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CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyoming – Iowa National Guard infantry and aviation units traveled west by ground convoy and air to conduct annual training at the Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center this year. The training wrapped up the last week of May 2023, and the mountain elevation and expansive landscape of Wyoming offered a unique training environment for the Midwest Soldiers.

“We’re spoiled in Iowa,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Hill, a training officer and UH-60 Black Hawk pilot with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion based out of Boone, Iowa. The state sits about 1,100 feet above sea level. “We have power for days. Whereas [in Wyoming], you’re starting at about 5,000 feet, which is going to change aircraft performance. That’ll be good training for aircrew members when they go to high altitude.”

Several aircraft crew chiefs had the opportunity to qualify on door gunnery skills, which consisted of shooting an M240 machine gun out of the window of a Black Hawk as it flew over targets.

“My favorite part was definitely going up high and then seeing the tracers hit the little buildings and all the humvees,” said Spc. Julia Adkins, a Black Hawk mechanic with the 2-147th AHB. “It was a great experience because I’m brand new to flying.”

Meanwhile, the 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment (“Lethal Battalion”), based out of Council Bluffs, Iowa, took advantage of the expansive weapon qualification ranges and rugged terrain to practice squad-level maneuvers. Soldiers spent several days staying in tents out in the field, building camaraderie through their shared experiences.

“It’s just a massive training area,” said Capt. Jeremy White, executive officer with the 1-168th Infantry. “You can drive it for hours one side to the other. If you think you can put all your gear on and run around conducting operations like normal, you’re wrong. You can’t dodge higher elevation and this is a completely different terrain.”

White described it as collective training, meant to test how well Soldiers move as a team toward objectives using communication and hand signals. Companies took turns rotating through physically taxing live-fire exercises, moving swiftly up and down steep slopes through tall grass and dodging environmental obstacles.

They were also expected to work through any possible weapon jams in real-time, demonstrating their capability to adapt to changing situations in dangerous environments.

“We grow as a team as we’re out there,” said Spc. Valery Gonzalez, an infantrywoman with the 1-168th Infantry. “We obviously have to trust each other so nobody gets hurt.”

In addition to completing their own unit-level tasks, the two infantry and aviation elements joined together to conduct realistic operational training. Ground force commanders with the 1-168th Infantry sent up orders to the 2-147th AHB, imitating what would happen if infantry Soldiers needed aircraft assistance in a real-world scenario – whether they need people, supplies or equipment transported.

“One of the big takeaways for us is that we’re a customer-based service,” said Hill. “We have a lot of young aviators who have been focused on getting good at flying the aircraft. Now, they’re going to be able to execute planning processes, and they’ll have passengers that need things with real-life factors playing into it.”

The training is valuable for Soldiers in the 1-168th Infantry as well. White commented that many Soldiers in the Iowa Guard train with real aircraft only a few times in their careers. The 2-147th AHB offered familiarization with aircraft safety procedures, air assault movements, supply drops and sling load operations.

Two weeks away from their homes and families in Iowa seemed to pass quickly for Soldiers. Even after a few rainy days that caused some delay in training, many were excited about the opportunity to apply their skills in a new place – and use some new weapons.

The 1-168th Infantry trained on their new M3A1 Carl Gustaf Multi-roll, Anti-Armor, Anti-Personnel Weapons System (MAAWS for short). The recoilless rifle packed quite a punch. The MAAWS is capable of firing numerous types of rounds suited for targets that range from humvees to armored tanks. It can also illuminate the battlefield and provide smokescreens.

Staff Sgt. Chris Nieman, an infantryman assigned to Company A, is a weapons squad leader. After attending an instructional course on the MAAWS, it was his job to help familiarize the rest of the unit on the weapon. Nieman pointed out that its improved optics system is a game changer for accuracy, and takes out much of the guesswork in aiming at targets.

“I really enjoy being in the field and training Soldiers,” said Nieman. “It’s loud, it blows up. Soldiers enjoy that. On a tactical level, it just increases our lethality. It’s a force multiplier on its own.”

But that’s not all – 1-168th Infantry also broke in some brand new M110 A1 squad designated marksman rifles, complete with scopes, ambidextrous controls and suppressors. Even with all the new features, it wasn’t much heavier than the traditional M4 carbine rifle most Soldiers across the Army use.

Staff Sgt. Gabriel Morey, an infantryman with Company C, reported that its precision was impressive.

“It’s a dream to shoot,” said Morey. “I’ve seen nothing but smiles coming off of our range here at Camp Guernsey, so we have pretty positive rave reviews so far.”

CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyo. – Iowa National Guard infantry and aviation units traveled west by ground convoy and air to conduct annual training at the Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center in Wyoming at the end of May.

Wyoming’s elevation and expansive landscape offered a different training environment for the Midwest Soldiers.

“We’re spoiled in Iowa,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Hill, a training officer and UH-60 Black Hawk pilot with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion. The state sits about 1,100 feet above sea level. “We have power for days. Whereas [in Wyoming], you’re starting at about 5,000 feet, which is going to change aircraft performance. That’ll be good training for aircrew members when they go to high altitude.”

Several aircraft crew chiefs qualified on door gunnery skills, shooting an M240 machine gun out of the window of a Black Hawk as it flew over targets.

“My favorite part was definitely going up high and then seeing the tracers hit the little buildings and all the humvees,” said Spc. Julia Adkins, a Black Hawk mechanic with the 2-147th AHB. “It was a great experience because I’m brand new to flying.”

The 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment (“Lethal Battalion”), took advantage of the expansive weapon qualification ranges and rugged terrain to practice squad-level maneuvers. Soldiers spent several days in tents in the field.

“It’s just a massive training area,” said Capt. Jeremy White, executive officer with the 1-168th Infantry. “You can drive it for hours one side to the other. If you think you can put all your gear on and run around conducting operations like normal, you’re wrong. You can’t dodge higher elevation and this is a completely different terrain.”

White described it as collective training to test how well Soldiers move as a team toward objectives using communication and hand signals. Companies took turns rotating through physically taxing live-fire exercises, moving swiftly up and down steep slopes through tall grass and dodging environmental obstacles.

“We grow as a team as we’re out there,” said Spc. Valery Gonzalez, with the 1-168th Infantry. “We obviously have to trust each other so nobody gets hurt.”

In addition to completing unit-level tasks, the two infantry and aviation elements joined together to conduct realistic operational training. Ground force commanders with the 1-168th Infantry sent up orders to the 2-147th AHB, imitating what would happen if infantry Soldiers needed aircraft assistance in a real-world scenario – whether they needed people, supplies or equipment transported.

“One of the big takeaways for us is that we’re a customer-based service,” said Hill. “We have a lot of young aviators who have been focused on getting good at flying the aircraft. Now, they’re going to be able to execute planning processes, and they’ll have passengers that need things with real-life factors playing into it.”

The training is also valuable for Soldiers in the 1-168th Infantry. White said many Soldiers in the Iowa Guard train with real aircraft only a few times in their careers. The 2-147th AHB offered familiarization with aircraft safety procedures, air assault movements, supply drops and sling load operations.

The 1-168th Infantry trained on their new M3A1 Carl Gustaf Multi-roll, Anti-Armor, Anti-Personnel Weapons System (MAAWS). The recoilless rifle is capable of firing numerous types of rounds suited for targets that range from humvees to armored tanks. It can also illuminate the battlefield and provide smokescreens.

Staff Sgt. Chris Nieman, an infantryman assigned to Company A, said the weapon’s improved optics system eliminates much of the guesswork in aiming at targets.

“I really enjoy being in the field and training Soldiers,” said Nieman. “It’s loud, it blows up. Soldiers enjoy that. On a tactical level, it just increases our lethality. It’s a force multiplier on its own.”

Members of the 1-168th Infantry also broke in some new M110 A1 squad-designated marksman rifles with scopes, ambidextrous controls and suppressors. Even with all the new features, it wasn’t much heavier than the traditional M4 carbine rifle most Army Soldiers use.

“It’s a dream to shoot,” said Staff Sgt. Gabriel Morey, an infantryman with Company C. “I’ve seen nothing but smiles coming off of our range here at Camp Guernsey, so we have pretty positive rave reviews so far.”

Asked if the system works, one voter answered: ‘No… It’s time for a change.’

Coin tosses have been used to decide democracy in the US, but voters have said it’s “time for a change”.

The novel decision-making process was used at Democratic caucuses in Iowa, the first votes so far in the long journey towards choosing who will be the party’s presidential candidate.

Candidates can gain victory by winning delegates, people who vote on behalf of a group for their favourite candidate – but, particularly in smaller precincts, a coin toss can often be required to decide how the delegates are distributed when support is tied.

In West Des Moines, a coin toss was needed to decide whether candidates Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden would receive a delegate – a process Victoria McQuerry, 51, filmed, tweeting: “Can’t make this s*** up.”

“All precinct leaders watched and agreed to the process – I believe the person who called the coin toss was the Warren rep,” Ms McQuerry told the PA news agency.

It was Mr Biden who proved victorious in the coin flip, earning a helping step forward in his campaign.

The process is not new, with 13 coin tosses used in the Iowa caucus in 2016 – seven of which were won by Senator Bernie Sanders while six went to Hillary Clinton.

Asked if the system works, Ms McQuerry answered: “No. It doesn’t.

“My precinct leaders did an honest job. I expect that others did as well. But the caucus process is exclusionary. It takes hours of time. Many cannot attend… It’s time for a change.”

Meredith Cooney filmed the moment a coin was used at another precinct, of which there are 1,765 in Iowa.

In the video, the winning candidate’s representative is seen shouting “that’s what I’m talking about” after he correctly called the flip to be tails.

The process of the Iowa caucus was pulled into further scrutiny after its results were delayed by a “coding issue in the reporting system”, according to the Iowa Democratic Party.

The results will now reportedly be announced on Tuesday evening, having initially been planned for Monday.

In response to the failure, Republican US President Donald Trump tweeted: “Big WIN for us in Iowa tonight. Thank you!”

Mr Sanders said he had “a good feeling we’re going to be doing very, very well” when the results are announced.

A limited diploma privilege would greatly decrease the number of individuals who would sit for the bar exam, and would allow graduates of in-state schools to begin practicing right away.

Iowa View contributors

How would you feel if someone told you that in less than two weeks you had to go sit in a room with 200 other people? Not 200 people from your town; 200 people from all over the state and other states, too. You’d be in the room for approximately eight hours. Two days in a row. The room is in the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines, located in Polk County. Of Iowa’s 99 counties, Polk County has the greatest number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases and the greatest number of deaths. If you believe what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Iowa Department of Public Health tell us about COVID-19, you would not go sit in that room.

Yet, that’s what the state and the Iowa Judicial Branch are asking of our former students, recent law school graduates preparing to sit for the bar exam. The state knows it’s less than ideal to hold the exam in person: Those administering the bar exam won’t accept your application or materials in person. The portions of the application and supporting materials that must be notarized will be notarized remotely. The exam orientation, conducted the day before the exam, will be online. And should you pass the exam and be approved for admission to the bar, they likely won’t swear you in in person. Too dangerous.

While Iowa forges ahead with an in-person exam, other states have conceded that gathering hundreds of people in person, indoors, for hours on end, in the middle of a pandemic poses an unacceptable risk: Illinois, Georgia, Ohio, New Mexico, Texas, and Pennsylvania, and 13 other states have delayed their exam to the fall and/or moved to an online exam. These 13 states represent nearly 70% of exam takers.

IN 2014: Iowa Supreme Court rejects proposal to eliminate bar exam

Other states have gone further, recognizing not only the danger of an in-person exam, but the cruelty of leaving recent graduates in limbo. Oregon, Washington, and Utah have implemented the diploma privilege, allowing graduates of accredited law schools who otherwise meet the character and fitness requirements to be admitted to the bar without taking a standardized test.

What does that limbo look like? Our former students paid for law school with loans that are about to come due. They are expected — and need — to study full-time for the bar exam. Graduates are living on credit, bar loans, or the generosity of family and friends until they get their first paycheck in three years. But those who have a job may not be able to start working or may have to take a lower salary if they aren’t admitted to a bar. Some graduates will lose their jobs because they aren’t yet licensed. Graduates still looking for jobs — often those who go into the public sector — are at a tremendous disadvantage in the job hunt without a bar license. Many of our former students have already signed leases on apartments in the cities and towns where they had planned to practice law, but they may have no income to pay their rent. In the best-case scenario, they have a job and can meet their financial obligations, but they have no time to study for a later bar exam.

The state of Iowa has put graduates in this untenable position, which jeopardizes their physical health, their emotional well-being, their financial security, and their ability to practice law now or in the future. And Iowa can relieve the Class of 2020 of these burdens by implementing a limited diploma privilege for graduates of University of Iowa College of Law and Drake University Law. These are extraordinary and unprecedented times: A limited diploma privilege would greatly decrease the number of individuals who would sit for the bar exam on July 28 and 29, making it safer for everyone involved, and would allow graduates of in-state schools to begin practicing right away. In a state with a shortage of attorneys, and a pandemic that will lead to increased demand for attorneys — due to unemployment, bankruptcy, health insurance disputes, increased domestic violence and divorce, among others — why wouldn’t we do everything we can to get them into practice now?

For those who are concerned about the fact that these lawyers will not be required to take the bar exam, don’t be. No study has shown that passing a bar exam is a prerequisite to being a good or ethical lawyer. Yet, for those who still harbor fears, we can say as clinical professors — professors who have spent hundreds of hours working with many of these young lawyers as they practice under our bar licenses — they take their obligations seriously. With mentorship and supervision, they will be as successful as any lawyer who has sat for the exam in the past. But, more importantly, they will be healthy and alive.

John Allen, Bram Elias and Leonard Sandler are clinical professors of law at the University of Iowa. Daria Fisher Page and Alison Guernsey are clinical associate professors of law at UI.

May 24—MESICK — Recent budget cuts prompted some local fire departments to make a tough decision — to join together and create a new kind of emergency management authority.

The new Northwest Wexford Emergency Authority's fire department consists of personnel and representation from Antioch, Hanover, Springville and Wexford townships.

According to the new website, the five-person board of directors for this emergency coalition are Tom Williams from Antioch, Dave Williams from Wexford, Peggy Benz from Hanover, Tom Stagg from Springville and Joe Hurlburt, who was elected to serve as the fifth board member.

NWEA treasurer Erica Szegda said the coalition was first established last March to provide more economical emergency medical and fire services to residents.

Former Buckley Fire Department Chief Michael Guernsey will serve as fire chief of this new authority, with paramedic and former assistant Buckley fire department Chief Justin Runyon serving as its director.

Guernsey's first official day in this new position was March 21, he said.

Talks about this new authority began almost a full year before that, when Guernsey said that the Village of Buckley formally disbanded ambulance services on Jan. 1, 2022.

He said they had missed 22 percent of their calls and full staffing was "harder and harder" to achieve.

But with the creation of the authority, Guernsey said their goal was to take three fire departments — Springville, Buckley and Mesick — and form one fire and rescue department.

"It's basically the same people, same trucks, doing the same thing, just a different name," he said.

Part of this merger, he explained, will be downsizing the number of buildings the new authority is in charge of from four or five to two, and downsizing the number of trucks in their fleet from 14 or 15 to "less trucks."

"By doing all of that, hopefully we can save some money," Guernsey said. "One common goal going forward is to try and up staffing."

Staffing was another big problem all the separate fire departments faced before the merger, he said. They're just weren't enough people to fully staff each individual department.

Certification changes over the years, the pandemic, an aging population and other departments hiring staff makes the field a lot more competitive for employers, Guernsey said.

Ideally, Guernsey said he would have two 24/7 firefighters and EMTs in Buckley and Mesick — four staff total between the two places.

But to achieve those numbers, he said they'll have to figure out money.

"Money right now is the biggest hold-up," he said. "So we still have to tweak the budget a little bit."

According to officials from the NWEA, budgets could change when the millages are up for re-election next year.

Guernsey said he plans on asking for more money through those millages when they expire.

As of Tuesday morning, Guernsey said he has hired 19 people for this new authority, and is still accepting more applications.

He said they're hoping to start up the authority's EMS services on June 1.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 25 at 6 p.m at the Mesick Fire Station.

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