Wisconsin National Guard concludes recovery assistance mission
by Paul Gorman
MENASHA, Wis. – The Wisconsin Army National Guard concluded over two weeks of state activation supporting storm recovery efforts in Winnebago County, Aug 15.
The Soldiers were activated July 30, following a state of emergency declaration by Gov. Tony Evers in response to severe storm damage in and around Menasha and Appleton. High winds, hail and a confirmed EF3 tornado resulted in widespread damage to infrastructure, significant power outages and public water system disruptions.
Evers relayed that activating the Wisconsin National Guard ensured that every available resource was employed to support cleanup, restore essential services and ensure the safety of communities during recovery efforts.
“I am grateful to our citizen soldiers in the Wisconsin National Guard who will help our neighbors in need, and together, we’ll recover and recover stronger,” he said.
Winnebago County Emergency Management Director Eric Rasmussen submitted the initial request for assistance, recognizing the need to restore essential services to the areas experiencing the most severe impact.
“The tornado’s extensive impacts made traffic control extremely challenging,” said Rasmussen. “Having the National Guard here allowed us to keep residents, volunteers, responders and contracted cleanup crews safe without overloading local law enforcement. Their support made traffic management far more effective, helping cleanup operations move faster and our community move forward with recovery.”
Soldiers with the 1157th Transportation Company in Oshkosh were the first assigned to assist Winnebago County civil authorities as part of Task Force Sturgeon.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joshua Baranczyk, the task force officer-in-charge during week two of the activation, considered the domestic operations mission an embodiment of the citizen Soldier concept.
“Some of the soldiers on mission lived in the very community we were serving,” Baranczyk said. “That brings a special aspect of appreciation for the mission.”
By the completion of the 16-day activation, 85 Soldiers from multiple Wisconsin National Guard units facilitated street closures for utility repair work, managed vehicle access to severely damaged residential neighborhoods and oversaw natural debris collection sites.
“It’s not easy to spool up at the drop of a hat, but through multiple levels of leadership starting at the state level down to the boots-on-ground, it’s a team effort and no two missions are ever the same; critical thinking, formulating a plan, and adaptation are built into our training,” Baranczyk said. “It’s still a challenge, but well within our realm of execution.”
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