TULSA, Okla. — Heavy sleet and freezing temperatures did not stop a four-star general from visiting members of the Oklahoma National Guard at the Tulsa Air National Guard Base Monday.
Gen. Daniel Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., also held a roundtable with community leaders explaining the current mission of citizens who serve as soldiers and airmen.
"The ability to work together and basically maintain the facilities and access is the best thing we can do," said Hokanson who serves as military advisor to the President and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He spoke frankly with city, aerospace and airport leaders to share some of the National Guard's needs as well as his vision for providing new incentives for recruiting. Some of the panelists included Tulsa City Councilor Phil Lakin, Tulsa International Airport Chief Executive Alexis Higgins, BizJet President Thomas Illner and American Airlines Maintenance Base Managing Director Ed Sangricco. Gen. Hokanson told them of the key role the 138th Fighter Wing holds in supporting the mission of the guard as well as making sure the Tulsa facilities continue to support that mission set. The Tulsa base supports the second largest F-16 National Guard Fighter Wing in the United States with 21 primary assigned aircraft and 1,204 authorized personnel, according to local Guard leaders.
Like other military agencies, the National Guard is facing challenges in recruiting civilians. Hokanson described his plans to provide a new incentive: free healthcare. He believes by providing free healthcare to those who serve will benefit the guard member, their family and their employer too.
Currently, the National Guard recruits young men and women up to age 39 who will "receive training and be part of something bigger than themselves.
"They can serve their country, undergo training, leadership development but then also come back to their communities — have their civilian career, live in the communities they want to and find that balance with their families," Hokanson said.
He asked the community leaders to watch for potential recruits, "So, if you know of any talented men and women who want to serve their country and still be part of their community we would love to have you send them our way."
Ed Sangricco, Managing Director of the American Airlines Maintenance Facility is a retired Air Force and National Guardsman. His son also serves today and described his 22 years of service to his country as "best thing I ever did. Highly recommend it."
During the community roundtable, Sangricco suggested the military work to assist those leaving military service with the accreditation they need to transition to civilian jobs... and said Tulsa's large aerospace community offers a deep pool of National Guard candidates. In addition, he indicated American Airlines prefers to hire military veterans who bring a skillset and knowledge to the local workforce.
"They are just good people. They learn something by doing it that other folks just don't," Sangricco said. "They're a close-knit bunch, they are loyal, they show up to work when they are supposed to and we support them 110%."
In a one-on-one interview with Hokanson, 2 News Anchor Karen Larsen asked, "You mentioned you wish people could see the work that guardsmen and women are doing here and around the world. What message would you share?"
Hokansan said he wishes people could see the work that soldiers in the guard were doing here and around the world.
"You would be amazed at what our young men and women do not only for defense of our country, help for partners and allies, as well as during national disasters here in America," Hokanson said. "They've got a smile on their face because that's what they signed up to do. The chance to do that and make a difference is really important to them, to our country and all of our allies and partners."
Those allies include the Ukrainian military, which Hokanson says the National Guard began helping with training after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. He said the U.S. developed the Joint Military Training Group in Ukraine in 2015.
"Since then, Guardsmen have been training Ukrainian soldiers and airmen and helping them develop and learn, fix the lessons they learned in 2014," he said. "And you're really seeing that now with their ability to go toe-to-toe with the Russian much larger army."
Tulsa was not the Bureau Chief of the National Guard's only stop in Tulsa. Tuesday he planned to travel to the Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester to check on production.
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