. Juan Santiago, Tennessee State Guard
One thing that doesn’t happen enough is for the different state defense forces across the nation to get together and observe each other and how we do business and how we can improve each other. Iron sharpens iron and that’s the way we need to do this. This is one of the first opportunities we’ve taken, and hopefully we can propagate this around the nation, where we can start getting together with other state defense forces and standardize so it’s much easier to interoperate and collaborate and, of course, train.

Brig. Gen. Mark Gelhardt, Georgia State Defense Force
The biggest issues that state adjutant generals may not understand is what the state guards can do, what we’re qualified to do and how we execute it. They don’t understand our training, they don’t understand our setup and we need to be able to show the national guard that the states, each one of them, are the same. The reason we’re doing cross border communications is to see what things Tennessee is doing that are good, what things they are doing that need some improvement that we’ve already done, so let’s take what’s we’ve learned and pass it to them and take what they’ve learned and pass it to us. If we have a mass event, something that’s bigger than one state, we have members next to us that are just like us that we should be able to surge and help.
Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick O'Leary, Georgia State Defense Force, and TNSG Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Caudill.
Brig. Gen. Mark Gelhardt, Georgia State Defense Force Commanding General, addresses TNSG troops.
Col. Dirk Daube, Brig. Gen. Mark Gelhardt, Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick O'Leary and Brig. Gen. Juan Santiago discuss communications equipment.
WARNO: Operation Vigilant Guard
By 2LT Cassiah Stinson
The Tennessee National Guard and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) will train on response to multiple catastrophic events during Operation Vigilant Guard August 5th to August 9th with personnel from divisions in Middle and East Tennessee. The purpose of the operation is to evaluate current abilities to respond to Hazmat/CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Survivability) and other catastrophic events.

Tennessee State Guard (TNSG) personnel assigned to the training will provide onsite assistance to the Tennessee National Guard during the exercise. The Vigilant Guard training is based on the Tennessee Emergency Management Plan (2018) and the Tennessee National Guard Emergency Response Plan (2019). Elements of the exercise includes:
  • Establishing and maintaining communications (primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency) in critical facilities;
  • Coordinating public messaging and integrating social media into operations;
  • Establishing and operating an Air Operations Branch, including a Helicopter-borne Aquatic Rescue Team; and,
  • Exercising portions of the Tennessee Continuity of Government plan to maintain a state government during a catastrophic event.
Members of the 61st Medical Company Provide Training to Tennessee National Guard Units
The 61st Medical Company (TNSG) supported the Tennessee National Guard’s 230th Signal Company on May 15, 2021 at their Tine-E Army Warrior Task Training and Capstone event conducted at Milan VTS. Sgt. 1st Class Brian Emigh and Capt. Dan Smiley trained 97 soldiers in selected Tactical Combat medical care and lifesaving medical skill drills in six rotations. The 61st also coordinated the medical component of the Capstone event that included small unit tactics with opposing forces and culminated in the rescue, medical care and transport of an downed pilot. The 61st also provided onsite medical care to sick or injured soldiers during the event. In recognition of their volunteer efforts, serving a 20-hour day plus preparation time, the Tennessee Army National Guard awarded Capt. Smiley and Sgt. 1st Class Emigh each an Individual Achievement Ribbon.
Sgt. 1st Class Emigh provides field training for members of the TNG 230th Signal Company.
The Capstone exercise included treating and transporting an injured pilot for medical care.
Movement during care under fire phase of TNG 230th Signal Company Training.
OBC/WOBC to be held Online October 7-8, IET/ALC Resident Training October 7-10
The Officer Basic Course and Warrant Officer Basic Course will be held virtually for 2021 conducted through TNSG Google Meets. A link will be sent to each attendee to log on from their home or office computer.

OBC/WOBC is a required course for new officers after they have completed Initial Entry Training and prior service candidates for commissioning. Topics included basic leadership, officer duties and responsibilities, risk assessment, writing operational orders, effective communication, and the history and structure of the Tennessee State Guard. The instructor cadre of seasoned TNSG leaders will bring a wealth of experience and personal history to the course adding the benefit of their knowledge to the content.

Initial Entry Training and the Advanced Leaders Course will take place in residence at Smyrna Volunteer Training Center October 7-10. At least 82 new TNSG members are expected to participate in the Initial Entry Training program and 22 members will participate in the Advanced Leaders Course.

Soldiers wishing to attend should request a spot through their chain of command. Commanders, please forward name and rank of soldiers who need to attend to LTC Richards (tnsg.hhc.g7@tnstateguard.org) by August 1, 2021.
Mississippi State Guard sends 20 pallets of Uniforms to the TNSG
The Mississippi State Guard recently donated more than 2,000 pounds of Army Combat Uniforms (ACU), to the Tennessee State Guard after transitioning to the Operational Camouflage Pattern uniform (OCP).

This a great resource because the ACU uniform has become hard to find as the Active Army and Air Force, Army National Guard, Army Reserves and most other state guards have already transitioned to the OCP uniform.