Name: Faces of the California National Guard: Why members put their personal lives on hold to serve
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Faces of the California National Guard: Why members put their personal lives on hold to serve

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Sorry, this site is not accessible in your region.Faces of the California National Guard: Why members put their personal lives on hold to serveAdvertisementFaces of the California National Guard: Why members put their personal lives on hold to serveMembers of the California National Guard had their fair share of challenges this past year, from the pandemic — to wildfires — and everything in between.Their latest efforts include organizing, supporting and vaccinating California residents to protect them against COVID-19.But what some may not realize, is that the men and women of the National Guard have had to set aside their personal lives in order to serve California.Here are some of the men and women who make it all happen:Kaitlyn KoenekeCaptain, California Army National GuardKoeneke has been active with the COVID-19 Joint Task Force since April 2020 and serves with food banks in Silicon Valley."Currently, there is still a massive need, and my soldiers are so proud to be out here working in the community. And I'm proud of them because they represent me out at the food bank," she said.Outside the guard, Koeneke lives in Davis and is a seventh-grade teacher at Lee Middle School. Recently, Koeneke has been on leave from her teaching job and commutes weekly to Seaside, California, for guard duty.She says her marriage was delayed due to the pandemic but hopes to make it happen soon."I was supposed to get married back in August, but with COVID we delayed it. But we're finally going to tie the knot in April," she said.Mitchell RolleySenior Master Sergeant, California Army National GuardRolley oversaw operations of the California National Guard at the Oakland Coliseum when the Guard was assisting FEMA with mass vaccinations there."We've definitely made some adjustments along the way to make sure traffic flow is going well, and we've pretty much streamlined the process," he said of the mass vaccination site.Outside of the Guard, Rolley is raising his two teenage boys, 19 and 16, in Fairfield.He told KCRA 3 the mass vaccination sites were one of the best ways to get past the pandemic."Just like everybody else, I think it's impacted what we do every day, and we all want to get back to normal, and this is the best way to make that happen," Rolley said.Sandy McGeeCaptain with California Air National GuardMcGee is a flight nurse and commander of a vaccination strike team at Cal Expo."What a great benefit it is that we can serve our home state as a National Guard member. Army, Air and State Guard,” she said.Outside the Guard, McGee has a daughter and lives in Davis, where she is an oncology nurse at Dignity Health.She told KCRA 3 that sometimes, serving the country with your family nearby can be more difficult than being overseas."It's sometimes harder to be away from your family, close, than it is if you're in Afghanistan or Iraq or some other theater serving," she said.Donald EdmistonSecond Lieutenant with California Air National GuardEdmiston helped to facilitate the mission at Cal Expo where he supported vaccination efforts."Helping fight COVID, and I know our teams are doing what they can to help provide inoculations," Edmiston said.Outside the guard, he works at UC San Diego in the IT Department.Similar to McGee, Edmiston spoke with KCRA 3 about the difficulties surrounding being away from family to serve."It is hard being away from family. It is a big challenge for family members back home," he said. "They're holding down the fort while we're doing what we do on the activation side out in the military." This story about California's National Guard was produced as part of the KCRA 3 special report "On California's Front Lines." The Guard is in the midst of the longest deployment in its history – a more than one-year-long mission that has put them on the front lines fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Guard members have also helped battle California wildfires and keep the peace during civil unrest. KCRA 3’s Ty Steele takes viewers from a cruise ship off the California coast to downtown Sacramento, the Sierra foothills, and the nation’s Capital, introducing us to these volunteer citizen-soldiers and the missions they are dedicated to fulfilling. Watch the full special here.Members of the had their fair share of challenges this past year, from the pandemic — to wildfires — and everything in between.Their latest efforts include organizing, supporting and vaccinating California residents to protect them against COVID-19.AdvertisementBut what some may not realize, is that the men and women of the National Guard have had to set aside their personal lives in order to serve California.Here are some of the men and women who make it all happen:Captain, California Army National GuardKoeneke has been active with the COVID-19 Joint Task Force since April 2020 and serves with food banks in Silicon Valley."Currently, there is still a massive need, and my soldiers are so proud to be out here working in the community. And I'm proud of them because they represent me out at the food bank," she said.Outside the guard, Koeneke lives in Davis and is a seventh-grade teacher at Lee Middle School. Recently, Koeneke has been on leave from her teaching job and commutes weekly to Seaside, California, for guard duty.She says her marriage was delayed due to the pandemic but hopes to make it happen soon."I was supposed to get married back in August, but with COVID we delayed it. But we're finally going to tie the knot in April," she said.Senior Master Sergeant, California Army National GuardRolley oversaw operations of the California National Guard at the Oakland Coliseum when the Guard was assisting FEMA with mass vaccinations there."We've definitely made some adjustments along the way to make sure traffic flow is going well, and we've pretty much streamlined the process," he said of the mass vaccination site.Outside of the Guard, Rolley is raising his two teenage boys, 19 and 16, in Fairfield.He told KCRA 3 the mass vaccination sites were one of the best ways to get past the pandemic."Just like everybody else, I think it's impacted what we do every day, and we all want to get back to normal, and this is the best way to make that happen," Rolley said.Captain with California Air National GuardMcGee is a flight nurse and commander of a vaccination strike team at Cal Expo."What a great benefit it is that we can serve our home state as a National Guard member. Army, Air and State Guard,” she said.Outside the Guard, McGee has a daughter and lives in Davis, where she is an oncology nurse at Dignity Health.She told KCRA 3 that sometimes, serving the country with your family nearby can be more difficult than being overseas."It's sometimes harder to be away from your family, close, than it is if you're in Afghanistan or Iraq or some other theater serving," she said.Second Lieutenant with California Air National GuardEdmiston helped to facilitate the mission at Cal Expo where he supported vaccination efforts."Helping fight COVID, and I know our teams are doing what they can to help provide inoculations," Edmiston said.Outside the guard, he works at UC San Diego in the IT Department.Similar to McGee, Edmiston spoke with KCRA 3 about the difficulties surrounding being away from family to serve."It is hard being away from family. It is a big challenge for family members back home," he said. "They're holding down the fort while we're doing what we do on the activation side out in the military." This story about California's National Guard was produced as part of the The Guard is in the midst of the longest deployment in its history – a more than one-year-long mission that has put them on the front lines fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Guard members have also helped battle California wildfires and keep the peace during civil unrest. KCRA 3’s Ty Steele takes viewers from a cruise ship off the California coast to downtown Sacramento, the Sierra foothills, and the nation’s Capital, introducing us to these volunteer citizen-soldiers and the missions they are dedicated to fulfilling.Advertisement

Sorry, this site is not accessible in your region.Faces of the California National Guard: Why members put their personal lives on hold to serveAdvertisementFaces of the California National Guard: Why members put their personal lives on hold to serveMembers of the California National Guard had their fair share of challenges this past year, from the pandemic — to wildfires — and everything in between.Their latest efforts include organizing, supporting and vaccinating California residents to protect them against COVID-19.But what some may not realize, is that the men and women of the National...

Faces of the California National Guard: Why members put their personal lives on hold to serve

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