Fighting New Battles - Arkansas National Guard
Fighting New Battles - Arkansas National Guard
Fighting New Battles - Arkansas National Guard
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The <strong>Arkansas</strong> Minutemanof interest<strong>Arkansas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> news magazine hits golden anniversaryBy Buddy Garrett – State Information OfficerThe <strong>Arkansas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> magazineyou are currently reading, <strong>Arkansas</strong> Minuteman,packaged in a vibrant coloramaof photographs and design pages, is a farcry from its black and white newsprintprototype of 50 years ago. Although thefaces have changed along with the stylesof uniforms, the content is still about themost important element in the <strong>Arkansas</strong><strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> – its people.The trial edition ofRazorback <strong>Guard</strong>smanwas printed in May 1956.Orval Faubus was governorand Maj. Gen. Sherman T.Clinger was the adjutantgeneral.“I wish to extend tothe <strong>Arkansas</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>smenmy best wishes for the successof this new publication,”Faubus said. “As it will serveevery member of the <strong>Guard</strong>, itsfuture growth and developmentshould be assured. I am confidentthat the Razorback <strong>Guard</strong>smanwill contribute materially tothe feeling of pride and satisfactionwhich every guardsman has in bothhis home unit and in our entire <strong>National</strong><strong>Guard</strong> establishment.”Following its trial edition, the newspaperproduced its first copy – Volume1, Number 1 – in June 1956. Headlinesfrom those two issues sound eerily likethose we might find in today’s news.“Military Equipment Cost Is Tremendous”told a story of <strong>Arkansas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>having an equipment inventory worthover $135 million. “Changes His Mind,Decides He’ll Stay” told how a changein jobs for Sgt. <strong>New</strong>ton Strandland gavehim the training he wanted for automotivebody mechanic work without him havingto pay for civilian training. “<strong>National</strong><strong>Guard</strong> Heritage: Long and Proud Record”explained the benefits offered by the <strong>National</strong><strong>Guard</strong> Association.The <strong>Arkansas</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> is adynamic organization and is ever changing.So, too, the flagship publication thatserves as the adjutant general’s voiceand two-way communication tool tokeep <strong>Guard</strong> members and their familiesinformed of training, deployments andopportunities available to them.Over the years the name of the newspaperchanged to The Minuteman, then<strong>Arkansas</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>. The newspaper/newsmagazine was published by the InformationOffice. That, too, has changed. Theoffice is now called the Public AffairsOffice.Sincepublic af-fairswriters are moreconcernedwith telling the Soldiers’ stories,their own names are often left out of thearticles they write, and left to fade withthe passing of time. We don’t regret that.The Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine isthe whole reason we are here. It is theirstories -- need I say YOUR stories? -- thatwe write about. You are more importantthan we. Still, it’s a shame we don’t haveall the names of those folks who wrote orphotographed the hot, dusty annual trainingsor the housing of the Cuban refugeesat Fort Chaffee or the loss of our familymembers from accidents or on the battlefield.Nonetheless, those stories remainin the archives in the Public Affairs Officeand in copies of the magazine at the <strong>Arkansas</strong><strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Museum on CampRobinson. Public Affairs also sendscopies of the magazine to the <strong>Arkansas</strong>History Commission and to the variousuniversities around the state.Our commitment to history is that“Old Soldiers Never Die, They Just FadeAway” until their stories are brought backto life by those who do research. PublicAffairs writers are well aware that today’snews is tomorrow’s history.So, although we don’t have all thenames let us try to remember those wecan.Recent contributors, still active inother areas of the <strong>Guard</strong>, include: Col.Cissy Rucker, AASF commander, whoedited the newspaper formany years; Lt. Col CaryShillcut; Capt. Tracy Saucy,Military Support coordinator;Capt. Kristy Munn, whois now with <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>Bureau Public Affairs; BrandieMikesell who worked in PAbefore joining the Family Assistanceteam; Sgt. Leanna Higginbothamwho manages the EmployerSupport of the <strong>Guard</strong> and Reserveprogram; Master Sgt. Bob Barnett,119th Public Affairs Detachment; andMaj. Craig Heathscott, <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong>Bureau.Other names that come to mindare people who worked directly in theInformation Office, or supported the PAprogram, or were members of the PublicAffairs Detachment. Their names arelisted here sans rank: Markham Howe,Ron Addington, Bill Lawson, Jim Cathey,Jerry Pfeifer, Regina Maxim, Jeff Carlton,Gary Burgess, Bill Smith, Buford Barentine,“Weird” Harold Higgins, Bill Craig,Ken Powers, Billy Dixon, Gina Hinkson,Linda Jones, Naomi Howard, and a wholebunch of others to whom we apologize fornot being able to list them at this time.As for Ol’ Buddy … I’m still here. Iedited <strong>Arkansas</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> for 17 years. I’mhappy to be the transitional pivot betweenthen and now. The rest of the team needsto be introduced as well. 1st Lt. ChrisHeathscott, state public affairs officer,leads our team. Joining him is Maj. KeithMoore from the <strong>Arkansas</strong> Air <strong>National</strong><strong>Guard</strong>. Adrienne Brietzke is our neweststaff member/information officer. Thatbrings us up to our current editor, Sgt.Chris Durney. Through him, and everyoneelse who points us toward good stories,the magazine will continue to serve… YOU!Page 10 Summer 2006