Gillette Area Leadership Institute visits with the Wyoming National Guard

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Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wyoguard/albums/72177720332143814/with/55106509138Wyoming National Guard

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Over twenty community leaders from Gillette and Wyoming's Campbell County currently participating in the Gillette Area Leadership Institute, or GALI, visited with military and civilian personnel assigned to the Wyoming National Guard last week.

Now in its third decade, the Campbell County Chamber annually selects a group of 20-24 community leader applicants to participate in GALI's 9-month program that sees those selected traveling around Campbell County and the rest of the state to visit with well over 150 different speakers from all walks of public and private life in the Cowboy State.

A key part of that itinerary is a visit with the state's national guard, headquartered in Cheyenne.

The visit, hosted by the Wyoming Military Department, brought participants to Cheyenne to better understand the Guard's capabilities, benefits and the men and women who serve in communities across the state

The group began its visit at the Joint Force Readiness Center in Cheyenne with a "Guard 101" briefing led by senior leaders from both the Army and Air National Guard

Next in the itinerary was a visit to the command's Air National Guard headquarters where they were able to walk through a C-130H Hercules and tour the 153^rd Airlift Wing's maintenance shops.

Later in the day, participants visited the Army Aviation Support Facility on F.E. Warren Airbase, where they were able to tour the facility and catch an orientation ride on UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

Participants expressed both appreciation for the large networking focus of the GALI program as well as its strong educational concentration on the greater Wyoming community and what makes it tick.

"(GALI) really represents the opportunity to get to know more about…and become more familiar with the community, (as well as) understand what some of the needs are in the community and also what some of the resources are," said Stuart Burnham, a Fire Marshall with the Campbell County Fire Department.

"It's been a chance to meet the people that are involved with each of the different groups," Burnham continued. "You see that they're really passionate. They're driven by what the mission is, and they have strong values and beliefs."

GALI leader Lori Jones was deeply appreciative for this annual visit with the Wyoming Military Department.

"When GALI visits the National Guard in Cheyenne, we come away with a deep appreciation and understanding of how well prepared, equipped, and professional our military forces are," said Jones. "Seeing the facilities, soldiers, and equipment gives us a sense of safety and confidence in the ability of the National Guard to keep us safe. It puts faces to the vague concept of the military."

Jones recommended that anyone interested in participating in this program reach out to the Campbell County Chamber. Recruitment occurs annually in June, selections made in July, and the program begins in September each year

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