WEBVTT 00:01.159 --> 00:02.299 - [Man] Coming up on the Buckeye Guard, 00:02.299 --> 00:04.296 engineers at the 200th Red Horse Squadron 00:04.296 --> 00:06.472 prepare themselves for missions around the world. 00:06.472 --> 00:08.658 Ohio is home to one of the nation's first female 00:08.658 --> 00:11.010 tank mechanics, and a first for Ohio National Guard 00:11.010 --> 00:13.521 members as Wright State University creates a new 00:13.521 --> 00:15.158 scholarship program. 00:15.158 --> 00:17.575 (rock music) 00:29.029 --> 00:32.087 ^Major General Mark E. Bartman, Ohio Adjutant General, 00:32.087 --> 00:34.492 ^hosted a delegation from the Republic of Serbia 00:34.492 --> 00:37.202 ^to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Serbia's pairing 00:37.202 --> 00:39.694 with the Ohio National Guard through the state partnership 00:39.694 --> 00:42.179 program, a National Guard initiative that has been 00:42.179 --> 00:45.567 successfully building relationships for more than 20 years. 00:45.567 --> 00:47.628 The program links a state's national guard with the 00:47.628 --> 00:50.830 armed forces, or equivalent, of a partner country. 00:50.830 --> 00:53.006 Ohio's partnership with Serbia has included numerous 00:53.006 --> 00:56.421 military, sociopolitical, and economic exchanges 00:56.421 --> 00:59.023 over the past decade in the interest of promoting 00:59.023 --> 01:02.378 regional stability, and civil/military relationships. 01:02.378 --> 01:04.676 ^- I know the friendships that have been established 01:04.676 --> 01:07.596 ^between not only the leadership of the Serbian armed 01:07.596 --> 01:11.036 forces, but down to the individual soldier and airman 01:11.036 --> 01:13.409 level, will really, truly be those kind 01:13.409 --> 01:17.576 of enduring relationships that will carry us forward. 01:17.854 --> 01:19.922 - [Man] During the visit, they met with Lieutenant Governor 01:19.922 --> 01:23.224 Mary Taylor at the Ohio State House, learned about 01:23.224 --> 01:25.705 the equipment and weapon systems used by Ohio National 01:25.705 --> 01:28.638 Guard's soldiers and airmen, received a personal tour 01:28.638 --> 01:31.844 at a military history museum from Warren E. Motts, 01:31.844 --> 01:34.104 a veteran of the Ohio Army National Guard, 01:34.104 --> 01:36.889 37th Infantry Division, and finished the visit 01:36.889 --> 01:39.671 by cheering for the Ohio State University football team. 01:39.671 --> 01:42.588 (optimistic music) 02:08.627 --> 02:10.610 - [Stephanie] Whether a project is here in Ohio, 02:10.610 --> 02:12.513 ^or halfway across the world, 02:12.513 --> 02:14.876 ^engineers with the Ohio Air National Guard 02:14.876 --> 02:17.999 200th Red Horse, which stands for Rapid Engineer 02:17.999 --> 02:22.146 Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, 02:22.146 --> 02:24.125 stand ready to provide a highly-mobile, 02:24.125 --> 02:26.875 civil engineering response force. 02:27.046 --> 02:29.277 In order to be ready for the next mission, the airmen 02:29.277 --> 02:31.285 are put through their paces during field training 02:31.285 --> 02:32.702 exercise, or FTX. 02:33.597 --> 02:36.135 At the Camp Perry Joint Training Center along the shores 02:36.135 --> 02:38.628 of Lake Erie, near Port Clinton. 02:38.628 --> 02:42.196 ^- So the FTX is a field training exercise that's designed 02:42.196 --> 02:45.639 ^to take our 400-person Red Horse Squadron and deploy 02:45.639 --> 02:47.472 ^us out into the field. 02:47.739 --> 02:49.797 Normally we operate out of two locations where there are 02:49.797 --> 02:52.506 200 people at each location, so we don't get to see 02:52.506 --> 02:55.753 each other on a daily or monthly basis when we come in 02:55.753 --> 02:57.447 for our training months. 02:57.447 --> 02:59.221 - [Stephanie] During the three-day training exercise, 02:59.221 --> 03:02.101 the squadron built a camp and simulated projects 03:02.101 --> 03:05.223 they could be called on to do anywhere in the world. 03:05.223 --> 03:07.114 - [Col. Stephan] Whether it's building a helipad, 03:07.114 --> 03:09.331 installing an aircraft arresting system, 03:09.331 --> 03:11.197 installing cabling for a variety 03:11.197 --> 03:14.061 of electrical systems, any one of a variety of projects 03:14.061 --> 03:15.796 we're able to simulate. 03:15.796 --> 03:18.285 So to have this one time a year where all 400 of us 03:18.285 --> 03:21.178 get together, operate, put up a camp, and sustain 03:21.178 --> 03:24.439 operations just over a weekend, is a bonding experience 03:24.439 --> 03:28.189 and helps improve our morale within the unit. 03:28.784 --> 03:31.475 - [Man] Ohio Air National Guard Units host a local child 03:31.475 --> 03:34.049 with a chronic or life threatening illness, giving them 03:34.049 --> 03:36.596 the opportunity to live out their aviation dreams 03:36.596 --> 03:39.067 through a program called Pilot for a Day. 03:39.067 --> 03:42.077 An Air Force-wide program, Pilot for a Day participants 03:42.077 --> 03:44.945 are selected through area children's hospitals, 03:44.945 --> 03:47.580 or other organizations, such as Make-a-Wish or 03:47.580 --> 03:49.197 Children's Miracle Network. 03:49.197 --> 03:51.377 The honorary pilot gets an up-close experience 03:51.377 --> 03:53.975 with an aircraft and the opportunity to try out 03:53.975 --> 03:55.422 several different jobs. 03:55.422 --> 03:57.726 It also gives airmen a chance to give something back 03:57.726 --> 04:01.069 to the communities in which they live and work. 04:01.069 --> 04:03.525 - [Stephanie] A $100,000 scholarship fund designed 04:03.525 --> 04:05.647 to help members of the Ohio National Guard 04:05.647 --> 04:07.668 attend graduate school has been established 04:07.668 --> 04:10.440 by Wright State University in Dayton. 04:10.440 --> 04:12.284 - At Wright State, we believe that education should be 04:12.284 --> 04:15.881 ^affordable and accessible to students of all backgrounds 04:15.881 --> 04:17.714 ^and all walks of life. 04:17.971 --> 04:20.784 ^And here we're working on the affordability for a group 04:20.784 --> 04:23.104 of people who we want to recognize for their service 04:23.104 --> 04:24.437 to this country. 04:24.788 --> 04:27.979 - [Woman] The scholarships will pay up to $2,500 in tuition 04:27.979 --> 04:30.809 per semester for a full-time graduate student who's 04:30.809 --> 04:33.339 also a current member in good standing with the Ohio 04:33.339 --> 04:35.296 National Guard, and meets all of the requirements 04:35.296 --> 04:38.282 to get into their graduate program of choice. 04:38.282 --> 04:41.369 ^- What I would really like to see, as the adjutant general, 04:41.369 --> 04:44.475 ^and the fact that I have 16,000 soldiers and airmen 04:44.475 --> 04:47.006 ^that are distributed throughout the entire state of Ohio, 04:47.006 --> 04:50.241 ^of course, is that other institutions of higher learning 04:50.241 --> 04:53.424 decide to pick up with what Wright State is doing 04:53.424 --> 04:55.746 and replicate this type of benefit 04:55.746 --> 04:57.534 throughout the state of Ohio. 04:57.534 --> 04:59.146 - [Stephanie] Ohio Department of Higher Education 04:59.146 --> 05:01.940 Chancellor John Carey said the scholarship provides 05:01.940 --> 05:05.432 another opportunity to improve skills and education 05:05.432 --> 05:08.809 likely leading to increased career opportunities. 05:08.809 --> 05:11.223 ^- And as you move up the educational ladder, 05:11.223 --> 05:13.742 ^a graduate degree opens doors for you that you may not 05:13.742 --> 05:14.992 ^have otherwise. 05:15.222 --> 05:16.450 - [Stephanie] With a few exceptions, 05:16.450 --> 05:18.740 most graduate degree programs at Wright State 05:18.740 --> 05:21.063 are eligible for the scholarship program, 05:21.063 --> 05:25.230 and many degree programs have evening or online classes. 05:26.315 --> 05:28.720 - [SSG Carden] Fire safety is everyone's responsibility. 05:28.720 --> 05:30.606 ^To help out the community, Ohio National Guard 05:30.606 --> 05:32.634 ^warrant officer candidates went door to door 05:32.634 --> 05:35.669 ^in Columbus, Ohio installing free smoke alarms 05:35.669 --> 05:37.885 in a partnership with the Columbus Fire Department 05:37.885 --> 05:39.583 and the American Red Cross. 05:39.583 --> 05:41.218 ^- The bottom line, at the end of the day, is that 05:41.218 --> 05:44.758 ^we wanted to do something that was gonna have an impact, 05:44.758 --> 05:47.596 it was gonna have some meaning, something lasting. 05:47.596 --> 05:50.897 And a project like this, improving the safety of the 05:50.897 --> 05:53.124 neighborhood and the individuals that live in it 05:53.124 --> 05:55.041 is right up that alley. 05:55.368 --> 05:57.558 ^- [Man] There's a lot someone learns working on a tank, 05:57.558 --> 06:00.163 and as a mechanic, Ohio Army National Guard Sergeant 06:00.163 --> 06:02.475 Emma Briggs is constantly learning. 06:02.475 --> 06:04.786 - I really do like the team aspect of it, 06:04.786 --> 06:06.267 ^just working together with all the guys 06:06.267 --> 06:08.037 ^trying to get stuff done. 06:08.037 --> 06:11.287 ^I really enjoy just figuring stuff out. 06:11.446 --> 06:13.896 She spends her drill weekends with Company C, 06:13.896 --> 06:16.556 First Battalion, 145th Armored Regiment, 06:16.556 --> 06:20.056 making sure the Ohio-made, M1 Abrams tank, 06:20.321 --> 06:22.941 more than 60 tons of military battle machine, 06:22.941 --> 06:24.441 is ready for duty. 06:24.660 --> 06:27.162 - Lot of stuff can break inside that tank. 06:27.162 --> 06:29.726 ^That tank goes down, we need it back up 06:29.726 --> 06:31.494 ^to get it back into the fight. 06:31.494 --> 06:35.661 ^I rely on NCO's like Briggs to get that piece of equipment 06:35.681 --> 06:39.848 fixed, analyzed, troubleshot, and then back into the fight. 06:40.421 --> 06:43.029 - [Man] Briggs was among the first women to graduate 06:43.029 --> 06:45.571 from the Army's Abrams tank maintainer's course. 06:45.571 --> 06:48.584 - I am the only female in this unit, and I'm typically 06:48.584 --> 06:51.302 the only female out in the field. 06:51.302 --> 06:55.194 The whole women in combat arms is just so new to everybody, 06:55.194 --> 06:58.195 and I think that the units are still trying to figure out 06:58.195 --> 07:00.995 how to properly integrate females. 07:00.995 --> 07:03.249 I've been with this unit and these guys for about 07:03.249 --> 07:05.808 a year and a half, and they're really good, 07:05.808 --> 07:07.391 they're very respectful. 07:07.391 --> 07:09.391 I've never had an issue. 07:09.689 --> 07:13.545 - Her subordinates look up to her, follow her lead. 07:13.545 --> 07:15.874 I can give her a mission, her platoon sergeant 07:15.874 --> 07:20.041 can give her a mission, and we know it's been taken care of. 07:20.274 --> 07:21.691 - [Man] There's a lot to learn 07:21.691 --> 07:24.274 inside of an $8.5 million tank. 07:24.690 --> 07:27.605 Briggs has also learned about herself. 07:27.605 --> 07:29.462 - You can't be afraid to get your hands on anything, 07:29.462 --> 07:33.088 even if someone's doubting your ability or they're 07:33.088 --> 07:36.402 questioning what you know, you can't be afraid 07:36.402 --> 07:37.827 to get up there and do it. 07:37.827 --> 07:40.244 (rock music) 07:53.095 --> 07:55.035 ^- [Man] To see more about the Ohio National Guard 07:55.035 --> 07:59.202 ^go to ong.ohio.gov, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.