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COVID-19 Update #4

By Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, New Hampshire National Guard / Published April 07, 2020

Staff Sgt. Mary Lux, boom operator, 133d Air Refueling Squadron, 157th Air Refueling Wing, New Hampshire Air National Guard, works the phones at a N.H. Employment Security call center at the Richard M. Flynn Fire Academy in Concord, April 2, 2020. The center fields thousands of calls a day in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, and is staffed with 19 airmen on state active duty seven days a week, 13 hours a day. Photo by Staff Sgt. Charles Johnston, NHNG Deputy State PAO.
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Staff Sgt. Mary Lux, boom operator, 133d Air Refueling Squadron, 157th Air Refueling Wing, New Hampshire Air National Guard, works the phones at a N.H. Employment Security call center at the Richard M. Flynn Fire Academy in Concord, April 2, 2020. The center fields thousands of calls a day in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, and is staffed with 19 airmen on state active duty seven days a week, 13 hours a day. Photo by Staff Sgt. Charles Johnston, NHNG Deputy State PAO.

Maj. Moira Cuthbert, chief of operations, New Hampshire National Guard, tracks COVID-19 missions at the Joint Operations Center.
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Maj. Moira Cuthbert, New Hampshire Air National Guard, tracks guard COVID-19 missions form the Joint Operation Center in Concord, April 2, 2020.

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This is a package describing the variety of supports the New Hampshire National Guard has been providing to the state to date.

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CONCORD, N.H. --

To the Soldiers, Airmen, and Civilian Employees of the NHNG,

For the first time since 9/11, the number of New Hampshire guardsmen and women on state active duty has surpassed the total currently deployed overseas. As of today, 134 soldiers and airmen are supporting seven different missions in concert with the state’s campaign against COVID-19.

Overseas, 86 citizen soldiers and airmen continue to support combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere throughout the Middle East.

On Friday we completed the set-up of the 14th and final surge facility in Colebrook. From start to finish, the additional care site (ACS) mission took just 14 days. We established an additional 1,600+ beds, a remarkable achievement thanks to a truly cooperative, whole-of-government approach involving state, town, and local stakeholders. As that mission transitions to a steady state, we’ve reassigned eight soldiers under Joint Task Force 197 to augment the New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester. They’ll help collect and distribute food to those in need throughout the state.

We continue to work with the hospitality industry coordinating lodging for first responders, healthcare workers and those displaced by the pandemic. Our warehouse operations in support of the Strategic National Stock Pile (SNS) continues to support first responders. Our soldiers are filling orders and distributing supplies. Our cyber warriors remain vigilant watchdogs for the state’s information systems while twenty airmen began their fourth day of manning a call center for Employment Security, which has fielded thousands of calls a day related to unemployment claims.

We also completed our first facility assessment of the wellness center at NH Technical Institute in Concord with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Check out the following link for a short video of what your fellow soldiers and airmen have been up to: https://www.facebook.com/NHMinutemen/videos/600136857382368/

In the midst of performing your tasks, safeguard against complacency and rumors. Stay informed. Maintain social distancing and hygiene protocols.

All of us are dealing with a new normal. Be patient with yourself and your family. It’s common to experience any number of temporary stress reactions like fear, anger, frustration and anxiety. If you are having emotional or financial difficulties, reach out through the FAC’s resource and referral number at 1-877-598-0666, the Airman and Family Readiness Program Coordinator at 603-828-3892, or our Care Coordination Program at 1-888-989-9924.

With each passing week, we hope that as a state and nation, we turn the corner and the “curve” begins to flatten. Stay positive and on mission. As Coach Belichick reminds us, “Keep stringing good days together.”

Sincerely,

Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities
Adjutant General
New Hampshire National Guard

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