Guard duty helps local football program

A new storage shed at the Kidsport complex is being built by some of Montana's finest - members of the Montana Air National Guard.

Ten soldiers with the Guard's 219th Red Horse Squadron volunteered to erect the 40- by 60-foot building that will house equipment for the local Little Guy football program.

The project began when Master Sgt. Darin Woeppel of Kalispell, a member of the Little Guy board of directors, saw a need for a centralized storage facility for the football program that involves more than 300 fourth- through sixth-graders.

Football equipment was scattered around the area in six different storage sheds, making it difficult to keep track of what was being stored where.

Woeppel put in a request to his superiors to have members of the unit construct the pre-engineered building as a training project.

The 219th built three similar buildings two years ago in southwest Asia as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

"I put in the paperwork and they approved it," Woeppel said. "I've been working on the project for about a year."

Through fund-raisers, the Little Guy program paid for the materials, but the labor has all been courtesy of the 219th. The group of nine men and one woman has another week of work left.

"For me this is the two loves of my life," Woeppel said. "I've got 19 years in with the Guard, and I love football."

The project makes for good public relations, he added, and valuable exposure for the Air National Guard. Based at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, the 219th unit was established in September 1997 to train personnel for construction and repair missions in remote environments.

"When we came back from Operation Enduring Freedom, a lot of people didn't even know we had been gone," Woeppel said.

Last year a group from the 219th went to Ethiopia to build three schools.

The 219th is scheduled to return to southwest Asia in the near future for another mission with Operation Enduring Freedom.

"I thank these guys for putting in their time on this project," Woeppel continued. "They could be home spending time with their families before they leave, but they're here helping out."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com