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Page 1 Coyote Courier

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Delivering the news from Golden Coyote 2014
Coyote Courier
Volume 30, Issue 4
June 18, 2014
Golden Coyote 2014 ends with a bang
Continued on page 1
O
n a winding gravel road deep
in the Black Hills, a small
convoy of Humvees manned by the
Danish Home Guard slowly comes
into sight. In front of them is a
straight stretch of road with open
ground to their right and forma-
tions of high rocks about 50 yards
away. Tey smell a rat.
Te convoy halts and two crews
dismount. Cautiously, but in plain
view, they begin moving into the
tall grass. Bang! Stung by a trip
wire, the soldier falls. Small-arms
fre pours in from the rocks. Te
Danes return it. Shouting every-
where. Belts of an M249 are emp-
tied into the lead vehicles. BOOM!
Its a remote-controlled IED. Te
rest of the trucks move forward.
Te crews crouch behind them.
Te Danes begin fre and move-
ment toward the machine gun.
Teir use of cover is poor. Teyre
losing the frefght. Casualties are
dragged in behind the vehicles.
But its over.
Tat was bad! shouts a tri-
umphant insurgent. Hes one of
half a dozen, a motley crew in a
mixture of kit from pure civilian
to backwoods gear to something
like a uniform, face cam included.
Teyre credible insurgents and
they know very well what theyre
doing.
Tis is the Counter IED lane
of Exercise Golden Coyote. Te
scenario is a post-confict stability
operation where the mission is, ac-
cording to orders from the 110th
Maneuver Enhancement Brigade,
to improve civil security, increase
political stability, and facilitate
economic recovery. Tis means
a large role for engineers working
on the countrys infrastructure but
it also means convoy operations,
dismounted patrols, fghting in
urban areas and plenty of combat
lifesaving.
Te enemy was live and expe-
rienced, in this case Soldiers of
the 118th Sapper Company of the
Utah National Guard. Tey were
deployed to Afghanistan in 2010
and learned about IEDs the hard
way. Now, they get to pass that
experience along, improving their
A role player acts as an insurgent as a convoy of Danish Home Guard troops approach during a Counter IED training lane as part of Golden
Coyote 2014. Photo by Cpl. Hlne Mogensen de Monlon, Danish Home Guard Public Afairs.
Story by Capt. Bob Kennedy
32 Canadian Brigade Group
Page 2 Coyote Courier
own skills in the process. Playing the role of insurgent,
said Sgt. Sterling Juarez, gives us a whole new per-
spective.
Tis link to real-world
experience could be
seen across the entire
exercise. You never
know when youre going
to end up in another
war zone, said Lt. Cdr.
Darlene McMiddle-
ton, a Navy Reservist
from Charlotte, N.C.
Weve all gained a lot
of knowledge these
past years in Iraq and
Afghanistan. We dont
want to lose all that
knowledge so we keep
training. McMiddleton
was running the Imme-
diate Lifesaving Measures lane at West Camp Rapid.
Another feature of Golden Coyote was the visible
presence of foreign contingents and their total inte-
gration into the exercise. Out at
FOB Custer, four diferent fags
were fying over the mud. Under
the command of the 110th MEB
is a Canadian battalion head-
quarters from the Army Reserve
brigade in Toronto. Teir sub-
units are a Reserve squadron
from 71 Engineer Regiment of
the United Kingdom, the 155th
Engineer Company (Vertical)
of the South Dakota National
Guard, and a construction
platoon from the Danish Home
Guard. Tese were the troops
applying their skills to projects
of direct beneft to communities across South Dakota:
a building for Habitat for Humanity, for example,
and timber for Native
American reservations.
Elsewhere in the exer-
cise are a detachment
from Surinam, ofcers
of the Air Reserve in
Germany, and more
Canadians attached to
the Civil Afairs organi-
zation.
Te biggest hurdle is
translating acronyms,
said Lt. David Shaw,
an ofcer of Te Royal
Regiment of Canada
who has ofen worked
with Americans. Everything is almost identical with
how we do things its just the terms that are dif-
ferent. Te German view, understandably, was a bit
more distant. We defnitely have diferences in how
we approach things, said Capt. Alexander Kullak. But
that is a positive, because we have so much to learn
from one another.
All of this suggests the grand scale and complexity
of Golden Coyote. Te immediate area of operation
was some 3,100 square miles of the Black Hills and the
Custer National Forest. Various Civil Afairs engage-
ments ranged from Yankton in the south-eastern
corner of the state to Harding County in the far north-
west. Some training was even done in Wyoming. More
than 45 units from 15 states, plus the international
contingents, generated some 4,400 troops. Tey came
from the National Guard, the Army Reserve, the Navy
Reserve and the U.S. Air Force. Te 147th Brigade Sup-
port Battalion from Colorado delivered, in only seven
days, 90,344 gallons of fuel and 86,686 meals.
FOB Guernsey saw an airborne insertion. High-tech
simulators trained troops in vehicle rollovers, small
arms and convoy operations. Insurgents challenged
Soldiers on operations ranging from dismounted
patrols to recoveries of pilots from downed aircraf
to penetrations of urban terrain. Engineers repaired
roofs, dug sediment ponds and even built a washroom.
Te mighty Missouri River was crossed in less than
half an hour.
Ever since I started as a private, said Spec. Jonathon
Crain, Ive always been told to train how you fght.
Tis principle understood by the Military Policeman
from North Carolina was never far from the mind of
Col. John Oberkirsch, the Commander of the 110th
MEB whose staf spent nine months planning the exer-
cise. My mission was to come out here and make this
30th Golden Coyote the best ever, he said on the fnal
day. I think weve accomplished that and so hopefully
weve set the stage for future commanders to take it to
the next level.
Top left: A soldier with the United Kingdoms 591st Royal Engineers unloads from a CH-
47 Chinook helicopter during an air assault training mission at Camp Guernsey, Wyo.,
June 15, 2014. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Mark VanGerpen.
Center: Soldiers and members of the Danish Home Guard unload a truck as they pre-
pare camp at FOB Custer. Photo by Cpl. Hlne Mogensen de Monlon, Danish Home
Guard Public Afairs.
Bottom left: A member of the Danish Home Guard gives the victory sign after par-
ticipating in a training exercise at Golden Coyote. Photo by Cpl. Hlne Mogensen de
Monlon, Danish Home Guard Public Afairs.
Ends with a bang
Continued from page 1
Page 3 Coyote Courier
CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyo. National Guard
Soldiers and Airmen teamed up to perform a combat
airdrop training mission at Camp Guernsey, Wyo.,
June 13, 2014.
Tis event was coordinated between the Texas
Army National Guard 1st Battalion (Airborne),
143rd Infantry Regiment and Wyoming Air National
Guard 153rd Air Wing as part of the 2014 Golden
Coyote training exercise.
We have so many paratroopers that its not feasible
for us to jump out of anything but Air Force aircraf,
said Maj. Wade Aubin a drop zone safety ofcer for
the 143rd. Golden Coyote was the frst time we [part-
nered with] the 153rd Air Wing out of Cheyenne and
they have been great to work with.
Te airdrop was a historic event as it was the frst
airborne mission that was conducted during Golden
Coyote.
It demonstrates the capabilities of the National
Guard to the rest of the military, said Shane Whit-
worth, an operations non-commissioned ofcer in the
Wyoming National Guard.
Tis jump was one of four airborne missions that
took place during Golden Coyote. Te
frst mission was a large-scale airfeld
assault, the second combat airdrop was
a smaller support mission, and the third
drop will be a daytime exercise that will
help them prepare for their culminating
night mission.
Te four jumps helped the unit com-
plete their training requirements; while
the frst three helped the unit prepare
for the last mission, which is a high-risk
exercise.
Were the frst Army National Guard
infantry battalion to perform an airfeld
seizure on camp Guernsey, said Aubin.
Units complete an airfeld seizure in
order to gain control of a landing zone
to conduct further missions from that
area.
Te mission for the 143rd was to per-
form an airdrop then move to a tempo-
rary headquarters to gain accountability
before marching to and then clearing a
helicopter-landing zone, where CH-47
Chinooks could land and take them
back to Camp Guernsey.
Tere is a constant steady learning process, its not
one of those things that you stop learning about, said
Aubin. Te more you do it the better you do it.
One aspect to making the jump a success is ensur-
ing equipment is ready for each soldier for every
jump. Soldiers help each other strap their parachute
and gear to them before a rigger checks it for safety
and a jumpmaster does a fnal check on the gears
readiness before the airdrop.
We make sure everything is done by the books, we
double-check and triple-check because we have lives
in our hands, said Spc. Regina Ruizmoreno a para-
chute rigger for the Texas Army National Guard 294th
Quartermasters Company.
Although Ruizmoreno has roughly completed 20
jumps, anticipation and nerves are still a big part of
the experience.
Once we get up and start getting ready thats when
I get nervous and the adrenalin starts pumping, said
Ruizmoreno.Once Im out and my chute opens its just
relaxing, its beautiful, but its only for a split second
then you have to realize youre about to land.
Army teams with Air force
for combat drop
Story and photos by Spc. Donald E. Williams
129th Mobile Public Afairs Detachment
South Dakota National Guard
Capt. Joshua Edgington, a jump master for the Texas Army National Guard 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry
Regiment performs the Jump Master Personnel Inspection for Sgt. Oscar Moreno, a parachute rigger with the 294th
Quartermasters Company. Jumpmasters have to check the paratroopers equipment to make sure it is safe for the Soldiers
to use. This exercise helps to prepare units for both their wartime and peacetime missions. U.S. Army National Guard
photo by Spc. Donald E. Williams.
Page 4 Coyote Courier
E
ight years afer its inception, the timber haul
mission at Golden Coyote will likely reach a peak
by delivering 201 loads of wood to Native American
reservations throughout the state of South Dakota.
With a ceremonial run to the Crow Creek reserva-
tion, the 190th Combat Sustainment Support Battal-
ion plans to celebrate the delivery of the 190th load
of timber as they zero in on their objective to surpass
200 loads. Before this year, 185 loads was the top
haul.
Tis team had a lot of energy, they wanted to work
this real-world mission and push toward our goal,
said Capt. John Bleile, the 190th CSSB support op-
erations ofcer who coordinated the mission. Tree
National Guard transportation companies worked
the mission including the Kansas 137th, Nebraskas
1057th and Michigans 1463rd. Canadian soldiers
worked side-by-side with the Americans.
Bleile said this years harsh winter made the need
for wood on the reservations more important.
Teyre very appreciative, he said of the Native
American recipients who use the timber primarily
for frewood and sometimes for fence building.
Te mission began in cooperation with the Nation-
al Forest Service in 2006 as a means to help remove
the trees that were previously cut in a conservation
efort to help avoid the spread of forest fres. Deliver-
ing the wood to the Native Americans is an added
beneft.
Te team faced challenges with the heavy rains that
dominated the frst days of Golden Coyote. It was a
tough go in the beginning but we got back on track,
Bleile said. Heavy thunderstorms caused drop sites
to shut down at least three times and the trucks dedi-
cated to the mission were ofen called away to haul
military equipment.
Tis was an actual state mission that gave Soldiers
an opportunity to drive, maintain and run their equip-
ment, Bleile said. Tey dont normally get a chance to
do all this at home station training.
First Lieutenant Eric Grant, company commander of
the 137th, said this year
was the frst time the
team used a palletized
loading system (PLS)
during the Golden
Coyote exercise.
While the PLS teams
were waiting for the
timber, National Guard
Soldiers of the 842nd
Engineer Company
from Spearfsh, South
Dakota and Canadian
Reserve soldiers of
the Lorne Scots from
Georgetown, Ontario,
cut and cleaned the
timber in preparation
for loading it onto pal-
lets.
We pull in, we stage
up and lower our fat
racks, said Spc. Mat-
thew Moore from the 137th Transportation Company.
Ten the engineers will load our fat racks with all the
logs up to a certain height up to the two-by-fours we
stick in the sides.
Bleile said the detailed coordination, working with the
transportation units, higher headquarters and contacts
on the reservations helped make this years timber haul
a success.
Timber haul mission aims for record loads
Left: National Guard Soldiers man-
uever timber into place in before
loading it onto pallets and hauling
it to Native American reservations.
U.S. Army photo.
Below: Canadian Pvt. Monique
Dunford with the Lorne Scots
from Georgetown, Ontario cuts
timber in preparation for hauling.
U.S. Army photo by Staf Sgt. Paul
Roberts.
Page 5 Coyote Courier
By Staff Sgt. Steve Reeves
314th Press Camp Headquarters
M
embers of the 105th
Military Police Battalion
training in South Dakota
as part of Golden Coyote 2014
teamed up with a local utility
company on Saturday for a real-
world training scenario designed
to prepare them for a domestic
disturbance.
Te 300 members of the Ash-
ville, N.C.-based National Guard
unit worked with Black Hills Power
security personnel to make the
scenario, in which troops had to
deal with civilian protesters outside
of the Ben French power station in
Rapid City, as realistic as possible.
Coyote courier
Comander of Troops: BG Kevin Griese
South Dakota National Guard
MAJ Anthony Deiss, Public Affairs Officer
SFC Don Matthews, PA NCOIC
The editorial content of this newspaper is
prepared, edited and provided by the 314th
Press Camp Headquarters.
LTC Stephen Harlan, Commander
MAJ Jesse Stalder, Executive Officer
CPT Christopher Parker, Operations Officer
CSM Christopher Luchsinger
SSG Bryan Tull, Assignments Editor
SSG Lisa Simunaci, Layout & Design
SSG Paul Roberts, Photographer
SSG Kevin McSwain, Contributor
SSG Steve Reeves, Writer/Photographer
SGT Kade Miller, Proofreader
2LT Carolyn Nielsen, Contributor
SGT Samantha Hamilton, Contributor
Additional contributions from:
129th Mobile Public Affairs Detach-
ment
MAJ Wayne Asscherick, Commander
CPT Amber Symonds
CPT Sam Otto
SSG Jackie Fitzgerald, NCOIC
124th Mobile Publid Affairs Detach-
ment
Sgt. Michael Uribe
Danish Home Guard Public Affairs
Rune Kronenberg, Chief
CPT Ulla Srensen-Mlgaard
CPL Hlne Mogensen
32 Canadian Bridade Group
CPT Bob Kennedy, Chief, PA Chief
Where local law enforcement
get overwhelmed with an issue
such as Hurricane Katrina or any
other large security piece, we can
assist, said Lt. Col. Eric Locklear.
Locklear said teaming up with
Black Hills Power allowed the
105th to add a layer of authenticity
to its training.
We saw an opportunity not only
to train, but to train in a diferent
environment, he said. Locklear
said the exercise validated the units
ability to perform security opera-
tions in response to a credible ter-
rorist threat.
Black Hills Power ofcials said
cooperating with military units like
the 105th is useful when evaluating
MPs train for domestic threat
Soldiers with HHC 110th Manuever Enhancement Brigade served up more
than 16,000 meals at the Camp Rapid Dining Facility during G-olden
Coyote 2014. Photo by Cpl. Hlne Mogensen de Monlon, Danish Home
Guard Public Afairs.
Above: A soldier with the 105th Military Police Bat-
talion takes part in a training scenario designed to
prepare troops for a domestic disturbance.
Left: Role players protest outside
the Ben French power station in
Rapid City, S.D. during Golden
Coyote. North Carolina National
Guardsmen teamed with Black
Hills Power security personnel
to create a realistic scenario. U.S.
Army photos.
A famililar sight
Continued on page 6
Page 6 Coyote Courier
The Assistant Adju-
tant General of the
South Dakota Army
National Guard,
Brig. Gen. Kevin
Griese, pins a Bronze
Star Medal on
Canadian Capt. Rob
Ryan in the shadow
of Mount Rushmore.
Capt. Ryan served
in Afghanistan with
Combined Joint Task
Force 101 during
Operation Enduring
Freedom in 2013
and was awarded
the U.S. decora-
tion for his personal courage and commitment to mission accomplishment in a combat zone.
Watching from below is his brigade commander from Toronto, Col. Dwayne Hobbs, along with
(standing) Chief Warrant Ofcer Mike Lacroix. Photo by Capt. Ulla Srensen-Mlgaard, Danish
Home Guard Public Afairs.
Spc. Ryan Dannen, left, a combat engineer with the South Dakota National Guard 211th Engineer Company (Sapper), carries Rachel Shields, a sap-
per with the United Kingdoms 591st Royal Engineers, into Combat Outpost Roberts during an air assault training mission at Camp Guernsey, Wyo.,
June 15, 2014. The Guard unit coordinated with the 591st for the mission during the 30th annual Golden Coyote Training Exercise. The exercise pro-
vides realistic training opportunities for National Guard, Reserve, and active duty units from 15 states and four foreign nations. U.S. Army National
Guard photo by Sgt. Mark VanGerpen
Continued from page 5
Threat
Canadian earns Bronze Star
company security procedures.
Vance Crocker, vice president of
operations at Black Hills Power,
said that while the company has
procedures in place to deal with
potential disturbances, it was help-
ful to put those procedures to the
test with the help of the military.
Tis exercise with the 105th MP
Battalion provided a great op-
portunity to validate many of our
internal processes, Crocker said.
Black Hills Power gained a lot of
experience and insight from this
cooperative efort.
Te training scenario was one of
many that have taken place across
South Dakota since Golden Coyote
kicked of nearly two weeks ago.

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