From: Tittle, Ron E LtCol NGFL [ron.tittle@us.army.mil] Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 9:23 PM To: Tittle, Ron E LtCol NGFL; Kielbasa, Thomas E MSgt FL-ANG; Brown, Mary C CPT NGFL; Artley, Jan B Mr NGFL Subject: Media release: Fla. National Guard arrives on the beach (UNCLASSIFIED) Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Public Affairs Office Phone: (904) 823-0166 Lt. Col. Ron Tittle (904)814-7559 Master Sgt. Tom Kielbasa (904)200-5621 -- MEDIA RELEASE -- Florida National Guard begins training for beach recon Training on all-terrain vehicles begins Tuesday ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (June 21, 2010) - The Florida National Guard response to the oil spill is ramping up as more than 30 Soldiers arrived at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Fla. and began training today. Hands-on training for the all-terrain vehicles will begin Tuesday, June 21, at the state park by members of the Fla. Dept. of Environmental Protection, and Fish and Wildlife Commission to ensure Soldiers are prepared for their beach reconnaissance missions in and around Bay County. More than 80 Fla. National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are directly supporting Operation Deepwater Horizon, with missions including liaison support, aviation support, public/external affairs, communication support and reconnaissance of beaches and coastal areas, under the direction of the Fla. Division of Emergency Management and U.S. Coast Guard. ----- Editors and Assignment Desks: If media desire to report on the troops training at St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Fla., contact Lt. Col. Ron Tittle at (904)814-7559. Training will begin around 9 a.m. and should be most of the day. Fla. National Guard Public Affairs gathered video from the Soldiers reporting for duty today at the park. B-roll video will be posted later tonight in event media want to download it. Interested media should contact ron.tittle@us.army.mil. Those desiring to fly on our C-23 Sherpa aircraft from Destin, Fla. with our aircrew, for a Fla. Fish and Wildlife Commission aerial reconnaissance mission on Tuesday should contact Master Sgt. Tom Kielbasa at (904)200-5621. We anticipate around five seats being available - first come first serve. Ideally we would like a print reporter and photog, a TV reporter and photog, and a radio broadcaster. We ask they those selected be able to share with other media who request. Master Sgt. Kielbasa may also gather video and photos. He'll also develop an article for release. Contact Thomas.kielbasa@us.army.mil. ### Respectfully, Ron Ron Tittle, Lt Col, FLANG Director of Public Affairs Florida Army and Air National Guard 82 Marine St. St. Augustine, FL 32084 904-823-0166 office 904-814-7559 mobile ron.tittle@us.army.mil http://www.floridaguard.army.mil/news http://www.twitter.com/flguard http://www.facebook.com/FloridaNationalGuard Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE