WEBVTT 00:00.230 --> 00:02.452 I am Major David Schoenberg . I am with 00:02.452 --> 00:04.508 the DC Air National Guard , and I am 00:04.508 --> 00:06.619 the 113th wing force Support squadron 00:06.619 --> 00:08.619 commander . What comes to mind in 00:08.619 --> 00:10.770 supporting the birthday celebration 00:10.770 --> 00:13.529 this year is that it is all of us 00:13.529 --> 00:15.760 coming together to support as asked , 00:15.970 --> 00:17.930 um , in need of our country , and 00:17.930 --> 00:20.170 service to our country . I'm in the Air 00:20.170 --> 00:22.226 Force , and yet here I am supporting 00:22.226 --> 00:24.559 the army's uh birthday celebration , uh , 00:24.559 --> 00:26.781 which goes to show that it's really for 00:26.781 --> 00:28.948 all of us . The , the army has enabled 00:28.948 --> 00:31.114 us to have the freedoms that all of us 00:31.114 --> 00:33.392 enjoy , so I might be in the Air Force , 00:33.392 --> 00:35.559 but getting to support the army , it's 00:35.559 --> 00:37.781 part of what we do . The National Guard 00:37.781 --> 00:40.003 is positioned in a really unique way to 00:40.003 --> 00:39.639 get to partner with the local 00:39.639 --> 00:41.759 authorities . We know that we have 00:41.759 --> 00:43.981 really two missions . We have a federal 00:43.981 --> 00:46.203 mission when we're activated in support 00:46.203 --> 00:48.315 of our country , and that's typically 00:48.315 --> 00:50.481 thought of uh outside of our borders , 00:50.481 --> 00:52.759 but then in our national duty identity , 00:52.810 --> 00:54.477 getting to partner with local 00:54.477 --> 00:56.643 authorities when there's a need , it's 00:56.643 --> 00:58.643 one of the core things that we take 00:58.643 --> 01:00.866 pride in getting to do . To me , seeing 01:00.866 --> 01:02.699 our our soldiers and airmen come 01:02.699 --> 01:05.400 together . Coming into one united task 01:05.400 --> 01:08.069 force , it shows the unity that we have . 01:08.400 --> 01:10.678 We know that there's so much diversity . 01:10.678 --> 01:12.900 We come from so many different places , 01:12.900 --> 01:12.879 so many backgrounds , but we come 01:12.879 --> 01:15.400 together to make one united force , and 01:15.400 --> 01:17.567 to me , that's what this represents by 01:17.567 --> 01:19.511 having the soldiers and airmen all 01:19.511 --> 01:21.800 supporting this mission . By having the 01:21.800 --> 01:23.744 National Guard visible during this 01:23.744 --> 01:25.800 mission , I think it shows ownership 01:25.800 --> 01:28.680 that We started as the National Guard , 01:28.800 --> 01:30.744 the original military , it was our 01:30.744 --> 01:32.689 militia . It was the Army National 01:32.689 --> 01:34.911 Guard . From that , we've grown to have 01:34.911 --> 01:37.078 the formal branches of service that we 01:37.078 --> 01:39.078 know today , but if there's anybody 01:39.078 --> 01:41.189 who's going to be present , present , 01:41.189 --> 01:43.189 it needs to be the National Guard . 01:43.230 --> 01:45.286 What I would love the public to take 01:45.286 --> 01:47.286 away from seeing the National Guard 01:47.286 --> 01:49.286 supporting is that sense of unity . 01:49.286 --> 01:51.508 There's so many dynamics going on right 01:51.508 --> 01:53.674 now across the country , but for us to 01:53.674 --> 01:55.841 come together for something as classic 01:55.841 --> 01:57.841 as a birthday celebration , it just 01:57.841 --> 02:00.008 shows that there's this unity that the 02:00.008 --> 02:01.897 National Guard still has and will 02:01.897 --> 02:03.769 maintain moving forward . We are 02:03.769 --> 02:06.010 essentially receiving troops from all 02:06.010 --> 02:08.449 over . We're integrating them , we 02:08.449 --> 02:10.671 receive them and we integrate them into 02:10.850 --> 02:12.820 one task force . And so my team is 02:12.820 --> 02:15.529 responsible for scanning them in , pull 02:15.529 --> 02:17.800 the IDs out , scan them in , and then 02:17.800 --> 02:19.911 we take accountability for everyone , 02:19.911 --> 02:22.022 we give them their required briefings 02:22.022 --> 02:24.356 so that they're ready to get to mission , 02:24.356 --> 02:26.830 um . Squared away , and so my team , we 02:26.830 --> 02:28.941 just get to welcome everybody . We're 02:28.941 --> 02:30.886 gonna have about 800 folks who are 02:30.886 --> 02:32.886 coming through , um , from multiple 02:32.886 --> 02:34.997 states , and it's a real privilege to 02:34.997 --> 02:37.163 get to be that front facing uh welcome 02:37.163 --> 02:39.274 that they that they receive when they 02:39.274 --> 02:41.270 arrive . This is that real world 02:41.270 --> 02:43.550 application of the skills and the 02:43.550 --> 02:45.606 training that they do throughout the 02:45.606 --> 02:47.828 year . And so letting them be a part of 02:47.949 --> 02:50.389 something that is has real implication . 02:50.919 --> 02:53.699 It lets them dig deeper in place , 02:53.910 --> 02:55.966 finding places for the training that 02:55.966 --> 02:57.799 they go through to actually have 02:57.799 --> 02:59.743 context . And so we have some very 02:59.743 --> 03:01.799 young airmen , we have very seasoned 03:01.799 --> 03:04.021 airmen , and so letting them be on this 03:04.021 --> 03:06.077 mission , it gives them so much more 03:06.077 --> 03:08.299 appreciation for what they bring to the 03:08.299 --> 03:10.299 real world , because this is a real 03:10.299 --> 03:13.460 world world mission . Our relationship 03:13.470 --> 03:16.179 between the army and air we're all DC 03:16.179 --> 03:18.290 National Guard members , and so we've 03:18.290 --> 03:20.457 had a chance to collaborate frequently 03:20.457 --> 03:22.623 on prior missions . We recently worked 03:22.623 --> 03:24.846 very closely for the inauguration , and 03:24.846 --> 03:27.029 so we get to see familiar faces and 03:27.029 --> 03:29.251 just continue building the relationship 03:29.251 --> 03:31.140 that we have together . So we are 03:31.140 --> 03:33.418 welcoming West Virginia , Pennsylvania , 03:33.418 --> 03:35.640 and Mississippi , uh coming all through 03:35.640 --> 03:37.862 this location , and plus , uh , we have 03:37.862 --> 03:40.029 some smaller teams which are comprised 03:40.029 --> 03:42.362 of onesie twosies from across the state , 03:42.362 --> 03:44.473 and I think in total we'll have up to 03:44.473 --> 03:46.585 19 states represented through the 4th 03:46.585 --> 03:48.807 year . What I like to remind my team of 03:48.807 --> 03:50.807 is that truly we cannot execute our 03:50.807 --> 03:53.029 mission . Without them , they start the 03:53.029 --> 03:55.419 mission . We are the face receiving the 03:55.419 --> 03:57.641 folks in , then assigning them to their 03:57.641 --> 03:59.641 task force , delivering them to the 03:59.641 --> 04:01.530 task force commander , to then go 04:01.530 --> 04:03.752 execute . And so it really cannot start 04:03.752 --> 04:05.475 without them . So I , I try to 04:05.475 --> 04:07.697 emphasize that connection to them and I 04:07.697 --> 04:09.808 hope that they take pride in that . I 04:09.808 --> 04:11.975 hope that all of us can take away that 04:11.975 --> 04:14.197 there is so much that we have in common 04:14.197 --> 04:17.309 and that unites us , and truly coming 04:17.309 --> 04:20.549 together in support of something so uh 04:20.869 --> 04:24.769 so So worthy of celebration as the 04:24.769 --> 04:27.289 birthday of the army , we would not 04:27.289 --> 04:29.528 have the freedoms , the democracy that 04:29.528 --> 04:31.528 we have today if it weren't for the 04:31.528 --> 04:34.408 army in 1775 . Our country was then 04:34.408 --> 04:36.938 founded in 1776 , like it started with 04:36.938 --> 04:38.716 the militia , and so getting to 04:38.716 --> 04:40.882 celebrate that , I hope that every one 04:40.882 --> 04:43.105 of us can find a way to connect to that 04:43.105 --> 04:45.327 and see the value in this celebration . 04:47.070 --> 04:49.239 So the National Guard support to a 04:49.239 --> 04:51.290 mission like this , especially when 04:51.290 --> 04:53.346 we're taking members from across the 04:53.346 --> 04:55.346 country , you know , these multiple 04:55.346 --> 04:58.019 states . What we're doing here , it 04:58.019 --> 05:01.170 enables us to operate 05:01.679 --> 05:04.260 beyond the scope of our unique mission 05:04.260 --> 05:07.260 set in our community . I'm from Kansas 05:07.260 --> 05:09.140 originally . Our National Guard 05:09.140 --> 05:10.973 response would typically be to a 05:10.973 --> 05:14.820 tornado . And so by folks coming from 05:14.820 --> 05:17.459 around the country supporting this 05:17.459 --> 05:19.540 mission , ensuring the safety , you 05:19.540 --> 05:21.762 know , for everyone who is there , that 05:21.762 --> 05:25.339 it can go well . It It means that 05:26.179 --> 05:29.100 Their mission is bigger than just one 05:29.100 --> 05:31.267 week in a month . You know , that they 05:31.267 --> 05:33.489 may know their nephew or their grandson 05:33.489 --> 05:35.378 goes and does drill , but they're 05:35.378 --> 05:37.267 actually connected to that larger 05:37.267 --> 05:39.489 federal force that we can come together 05:39.489 --> 05:41.711 and support on the national stage . And 05:41.711 --> 05:43.711 so it really is one of those unique 05:43.711 --> 05:45.600 mission sets for that traditional 05:45.600 --> 05:47.711 weekend warrior that we think of when 05:47.711 --> 05:49.656 they get to be a part of a mission 05:49.656 --> 05:51.878 that's on the national stage . It's not 05:51.878 --> 05:53.933 during just the weekend , you know , 05:53.933 --> 05:55.711 it's , it's the , it's the real 05:55.711 --> 05:57.489 application of what it is to be 05:57.489 --> 05:57.950 available to answer the nation's call .