PHOENIX, Ariz. —Roughly 1,000 members of the National Guard gathered here Aug. 9-14 to attend the 43rd Annual National Conference and Expo of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.
The primary mission of EANGUS is to provide a voice on Capitol Hill for issues facing the enlisted force of the National Guard.
At the conference, senior leaders of the National Guard spoke to attendees about the Guard and discussed topics that affect the rank and file.
“I want to thank you all for what you do every day; you’re .73 percent of our population,” said Army Gen. Frank Grass, chief, National Guard Bureau. Grass also noted that since 9/11, the National Guard has mobilized some 760,000 Soldiers and Airmen.
When leaders gather in one location to address the enlisted ranks, attendees often get a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes at the national level.
This conference is an opportunity for Guard members to get a chance to see how senior Guard leaders work at the strategic level, said Chief Master Sgt. Mitch Brush, senior enlisted advisor to the chief, National Guard Bureau.
The Army and Air Guard usually have their own separate issues, which gives the leadership of each component an opportunity to discuss them with the force.
“One of the biggest issues we look at on the field advisory council is (the basic allowance for housing) rate changes when (Airmen are) in formal schools,” said Chief Master Sgt. James Hotaling, command chief master sergeant of the Air National Guard.
According to law, when an Airman is at a technical school for more than 180 days, that Airman loses the housing allowance for their home of record and receives the rate at the training location. The BAH rate change could have an adverse affect on that Airman if the TDY rate is lower than the Airman’s permanent home of record.
The Army National Guard is not without its own concerns.
Soldiers have to wait 12 months after joining the Army Guard to receive tuition assistance, said Command Sgt. Major Brunk Conley, command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, but the active component does not.
“Our (Soldiers) want to go to school right away and we want them to go to school,” Conley said, adding that the year-long waiting period can have a negative impact on Soldiers.
“Schooling to us is very important … we want to make sure our young Soldiers have access to every benefit we can provide to them,” he said.
The conference also provided attendees from the 54 states, territories and District of Columbia the opportunity to come together in one location and network with other Guard members.
“You don’t make relationships over a (video teleconference),” Conley said, adding that relationships are built by face-to-face conversations while sharing stories and ideas.
The national conference provided a platform for senior National Guard leaders to directly answer questions from the enlisted ranks.
One attendee from the 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, questioned the promotion process between officer and enlisted ranks. The Airman voiced rumors about staffing, positions and funding that can stall enlisted promotions.
“There is a difference in the enlisted and officer development program,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke III, director, Air National Guard. Clarke said the Guard is trying to create a better force development program that will help address that concern.
Some attendees talked about their experiences during the week-long event.
Soldiers hearing information directly from senior leaders of the National Guard has more meaning, said Army Staff Sgt. Cody Espinoza, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group.
Guard members can make a difference for one another when they have the opportunity to discuss concerns with National Guard senior leaders, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Libby Muller, 115th Fighter Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard.
Attendees can get senior leaders’ position on issues that would otherwise get lost in translation, she said.