Wisconsin National Guard Troops Continue to Help With Afghan Refugees

Friday, September 10th, 2021 -- 12:01 PM

Wisconsin National Guard troops continue to play a role in the effort to bring evacuees and Special Immigrant Visa holders to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.

Airfield managers, refuelers, and security forces personnel from the Wisconsin National Guard’s Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center have been working round-the-clock to receive several flights per day of evacuees bound for nearby Fort McCoy.

Upon arrival at Volk Field, individuals are greeted by a dual-status commander appointed from the Wisconsin National Guard, as well as Dari and Pashto signage created by Wisconsin National Guard linguists.

In addition, designated relief organizations are also using Wisconsin National Guard facilities to receive and stage supplies bound for Fort McCoy, and Guard COVID-19 testing teams are assisting at Fort McCoy.

The Wisconsin National Guard’s efforts are in support of Operation Allies Welcome, a Department of Homeland Security-led effort supported by the U.S. Department of State, Department of Defense, and U.S. Northern Command to provide transportation, temporary housing, and general support for Afghan evacuees at suitable facilities nationwide.

All told, military personnel from 28 different states led by a dual-status commander have helped receive thousands of personnel with approximately 90 flights arriving at Volk Field en route to Fort McCoy.

Running operations at Volk Field has been a total force effort involving multiple components of the U.S. military. Tech. Sgt. Chariann Agee, an aviation resource manager from the Operational Support Squadron at Madison’s 115th Fighter Wing has a unique perspective on the mission.

She, herself, was an evacuee to America and a child of refugees who fled the first Liberian civil war in search of asylum in the United States. She’s helping now at Volk Field in an administrative capacity so airfield managers can focus on the mission.

As Operation Allies Welcome began, many sections on post had to establish 24-hour operations to ensure the base could receive aircraft around the clock. Master Sgt. Michael Lyons, an airfield manager at Volk Field integrated five additional personnel into the three full-time personnel his section has assigned normally.

Wisconsin National Guard security forces personnel at Volk Field also reflected on their role in this whole-of-nation effort.

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