Joint operations center keeps funeral plan on track

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alec Lloyd
  • 110th Fighter Wing
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AFPN) --  Every military operation requires a headquarters, even those that are ceremonial in nature. For state funeral honors of former President Gerald R. Ford, that role is being filled by the Forward Operations Center located in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel here.

A conference room has been transformed into the high-tech nerve center for the Michigan National Guard's contribution to paying final respects to the former commander-in-chief. Two dozen servicemembers are busy coordinating the activities of more than 600 Army and Air National Guard members serving in various capacities, from the Forward Joint Information Bureau in the hotel to units performing duties at Grace Episcopal Church, the Grand Valley Armory and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

This is the first time that the National Guard has provided this kind of support. Because Michigan has no active duty units, the National Guard has stepped up to perform the task.

"Our main job here is communication," said Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan, the day shift supervisor for the FJOC. "It is a significant emotional and historical event. We are doing the best job we can for the Ford family and the country. I'm proud to be part of this organization and this event."

Rendering the proper honors due to a former president requires preparation that incorporates protocols, longstanding traditions and the wishes of the president's family. According to Colonel Sullivan, the National Guard has been preparing and updating its role as far back as 1986.

Colonel Sullivan grew up in Lowell, Mich., just outside President Ford's hometown of Grand Rapids. Now a resident of Lansing where he serves as the state training officer for the Army National Guard, many of Colonel Sullivan's family still reside in the Grand Rapids area. This local connection gives the funeral an added emotional impact.

Though the majority of members activated are from the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard has a significant contribution. Col. Frank Walker of Richland is the director of mission support for the Michigan Air National Guard. Serving in the FJOC as the senior Air National Guard liason, he is pleased with the degree of cooperation the two services have shown in the FJOC.

"We have really operated as a 'purple' team; we have really integrated," he said. "We look at ourselves as a total force."

He also noted that members at all levels were aware that the eyes of the nation and world were upon them.

"We are representing all of the Guard," he said. "This is a significant emotional event. It is a solemn occasion, but it is also the celebration of a great person and a great Michigander."

Pfc. Timothy Logan of Holland and Pvt. Christian Fricke of Muskegon both volunteered to help provide security. Members of Charley Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, they were assigned to check identification outside the FJOC and help direct visitors. Both have been in the Guard for two years.

"My mom was the one who got the phone when I got the orders," said Private Fricke. "My dad said, 'You should be really proud; you are making history.'"

For Maj. Andrew Roman, the assistant day supervisor of the FJOC, the biggest challenge is logistical. Organizing unit requirements and getting the assets in place present their own difficulties, but the New Year's holiday added a new wrinkle: finding billeting for 650 Soldiers and Airmen on a holiday weekend when most hotels are already booked solid.

In terms of execution, Major Roman said that to this point, things have gone well.

"Most people understood their initial roles in the plan," he said. The DeWitt resident and force integration and training officer also looks forward to demonstrating the Michigan National Guard's mission capability to outside agencies.

At all levels of the Michigan Guard there is a mixture of emotions -- pride and excitement at taking on a challenging mission, and grief and respect for the loss of one the state's leading citizens.

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