"Back at the Gap" Major General Frank H. Smoker, Jr. (USAF, Retired) Gap thrives under National Guard leadership   42nd in a series Governor Edward Rendell announced on February 23, 2003 that the current Adjutant General William B. Lynch would continue to serve Pennsylvania in the Rendell administration. “General Lynch has accepted my call to continue his outstanding service to the safety of all Pennsylvanians, as well as our 1.3 million veterans,” Rendell said at the time. “His outstanding military record is only one sign of General Lynch’s ability as adjutant general - spending nearly four decades in public service is yet another.” On October 11, 2003, Fort Indiantown Gap held a celebration and open house to commemorate “Five Years of Success, Training the Best”. Several hundred people came to the installation to share in the festivities. “Five years ago, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission pulled the active Army out of the Gap”, said Maj. Gen. William Lynch. “Many felt it would have a negative impact on the installation, but here we are, five years later, the installation has not only survived but has thrived.” This special open house recognized the successes achieved by the Guard in the operation of the fort during the past five years. Key facilities were built and technologies were upgraded to provided excellent training facilities for military members from all services as well as law-enforcement officials. The high light of the opening ceremony was the unveiling of the new Stryker vehicle. The new Stryker system will eventually be assigned to the 56th Brigade, Pennsylvania National Guard, which will be organized as a new Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Because of its high state of training, the 28th Division was the only National Guard unit to be selected for this mission of the six SBCT’s being organized by the Department of the Army. The other five brigades were assigned to the regular Army. The Stryker assault vehicle is a new development and is perhaps the most visible component of these SBCT brigades. The Stryker vehicle is an eight-wheeled, armored personnel carrier designed to be quicker and more maneuverable than traditional tanks. They also are equipped with sophisticated computers thereby increasing their versatility. Each brigade will be assigned 300 of these vehicles. The open house provided a unique opportunity for the public to view what was happening at the fort. Two different tours, through the garrison and training corridors, were available to the public throughout the day. For the first time, these tours gave the public a behind the scenes view of the type training being conducted at the Gap and to observe the technology that supports the training. The Hershey Symphony Orchestra, the 28th Division Band, and the 553rd Air National Guard Band performed during the festivities. The Pennsylvania National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Office provided activities for the children, including allowing them to make their own dog tags as souvenirs, have their faces painted and climb a rock wall. Various displays were set up by the Army Research Lab, Pennsylvania Management Agency, Northeast Counterdrug Training Center, Scotland School, All Army Sports teams, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the Nature Conservancy and several units of the Army and Air National Guard. One of the Fort’s most unique features is the air-to-ground range, one of only 15 in the entire United States. The range is situated between Blue Mountain and Second Mountain, in the training corridor, with the impact area located in the center of the range area on the valley floor. The Bollen air-to-ground joint-use weapons range is operated and scheduled by active duty personnel assigned to Detachment 1, 193rd Special Operations Group, Pennsylvania Air National Guard. This range is critical for providing aircrew training in a variety of different type aircraft. Capabilities of this range include scored conventional and tactical munitions deliveries including strafe, general purpose training bombs, BDU-33 training bombs and 2.75 inch rockets, simulated Maverick missile training, simulated laser target Pave Penny training, Smokey Sam training, communications jamming, and other features. This realistic training is vital to achieving and maintaining the combat readiness of Air National Guard units as well as those of other military services. For example, last year there were over 3,000 range sorties. Air National Guard tactical aircraft (A-10’s and F-16’s) from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Indiana, and District of Columbia; F/A-18’s of Marine Air Group 49 (Reserve), Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; C-130’s of the 135th Airlift Group, Maryland Air National Guard; and A/EA-6’s and F-14’s of several Navy units stationed at Oceana NAS, Virginia; use the range. An essential feature of the air to ground range is the Military Operating Area Kiowa and R-5802, a combined restricted airspace of 42.5 square miles that allows exclusive use of that airspace by military tactical aircraft from ground level to 13,000 feet. This extensive use of the range creates the need for a periodic cleanup operation of expended aviation ordnance and target residue. As a part of the scheduled environmental concern and practice, beginning on October 1 for six weeks, the officers and NCO’s of Detachment 1, 193rd Special Operations Wing, supervised and assisted contractors in a massive federally funded residue cleanup. Spent practice bombs, 12 armored vehicle targets, and tons of miscellaneous metals were processed and removed. This process also afforded Detachment 1 the opportunity to construct several new target arrays, including an urban close air support target, tunnel entrance and heated convoy for practice Maverick missiles and forward looking infrared training. The end result is a realist and relevant range, which provides invaluable training opportunities for aircrews from all branches of the armed forces. To further enhance the capability of the air-to-ground bomb range, Air Guard officials dedicated a new range tower on November 19. The tower provides Air Guard range operators a prime vantage point to monitor and control military aircraft performing bombing runs and aerial maneuvers. The new tower is 93 feet high and replaces an artillery observation tower constructed in 1958. On October 5, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jerald Lee of Johnstown was the 500th UH-60 Blackhawk Aircraft Qualification Course graduate from the Gap’s Eastern Army National Guard Training Site. This graduation was yet another significant milestone in EAATS’ 21-year history. During the awards ceremony, EAATS Commander Col. Paul Amalfitano congratulated Lee on his accomplishment and the command on its remarkable achievement of 100,000 flight hours without a class A or B accident. Also in October, four army pilots from Australia attended the CH-47D Chinook Aircraft Qualification Course. All top-notch pilots, these airmen performed well above average throughout the course and on end stage evaluations. For these pilots from the land under, there were some distinct differences in terms of language used throughout the course. And, when monitoring the free air temperature gauge while flying, the pilots got a feel for Pennsylvania’s weather, with one pilot remarking, “This cold is bloody nuts.” A new addition to the fort was the Combined Troop Medical Clinic, opened on December 4. The clinic offers x-ray and general medical services, laboratory services, a limited pharmacy, dental services and an office for a primary physician. The building design allows for expansion in the event it is needed in the future. The clinic is located in Area 4 on the east side of the installation and is just another example of the tremendous growth at the Gap. Three permanent employees and one contract nurse are on duty on a daily basis. This 9,100 square feet facility shares space with the Medical Detachment Company.   Published in the Wednesday, June 15, 2005 edition of the Lebanon Daily News © 2005 Frank H. Smoker, Jr. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of the author. Go "Back at the Gap" Index