Congratulations to SPC Guy Mellor, Army Guard Soldier of the Year!!

There's Specialist Mellor in the middle....what a huge accomplishment for him to make Soldier of the Year! Since he's right here in my backyard (the Utah National Guard is headquartered in Salt Lake City), I had the opportunity to meet him at the presentation ceremony where all the Soldiers of the 1st Battalion recieved their post 9/11 interactive historical records.

To earn this great achievement, SPC Mellor competed at Fort Benning with all other Guard representatives...the 3 day event pushed competitors with ruck marches, written tests, marksmanship events and other tasks...all back-to-back with few breaks and very little sleep...averaging about 3 hours a night! Great job to all of you competing!

Photo above, L to R: MG Brian Tarbet (TAG, NGUT), SPC Guy Mellor, Sharlene Hawkes

Check out the Washington Times' article on Remember My Service!

The word is getting around...tell me what you think!

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/13/preserving-our-troops-memories/?feat=article_top10_shared

Saving lives by "permanently shaping what they will remember"

When I received a letter from 2LT Liana Mayo last year after she completed some of the projects for the 96^th, I did not fully understand the importance of what she was saying at the time. “As an OEF/OIF veteran from the 244th EN BN, 96th RRC, I was the NCOIC for one of the first Remember My Service projects. I had no idea how much of a therapeutic experience it would turn out to be for my team and I. I was blown away at how much it helped us process our experiences overseas. At the time I was grief stricken over losing two of our comrades to suicide. I felt that if when we returned they could have undergone this experience that I literally stumbled upon, that perhaps they would not have been lost.”

Just last week, a local psychiatrist (Dr. Nathan Currier) who has spent 17 years working with veterans and is considered an expert in PTSD related issues, not only verified what 2LT Mayo wrote, but added his very compelling comments: “This project has the potential not only to save a great many lives by the prevention of suicide, but to also improve the quality of the lives of our active duty and veteran soldiers…the RMS program is integral to the success of mental health initiatives in the US Military to help Service members process their collective and individual legacy, and permanently shape what they will remember of their service for the rest of their lives.”

Click here to read full letter

We at RMS have always felt a sense of urgency to be the solution as Units struggle to figure out how to get their historical records organized, processed, duplicated, and ultimately shared; given the increasing messages from mental health professionals that it is critical to help troops process their experience from a factual, not emotional, context, we are more dedicated than ever. 

Army historian says war records 'just not kept'

This is something that every Commanding Officer needs to know. While the Army Historical Program manual states clearly that "educating the Soldier of the value and utility of history is vital to the future of the Army", this is not happening, as this article explains. Why? The simple answer is over-tasked warriors are given the additional assignment of historian out of necessity, and most are not historians by profession. For those Units who decide that their history is a very high priority, we proudly do the work for them so their legacy is not lost on generations to come.

COL Buck Sams of the 419th FW

Buck is the best F16 pilot in the world! He got me up and down safely so there you go...he's the best! Right off the bat, we head into a zoom climb and next thing I know, I'm upside down over the base, waving to my kids. Then of course we have to buzz the folks below before setting off for the famous West Desert of Utah with unmatched training territory anywhere in the world. There, I have to admit, I finally got sick. Rolls, 7.5 Gs, supersonic, well, for someone who gets ill on a swingset, I was fully expecting to feel green. But wow was it worth it!And then a landing so smooth, I was sure we were still in the air. I am now the proud owner of the 466th Fighter Squadron Diamondback patch, and my own new call sign..."Charlie".

We had a special guest who happened to be in town, and was there to see my reaction to this once-in-a-lifetime experience...recently retired LTG John Bradley, former Chief of the Air Force Reserve. So great to have my friend there!

I am especially proud of our Air Force Reserve Wing at Hill Air Force Base right in my backyard (about 10 minutes from my home)...my 11 year old son is already making plans to work with Buck someday! Huge thank you to all our Reservists in all branches for burning it at both ends so you can be fully operational in our defense, even while you hold down your "day" jobs.

Ohio National Guard's LTC Gregory Rogers recognized for his monumental work

I've talked about Ohio National Guard's really big collection of Unit histories before...and there's the man on the right who took the lead, along with SSG Mann (not pictured). LTC Gregory Rogers is being honored by Chief of Staff Colonel Al Faber for his role in making sure that each Soldier received their history. What an amazing job he and SSG Mann did collecting a TON of content in order to really preserve not just the history, but the legacy of the Guardsmen of Ohio. We're excited to start working with them again for other returning Units!

Watch the video for this FIRST EVER presentation, conducted by Utah National Guard

Click here to watch a 2 minute video (using my really great camcorder skills) of this historic presentation to the first of several ceremonies taking place around the state throughout June. MG Tarbet was there to help present each Soldier with their historical record, which especially emphasized how much value this Guard places on the role of each individual. Great job!