Hurricane Helene

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The Guard in 2024: Deployments, hurricanes, wildfires and new leadership
December 27, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. – As 2024 began, Soldiers with 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment, Nevada Army... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Isaac Bradshaw, a combat medic with C Company, 230th Brigade Support Battalion, North Carolina Army National Guard, wraps his arms around an older couple and uses his body to block them from debris and strong winds produced by the rotor wash of a landing CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Burnsville, North Carolina, Oct. 10, 2024. The Chinook crew responded in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, bringing generators, fuel, and other supplies to the remote area that was isolated when floodwaters washed away the main road in and out of the area.

New York Guard Helps Floridians Recover from Hurricane
October 22, 2024 — PALMETTO, Fla. – Forty-three New York Army National Guard Soldiers spent a week assisting the... MORE

New York Army National Guard Sgt. Tyler Linendoll, an infantryman assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, cuts downed tree branches with a chainsaw following Hurricane Milton in Palmetto, Florida, Oct. 11, 2024. Soldiers from the 27th IBCT worked with members of the Florida Army National Guard to provide relief to communities impacted by the hurricane.

National Guard Leaders See Guardsmen Answer the Call
October 18, 2024 — MORGANTON, N.C. – The National Guard’s top officer ceremoniously assumed his new role Tuesday. His... MORE

Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, meets with Florida National Guard leaders and Guardsmen mobilized in Tampa, Florida, to help communities affected by Hurricane Milton Oct. 16, 2024.

North Carolina Guard Clears Roads after Tropical Storm Helene
October 16, 2024 — NEBO, N.C. - “The troops are here!” said Western North Carolina resident Rick Brite, who watched as... MORE

North Carolina National Guardsmen with the 113th Sustainment Brigade and the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team conduct bridge-building operations in Nebo, N.C., Oct. 9, 2024, to connect roads for residents following Tropical Storm Helene.

Florida National Guard Responds to Storms in and out of State
October 15, 2024 — STARKE, Fla. - The end of September and beginning of October proved to be a heavy lift for Soldiers... MORE

Florida Army National Guard Soldiers prepare for a flight during Hurricane Helene support missions at Army Aviation Support Facility 1 in Florida Sept. 29, 2024. Members of the 1-111th General Support Aviation Battalion provided aerial capabilities for an Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

Florida National Guard Assists Tornado Victims
October 13, 2024 — FORT PIERCE, Fla. - The Florida National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, quickly... MORE

U.S. Soldiers assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, deliver water, meals and non-perishable goods to senior citizens in the Spanish Lake community in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Oct. 11, 2024. The state of Florida established point of distribution centers throughout Florida and deployed staging areas to ensure supplies were available to those in need.

Virginia Guard Aids Hurricane Response in Florida, Virginia
October 10, 2024 — RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia National Guard is helping Florida respond to Hurricane Milton while it... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Cedar Bluff-based 1033rd Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, assist with food and water distribution Oct. 5-6, 2024, in Damascus, Virginia. Approximately 20 1033rd Soldiers with tactical trucks capable of high-mobility transportation are staged in Abingdon to support the response to Hurricane Helene.

New York National Guard Troops Assist with Hurricane Response
October 10, 2024 — SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The New York National Guard dispatched 65 Soldiers and Airmen to Florida Oct. 9 to... MORE

Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat team board a C-17 Globemaster III from the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing as they head to Camp Blanding Joint Training Center near Jacksonville, Florida, to support the Florida National Guard response to Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

National Guard Helps Hurricane Milton, Helene Victims
October 9, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Over 11,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were conducting Hurricane Milton and... MORE

Tennessee Guardsmen Support Hurricane Recovery
October 9, 2024 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nearly 600 Tennessee National Guardsmen, with more than 150 vehicles and... MORE

U.S. Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Ryan Schulze, 118th Wing pavements and construction equipment craftsman, cuts a fallen tree with a chainsaw during Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Elizabethton, Tennessee, Oct. 5, 2024. Airmen continue to commute to the town and surrounding areas daily to help clear debris and help local residents in need due to flooding from Hurricane Helene.

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A Time of Great Consequence: Former CNO Reflects on Navy Readiness and 9/11 (4k)

Defense Media Activity - Navy Production Division

Aug. 20, 2021 | 6:57

The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks offers Americans an opportunity to remember the victims of that horrific day and reflect on the courage and bravery of the first responders who tirelessly worked to save lives in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The attacks galvanized the country and resulted in unprecedented unity among the American people.

The Navy lost 42 people that day, so for the sea service, 9/11 is also a story of fortitude and resilience. Considering the monolithic, blue-water threats the Navy faced up until that day, it could be said the service had to change quickly in order to meet the new asymmetric threat. However, a case could also be made that the needed change had actually begun more than a year earlier when Adm. Vern Clark became Chief of Naval Operations (CNO).

On Sept. 11, 2001, Clark had been CNO for a little less than 14 months. Armed with lessons learned from the attack on USS Cole, which occurred less than three months after he became CNO, and a laser-like focus on his top five priorities – manpower, current readiness, future readiness, quality of service, and alignment – the Navy’s readiness on 9/11 was higher than it had been in years

Clark addressed personnel matters that first year with honest, forthright discussions about the meaning and value of service. However, he came to the office with an understanding that service is a two-way street. In fact, it’s the cornerstone of what he calls covenant leadership; when Sailors make commitments to serve, it is incumbent on leaders to make commitments to Sailors in return. Making sure Sailors have the tools they need to succeed, and opportunities to make a difference, contribute, grow, and develop is how leaders fulfil that obligation. This focus on returning the commitment of Sailors helped the Navy achieve unprecedented levels of retention in the months leading up to 9/11.

Furthermore, his team developed a holistic approach to ensure ships had what they needed to be ready, rather than a programmatic one-size-fits-all process of driving every Navy command through the same readiness gates whether needed or not. Dedicating a large portion of the Navy’s overall budget to current readiness and prioritizing the acquisition of spare parts and munitions made the different as ships prepared to get underway following the attacks. Plus, reopening supply chains for parts and ordnance meant that those lines would continue, and even ramp up production in the demanding days ahead. Clark said “paying that price” in peacetime, dramatically increased readiness and meant that when America needed it the most, the Navy was manned, trained, equipped, and maintained to take the fight to the enemy.

In the years that followed, no idea was off the table and innovation was encouraged in all corners of the service.

Clark retired in July 2005. All Hands Magazine producers Austin Rooney and MC2 Brent Pyfrom recently spoke with Admiral Clark at his home in Colorado to find out how the Navy changed to meet new world challenges it faced in the wake of 9/11.

Not surprisingly, he told them the service of American Sailors was essential and awe-inspiring. Like their shipmates from World War II’s “Greatest Generation,” Sailors rose to the challenge after 9/11 and made the nation proud. In the 20 years since the attack, young people have continued to answer the call to serve in uniform. With a continued emphasis on readiness, Clark says he sees in today’s Sailors the same greatness.

(U.S. Navy video by Austin Rooney/released)