Soldiers from the Alabama National Guard build and maintain miles of HESCO barriers to protect Dauphin Island, Ala., beaches from the BP oil spill on July 23, 2010. More than 1,600 National Guardmembers are supporting Operation Deepwater Horizon in four Gulf states. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)
By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau
MOBILE, Ala. – They stand in the Gulf of Mexico, water waist-high, heat topping 100-degrees, building barriers against oil.
They fly above the waves, directing “vessels of opportunity” to the slick.
They hustle among more than 1,200 people from dozens of agencies coordinating the response to a manmade disaster.
They go door-to-door telling residents and businesses about the British Petroleum claims process.
National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are supporting Operation Deepwater Horizon, the Coast Guard-led effort to corral the oil spill that followed the April 20 explosion and fire on the oil rig for which the operation is named.
- Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall, the new senior enlisted advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, is seen at the 2009 Joint Senior Leadership Conference at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 19, 2009, moments after Gen. Craig McKinley announced her appointment. The third senior enlisted advisor to the CNGB, Jelinksi-Hall is the first Air Guardmember and the first woman to fill the role. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)
By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau
WASHINGTON (11/24/09) – The first female and first Air Force senior enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau said her new job is a calling.
“It’s not about a job,” Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall said during a break after Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley announced her selection to about 2,400 people at the National Guard’s 2009 Joint Senior Leadership Conference here on Nov. 19. “This is truly a calling and a passion – I have a passion for the National Guard.”
Like many Guardmembers, Jelinski-Hall has had a varied career spanning multiple states. Originally from Little Falls, Minn., she did stints in Nebraska and California before serving in the Hawaii Air National Guard for 19 years.
She was an air traffic controller, a combat air space manager, a wing command chief, a state command chief and her state’s senior enlisted leader. She’s been both a traditional Guardmember and a technician.
In her new role, Jelinski-Hall is responsible for advising McKinley on the enlisted affairs of 457,000 Soldiers and Airmen of the Army and Air National Guard.
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