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USAWOA Online 8/26/2010 |
U.
S. Army Warrant Officers Association
Soldier,
singer, songwriter Chief Warrant Officer 2 Darby Ledbetter proudly
introduces his first country single, “I Won’t Let My Guard Down,” a song
written by a Soldier—for all Soldiers.
BAGHDAD
– Maj. Gen. Terry A. Wolff, United States Division–Center commanding
general, places the highest warrant rank on Chief Warrant Officer 5 Randy
Johnson during his promotion ceremony in the USD-C division conference
room Aug. 4. Johnson joined the U.S. Army March 16, 1984, and became a
warrant officer in March 1994. He has served proudly for 26 years and says
he will continue to do so at the pinnacle of his career for several more.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kim Wilkins, 1st Armd. Div., USD-C)
Chief
Warrant Officer 5 Norman McIntosh, 62, began flying at 16. He’s logged 5,600
hours in the air, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for service
in Vietnam.
He participated in the Guard's rescue and relief efforts during a
series of natural disasters, including floods in western Virginia in 1976,
1985 and 1995 and Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd in 1999.
The longest-serving aviator in the Virginia National Guard, CW5 McIntosh
retired on August 18th after nearly 42 years of military service. He
stretched it out as long as he could. On August 18th he turned 62 years and
2 months - the Guard's mandatory retirement age.
Like most Guardsmen, he has a day job in addition to his duties
as a weekend warrior. An accounting officer at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, he
plans to retire from his desk job next year.
He sat in the cockpit a few minutes to get a grip on his emotions, his
short-cropped gray hair a stark contrast to the olive drab chopper. Then he
briskly jumped down to a dousing of champagne by fellow Guardsmen.
As was usual over the course of his 5,600 hours in the air, the
final flight was flawless. As a Guardsman he helped establish a
medical evacuation detachment, and then deployed with it during the Persian
Gulf War in 1990-91. Now he hopes to sign up for the Virginia Defense Force,
a volunteer auxiliary to the Guard, which has an aviation battalion. That
would buy him a few more years, he said: "They kick you out at age 75."
The
first Annual "Show Me" Chapter Scholarship award for $1,000 was just awarded
to Yannik E. Roell, son of CW5 William J. Roell. The award was
presented by the "Show Me" Chapter Vice-President, CW5 Robert Lamphear
and CW5 (Ret) Phil Tackett, the Director of the USAWOA
Mid-Northern Region. 
The
Lord Fairfax Chapter member volunteered their time to deal cards at the
Armed Forces Retirement Home's annual casino night on Friday, 30 July 2010,
in Washington DC. The Chapter also donated $250 to the retirement
home for cash prizes for the event. Pictured (l-r) CW5 (Ret) Dick Markle
and CW4 (Ret) Cevilla (Mosby) Randle were volunteer dealers at the Casino
Night.
Pictured
left: Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Ret) Nelson "Gene" Blakey of Moweaqua, Ill.,
retired in June 2010 after 56 years of service with the Illinois Army
National Guard. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael Camacho) A young
man working on a farm in Illinois decided to enlist in the National Guard in
March 1953 after he received a challenge from his friend and employer. The
Korean War's cease-fire was near, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower had
just started his first term in office. Many things have changed since then,
but one thing didn't change: the young man's commitment to serve his
country. Blakey started his military career working in a U.S. Property and
Fiscal Office warehouse here. He progressed through the ranks to sergeant
major, and then from Chief Warrant Officer 2 to Chief Warrant Officer 4.
Blakey hung up his boots and retired as a traditional Illinois National
Guardsman in 1994, but he continued to work for the military as a state
employee for 16 more years. (Story by Army Sgt. Jesse Houk, 139th Mobile
Public Affairs Detachment) 
On
July 23, 2010, a
Virginia Army National Guard Soldier serving an active-duty tour with the
U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command was awarded the Soldier's Medal at
Fort Monroe for his actions that resulted in saving the lives of
three men following a boating accident in the Chesapeake Bay. Lt. Gen.
John E. Sterling, deputy chief of staff for U.S. Army TRADOC, presented
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Clifford Bauman the Soldier's Medal during a
presentation ceremony attended by Bauman's wife, father, and friends and
coworkers at Morelli Auditorium on the Hampton base. The Army has many
awards and medals it bestows upon Soldiers for heroism during battle and
many recognizing Soldiers for outstanding work performed in the field and in
garrison, but the Soldier's Medal is the highest award a Soldier can receive
for heroism not directly related to combat. Bauman was heralded for his
swift actions that saved three men Oct. 3, 2009. Although one man died at
the scene, Bauman's quick action and years of Army training gave him the
tools he needed to save the other three men -
On
July 27, 2010, the final Ordnance Warrant Officer Basic Course and
Warrant Officer Advance Course students graduated at the old home of
Ordnance at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. All future classes will be
conducted at the new home of Ordnance at Fort Lee, VA. Pictured left with
the graduating students
are Chief Warrant Officer 5 Bernard Satterfield, Ordnance
Regimental Chief Warrant Officer (seated center front row); Chief Warrant
Officer 4 (Retired) Kenneth B.N. "Pete" Hill, USAWOA National Vice President
(3d from left 2nd row); and Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Retired) Gregory Gouty,
USAWOA Northeastern Region Director (far right 2nd row). Pictured right are
CW5 Satterfield and CW4 (Ret) Hill.
In
July 2010, the family of an Army helicopter
pilot missing for nearly four decades in Vietnam said his remains have been
recovered and will be returned to his native Oklahoma. Shannon Wann
Plaster told The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle that the remains of her
father, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Donald Wann, were found in 2008 and
the military recently confirmed the identification.
Wann was one of two soldiers, along with 1st Lt. Paul Magers of
Sidney, Neb., deployed in a Cobra gunship on June 1, 1971, to extract a
group of Army Rangers under attack, then destroy left behind ammunition and
mines near Hill 1015, or Dong Tri Mountain. Wann and Magers were hit with
anti-aircraft fire, causing the helicopter to crash somewhere around the
hill, about six miles southwest of Thon Khe Xeng.
Pictured right
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Don Wann stands in front of an injured
Huey helicopter during his first tour of duty in Vietnam around 1968. Wann,
a former pilot with the 101st Airborne Division, was shot down in 1971 but
his body was never found. It has now been identified and are being returned
to his family. (Source: Article and picture courtesy 
The
Bragg ”Silver” Chapter hosted a Spring Challenge Golf Tournament on
June 18, 2010 at Ryder Golf Course, Fort Bragg, NC. This is the 7th year the
chapter has hosted a tournament to raise funds for the Fort Bragg Fisher
House. The tournament was successful due to a lot of great sponsors. On July
16th the chapter made a donation to the Fort Bragg Fisher House in the
amount of $1,500. The following chapter members attended the presentation:
from right to left; CW5 (Ret) Roscoe Leggs , CW5 Mike Gillis, CW4 Raymond
Patrick Chapter Vice President, CW2 Robert Bessey Chapter President, CW3
Joshua Johnson Chapter Treasurer. The check was presented to Ms. Paula
Gallero House Manager. Assisting at the right is USAWOA Vice President
CW4 (Ret) Kenneth “Pete” Hill who visited Fort Bragg and had
breakfast with the new Chapter Officers. Ms. Gallero thanked the Chapter for
its continued support. (Photo by Ms. Faye Leggs)