Ohio Guard honors local radio stations

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

With more and more responsibilities placed on the Ohio National Guard and other military reserve units — including service in combat areas around the world — recruitment efforts have become increasingly important to ensure the Guard has the troops to fulfill its many missions.

Here in Ohio, the National Guard (ONG) has forged an effective partnership with media outlets that broadcast and publish public service announcements touting the benefits of serving in the Guard. That partnership has helped the Guard fulfill 111 percent of its recruitment quota over the past few years.

On Thursday, Brigadier General John C. Harris Jr., assistant adjutant general for the ONG, along with several other Guard staff members, was in Van Wert to publicly thank WERT/WKSD radio stations for their assistance in helping the Guard in its recruitment efforts, and to present them with a plaque recognizing their assistance.

“Since September 11 (2001), we’ve had a significant interest in participating in the Guard, primarily because of stations like yours that not only help us tell our story, but assist us with our recruitment efforts,” General Harris told station owner Chris Roberts.

“We are proud to be able to have a part in supporting the Ohio National Guard in its mission by helping to maintain troop strength,” Roberts responded. “Their story speaks to the very foundation of our country: Citizen soldiers trained and ready to help whenever and wherever needed.”

The general, a career officer with 33 years of service who is currently assistant adjutant general for the Ohio National Guard, also talked about the “double duty” military reserve units such as the ONG have taken on in the last decade or so. Today, reserve units like the Ohio National Guard not only help communities deal with disasters and other problems — fulfilling the Guard slogan that “The Guard Helps the Community When the Community Needs Help” — but also provide combat and support forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones around the world.

General Harris, a helicopter pilot with more than 1,200 hours of flight time, is an example of that, having served in Kosovo more than a decade ago.

“The reserve components have been a great part of the last few operations over the past 10-12 years, and, as a result of that, the community is a lot more tied in with the military,” General Harris noted. “Just about everyone knows someone who is in the Guard, or is related to someone in the Guard.”

That close relationship to Ohio communities has also made it easier to recruit new soldiers, the general added.

“It’s a great time to serve, because our communities are incredibly patriotic and incredibly supportive of our soldiers,” General Harris said, adding that today’s recruits are usually more interested in the military aspects of serving in the military reserve unit, rather than the college benefits that also accrue through service in the Guard.

In addition to military service, Guard units have come to the Van Wert community’s aid on several occasions, including help with cleanup efforts after the November 10, 2002, tornado hit Van Wert County, and providing manpower to assist Van Wert City Schools with moving furniture and equipment from the old high school to the new building on Ohio 118.

Those accompanying General Harris to Van Wert included Lt. Colonel Lenny Bornino, commander of the Guard’s recruiting and retention battalion; Master Sergeant Brian Clum, recruiting and retention supervisor for the West Central Ohio Hotel Company; Sergeant First Class Brian Clum, the local recruiter; Staff Sergeant Nick Pavlik, public affairs representative for the Guard; and Diane Farrow, marketing director for the Guard’s recruiting and retention battalion.