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Gifts of Gratitude
Retired Maj. J. Stephen Riley is like many individual financial contributors to the National Guard Educational Foundation. He wanted to give back to the Guard for all the unique opportunities and experiences he had in 22 years in the force.
“Being a Guardsman was not easy on my family or me,” he said. “But what it returned was priceless: the knowledge that we were helping our community, taking care of the troops under me, gaining skills that I will pass down to my son.
“We want to keep giving to the Guard that gave so much to me,” Riley added.
A retired Washington Army Guard officer, he was one of 18 major donors the NGEF recognized during a special reception Nov. 16 at the National Guard Memorial, the NGAUS and NGEF headquarters in Washington, D.C. They contributed a combined $220,000 to the foundation through its Legion de Lafayette program, which is reserved for gifts of $10,000 or more.
The major-donor program is the leading revenue source for the foundation, which preserves and shares all 388 years of the Guard story. Among its programs is the National Guard Memorial Museum, which includes 5,600 square feet of artifacts, images and interactive exhibits.
Benefactors recognized during the reception included seven individuals or couples, 10 corporations and the NGAUS Retired/Separated Caucus.
“Our family has a tremendous respect and admiration for the National Guard,” said another honoree, retired Utah Army Guard 1st Sgt. Brad Howell. “Every member of the National Guard is willing to make sacrifices, not only for their community and country, but for their families. They are citizen-soldiers and -airmen who live among us and dedicate themselves to the service of others.
“We have truly been honored to be a part of such a great organization and are thankful that the tradition of service continues in our community and country,” Howell added.
Individual donors recognized also included retired Ohio Air Guard Maj. Gen. Mark and Christi Bartman, retired Massachusetts Army Guard Lt. Col. Raymond Martin, Virginia Army Guard Maj. Gen. James W. and Leigh Anne Ring, retired Michigan Army Guard Brig. Gen. Robert V. and Jennifer Taylor and Tom Nicolett, who managed Guard programs at Sikorsky helicopters for many years.
We want to keep giving to the Guard that gave so much to me.
—Maj. J. Stephen Riley (Ret.), a retired member of the Washington Army National Guard
All the individual contributors — except Taylor, a former association chairman — were making their first $10,000 donation to the NGEF.
Three of the corporate donors honored — DripDrop Hydration, Leidos QTC Health Services and Leonardo Helicopters — were also first-time major contributors.
“Leidos QTC Health services is highly committed to supporting the National Guard, recognizing the vital role the National Guard plays in protecting our nation and communities,” said Dr. Don Kosiak, the chief medical officer for Leidos QTC Health Services.
Airbus, AM General, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Military Benefit Association, Northrop Grumman, USAA and Valiant Integrated Services were recognized for all adding to earlier gifts.
Those honored received a replica of an 1832 medal the New York militia presented to Marquis de Lafayette, after whom the LdL program is named. A French aristocrat who served in both the American and French revolutions, he played a major role in the development of the state militias, which are now collectively known as the National Guard.
Lafayette commanded the famous Garde Nationale de Paris in France. During his visit to New York in 1824, the militia unit that provided his honor guard adopted the designation National Guard out of respect for his unit in France. The name stuck, growing in popularity until it became the official name of the organization of militias nationwide in the early 20th century.
The NGEF also stencils the name of every LdL donor on the wall outside the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Room in the National Guard Memorial.
The foundation established the program in 1987 to recognize patrons who significantly advance the foundation’s work. It has raised nearly $5 million over the last decade, according to Luke Guthrie, the foundation's director.
For more information on the NGEF, visit www.ngef.org.
PHOTO ABOVE
Top Row (from left): Maj. J. Stephen Riley (Ret.), Washington Army National Guard; Dr. Don Kosiak, Chief Medical Officer, Leidos QTC Health Services; Susan Hawkins, Senior Director of Strategy and Mission Solutions Navigation, Targeting and Survivability Division, Northrop Grumman; Steve Burns, Senior Business Development Manager, National Capital Region, Airbus; Col. Lee Winningham (Ret.) General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
Third Row (from left): Lt. Col. Raymond Martin, Massachusetts Army National Guard; Mark Wilson, Director of Strategic Business Development, Military Benefit Association; Tom Nicolett; J.D. Clem, Director, U.S. Air Force, National Guard and SOF Programs, Leonardo Helicopters; 1st Sgt. Brad Howell (Ret.), Utah Army National Guard; Brig. Gen. Mike Oster (Ret.), Retired/separated Director-Army, NGAUS Board of Directors
Second Row (from left): John Chadbourne, Executive Vice President, AM General; Andy Hall, Vice President, National Security Training Solutions, Valiant Integrated Services; Robert Warren, Military Affinity Development & Management, USAA; Leigh Anne Ring; Maj. Gen. James Ring, Adjutant General of Virginia, NGAUS Board of Directors; Maj. Gen. Mark Bartman (Ret.), Ohio Air National Guard; Brig. Gen. Bobbi Doorenbos (Ret.), Secretary, NGAUS Board of Directors
Front Row (from left): Brig. Gen. Robert V. Taylor (Ret.), Former Chairman, NGAUS & NGEF; Jennifer Taylor; Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn (Ret.), President, NGAUS & NGEF; Franklynn Williamson Ring; Christi Bartman; Greg Sumerlin, Senior Director, Government & Military Accounts, DripDrop Hydration
AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS for the NGEF this year were events marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy, France, which led to the liberation of Western Europe during World War II.
Elements of the 29th Infantry Division, a Guard unit from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, were among the first ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
NGAUS has sent a delegation to commemorate the Guard’s role in D-Day every five years since 1949. This year, Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles, then the association and foundation chairman, and retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president, led the small group, which held a ceremony at the National Guard Monument on Omaha Beach at sunrise June 6, 2024.
The monument, which sits atop a former German bunker, pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Guardsmen who fought in Europe during both World War I and II. The association owns — and the NGEF maintains — what is one the most popular historical attractions on Omaha Beach. The bunker still contains the 88mm gun that U.S. troops silenced during some of D-Day’s fiercest fighting.
A black inscription on the U-shaped concrete monument details in English and French the extent to which Guardsmen served and shed their blood in the two conflicts.
Harsh weather in the region means the monument needs regular maintenance, says Will Roulett, the foundation’s deputy director. In preparation for this year’s 80th anniversary commemoration, the mortar between the monument’s stones was removed and replaced, and the deteriorating range-finding painting drawn by the German defenders of the beach was restored.
The D-Day commemoration included the museum. The NGEF built a temporary exhibit recognizing the Medal of Honor recipients who served in the Guard’s divisions with Normandy Campaign credit — the 28th, 29th, 30th and 35th divisions.
In 2025, the foundation focus will turn to the 250th anniversary of “the shot heard round the world,” the first shot by colonial militiamen during the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which began the American Revolution. Roulett says the NGEF will recognize Guard contributions to U.S. independence with special episodes of the Minuteman Minute video series, blog posts and articles in National Guard.
Roulett adds the foundation will continue taking groups of Guardsmen from around the country on tours of the museum and hosting scholars in the National Guard Memorial Library. The NGEF also plans to deepen its partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for the Study of the National Guard and support the new center’s efforts to create a hub for Guard history.
John Goheen, the NGAUS director of communications, can be reached at john.goheen@ngaus.org.
