Approximately 50 employers gathered at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Air National Guard Base to experience a bit of what their military employees do when they are in uniform.  The day began with a greeting from the Vice commander of the 133rd Airlift Wing, Colonel James T. Johnson, following which the employers boarded a C-130 “Hercules” cargo plane for a half-hour flight to Minnesota’s Camp Ripley training facility.  Several of the employers were afforded the opportunity to ride in the cock pit of the C-130.

Camp Ripley is the Minnesota National Guard’s primary training facility, with numerous cutting edge training aids to help Guardsmen prepare for missions. Several of the facilities were demonstrated to employers on the day’s trip.  They included – a new mock-up village to teach troops about urban warfare, M1-A1 Abrams tanks that employers had a chance to try and squeeze in to, and an M-4 rifle simulator, giving the employers a chance to see what it felt like to fire the same weapons that Army National Guard soldiers carry.

The day was completed with an address by Minnesota ESGR Executive Director Jim Sullivan, at which each employer was presented with a certificate verifying their participation in the flight. 

Additional photographs by SPC Nicholle Corcoran are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/BeyondTheYellowRibbon/ESGRBossLiftMay2010