JULY 2017 | 3RD QUARTERWWW.GUARDRESERVES.COM SUBSCRIBE

U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Brian Calhoun

CONTENTSSoldiers and a pilot await the arrival of a UH-60 Black Hawk rescue during the combined arms demonstration at the South Carolina Guard Air & Ground Expo at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, May 6, 2017. This expo showcased the abilities of South Carolina National Guard Airmen and Soldiers while saying thank you for the support of fellow South Carolinians and the surrounding community.

http://www.guardreserves.comhttps://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDODGRSN/subscriber/new

Master Sgt. David Roberts, second from left, now officially retired, receives an award from Lt. Col. Charles Winchester, the executive officer of 9th Marine Corps District, aboard Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., June 2. Roberts, a Bronx native, served in various administrative roles during his career and retired after 23 years of honorable service. Photo by Cpl. Zachery Martin, 9th Marine Corps District

Key ResourcesSo, before you check out of the military, check out these resources. Youve worked hard for your retirement. Now make retirement work for you.

Opt-In Course

Comparison Calculator

Online Resource Materials

Free, personal support from an accredited personal financial counselor or manager through your installations Military and Family Support Center. Search online at http://.militaryinstallations.dod.mil or http://www.jointservicessupport.org/spn.

Service members, said Tony Kurta, performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. The calculator will provide Service members the ability to compare estimated benefits between their current retirement plan and BRS prior to making this important decision.

Personalized OptionsThe tool is flexible. You can adjust 12 inputs to reflect your personal situation and planning assumptions to see how changes to your career and savings will impact retirement benefits over the long-term. With a simple click, you can change any of the inputs and re-run the calculations as many times as you need. In other words, its designed to personalize your choices and situation.

To get the most benefit, DoD encourages you to use the calculator in conjunction with the mandatory BRS Opt-In Course, which launched Jan. 31. The opt-in course is focused on comparing the current legacy military retirement system (often referred to as the high-3 system) and the new Blended Retirement System, along with elements of financial management and retirement planning.

The coming implementation of the Blended Retirement System offers Service members a choice about how they structure their retirement savings accounts, but that flexibility can also lead to confusion and uncertainty. Service members who reach 20 years of active service will continue to receive a military pension. Since only a small percentage of Service members who enter the military retire in the military, the BRS enables those who dont expect to serve a full 20 years to leave the military with an established retirement account. But theres no way around it: if youre opt-in eligible, some numbers must be crunched to find the right solution.

DoD had this in mind when developing the Blended Retirement System comparison calculator. The calculator, along with the mandatory BRS Opt-In Course, is available to help nearly 1.7 million opt-in eligible Service members and their families make informed decisions on whether or not to elect the new retirement system. The new system takes effect Jan. 1, 2018.

We have designed an all-in-one calculator that is intuitive to use and takes into account the unique financial situations of our active duty, National Guard and Reserve

We have designed an all-in-one calculator that is intuitive to use and takes into account the unique financial situations of our active duty, National Guard and Reserve Service members...

Planning for Blended Retirement? Plan to Use This Tool

https://jkosupport.jten.mil/html/COI.xhtml?course_prefix=J3O&course_number=P-US1332http://militarypay.defense.gov/calculators/brs/http://militarypay.defense.gov/BlendedRetirement/http://.militaryinstallations.dod.mil or http://www.jointservicessupport.org/spnhttp://.militaryinstallations.dod.mil or http://www.jointservicessupport.org/spnhttps://jkosupport.jten.mil/html/COI.xhtml?course_prefix=J3O&course_number=P-US1332https://jkosupport.jten.mil/html/COI.xhtml?course_prefix=J3O&course_number=P-US1332http://militarypay.defense.gov/calculators/brs/https://jkosupport.jten.mil/Atlas2/page/coi/externalCourseAccess.jsf?v=1490289736816&course_prefix=J3O&course_number=P-US1332

In 2004, during a particularly tense period of Operation Iraqi Freedom II, an extraordinary event occurred at Al-Taqaddum Air Base near Fallujah, Iraq: a traditional Native American powwow. How and why such a ceremony took place in the middle of a combat zone is largely owing to the determination of one woman: Debra Kay Mooney, a member of the Choctaw Nation and Oklahoma National Guardsman.

Al-Taqaddum Air Base lies about a dozen miles west of Fallujah, where in early 2004, four private security employees were slain, their bodies hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River. In November of that year, U.S., British, and Iraqi soldiers began a major offensive to take back Fallujah from Iraqi insurgents. The urban warfare that ensued, known as the Second Battle of Fallujah, would be the deadliest of the Iraq war.

It is amid this turmoil that Mooney and a group of collaborators staged the powwow, a ceremony involving dancing, singing, games, and other cultural practices. It seemed like a crazy idea, said Mooney. But, if they could pull it off, it might improve the ebbing morale among the soldiers, and encourage more cohesiveness in the unit.

A Tradition Comes Alive It would take a lot of thinking, doing, and cooperating during stolen moments of time to make it work. The committees came first, to organize how theyd create the drums, crafts, stick ball game, and other physical components. We made all of the ceremonial items from discarded materials, said Mooney. Anything unusable to the Army was fair game. We made the drum from a discarded barrel, cut down, then stretched over with canvas and fashioned with a wooden base.

While the decision to recreate the essential components of a powwow was the most fun, Mooney said identifying any practice or actions that might offend one tribe or another was the most crucial. Her unit had members from several different tribes, each with its own cultural practices. There could be no unified ceremony without these agreements.

Despite a spirit of cooperation, the powwow almost failed. Mooney and her team were given three weeks to prepare but only on their own scant downtime. If all the pieces werent in place by then her superiors would call it off.

While on mission, Mooney was a combat engineer with the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, working as

a carpenter and mason building structures within the air base, as well as providing maintenance and security. She and the others in her unit moved around a lot, making the planning for the event even more tricky.

We didnt have a whole lot of downtime, she said. One part of our team would do our mission, another member would work on the powwow. Each one of us had to be dedicated in order for this to be successful.

Shortly before the deadline, it somehow came together.

On the day of the ceremony, Mooney said she was amazed at the transformation that took place in the faces of the participants. I saw soldiers turn into civilians with the beat of a drum. They were hooting and hollering and just enjoying the moment. The combat hardness in their faces was gone. It really did my heart good to see that.

Mooney said it also brought the whole unit closer together through their determination to make it happen, and the education it provided. Non-Native Americans learned about the etiquette of the powwow, how to dance in the circle, and were exposed to the different traditions of the various tribes in their unit.

I look back now and see the powwow as a symbol of the inclusiveness of the Guard, she said. We were different but united. I think thats relevant for the Guard today. Theres always a way to unite behind similarities and not focus on differences. I was very blessed to be involved.

The powwow took place in September 2004, a few weeks before the fierce campaign to retake Fallujah began.

Several items from the powwow, including the dress she wore (see images) and the drum they built, are now part of the collection at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

When I was a soldier Mooney starts a lot of her stories this way. Since her retirement in 2015, she views much of life through the prism of her 23 years in the Oklahoma Army National Guard and her Choctaw Tribal heritage.

From an early age, Mooney knew she wanted to serve. She tried to join the Marines right after high school but a heart surgery when she was 14 prevented her from passing

Guard LifeChoctaw Heritage,

Top to bottom:

1) Service members participate in the traditional drum circle during the powwow that took place September 17-18, 2004 at Al-Taqud-

dum Air Base. Photo by Master Sergeant Chuck Boers. Gift of Sergeant Debra K. Mooney. 2) The stick ball game was another of

the activities at the powwow. Photo by SFC Johancharles Van Boers, 55th Signal Company, Combat Camera, Fort Meade, Maryland.

3) Mooney stands next to the dress that was made for the powwow she organized in 2004 by her adopted Satepauhoodlefamilyof the Kiowa Nation, now at the National American Indian Museum.

Continued on next page ...

http://www.nmai.si.edu/searchcollections/item.aspx?irn=281343&regid=833http://www.nmai.si.edu/http://www.nmai.si.edu/

the medical exam. So, she went to college, and after graduating, she signed up for the National Guard.

During her time in the Guard, she deployed twice during Operation Iraqi Freedom, once in 2004 and again in 2008. During the last five years of her career she trained Guardsmen for combat in a pre-mobilization training program. She communicated with units on the ground overseas and ran exercises simulating combat environments. It was hard but satisfying work knowing I was helping to physically and mentally prepare troops for the rigors of combat, she said.

With the benefit of some hindsight, Mooney said joining the Guard was absolutely the right move for her, but it wasnt without personal challenge.

Her first experience during annual training was not a good one. She felt isolated and was often left to herself when others buddied up. Fortunately, she had good advisors who recognized she presented two obstacles for folks who might hold prejudicesIm a woman and recognizable as a Native American. They told her she just

needed to get involved, and they introduced her to the Guards equal opportunity program, which she would remain involved in for the rest of her career. If a problem such as sexual harassment came up in her unit, she would address it using her EO title instead of her rank. It had a weighty effect, she said.

Still, Mooney has actively cultivated a thick skin throughout her life and career, based on her mothers adamant advice: She taught me never to use the term discriminated against. I never allowed myself to think that way. I believe were products of the communities we grow up in. Im from Oklahoma. We have a lot of Native Americans. I wasnt treated differently there. So I wasnt going to allow anyone to make me feel differently anywhere else.

Seeking and Finding SupportAs a member of the Choctaw Nation, Mooney said she is thankful to be part of a tribe with a deep history of military service. The Choctaw are the original Code Talkers. Before Navajo tribe members made this method of secret communication famous in WWII, 19 members of the Choctaw Nation in WWI helped transmit tactical messages back and forth in a language the enemy couldnt decipher. They are credited with helping theAmerican Expeditionary Forceswin several key battles in theMeuse-Argonne Offensivein France, during the final large German push of the war.

Today, many members of the Choctaw Nation serve in the National Guard and on active duty. The tribe supports their well-being in numerous ways. Mooney has benefited from that support on a number of occasionsshe struggles with PTSD, anxiety, and physical ailments from incidents while on duty. At one point, she was unable to get medical care through the VA because she had just come off orders when she was injured, and the tribe stepped up to help, at nearly no cost to her.

From providing parking spaces for vets at tribal facilities, to the big Veterans Day event they hold each year at Tvshka Homma, OK, the Choctaw Capitol, the Choctaw Nation routinely sends a strong message that they support their vets.

Whatever they are aware of to do, they will do, she said. I have not seen them back away from any obstacle that a veteran has.

Like other deployed tribe members, she also received care packages from the nation while she was overseas.

And when she returned home from Iraq in 2005, a tribe representative knocked on her door to provide her with information about support they offered and to make a personal connection with her.

Activities like these led the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma to be named a recipient of the prestigious Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in 2008. Among the reasons cited: the nations compliance with USERRA, despite being exempt as a sovereign nation; its commitment to providing full pay and benefits for its Guard and Reserve members while performing their military service; its Veterans Advocacy program; its support for deployed Service members and their families; and numerous other forms of support.

In addition to tribal support, Mooney said she was among the early waves of returning Service members introduced to a reintegration event developed for the Reserve Component. When Mooney came home in 2008 from her final deployment to Iraq, she was told she needed to travel to Norman, Okla. for an event organized by the newly formed Yellow Ribbon Reintegration program sponsored by the DoD. At first, she and her peers were not enthused to go, having just returned from deployment. At the event, Mooney recalled learning about financial resources, skills for coping with PTSD, how to obtain legal assistance, and help with family issues. All well and good, but it didnt sink in for her at the time.

It was in the months after that she began to realize its value. Not only did she take advantage of financial resources she received at the event, it also helped her not to feel isolated:

It opened up communication between help and the one that needed help. It gave more options. The fact that you go again and again, it gave you a base. It helped me feel connected, she said.

Her experience with YRRP was just one among many during her career in the Guard that speaks to its spirit of inclusiveness and camaraderie, a spirit that is bolstered by the support of her Choctaw Nation, and symbolized by her own organization of the powwow in 2004.

Making Legacies Today, Mooney is often called upon to consult and reflect on her military service and Native American heritage. She serves on the advisory committee for the National Native American Veterans Memorial, to be built on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. She also recently took part in a reflection

on Native Americans role in WWI during a WWI Centennial event in Kansas City recognizing the U.S. entry into the war.

Im humbled to play this role, and Im proud of my Choctaw heritage, she said. Its my spiritual and family touchstone. Im equally proud of my National Guard service, where I found my true strength and courage. Along with my faith in the Lord, those are the things that have shaped memy service and my heritage.

There was a time when saying Im in the National Guard was met with judgment. We used to be seen as weekend warriors with no real purpose, said Mooney. All that changed after 9/11. Were proud of who we are and how weve served this country.

We still give all, she said.

Mooney stands at a podium for an event at the Smithsonian Institution. In the background are members of the 2004 powwow committee. I try to never speak without a picture of them, because I guarantee you, I did not do this alone, said Mooney.

I try to never speak without a picture of them, because I guarantee you, I did not do this alone.

In a poster produced by the Oklahoma National Guard, Mooney poses with her uniform jacket over a dress made for by her adopted mother, Joy White, of the Pawnee Nation; she holds an honor blanket also made by White (pictured in the featured image above), and various other tribal items.

Continued from previous page ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Expeditionary_Forceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Expeditionary_Forceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meuse-Argonne_Offensivehttps://www.choctawnation.com/tribal-services/special-services/veterans-advocacyhttps://nmai.si.edu/nnavm/memorial/https://nmai.si.edu/nnavm/memorial/

What are your retirement plans? Buy an RV and explore America? Take up painting or woodworking? Relax with the remote?Or, maybe you want to lead a national DoD program

devoted to strengthening relationships between Guard and Reserve members and their employers. Thats what retired Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley is doing with his retirement, having taken the helm as ESGRs new National Chair June 1.

The experience McKinley brings with him to ESGR is nearly unmatched in both breadth and distinction. With a resume that boasts accomplishments on par with the top military officers in the nation, McKinley brings to ESGR insights from a 38-year career, much of it spent in high-level leadership positions.

In addition to leadership, McKinley also brings an almost career-long focus on the Reserve Component. It is an honor to continue to serve our National Guard and Reserve community, said McKinley of his appointment. The work ESGR does is invaluable to Reserve Component members and the employers who support them throughout their military commitments.

A Long and Illustrious Career McKinley notched a couple of key firsts during his career. Among them, he became the first four-star general in the National Guard and the first Chief of the National Guard Bureau to serve as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after Congress approved a seat on the council for the National Guard. He led the National Guard Bureau from 2008 until his retirement in 2012.

First Guard Four-star Takes ESGR Helm

As a member of the Joint Chiefs, he was a military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council, as well as the DoDs official channel of communication to the Governors and to State Adjutants General on all matters pertaining to the National Guard.

Most recently, McKinley served as president of the Air Force Association until 2015, when he moved to the nonprofit sector to become the president of the National Defense Industrial Association. From there he stepped into the ESGR National Chair position.

With this appointment by Secretary of Defense James Mattis, McKinley embraces another personal firstbeing in a volunteer position and overseeing more than 4,000 volunteers spanning all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It will require a different kind of command structure to work with a predominantly volunteer base, but one that he is well suited for, having been in both military and non-military leadership roles.

My vision for the future is for every single employer to support and value their military service member employees, said McKinley. I also want every one of those employers to know how important and valued they are. Our citizen warriors would not be able to focus on their mission of protecting our country if they had to worry about having meaningful civilian employment back at home. The amazing men and women who volunteer for ESGR are going to help our country achieve that vision!

A Pilot FirstMcKinley knew from a young age he wanted to be an Air Force pilot. He grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., and went to high school in Minnesota. He earned his private pilots license at the age of 15, before he even had a license to drive.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster

Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal

Defense Superior Service Medal

Legion of Merit

Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award

Combat Readiness Medal with four oak leaf clusters

National Defense Service Medal with bronze star

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Humanitarian Service Medal

Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver oak leaf cluster

Armed Forces Reserve Medal with silver hourglass

Air Force Training Ribbon

(current as of 2012)

Continued on next page...

McKinley continued his path to the Air Force by joining the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. From there, an ROTC scholarship led him to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he graduated with distinction from the ROTC program and earned a degree in Business Administration.

In 1974, he received his commission, beginning his long career as a pilot and a leader. As a young officer, he served in numerous assignments in flying and operations, as well as command positions at group, wing, sector, and field operating agency levels.

During his career as a command pilot, he logged more than 4,000 flying hours, primarily in the T-38, F-106, F-16, and F-15.

In 1980, McKinley transitioned from Active Duty Air Force to the Florida Air National Guard, where he spent much of his time with the 125th Fighter Wing based in

Continued from previous page ...

his hometown in Jacksonville, Fla. In the 90s and 2000s, he began to take on more national leadership positions, culminating in his directorship of the Air National Guard (2006-2008) and in his leadership of the National Guard Bureau (2008-2012).

Along the way, McKinley also received a Masters degree in Management and Economics at Webster College, St. Louis, Missouri, in 1979, and a degree in National Security Management at the National War College, National Defense University, in 1995.

Among his many awards and accolades, McKinley has received theDefense Distinguished Service MedalandHomeland Security Distinguished Service Medal (see sidebar on previous page for complete list). Please join ESGR and the Guard & Reserve Network in welcoming Craig McKinley as the new ESGR National Chair.

The following 15 employers have been named recipients of the 2017 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.The award is the highest honor given to employers for support of National Guard and Reserve employees.

Selected from 3,064 nominations received from Reserve Component troops across the country, these recipients have gone above and beyond federal requirements in support of their military employees. The 2017 Freedom Award recipients will be honored at a Pentagon ceremony August 25.

Accordia Urgent Care & Family PracticeVidalia, Georgia

Boston ScientificMarlborough, Massachusetts

Cargill, Inc.Minnetonka, Minnesota

Comcast NBC UniversalPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

CSI AviationAlbuquerque, New Mexico

Hensel Phelps Construction Company

Greeley, Colorado

Howard County Fire & Rescue

Columbia, Maryland

Indianapolis Fire Department

Indianapolis, Indiana

Johnson & JohnsonNew Brunswick, New Jersey

Mesa Natural Gas Solutions

Casper, Wyoming

Office of the District Attorney Eighteenth

Judicial DistrictCentennial, Colorado

Renown HealthReno, Nevada

Salt River ProjectTempe, Arizona

TesoroSan Antonio, Texas

Zapata, Inc.Charlotte, North Carolina

BRS ToolChoctaw Heritage, Guard LifeFour Star Takes ESGR HelmFreedom Awards

Button 88: Button 89: Button 90: Button 91: Button 39: Button 40: Button 82: Button 83: Button 102: Button 103: Button 104: Button 105: Button 106: Button 107: