“What I hope you will leave with is a deeper appreciation of the over 10,000 members of the Alabama National Guard and the 2,000 Air National Guard,” Lt. Col. Johnny R. Bass of the Alabama National Guard said in a speech to Rotary at the club’s regular meeting on Aug.1. “So when you see those National Guard license plates traveling down the road, keep in mind the sacrifices that those soldiers, airmen and families made to serve our state and our nation. That is my goal.”

Lt. Col. Bass began his military career as an enlisted soldier in 1983 and in 1990 he earned his wings, logging over 8,000 hours of flying time. After enlistment, Bass joined the National Guard, where he became a State Director. Bass has earned a Bronze Star and a Meritorious Service Medal for his service in Afghanistan. Bass has earned multiple degrees, including a Masters Degree in Aviation Science and graduated from Army College. 

“The bottom line is I love the National Guard.  Everything in my life, as I stand here at 53 years old, is in some way related to the National Guard,” Bass said.

“Did you know that our military today, the total sum of everyone serving in uniform both active and reserve, is less than one percent of the nation?” Lt. Col. Bass asked. “We have 320 million Americans and only 2.3 (million) are serving in the military. That’s a small number with a big mission: the protection of our country in these times.” 

He broke the numbers down even further, specifying that one million were in the Army, with around 500,000 active, approximately 200,000 reserve, and 340,000 National Guardsmen across 54 states and territories.

“You may not be aware, but our Alabama Army National Guard is the fifth largest in the nation. We are around number 23 in population, but maintain the fifth largest National Guard,” Bass said. “What that says is Alabamians participate (not only) in the National Guard but also the military as a whole at a far greater rate than the national average. So to me that means we are a very patriotic state. Be proud of that.”

“My new boss, Gov. Kay Ivey, appointed a new adjutant general for Alabama. For the first time, we have a female officer, Major General Sheryl Gordon, leading our Alabama National Guard, that’s Army and Air,” Bass said. “I served with General Gordon in previous assignments. She is a very engaged and dynamic leader. I’m very optimistic about what she’s going to bring to our organization.”

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Maj. Gen. Sheryl E. Gordon on June 17, becoming the first female adjutant general of Alabama. Gordon took command on July 28. 

Bass served with two Alabama National Guard units in Afghanistan, the CH-47F Chinook based in Birmingham and the 1st of the 167th Infantry Battalion based in Talladega. Bass deployed with the Chinook unit in 2003. They were the first Army Aviation unit deployed after 9/11 and have since been deployed two more times and are preparing for their fourth deployment to Afghanistan. 

“A lot of these men and women are from the local area,” Bass said. “If any of you know Sgt. First Class Roy Chandler, he is from Cropwell and is a rock star in the unit.”  

During Operation Enduring Freedom in Kandahar, Afghanistan 2003-2004, the Chinook unit logged over 7,000 flight hours, carried more than 100,000 passengers, and millions of tons of cargo.  

Bass showed a video of Afghanistan, pointing out the ruggedness of the terrain and highlighting the landing and take off of the Chinook helicopter, the “workhorse of the Army.” 

Great clouds of dust rolled and swirled through the air, coating the soldiers waiting on the ground and obscuring the camera lens. “The dust is the greatest threat to an air crew,” Bass said. 

“The unique part of being in the National Guard, not only do we serve the President (of the United States) and nation overseas, we serve our neighbors here at home. This unit (Chinook) was an instrumental performer after the tornadoes of 2011, particularly in Tuscaloosa and Haleyville. For me, at least, that’s one of the most satisfying parts of being in the National Guard.”

A previous commander of the 1st of the 167th Infantry Battalion, Lt. Col. Bass led the unit’s 600 soldiers on a nine-month security mission to Afghanistan in 2012 and 2013. The primary mission was to provide safe convoys for senior military personnel and civilian leaders that were a part of the NATO mission to train Afghan army and police. The 1st of the 167th Infantry Battalion is also known as the “Fourth Alabama” and “Task Force Centurion Prime” and has units based in Talladega, Valley, Anniston, Pelham, Cullman, Sylacauga and Oxford.

“We were very fortunate,” Bass said. “I’m delighted to tell you, we all came back safe, which is a little unusual on a security mission.”

Bass described driving through Afghanistan in a MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) all-terrain vehicle every month, visiting soldiers that were in 16 different locations throughout the country.  He showed a video from the interior of the MRAP, looking through a net surrounding the vehicle that would help protect the vehicle from rocket propelled grenades, since the grenades detonate on impact. The video showed driving through the streets of downtown Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

“The thing I want you to notice is the vast majority of the Afghan people act a lot like we do,” Bass said. “They are opening shops, opening stands in street markets. It is a small majority of basically thugs that cause all of the disruption, but they do it very well unfortunately.”

One Rotarian noted that the frequent deployments of the National Guard units to war zones are different than military strategy over 20 years ago. Bass explained that currently the National Guard is considered an “operational force” that supports the active military as opposed to the “strategic reserve” model of 20 years ago. The National Guard mobilizes one out of every five years and active military mobilizes every other year. 

“Our military has actually shrunk a bit from the ‘50s and ‘60s,” Bass said. “That’s how we adapt, especially…at one point we had Afghanistan and Iraq going very strong as well as commitments in Korea, Kosovo, and the rest of the world.”

“I have enjoyed serving through my career in the military,” Bass said. “I’ve always loved being a part of service.”

To find out more information about the Alabama National Guard or Air National Guard, visit www.nationalguard.com.