CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
Hovering over an isolated and densely wooded area somewhere in rural West Virginia, a UH-72 Lakota helicopter crew from the West Virginia National Guard’s Counter Drug program spots the target of their day's mission, a large growth of marijuana, and radios coordinates to Law Enforcement Agencies on the ground as they zero in on the illegal stash.
Meanwhile, counties away at a local elementary school, other WVNG Soldiers assigned to the Drug Demand Reduction program are spending their day reading books and engaging in fun activities with students, providing mentorship and friendship while helping kids understand the dangers of drug use.
These are just two opposite yet complimentary ways the WVNG is supporting drug-free efforts in the Mountain State.
Since 1989, members of the WVNG have been actively engaged with the CD and DDR programs in an effort to protect West Virginia and its citizens against the ravages of the illicit drug trade and resulting substance abuse issues that have significant and costly impacts on the health, well-being, and economy of the state.
“Both the CD and DDR programs have been significantly important missions for the WVNG since their inceptions,” stated Col. William “Bill” Annie, program director. “The National Guard plays a significant role in anti-drug efforts across the United States and we have been and continue to be a proud part of those combined efforts here at home in West Virginia.”
Through the CD program, members of the WVNG work as a joint operations Army and Air Force taskforce, who collaborate closely with partner agencies such as the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, West Virginia Emergency Management Division, the West Virginia Fusion Center, as well as local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Drug Enforcement Agency, United States Marshal’s Office, United States Attorney’s Offices, West Virginia State Police, and more, in a combined effort to combat illegal drug growth, production, transportation, and sales.
Currently, there are more than a dozen Airmen and Soldiers in the Guard with varying military occupational specialties serving in a variety of roles and functions.
One analyst for the CD taskforce is Tech Sgt. Chase Kennedy of the 130th Airlift Wing, based in Charleston, West Virginia. Kennedy assists the United States Postal Inspection Service to track, search and stop the trafficking of drugs through the mail, serving as an administrative force-multiplier. His work at the front end of the inspection process frees up Postal Inspectors to focus on more deliberate matters to prevent drugs from passing through the postal system.
“With me around they’re able to do more,” Kennedy said. “It is a small office of two inspectors who do this for the whole southern district of the state. Having one more person to maximize the workload distribution pushes the reach of the office’s impact at keeping drugs out of the wrong hands.”
Kennedy is proud of his work and feels his efforts are truly meaningful, benefitting the safety and security of himself, his fellow servicemembers and their families, and every community in the Mountain State.
“I get to go home knowing that I did something that had an impact. I am local, and there are people I know personally who have struggled with addiction,” he stated. “It is nice to know I am doing something small to maybe keep someone else from going through that.”
While some members of the task force work on the ground with a variety of agencies around the state, the primary contribution the Guard brings to the CD program is through utilizing unique rotary and fixed-wing military platforms, providing partners agencies with essential intelligence information through aerial support efforts.
Advanced thermal imaging, visible-light imaging, video analytics and advanced threat detection systems used by WVNG helicopters are exclusive to military agencies and provide significantly better photo and video quality than standard civilian operated ground-based imaging equipment. This high-quality support footage strengthens law enforcement’s case during trials by leaving little room for a defendant to dispute captured photo or video evidence.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Larry Helmick, aviation branch chief manager and 30-year veteran pilot of the program, is emphatic on the positive impacts of the CD program.
“We provide the ability to do aerial support operations where law enforcement can’t,” Helmick said. “Our missions help to increase situational awareness for our partners, help to provide critical documentary evidence, and contributes greatly to officer safety on the ground. We bring hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of resources to the fight through aviation equipment and manpower that local law enforcement agencies simply could not afford through their normal budgets.”
This is a view confirmed by Special Agent Jennifer King, a 15-year drug investigator with the FBI.
“Law enforcement agencies would not be able to complete their missions as effectively without the CD partnership,” she stated. “The WVNG’s helicopters have the unique ability to go where regular agents can’t, the sky. Because of the rural geography of West Virginia, there’s a lot of hollows and isolated areas where ground-based support is difficult to conduct while going undetected. Having aerial assets available, often on short notice, is a tremendous tool in our toolbox.”
Aerial support photographic and video evidence can be used by law enforcement to procure search warrants which often leads to seizures of drug and other illegal items and the arrest of suspects.
“With no helicopter support we’re not able to get that probable cause that allows us to go in for a search,” King said. “Seizures and arrests would fall dramatically without the contributions of the CD program.”
In 2019 alone, more than one billion dollars’ worth of drugs, money, and items including illegal firearms were seized in West Virginia through assistance by the CD program.
While the men and women involved in the CD program play a critical role in seizing and stopping the current supply of illegal drugs in the state, it is only one part of anti-drug efforts. Just as important to keeping West Virginia safe is the effort to snuff out the demand for drugs in the first place.
According to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, substance abuse is a major issue throughout the Mountain State. Substance use disorders are linked not only to overdose deaths, but to increased crime rates, child abuse and neglect, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, infectious and chronic diseases, and accidental injuries. Drug arrests and prisoner housing are a leading cost to local jurisdictions, counties, and the state, costing taxpayers millions of dollars per year.
Mitigating these long-term, life-threatening issues is the focus of the Drug Demand Reduction Program.
In primary and middle schools throughout West Virginia, Soldiers and Airmen work closely with the West Virginia Department of Education’s Common Ground program and with local school officials to bring messages of drug-free lifestyles and the dangers of drug use, abuse, and addiction to students.
Approximately six personnel are assigned to the DDR program at any given time throughout the year, and they focus on being in the schools to provide hands-on interactions with students to model good drug-free lifestyles and potential.
“Our mission in the schools is to help kids by being role models they may not have otherwise,” stated Senior Master Sgt. Troy Kappen, Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the DDR taskforce. “Some kids don’t have someone at home to teach them right from wrong. We’re standing in as that person and providing to them an example of what a successful life can be without drugs.”
Since its inception in the late 1980s, the DDR program has reached hundreds of thousands of students around the state and continues to provide motivation and inspiration to new generations of kids every year.
“Both parts of our anti-drug initiatives, CD and DDR, represent a significant investment by the National Guard to help combat illegal activities, to keep our state safe, and to contribute to our national security,” stated Annie. “Our Guard motto is “Always Ready, Always There”, and these programs exemplify that motto in the air, on the ground, in our schools, and in our communities. We are proud to provide support to our law enforcement partners, to serve as mentors and examples of drug-free successful lives to all our kids, and to help keep our state safe from the ravages of illicit and illegal drugs.”