Golden Coyote exercise

BLACK HILLS, S.D. – Two Maine Army National Guard units recently participated in the 24th annual Golden Coyote training exercise in the Black Hills of South Dakota, providing relevant training opportunities in support of the war on terrorism and homeland defense.

The 286th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion from Bangor and the 488th Military Police Company from mid-Maine were some of the 92 units from 27 states, along with professional militaries from four foreign nations participating in the 14-day exercise.

The 286th battalion is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in January 2009. Sgt. First Class Mark Smith, Operations NCO for the 286th, said that one of the reasons they were participating in Operation Golden Coyote was “to establish the staff and control of a FOB [Forward Operating Base], which is what they will be doing in Kandahar, Afghanistan.”

“The intent was to come out here and be the FOB Mayor and command and control at least three to four classes of supply and sustain all the tenants here at FOB Redfern” Smith said.

Units mobilizing to Iraq or Afghanistan must be trained and validated on different tasks before deploying. Previously, units would mobilize and train away from their home state for months before actually going overseas. Now units are getting validated on some tasks during their annual training periods or on drill weekends, allowing soldiers to spend more time with families before deploying.

Such was the case with the 286th. While providing real-life support for more than 300 soldiers from around the Unites Stated and Canada, the 286th battalion had opportunities to train on different tasks and equipment. Soldiers trained and were validated on the use of “GPS Pluggers” and navigated terrain while both mounted and dismounted, deep into the Black Hills.

At FOB Redfern, the 286th real-life missions included manning a dining facility, a vehicle and generator maintenance tent and a fuel point, to name a few.

The 488th MP Company provided security and manned the entry control point at FOB Redfern. The MPs also trained on vehicle convoys and reacting to an improvised explosive device, or IED, while mounted. They also conducted Military Operations in Urban Terrain.

Created in the mid-1980s by the South Dakota National Guard with the cooperation of the National Forest Service and Custer State Park, the Golden Coyote training exercise allows more than 4,000 service members to conduct combat support and combat service support missions in a realistic training environment and provide valuable services to the public.

Missions for the 2008 Golden Coyote training exercise are conducted throughout the Black Hills of South Dakota and the surrounding area, both in local urban areas and remote wilderness sites.

Basic training

BANGOR – Air Force Airman Stephen Daniels graduated from basic military training at Lackland Ar Force Base, San Antonio. A 2004 graduate of Bangor High School, he is the son of Jonathan and Debra Daniels of Bangor.

BANGOR – Air National Guard Airman 1st Class William Bruns IV graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. He earned distinction as an honor graduate. Bruns is a 1996 graduate of Bangor High School and a 2001 graduate of the University of Maine. He is the son of Susan and William Bruns III of Bangor.

HERMON – Air National Guard Airman Brent E. Dority graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. Dority, a 2007 graduate of Hermon High School, is the son of Brent and Annette Dority of Hermon.

WINTERPORT – Army Pvt. Gregory Sanford graduated from basic combat training at Fort Sill, Okla. A 2005 graduate of Hampden Academy, Sanford is the son of Jerrilyn Sanford and George Sanford, both of Winterport.

HAMPDEN – Army National Guard Pfc. Norika Francis-Mezger graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. A 2006 graduate of Hampden Academy, she is the daughter of Elvira and Carl Mezger of Searsport.

Field training encampment

HAMPDEN – Christopher J. Horn has completed a U.S. Air Force ROTC field training encampment. The training gives students their first exposure to a working Air Force environment to learn and apply skills.

Horn is a student at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. He is the son of Jo Anne Horn of Hampden.

ROTC leadership training

BANGOR – Tara J. Flagg has graduated from the Army ROTC Leader Development and Assessment Course in Tacoma, Wash. She has been commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

A 2004 graduate of Bangor High School, Flagg is the daughter of Daniel and Sherrie Sullivan of Bangor.

Stateside assignment

BREWER – Air Force Airman 1st Class Sean W. Bovee has returned to the United States after a deployment in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Bovee, an aerospace maintenance apprentice with two years of military service, is assigned to the 86th Maintenance Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Kaiserslautern, Germany. He is the son of Tim and Patty Bovee of Brewer.

Unit training

BANGOR – Army Pvt. Eugene Abramov graduated from Infantry 1 station unit training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga. The training consists of basic infantry training and advanced individual training. Abramov is the son of Natalia Abramova of Bangor.

Commissioned as officer

CLIFTON – Navy Ensign Sara Miller, daughter of Carolyn and Dennis Miller of Clifton, recently graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. She was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy.

Miller completed four years of intensive academic, physical and professional military training, resulting in a bachelor of science degree. Miller is a 2004 graduate of John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.