HARLINGEN, Texas – Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony L. Whitehead, the senior enlisted advisor for the chief, Nationwide Guard Bureau, visited Texas Nationwide Guardsmen on the Texas-Mexico border over the Thanksgiving vacation.
Whitehead serves because the chief’s principal army adviser on all enlisted issues affecting coaching, utilization, the well being of the drive, and enlisted skilled improvement. As the best enlisted degree of Nationwide Guard management, he offers route for the enlisted drive and represents their pursuits.
“The aim of the go to was to verify on our Troopers and Airmen engaged on Operation Lone Star,” Whitehead mentioned. “They’re Guardsmen, and I needed to guarantee that we had a possibility to talk to them about their ideas and concepts concerning the mission, how they have been doing, how they felt about how the mission was going and any concepts that I wanted to take again to the chief of the Nationwide Guard Bureau.”
Operation Lone Star is a state-led mission to reply to elevated unlawful immigration on the Texas-Mexico border. In Could 2021, Texas issued a catastrophe declaration protecting 48 counties, primarily alongside or close to the border. Roughly 6,000 service members are at present deployed to help Operation Lone Star.
Throughout his go to Nov. 22-24, SEA Whitehead met with totally different items and parts to get a full image of the assorted mission units of the state active-duty members. That included using on a Texas State Guard middle console boat utilized by Process Pressure East, referred to as the ‘river unit,’ for the border mission.
“Process Pressure East is answerable for 4 zones within the McAllen sector of the border. Our unit is particularly answerable for the river,” mentioned Texas Army Nationwide Guard Capt. Mike Jones, commander of the TF East crew. “Right now, we have been showcasing a few of the highlights of each the Mexico and U.S. aspect, resembling landmarks, key areas the cartel makes use of and Border Patrol use, you understand, in the entire cat and mouse recreation of border safety.”
Troopers assigned to the river unit obtained recognition cash from Whitehead for his or her work on the border and talked about their experiences on the mission with him.
“The Southwest border mission is a singular mission to the US,” Whitehead mentioned. “For our Troopers and Airmen doing the mission, this has been talked about so much, and I believe generally we neglect that we’ve obtained folks down there 24 hours a day, seven days per week.”
As a part of his precedence to hunt alternatives for innovation and development throughout the ranks, Whitehead requested service members to supply suggestions to take again to the Pentagon.
“The go to was so nice for my Troopers,” Jones mentioned. “These guys [and gals] are all extremely motivated to start with, however having management from NGB come down and see what they do on a day-to-day foundation is an enormous deal.”
Unit leaders additionally briefed Whitehead on the morale of the Texas Guardsmen, noting an 86 % volunteer charge for troops wishing to remain on the mission. These extension requests, leaders mentioned, will be attributed to the pay incentives, day without work to spend with household and the distinctive border mission. The Guard members can work in several items alongside companions just like the Border Patrol Division of Public Security.
Whitehead mentioned he was impressed with the service members’ work and dedication to the larger good.
“Among the best issues I preferred about what I heard was that they’ve been right here lengthy sufficient to see the distinction they’ve made in what they’ve been doing,” he mentioned. “So, regardless of a few of the issues they’ve heard relating to the destructive social media or destructive press, they know that there’s been a optimistic distinction in what they’ve been doing since they’ve been right here.”
Requested why he visited throughout Thanksgiving, Whitehead mentioned he needed to make sure the Troopers and Airmen know army leaders in Washington are aware of their 24/7 dedication.
“When the vacations come round, I don’t know if folks have the impression that issues are halted due to it or that they’re simply comforted that we have now army members down there on the Texas-Mexico border,“ he mentioned. “A few of our Guardsmen have households that they’re separated from, that’s not simply these deployed abroad however these deployed proper right here within the U.S.,
“So, it’s necessary for the chief of the Nationwide Guard Bureau, myself, and the remainder of the management crew to go down and inform them thanks for what they’re doing. We admire what they’re doing, and we should allow them to know they’re standing in a niche that’s extraordinarily necessary to our nation’s safety.”
