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Proud to serve

194th welcomes visitors to the Guard world

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Prince Moss, of Birmingham, Alabama, at right, along with Keanan Butler, of Davenport, at left, try out a pair of night vision scopes Thursday afternoon during an open house at the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 1st Battalion 194th Field Artillery of the Iowa Army National Guard. The pair would later try using the scopes to navigate an obstacle course in total darkness.

It looked like a simple enough obstacle course.

Throw a football at the wall, roll a round weight along a line on the floor, walk on some boards a few inches off the ground, step over some very short step stools and roll a ball under a bench.

But there was a catch.

Those who tried it Thursday afternoon during an open house at the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 1st Battalion 194th Field Artillery of the Iowa Army National Guard open house had to go through it in total darkness using a night vision scope held up to one eye.

It turned the course bright green and left them without a lot of depth perception.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Maj. Gen. Tim Orr, Iowa Army National Guard adjutant general of for the State of Iowa, center, visits with a group of students and some of the members.

Dominic Morris, of Clare, who’s already joined the Guard but has yet to attend basic training, gave it try.

“I thought it was pretty cool,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Tim Orr, the adjutant general for the Iowa Army National Guard, was on hand to meet with visitors.

“It’s important that the public knows what we do for the nation and what we offer young men and women,” he said.

It was also an opportunity for those serving with the unit to share.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen As seen through a night vision scope, Dominic Morris, of Clare, negotiates an obstacle course in total darkness.

“This allows them to tell some of their stories,” Orr said. “They’re proud of their mission and what they do.”

Orr said that serving in the Guard offers valuable training and experience for the soldiers and that many of the leadership skills they learn in the service translate into marketable skills in the private sector.

“They gain real job and leadership skills,” he said.

Lt. Col. Eric Wieland is the unit commander for the 194th. He’s proud of his unit’s long history. The unit has been active since World War II.

“We’ve served deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 1st Battalion 194th Field Artillery of the Iowa Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Tim Vought, left, along with Staff Sgt. Derick Price look over a graphic firing table, or as they call it, a “stick” during the open house. Guard members train on the analog version before they work out firing solutions on the computers.

The unit serves a dual mission, he said. While they’ve been called up to provide artillery support in overseas combat theaters, the unit has also served its domestic function where it might be called to assist at natural disasters such as flooding and tornado aftermath.

“It makes us a unique organization,” Wieland said. “Our commander in Chief is the governor of Iowa and when we’re called up, it’s the president.”

The unit has equipment that’s uniquely suited to helping out with disasters.

“We have trucks that can drive through flood waters,” he said.

He’s also proud that serving in the Guard can offer a soldier funds for their education. He holds three degrees that he earned while serving.

“They were all earned by my military service,” he said.

He, like Orr, cited the leadership soldiers develop and how that translates into employment opportunities.

“It provides leadership experience that’s not exactly replicated in the civilian world,” he said.

A number of other activities were also available to visitors to the open house.

For example, a variety of the unit’s weapons were on display, as was a radar unit. There were also demonstrations of how an artillery shot is plotted and the chance to try out an M4 rifle fitted with a laser on a special electronic target.

In addition, there was also a Center of Influence event held earlier in the day for employers, local business leaders and government officials to learn about the 194th mission as well as the Iowa Air National Guard’s 133rd Test Squadron’s mission.

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