Missouri Guard implements quick reaction force

The Missouri National Guard implemented a quick reaction force consisting of over 50 Soldiers from the 1-129th Field Artillery Regiment and the 220th Engineer Company to aid residents of northwest Missouri in the fight against the rising Missouri River. (Photo by Spc. Antony S. Lee/ 70th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment).

By Spc. Antony S. Lee
ngmo.pao@us.army.mil

MOUND CITY, Mo. - The Missouri National Guard is applying lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan to its current fight against the rising Missouri River.

"Your Missouri National Guard brings experienced Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen and seasoned leadership, both in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in State Emergency Duties," said Missouri National Guard adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner. "We carefully apply the Military Decision Making Process to the current situation and coordinate efforts to ensure smooth execution of any mission."

The Missouri National Guard is using quick reaction forces - teams made up of Service members that stand ready to carry out missions and respond to threats on short notice. The team is capable of rapid response to developing situations to flood response efforts in Northwest Missouri.

"The Missouri National Guard implemented this proactive stance when dealing with the recent flooding of southeast Missouri and found it to be very effective," said Lt. Col. John Parker, of Task Force 110. "The same proactive approach is being used in our current flood fight in northwest Missouri."

The quick reaction force consists of over 50 troops from the 1-129th Field Artillery Regiment of Maryville and it's battery from Independence, along with Soldiers from the 220th Engineer Company of Festus.

"Their mission is to respond to any additional requests," said 1st Sgt. Kevin Stallo, of Headquarters Battery, 1-129th. "The headquarters will send requests, and these guys are able to respond to the mission. They respond where they're needed"

The teams save the Missouri Guard valuable time that would otherwise be needed to identify Soldiers and units, make sure they are properly equipped, and transport them to where they are needed.

"The main reason for the quick response force is to cut down on our response time to assist the people of Missouri," added Parker. "Without the quick response force, it takes about 48 hours to get Soldiers mission-capable."

The Soldiers are ready to go at a moment's notice, said 1st Lt. Josh Kolden, of Battery D, 1-129th.

"Our battery in Independence is running 24-hour operations," said Kolden. "The headquarters contacts us through e-mail or phone with orders, and my cohorts and I work on the mission, coordinate with the engineers, and go out."

The Soldiers may not know what is in store for each day, but are always prepared to work with the residents of the community they are serving.

"It's something new every day," Kolden said. "We're at new locations and it's good to work with new community members.

The Soldiers have already sandbagged at Forest City and Mound City, but are ready for any mission they might be assigned.

They'll send down the orders, and the leaders will elect who's going to go on the mission and make sure everything is squared away, said Pvt. 2 Aaron Shahandeh, Battery D, 1-129th.

"We just go where they need us," said Sgt. Douglas Wilson, of 1128th Forward Support Company, 1-129th.

"It's hot. It's wet. We're moving sandbags, sweating," said Kolden. "But by the time it's all done, it's a great memory to look back on because we've affected lives of people we probably didn't even know."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.blog.moguard.com

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