West Virginia National Guard Story Archives - Page 2 of 9

National Guard Troops Head For Southern Border

A group of West Virginia soldiers and airmen leaving for the Texas border with Mexico had a sendoff Monday at the West Virginia National Guard headquarters in Charleston, surrounded by dignitaries.

In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent letters to a number of other governors asking for help for Operation Lone Star — to support efforts by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Fifty volunteers from the West Virginia National Guard are heading out for a month-long deployment. According to Gov. Jim Justice, the troops will help “secure the border, reduce the flood of fentanyl, and combat the human trafficking crisis.”

“And it just may very well be that you, by what you’re doing, you could absolutely do something that could change the course of the whole world,” Justice said.

The number of illegal border crossings has dropped off significantly since May with the end of Title 42 and the national COVID-19 emergency.

The West Virginia governor’s office has said there will be a cost to the state for this effort but has not provided details on what that will be.

There are also about 400 national guard members working corrections jobs under an emergency executive order in the state’s prisons. That costs taxpayers $20 million a year.

Governor Declares State Of Emergency For State Jails

Gov. Jim Justice has declared a State of Emergency in the state’s jails to address a staffing shortage.

West Virginia National Guard members are being sent to alleviate staffing shortages at adult and juvenile correctional and detention facilities across the state.

During Thursday’s COVID-19 press briefing, Justice said part of the problem was caused by legislative inaction on correctional officer pay.

“During the last legislative period we had a bipartisan group that we tried to get through to do a regional pay differential to folks in certain areas, like the Eastern Panhandle where the shortages are off the chart – 60 percent,” Justice said. “We just haven’t been able to compete and attract folks and everything into these positions.”

Vacancies, particularly in the Eastern Panhandle, have required the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to use non-uniformed staff and officers from other regions to staff facilities.

Later in the press conference, Justice said he didn’t have an exact figure of how many National Guard members would be needed to fill the staffing gaps. He also acknowledged the impact of COVID-19 on the correctional system, but redoubled the focus on officer compensation.

“The bottom line is we got to be able to compete, and we got to be able to attract people to us,” Justice said. “We’ve got to be able to attract and reward these people in a way that we absolutely keep the proper staffing because that’s another one of our big obligations.”

New National Guard Fellowship Starts At Marshall University’s Institute For Cyber Security

Jaylan Mobley is the new West Virginia National Guard Fellowship at Marshall University’s Institute for Cyber Security.

Jaylan L. Mobley is the first cyber officer in the West Virginia Army National Guard and he is now going to act as Marshall University’s first West Virginia National Guard Fellow.

Mobley’s position at Marshall will involve teaching a class every semester, research, and designing programs. He currently serves at the Joint Forces Headquarters in Charleston as deputy team chief of the Defense Cyber Operations Element.

According to the director of the Institute for Cyber Security, David Dampier, Mobley’s extensive experience will help the school build a program based on real life scenarios.

Mobley earned an associates degree in homeland security and emergency management and in cyber security from Georgia Military College, where he served as regimental commander, for which he received an Excellence in Leadership commendation.

In 2021 he graduated from the Army’s Cyber Basic Officer Leadership Course, and earned a master’s degree in cybersecurity from West Virginia University.

The West Virginia National Guard has previously partnered with Marshall to assist with cyber range simulations.

'Yes, I'm A Trump Girl': W.Va. Guard Member Charged In Riot

A part-time member of the West Virginia National Guard who authorities say was wearing a sweatshirt that read “Yes, I'm a Trump girl” inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda has been charged with participating in the January 2021 riot.

A part-time member of the West Virginia National Guard who authorities say was wearing a sweatshirt that read “Yes, I’m a Trump girl” inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda has been charged with participating in the January 2021 riot.

Jamie Lynn Ferguson was arrested last week in Lynchburg, Virginia, and is scheduled for an initial appearance Tuesday before a U.S. magistrate judge in Washington, D.C., according to a criminal complaint.

Ferguson was charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, the complaint said.

Ferguson is a technical sergeant and a part-time, drill status guardsman assigned to the West Virginia Air National Guard, Guard spokeswoman Maj. Holli Nelson said in a statement.

“As a matter of policy, the 130th Airlift Wing and the West Virginia National Guard do not comment on pending criminal charges,” the statement said.

A federal public defender listed for Ferguson did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment on her behalf Monday.

On Jan. 14, 2021, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations submitted an investigative report to the FBI about Ferguson’s suspected involvement at the Capitol. The report provided her photograph and biographical information along with social media posts and screenshots of a video allegedly showing her inside the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6.

Ferguson was on leave from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7. Her destination was listed as Washington, D.C., according to the OSI report.

On Jan. 3, 2021, the woman’s Facebook account had shared an article with a picture of a crowd in front of the Capitol with a storm cloud and Mount Rushmore above it. A caption in the woman’s post read, “I pray this is exactly what D.C. will look like on Jan. 6th. #HoldTheLine.” A comment on the post asked whether the woman was going to the Capitol and she replied, “I am,” according to a statement of facts filed by an FBI special agent.

Video footage obtained by Capitol police shows a woman with long dark hair wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with the phrase “Yes, I’m a Trump Girl” in white lettering and carrying a backpack entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the statement.

On Jan. 14, 2021, Ferguson was interviewed at her home by FBI agents and provided cellphone photos and videos from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7, 2021. One of the photos shows her physical appearance and clothing appearing to match the woman depicted in the video and news photos at the Capitol, the statement said.

Ferguson told the agents she attended a rally in support of then-President Donald Trump with her parents, who left afterward. Ferguson said she proceeded to the Capitol, believing she would be able to see Trump again, the statement said. She said she remained in the Rotunda area for about 40 minutes.

Court documents list Ferguson’s birth year as 1977 but redacted her month and date. Under the conditions of her release, Ferguson was ordered to stay at the Virginia home of her parents.

Marshall Students Learn To Thwart Cyber Attacks With Help From W.Va. National Guard, Tech Companies

One of the best ways to prevent cyber attacks is to hire someone to try to hack a system. These realistic training scenarios are called cyber ranges, and Marshall University’s Institute for Cyber Security (ICS) is enlisting Forge Security, a local provider of cyber ranges, and the West Virginia National Guard to simulate these cyber attacks. In a press conference on Marshall’s campus, President of Marshall University Brad Smith said that the West Virginia National Guard will provide on-site personnel to help students with research and training.

”We are collectively working together to build a foundation that will strengthen, protect, and defend against unauthorized cyber attacks,” Smith said.

President of Marshall University Brad Smith

Bill Bisset delivered a message on behalf of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.

“As we stand with Ukrainian people and pose crushing sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s regime, we must also continue to secure our country from retaliatory cyber attacks,” Capito wrote. “The better we prepare our defense, the better we’ll be able to continue to benefit from the many technological innovations that touch every aspect of our lives.”

Maj. Gen. Bill Crane, the adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard, said that cyber attacks have attacked infrastructure on a local level across the nation. “we’ve seen the pipeline attack, we’ve seen the water systems being attacked, this ICS training really sets us up to be able to respond to that and try to make sure that we can avoid having those attacks occur in the first place,” Crane said.

“Cybersecurity is not just a military issue, it’s an issue for our local state and county governments in all of our industries. It’s not just us in uniform that have to respond to it.” said Crane. “We’ve got to prepare all of our young generation […] to be prepared to help ensure the safety of our networks.”

Marshall University is utilizing a cyber range platform developed by the international company, Cyberbit. As part of their partnership with Marshall’s ICS, Forge Security provides access to Cyberbit’s cyber range.

Justin Jarrell, CEO of Forge Security, said that giving Marshall access to the cyber range will improve Marshall’s recruiting efforts, which will assist Forge Security and other local businesses.

Jarrell said, “prior to the pandemic, over 80% of all ransomware victims were small to medium sized businesses, and we all know that has significantly increased ever since.”

Marshall’s Institute for Cyber Security gives students studying cyber security hands-on training, while cooperating with corporate and government bodies to address emerging cyber security issues.

West Virginia National Guard Draws Down COVID Support

The West Virginia National Guard completed its hospital support mission on Friday as COVID-19 cases across the state continue to decline.

This is part of a larger draw down of the number of guard members providing support for COVID-19 response in West Virginia. Federal funding is set to run out at the end of the month, although an extension through June is possible.

Sunday marked the two year anniversary of Gov. Jim Justice mobilizing the West Virginia National Guard to assist in COVID-19 preparedness and response.

Since January, more than 300 Guard members provided nonclinical support to dozens of hospitals across the state to alleviate staffing shortages.

Maj. Gen. William Crane took time during Monday’s COVID-19 press briefing to praise the health care workers who worked alongside Guard members.

“It was just real humbling to go through and see what it is that they have been dealing with,” Crane said. “It’s great to see how we can come together, both the hospitals and the guard, because we are so service oriented and do the great work that needed to be done to help support and save lives in West Virginia.”

A job fair will be held this week to help guard members find employment after their service.

“It’s really important as we draw this thing down, as our members are coming off of their COVID orders, to make sure that they have good employment post the pandemic response,” he said. “In some cases, some of them actually say that they may go into the hospitals and want to continue to do some of that work.”