Story by Sgt. Gina Russell
Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, the adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard, met with soldiers of Multinational Battle Group-East and talked about the bond between the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve, during a July 17-19 visit to Camp Bondsteel and other military installations in Kosovo.
Earlier that month, National Guard Soldiers from the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, out of Clinton, North Carolina, assumed responsibility of MNBG-E, which is part of NATO’s peace support mission in the region. The Battle Group’s mission is to assist in maintaining safety and security in eastern Kosovo, to assist in the development of a stable, democratic, multi-ethnic and peaceful Kosovo.
“When it comes to the relationship between the National Guard and the Army Reserve working together on the deployment, I can’t imagine it being any other way but that of one team,” Lusk said. “Everybody has joined in as part of the team effort and there is no distinction between the components.”
MNBG-E is comprised of National Guard soldiers from North Carolina, Connecticut, Texas and Alabama, and U.S. Army Reserve units from Florida, West Virginia, Puerto Rico and Maryland—as well as multinational forces from Austria, Armenia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Turkey.
“By being able to leverage the reserve components, both the National Guard and the Army Reserve, we can come here and do an important mission,” Lusk said. “At the same time, [we can] protect our active-duty forces so that they can more quickly respond to any unanticipated needs around the globe,” he said. “This is very important.”
Lusk traveled throughout Kosovo to several KFOR camps to hear what the Soldiers had to say about the peacekeeping mission and the relationships that are formed between reserve-component units.
“Even though we are all the way from Puerto Rico, it feels as though we have known all these units before,” said Capt. Jesus Reyes, the officer in charge of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 398th Financial Management Detachment, out of Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico.
“My soldiers are finance, but each of them brings a unique skill set from their civilian life on this deployment to add to the mix,” he said. “I feel it makes us stronger and I notice the same with our National Guard counterparts as well.”
The reserve-component soldiers bring many attributes to the table during a deployment to strengthen the mission, such as experience building relationships in their home communities, and secondary skills from their civilian careers.
“These strengths enable them to build the skills to communicate and relate to their neighbor and integrate themselves into the community,” Lusk said. “And on a deployment such as the peacekeeping one here in Kosovo, it is very important.”
Lusk traveled from Bondsteel to Camp Film City in Pristina, where he promoted Capt. Michael Ariano, the MNBG-E liaison officer to its Kosovo Force higher headquarters, from the rank of captain to major.
Ariano has studied Kosovo’s history for several years and is passionate about the relationship between the service members that deploy here and the people. He said KFOR’s peacekeeping mission is very important to the people of Kosovo, and said the local population values soldiers’ interaction and communication.
Lusk traveled throughout the countryside visiting many of Kosovo’s unique landmarks that tell the history of the land, to include the Tomb of Sultan Murad, which is one of the oldest religious monuments in Kosovo, as well as the Battle of Kosovo battlefield and monument outside Pristina. There, the general presented Turkish Captain Selcuk Asla, a KFOR intelligence officer, with his official military coin—a time-honored military tradition for honoring hard work and dedication—following Asla’s and Ariano’s presentation and discussion of Kosovo’s history and culture.
Traveling with Lusk was his senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. John Swart, who also spoke with troops about their future and how important their voice is in today’s Army.
“The future is yours,” Swart said. “What you put into it and how you express your opinions and voice your concerns about the Army National Guard and Army Reserve, is how changes are made,” he said.
On their last day in Kosovo, Lusk and Swart traveled to Camp Marechal de Lattre de Tassigny, or CMLT, to visit 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 252nd Armor Regiment, another North Carolina National Guard unit underneath the 30th ABCT and deployed in support of MNBG-E. They spent the day with the unit discussing the deployment and the reserve components’ role in Kosovo.
Lusk shared his thoughts on the importance of why Army National Guard and Reserve soldiers are unique to peacekeeping missions, and how proud and honored he is to see both components serving in Kosovo together.
“With a long tradition of excellence and service, the reserve components are an integral part of today’s war on terror,” Lusk said. “A healthy total force is necessary to meet the challenges of today, while we prepare for the threats of tomorrow.”
Lusk and Swart both congratulated the soldiers for their hard work in preparing for this deployment, and the reflection they make for the Army National Guard.
“You are a part-time soldier most of the year, and this just proves to the world that you can still maintain your strength and training and pick up at any time and go do your job,” Lusk said to a group of 1-252 Armor Regiment soldiers.
“We look forward to welcoming you home next year,” he said.