“I felt that the Guard had a lot
of expertise and capability to
bring to the table. We have doc-
tors, lawyers, plumbers, electri-
cians and everything in between.
The state has been very good to
us, and as a West Virginian, I
just knew I needed to volunteer
myself and my organization to
take the lead.”
As the state’s national and
homeland security asset, the
WVARNG specializes in key
WV Army National Guard
economic development activities
soldiers analyze maps in
around the state, including lever-
Clay County to coordinate
recovery and relief efforts.
aging surface mine sites and other
Photo by Sgt. Sara Yoke.
terrain; providing cost-effective
logistics and maintenance capa-
bilities to government agencies; and expand- with the same transitioning economic base
ing the agriculture, technology and tourism that the state has been struggling with for
industries. Under Hoyer’s leadership, Guard several years,” says Hoyer. “Our objective
members are applying some of this exper- is to take those challenges and turn them
tise to help the four areas that were hardest into opportunities. We owe it to those
hit by the flood: Clay, Greenbrier, Kanawha people to turn this into something positive.”
and Nicholas counties. Pre-existing economic
One month after the flood, members
challenges in those areas made recovery that of the Guard began traveling the state,
much more difficult to execute.
assessing these areas and looking for op-
“If you look at the places that were portunities to cultivate. A year later, the
impacted the most, they were all struggling Guard has transitioned emergency relief
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efforts to economic develop-
ment, mobilizing agriculture,
technology and tourism initia-
tives in the flood zones.
“Fortunately, we were al-
ready engaged in economic de-
velopment efforts around the
state, and we were able to take
a look at our existing activities
and see what made sense to
overlay into flood recovery,”
says Hoyer. “It’s also a matter
of getting out in the commu-
nities and asking people what
they envision and then help-
ing empower them to turn that
vision into opportunity.”
Opportunity Grows Here
Of the three areas of opportunity for
economic growth, agriculture is leading
the pack, thanks to Patriot Guardens, a
WVARNG initiative that combines agri-
culture and job training to help veterans
start their own farms.
The program’s director, Colonel James
McHugh, sees the value in expanding West
Virginia’s agriculture industry and uses his
own agriculture experience, gained from
raising fruit trees and bees on his 100-acre
farm in Jackson County, to teach others.
The Guard is leveraging its presence in the
flood zones to connect individuals who lost
their jobs, businesses or farms with new em-
ployment opportunities through agriculture.
“West Virginia is one of the most fertile
areas in the world, yet our agricultural pro-
duction is lagging in comparison to what
it has the potential to be,” says McHugh.
“West Virginia soil fertility is at the top of
the national fertility map because of our
rainfall and climate, and that means quick
results. We hope they will take the skills
they are learning through these programs
and expand the economy.”
Partnering with West Virginia State
University’s extension service, Patriot
Guardens offers agricultural workshops
in armories around the state no longer
utilized by the Guard.
“The armories have really become cen-
tral hubs for local farmers and veterans to
come in and learn what they need to learn
to use equipment they might not have had
on their own,” says Lieutenant Brittany
Evans, coordinator of Patriot Guardens.
“The hubs are providing space for educa-
tional workshops about agriculture, fruits,
vegetables, growing, irrigation and watering,