CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo, - The chief of the National Guard Bureau
told North Dakota National Guard Soldiers here today that he does not
believe the pace of deployments will let up any time in the near future.
"I think the National Guard Soldiers and Airmen like this pace as long as we
can give them a predictable rotation schedule," said Air Force Gen. Craig
McKinley, who traveled here May 23-24 to meet with Soldiers and to learn
more about the Guard's mission in the Balkans.
McKinley was joined on the trip by his senior enlisted advisor, Command
Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall. His party also included Air Force
Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, the director of the Air National Guard, and Air Force
Maj. Gen. Kelly McKeague, assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff for National Guard matters.
Army Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, the adjutant general of North Dakota,
also made the trip with McKinley. It was Sprynczynatyk's third journey to
Camp Bondsteel since North Dakota National Guard troops arrived in Kosovo in
October 2009.
"I try to visit Kosovo at least every 12 months," said McKinley at a town
hall meeting with Soldiers on May 23. "People at home sometimes forget what
we are doing here. You are making a significant impact and your mission is
important to our national strategy."
McKinley began his visit with a lunch with Multinational Battle Group East
Soldiers and Noncommissioned Officers of the Quarter. He then traveled by
helicopter to Pristina to meet with the Kosovo Forces (KFOR) commander, Lt.
Gen. Markus Bentler of the German Army.
After returning from Pristina, McKinley and his staff held a town hall
meeting with MNBG E Soldiers at the Camp Bondsteel theater.
The meeting started with an update from Sprynczynatyk on the situation back
home in North Dakota. Sprynczynatyk talked about the spring flood fight and
the welcome home that redeploying Soldiers from Kosovo received when they
returned to North Dakota in mid-May.
McKinley and his staff introduced themselves to the troops and addressed
questions the Soldiers had. The first question was about the amount of time
Soldiers spent in training before they reach their deployment locations.
"We have the most competent and ready Army National Guard in history," said
McKinley. "We are trying to get the post-mobilization training time down to
a minimum."
Army Brig. Gen. Al Dohrmann, commander of MNBG E, said one of the advantages
of having officials like McKinley visit Kosovo is that it provides an
opportunity to discuss issues like pre- and postmobilization training.
Soldiers also posed questions on early redeployment, reenlistment and
retention bonuses, National Guard deployment rotations, early retirement and
technician retirement.
McKinley closed the town hall by thanking all the Soldiers in Kosovo for
their service. "Your dedication and patriotism epitomize the best of our
nation," he said.
Sgt. Daryl Scarborough, a North Dakota Army National Guard Soldier from
Fargo, N.D., who serves on the Regional Liaison Monitoring team, said he
felt McKinley answered all of their questions and clarified some
misconceptions.
"It helped me to understand how important the mission in Kosovo actually
is," he said.
Sprynczynatyk told the command group that U.S. KFOR Soldiers were doing a
tremendous job.
"It's great to talk to our young Soldiers here," he said. "They're having a
tremendous experience that they'll never forget. They're enjoying their work
and they're making a difference for the people in Kosovo."