Man who brought big military exercise to Indiana honored
Jan. 29—Friday was proclaimed Nicholas Marchuk Day in Terre Haute in honor of the man who brought a large-scale military exercise to Hulman Field, generating a $6 million benefit to the local economy.
Mayor Duke Bennett and other civic leaders congratulated Marchuk of the Indiana National Guard Solutions Group for his work in bringing the joint exercise to Terre Haute Regional Airport in August 2021.
The 181st Intelligence Wing, based at the Hulman Field Air National Guard Base, partnered with the airport to host the live exercise called Jaded Thunder. It was a joint Department of Defense military exercise involving conventional and special operations forces.
The event came about when Marchuk, of Indianapolis, sought out and attended a Special Operations Joint Exercise Conference, where he gave a brief overview of Indiana's defense capabilities.
Marchuk's efforts resulted in bringing the exercise and hosting 1,166 people and 46 aircraft for two weeks to Indiana. Marchuk connected with the airport leadership to house the majority of the aircraft for the exercise.
The exercise led to about $4.3 million spent purchasing jet fuel and hangar space at Hulman Field as well as an additional $1.7 million to Terre Haute's hotels, restaurants and rental car establishments.
Marchuk said he thought bringing the exercise to Hulman Field was a "no brainer" due to the National Guard presence at the facility.
"They used to have F-16s here, and one of the majority of the aircrafts present were F-16s and F-15s, so we knew we could probably use [Hulman Field]. They also had areas to store ammunition. We had available fuel. So it was just a turnkey solution," Marchuk said.
The community responded well to the exercises, not only for the economic benefit, but also for the visuals.
Marchuk said he was surprised to see so many local residents coming out to the airport to sit in lawn chairs around the fences and watch the aircraft take off during the exercise.
Because some of the participants in the event are involved in sensitive and risky missions, the exercises were not publicized in advance, he said.
Marchuk said he hopes the success of the exercise could mean a return of a training event in the future. He said he is discussions about future exercises coming to Terre Haute.
"They loved the assets they got to train on in Indiana so I would foresee it at one point," Marchuk said.
In addition to the mayor's proclamation, Marchuk also received a proclamation from state Rep. Tonya Pfaff on behalf of herself, state Sen. John Ford and the Indiana General Assembly for contributing to the prosperity of the state.
Airport director Jeff Hauser, a retired brigadier general and former base commander for the 181st, said the airport has more than a million square feet of ramp space, making it a good space for exercises, air shows and other events, Houser said.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at 812-231-4254 or at lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @TribStarLisa.
