SPRINGFIELD-BECKLEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ohio -- Community leaders and local organizations attended the Community Day event hosted by the 178th Wing, June 18, at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base in Springfield, Ohio.
“Community Day is an opportunity for the Ohio National Guard to showcase what personnel, equipment, and capabilities we have to offer for domestic operations in support of our local communities in the event of natural disasters or other situations requiring support,” said Maj. Brian Marshall, the deputy base civil engineer assigned to the 178th Wing.
Community Day allowed local leadership to connect with service members to understand more about the wing’s mission and abilities. Attendees received a mission brief and were able to build relationships with Airmen and Soldiers while touring the facilities.
“This event is essential in building relationships and developing the framework to be called into action when our services are needed,” said Marshall.
Members with the Army and Air National Guard showcased resources and discussed their unique skill sets with community members to build mutual understanding and garner additional support.
“This is an outreach event that we do with installations in our area to integrate our community with the local bases so they have a better understanding of what goes on behind the fence,” said Maurice McDonald, the Dayton Development Coalition Aerospace and Defense executive vice president.
Military vehicles, incident awareness and assessment capabilities, search and rescue skills, chemical defense mechanisms and security forces services were some of the Ohio National Guard resources showcased during the event.
“It’s really good to get the community out to really understand what we do,” said Army Specialist John Mcconnell, a combat engineer with the 837th Engineer Battalion. “I think it’s really cool to be able to talk to local leaders and answer questions about our mission sets.”