8 WICHITA, Kan. – Cadets of Wichita State University’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps hosted the first annual Capt. Pitts Challenge for Junior ROTC students Apr. 23. More than 70 Army, Air Force and Marine JROTC cadets from the Wichita area participated in the event.
“The Captain Pitts Challenge honors Capt. Leroy Pitts, who was a 1960 graduate of Wichita State Army ROTC program,” said Master Sgt. Jeromy Fisher, operations noncommissioned officer and senior instructor for WSU ROTC. “He was deployed to Vietnam and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for sacrificing himself to save his men in combat.”
Challenge events were predominately about fostering teamwork among JROTC cadets, with an emphasis on communication and problem solving. Events also tested cadets’ physical fitness, and drill and ceremony skills in a series of friendly competitions.
8 SALINA, Kan. – The auditorium at the Kansas Army National Guard’s regional training institute in Salina buzzed with activity April 15 as the Salina Family Healthcare Center’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic prepared to open its doors.
“The organization reached out to us to see if the Kansas Army National Guard would have facilities to support a Salina community COVID-19 vaccination clinic, and we did,” said Maj. Michael Billings, Kansas Training Center battalion executive officer. “We still have Kansas Army National Guard training here, but we were able to de-conflict and work everything out for them to use our auditorium and hopefully get some more people access to the COVID vaccine.”
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8 HIAWATHA, Kan. – The headquarters for the Kansas Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery Brigade sits about 15 miles south of the Nebraska-Kansas border in the town of Hiawatha. Like many small towns in Kansas, Hiawatha has retained a distinct historic feel, with many original buildings and brick roads around the town square. Across the street from the Brown County courthouse, the Citizens State Bank and Trust has operated for over a hundred years; the 1963 version of the building still stands today, an American flag proudly displayed out front.
It was here, several weeks ago, Maj. Nick Carlson, battalion administrative officer, and Staff Sgt. Alicia Young, battalion medical readiness noncommissioned officer, came, based on the recommendations of the state Family Programs Office, to open a new savings account on behalf of their unit’s Soldier and Family Readiness Group at the request of Lt. Col. Shawn Plankinton, battalion commander.