DOD Public Affairs Office

Thank you for visiting the Military Support Operations web page. A function of this page is to educate requestors, and receive, evaluate legality, determine supportability and coordinate support efforts requiring Hawaii National Guard assets. There are a number of state and Federal restrictions on how we can support organizations and events, and our training and mission schedule must come first. By completely filling out and submitting DD Form 2535 or DD Form 2536 (as applicable) by the deadlines noted below, you greatly increase the chances that we will be able to assist you.

In an effort to increase public awareness of the Hawaii National Guard and to improve community relations, all efforts will be made to support all legal requests for assistance, however explicit regulatory guidance specifies the type and timing of the support that we may provide. Please keep in mind that if your event occurs during the workweek it could conflict with the full-time employment of our National Guard members, so certain events may be difficult for us to support.

Instructions on requesting assistance and a brief description of what procedures will occur upon receipt of each request are explained in the Instructions below or call the State of Hawaii Public Affairs Office at 808-441-7000

Instructions for Requesting Military Support
Please keep in mind that the Hawaii National Guard is a part-time force training and serving our nation and state in a time of war. In order to support an event, requests must be submitted up to 90-days prior to the date of your event. We try to fulfill as many of these requests as possible; however, operational commitments take priority and may supersede a request with little advance notice. All requests for assistance must be submitted on the proper Department of Defense form, which you will find below.

If you’d like to request Hawaii National Guard participation or support for your organization or special event, please read below for specific information on how and when to make your request. We’ve included information on the most common examples of support that we may be able to provide, if requested:

National Guard Volunteers and Marching Units (60 to 90-day advanced notice)
The Hawaii Army National Guard’s 111th Army Band (3-12 months in advance, the 111th AB plans their schedule out a year in advance)
Hawaii National Guard Aircraft Flyover (90-day advanced notice)
Honor Guard or Color Guard support (60-day advanced notice)
Military Speakers (45-day advanced notice)
Recruiting/Static Displays (90-day advanced notice)

Requesting National Guard Volunteers
Many times, special event organizers call requesting volunteer assistance from National Guard soldiers or airmen. Members of the National Guard have a proud history of local community service, including participation in local parades, food drives, blood drives, and other events. The Hawaii National Guard staff receives all volunteer requests, reviews and validates their legal propriety, then puts out a call across the organization for volunteers. Volunteers are not provided in an “official” capacity. The National Guard, as a government institution, refrains from endorsing specific organizations or events that it does not officially sponsor. Instead, it is up to the individual Guard members to decide whether they volunteer their time. Event organizers should also be aware that military mission requirements may, on occasion, prevent our people from supporting off-base events. If the event is on a “drill” weekend and it does not conflict with training, it greatly enhances the availability of a unit supporting the request.

To request military volunteers from the National Guard, event organizers should submit a completed DD Form 2536. Requests should be submitted 60-90 days prior to the event. Less than 60 days notice greatly reduces the chance that volunteer support will be available. Requests received 30 days or closer to the event generally are NOT considered.
Be sure to include the event’s name and date, the sponsoring organization, and the name, telephone of the point of contact for the event. 

Requesting the 111th Army Band
Requests for band participation in your event can be made by completing and submitting DD Form 2536. To ensure band availability and sufficient time to accommodate your request, please submit your requirements 3-12 months prior to the event. The 111th Army Band plans their calendar a year in advance.

For more information about Army Bands, including contact numbers and websites, go to https://www.bands.army.mil/default.asp

There is also a wealth of information on Air Force bands, along with downloadable samples of patriotic music and lyrics at https://www.bands.af.mil/

Requests for Aerial Support*

A long-standing tradition comes to an end… The Hawaii Air National Guard’s 199th Fighter Squadron will perform one last F-15 flyover on Memorial Day, 31 May 2010 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.  The unit is undergoing a conversion from F-15 Eagles to F-22 Raptors.  The unit anticipates that will not be able to fulfill any requests for flyovers at least until the fall of 2012 as it transitions to the new aircraft.

The Hawaii Army National Guard has two rotor-wing airframes: the UH-60 Blackhawk and the CH-47 Chinook. A majority of the flyovers are done by the Chinooks, which are based on Oahu. The Blackhawks are based out of Hilo on the island of Hawaii. The Chinook unit, like the F-15s, will perform one last flyover on Memorial Day, 31 May, 2010. Because of an impending deployment, the unit will be not able to perform flyovers earlier than January, 2012.
Requests for aviation support, which include anything using aircraft (i.e. fly-over, static display of aircraft) must be made with the REQUEST FOR MILITARY AERIAL SUPPORT (DD Form 2535). Event organizers should be aware that military aircraft flyover requests are subject to a number of restrictions and are supported only where they do not impact operational mission accomplishment. Less than 90 days notice greatly reduces the chance that support will be available. Requests received 30 days or closer to the event will not be considered.

The Adjutant General of Hawaii is the approval authority for flyovers in observance of ceremonies on or within seven (7) days of the following five (5) patriotic holidays:
Armed Forces Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
MIA/POW Day
Veteran’s Day

Flyovers for these holidays must be for a ceremony occurring within seven days of said holiday AND the event being supported must have, as an integral part of the activity, a ceremony recognizing the individuals or event being honored by the holiday.

For Aerial Support requests other than in observance of patriotic holidays, an exception to policy request must be obtained from either the U.S Air Force or U.S. Army Public Affairs office in Washington D.C. Authorization by the either of these offices, does not confirm the support will be provided, only that it has been granted an exception to policy and military support to the event is authorized. Execution is still dependent on the ability and availability of the Hawaii National Guard unit possessing the aircraft.

When requesting an exception to policy for U.S. Air Force aircraft go to the website, (www.airshows.pa.hq.af.mil). This website will take you through the steps and questions that will generate the DD Form 2535. This generates an unsigned DD Form 2535 and begins the process to get your event approved by the Air Force. Requestor still needs to have all appropriate signatures on form, than they can coordinate* the request with the State of Hawaii DoD Public Affairs Office to get FAA approval and submit final DD Form 2535 to Air Force.

If requesting U.S. Army aircraft, such as helicopters, the DD Form 2535 is to be signed, scanned and emailed to State of Hawaii DoD Public Affairs Office. The event and availability of the helicopters will be evaluated by the Hawaii Army National Guard. If event is approved and the aircraft are available “at no additional cost to the government”, requestor will receive support from Public Affairs office in getting FAA approval and submit final DD Form 2535 to the National Guard Bureau for final approval.

Please send the request to the point of contact below*:

State of Hawaii Department of Defense Public Affairs Office (PAO)
ATTN: Aerial Support Request
3949 Diamond Head Road 
Honolulu, HI, 96816-4495 
Commercial Telephone: 808-441-7000

[email protected]

Honor Guard or Color Guard Requests (Funeral Honors)

The Honor Guard is a four-person formation of highly-polished military personnel in full service dress uniform. They act as a color guard, posting and retiring the flag and rendering to it the proper customs and courtesies. This time-honored traditional detail adds dignity and solemnity to any military-related activity while showing respect to our nation and those who have served it.

To request an honor guard from the Hawaii National Guard, event organizers should submit a completed and correctly-filled-out  DD Form 2536. Please submit the request 60 days prior to the event.

Requesting a National Guard Speaker
We typically can provide speakers for Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day public observances, but can also provide speakers for certain private engagements.

To request a speaker from the National Guard, event organizers should submit a completed and correctly-filled-out DD Form 2536. Please submit the request 45 days prior to the event. Less than 30 days notice greatly reduces the chance that volunteer support will be available.

Be sure to include the event’s name and date, the sponsoring organization, and the name, telephone of the point of contact for the event. In addition, organizations must certify that attendance and/or membership in the organization is not limited on the grounds of race, religion, creed, color, or ethnic background.

Requesting an Army or Air National Guard Static Display

Event organizers should be aware that static display requests are subject to a number of restrictions and can only be supported only when they do not impact operational mission accomplishment. Anyone requesting a static display vehicle or aircraft must submit a completed and correctly-filled-out DD Form 2536. The request should be submitted a minimum of 90 days prior to the event to be considered for support. Less than 90 days notice greatly reduces the chance that support will be available. Requests received 30 days or closer to the event will NOT be considered. Please ensure that you include which type or types of vehicles or aircraft you are requesting.

 

Requesting a National Guard Recruiting Display

Hawaii Army National Guard Recruiting is also available for static displays. We have available The Hawaii Army National Guard’s Recruiting HMMWV, a rock climbing wall and several inflatable games such as a football toss. All of these are fun for everyone as well as a great opportunity for people to talk with our recruiters and find out about opportunities available in the Hawaii Army National Guard. The availability of recruiting displays is limited, so we ask that you submit your request no less than 90 days prior to the event.

Forms Download
If you are requesting any of the above military services or support, please print out, sign and email one of the following forms listed below. The Department of Defense forms we use to evaluate requests for support are available in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, please click on the link below to download a free copy: Download Adobe Acrobat Reader

DD Form 2535 (PDF)

DD Form 2536 (PDF)

The Request for Military Support Review/Approval Process
Once the written request and accompanying DD Form 2535 or DD Form 2536 are received (by email, mail or hand delivery), it is logged for tracking purposes.  Please provide an e-mail address (if available) for further communications as this is the preferred method of correspondence. It is important that your request is in our office no later the aforementioned days (30-90 days) before your event.

You will receive a phone call or an email of the receipt of your request. A cursory review of your request by the Public Affairs Office/Military Support Officer will occur before being forwarded for legal review by (1) the Judge Advocate General (2) the U.S. Property and Fiscal Accounting Office. (3) and finally The Adjutant General of the Hawaii National Guard.

If your request is deemed not authorized by military regulations or non-supportable at this point, you will be notified by telephone.

After being classified, as a request that we may legally support your request will be forwarded to a National Guard unit that possess the asset(s) you are requesting, for consideration.   (NOTE: Even though a request is deemed legal, support is still dependent upon the availability of supporting personnel/equipment and may not conflict with regularly scheduled training or missions.)

Once the unit has advised the PAO/Military Support section of acceptance and ability to execute the mission, you will be contacted directly by the unit supporting your request.  From this point on you are authorized to conduct direct communication with that unit.

Upon completion of your event, please send an e-mail or letter addressing any comments or concerns reference the handling and support of your request, to the address above.

Thank you for taking the time to consider the Hawaii National Guard to be a part of your event.

If you still have questions about any part of the process, please contact us at:
State of Hawaii Department of Defense Public Affairs Office (PAO)
3949 Diamond Head Road
Honolulu, HI, 96816-4495
Commercial Telephone: 808-441-7000

Public Affairs Officer:  MAJ. Jeff Hickman ([email protected])