shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com September 4, 2018 • Page 11 SD National Guard Soldiers Strengthen Warfighter Skills By Staff Sgt. Austin Pearce 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment base-defense operations and convoy attacks. FORT IRWIN, Calif. - A South Dakota Army National Guard unit set to deploy to the Middle East trained at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, July 27-Aug. 22. "This has allowed us to perform our mission-essential tasks in a decisive action training environment and test our abilities to operate as a team and a staff under a variety of stressors like sleep deprivation, the intense heat [average high temperature during the exercise was 108 degrees] and tough enemy combatants in the battlefield in an extreme environment," said Capt. Jason Kimura, plans officer for the 152nd. "This harsh training environment gives a lot of Soldiers the opportunity to see what it's like to perform a variety of different tasks in these conditions. The training is vital for improving logistics missions of moving supplies through tough, realistic joint and combined-arms scenarios in preparation for the 152nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion's deployment scheduled for July 2019. "We're focusing on our mission command process in order to get prepared for future missions and our upcoming deployment," said Lt. Col. Timothy Schlotterback, commander of the 152nd. "This NTC rotation has provided us with the opportunity to train in an unforgiving environment against a near-peer enemy, allowing us to validate our tactical proficiency and synchronize our capabilities to conduct sustainment operations in very demanding conditions." NTC provides a decisive action training environment, which creates training scenarios in a setting that can't be replicated at a unit's home station and that simulates what units would potentially face on their hardest day of combat overseas. The 28-day training rotation is matched with a world-class opposing force, formed by the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, which is known for their competent and ruthless enemy tactics that tests every capability of the units that come to NTC. Some of the scenarios they employ are chemical attacks, aerial attacks, "With the Army changing how we view logistics and war, we are now required to fulfill our job duties concurrent with self-defense," said Kimura. "If we encounter an enemy that can fight back with a force similar to or better than ours, the warfighters won't have the ability to give us protection any more - so every Soldier should know how to defend themselves, which changes the mindset for those who are outside of the warfighting field." Between the demanding climate, terrain and an unrelenting enemy, NTC replicates the conditions Soldiers may face overseas. "It's as similar here as you could possibly get to going to war without leaving the United States, and there's a lot of places that troops are getting deployed to these days that looks just like this," said Maj. James Neill, support operations officer for the 152nd. "I can't tell you how many Soldiers have said how this place re- South Dakota Medicaid Submits Waiver Request To CMS For Career Connector Program minds them of Iraq or Afghanistan." The overall mission for the 152nd while at NTC was to provide multiclass logistics and support operations for the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team using subordinate units from both active duty and the National Guard specialized in ordnance disposal, transportation, signal and medical. PIERRE, S.D. – The Department of Social Services (DSS) has submitted a request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) for a five-year Medicaid 1115 demonstration waiver. The demonstration is a pilot project proposing work requirements for able-bodied adults who are enrolled in Medicaid through the Low Income Parent coverage group. Some individuals may qualify for an exemption. Some examples of exemptions include parents of children under the age 1, individuals who are aged or disabled and "It's been a great opportunity to primary caregivers of elderly or people with disabilities. recognize our ability to work with South Dakota’s plan proposes to operate in Minnehavarious other units that we've never ha and Pennington counties, where there is the greatest worked with before," said Staff Sgt. availability of employment and training resources. Aaron Sterud, communications sec“The goals of the program are to improve participants’ tion chief with the 152nd. "It's been health, encourage the development of healthy habits and challenging but it's also been really empower participants to be successful in today’s worknice to see how other organizations force,” said state Department of Social Services Secretary run their operations. This has really Lynne Valenti. allowed us to do a lot of cross trainThe program, called South Dakota Career Connecing and to provide mentorship to our tor, will be administered by DSS in partnership with the lower enlisted Soldiers that haven't Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR). The program been in these kind of situations." includes intensive employment and training services and skill building opportunities offered through DLR and The opportunity to train at NTC offers a variety of pathways and supports for recipients has given Soldiers of the 152nd a to actively participate and maintain health care coverfirst-hand look at the missions they age. Individualized plans will address current barriers to may face next year and how to over- employment. come them. Maintaining health care coverage is a key tenet of the plan. This includes promoting employment and employ"I'm extremely proud to be the er-based coverage and providing transitional medical commander of this unit and am very benefits and premium assistance to ensure health care pleased with the progress that we've coverage for individuals as they enter the workforce. The made working with our subordinate program will also promote preventative care and help units from across the United States increase identification and treatment of behavioral health that we have here during this rotaand chronic conditions. tion," said Schlotterback. "We've “While the program impacts less than 1,500 South established our communication Dakotans, we believe it will have a significant effect on systems, our battle rhythm and our those participants who gain the training and skills they sustainment operations in a very need to support and strengthen their families,” said short period of time. I've continued Valenti. to see improvements each and every South Dakota Career Connector began operating on a day in developing and finalizing our voluntary basis July 1, 2018, and will become mandatory processes for making our command in Minnehaha and Pennington counties after approval by post more efficient." CMS. For more information or to participate in South Dakota Career Connector, please contact the Sioux Falls office at 605-367-5444 or the Rapid City office at 605.394.2525. USDA Launches Webpage Highlighting Resources September Sobriety To Help Rural Communities Bridge The Broadband Checkpoints Planned In E-Connectivity Infrastructure Gap 20 South Dakota Counties WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today unveiled a new webpage featuring information about the importance of rural e-Connectivity and the ways the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing to help deploy high-speed broadband infrastructure in rural America. “Rural high-speed broadband eConnectivity is as important for economic development as rail, roads, bridges and airports – and as vital as the buildouts of rural telephone networks were decades ago,” Perdue said. “USDA is committed to being a strong partner with rural leaders in deploying this essential infrastructure.” Reliable and affordable highspeed internet e-Connectivity acts as a catalyst for rural prosperity by enabling efficient, modern communications between rural American households, farms, ranches, businesses, schools, and health care centers. Yet, according to the Federal Communications Commission, 80 percent of the 24 million Americans who lack broadband access live in rural areas and on tribal lands. finding the right job is easier than you think USDA plays an important role in helping rural communities bridge this infrastructure gap through program investment, strategic partnerships and best practice implementation by investing in rural telecommunications infrastructure. This new website will provide direct access to information on our decades-long programs that offer more than $700 million per year for modern broadband e-Connectivity in rural communities. In the coming months, USDA will almost double these longstanding programs with an additional $600 million to expand rural broadband infrastructure in unserved rural areas and tribal lands. As we are working to set up the new pilot program, USDA wants to hear the thoughts and needs of Americans living and doing business in rural communities. The new website includes a feedback form for the general public and interested stakeholders to provide input on the design and requirements of the new pilot program. In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Stop searching. The Help Wanted section of the Missouri Valley Shopper lists many possible new job opportunities. Find a career that’s right for you. MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y PIERRE, S.D. – Sobriety checkpoints are scheduled for 20 counties throughout South Dakota during September. A total of 24 checkpoints have been scheduled. The checkpoints are funded by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol. The checkpoints are designed to discourage motorists from drinking and then driving. September checkpoints are scheduled for the counties of: Brookings, Brown, Butte, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Custer, Day, Fall River, Grant, Hughes, Kingsbury, Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Pennington, Sanborn, Stanley and Union. Both the Office of Highway Safety and the Highway Patrol are part of the Department of Public Safety. Congratulations Save $30 on a Summer AC Tune-Up! Do Help WantedJust give us aWeand we’ll call All Glass Full time cow/calf & feed lot Auto operation help. Experience withsend out a qualified Home equipment, feed lot and calvingService Technician like Commercial Tyler, to make sure your helpful but not required. Call 402-256-9353 Leave a message when you’ve got the right direction Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump, which included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB). USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. 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