(dramatic music)

- Thanks for joining us forCBN's On The Home Front,

where we highlight what the men and women

of America's military doto defend our country.

I'm Mark Martin.

The Trump administration has decided

to increase border securityefforts once again.

Trump announced on Twitter

that more troops are beingsent to the US-Mexico border.

The President pointed tothe new approaching caravans

for his reasons behind sendingthe additional 3,750 troops.

Reports state the increasein troops will cost more

than $600 million by theend of the fiscal year.

The President tweeted, "Tremendous numbers

"of people are coming up through Mexico

"in the hopes of floodingour southern border.

"We have sent additional military.

"We will build a human wall if necessary.

"If we had a real wall,this would be a non-event."

Trump is still waiting on Congress

to approve $5.7 billionfor a southern border wall,

which would eliminate the need

for active-duty military at the border.

Meanwhile, the NationalGuard continues to work

to provide support to U.S. customs

and border protection along the border.

Here's the final episodein a five-part series

to show you whatday-to-day life looks like

for those in the front linesalong the southwest border.

"My dad, he would come over here

to the United States and work

and he got us green card,

my mother, my sister,myself and then we moved.

I was seven.

Before that, I would come over a few times

to visit my family

and I just enjoyed talking in English.

I remember I used to tell my cousins.

I would just start speaking nonsense.

It's like, what am Isaying, what am I saying?

She's like, you're not saying anything.

You're not making any sense.

Once I raised my right hand,

I gave up that citizenship.

I'm an American citizen, so Ifollow the Commander-in-chief.

He wants us to do this, sothat's the ultimate thing.

I joined the guardbecause I feel like I had

to give back to my country.

This country gave me a big opportunity

to grow my career and my whole life,

so I feel like it's myduty to join the guard.

I am part of the task forceOGS, Operation Guard Support.

I have two hats.

I have an administration role here

with the task force and then I also fly.

I'm very thankful for the opportunity

'cause I get to start

getting more hours, more experience

so that way I'm notbehind the power curve.

I like to feel the lightness of the skids

and once I'm hovering,

my mind is just, justabsent to it, I think.

But every time I do fly,

it's like I'm meant to be there.

Being up in the skies, it's awesome.

Once you're flying,

you're looking left, right, up.

You're looking down, beneath you

and you're surrounded by air and space.

You can go anywhere.

This is permission

'cause it's, one, it's givenme a lot of experience.

It's pushin' me outta the door.

I'm already second-in-commandfor this sector

and I have so many hats,

so many roles to play.

I feel like whenever you step out

of high school for college,

that's how I feel likestepping out of flight school

and coming into a mission,

an actual mission anddoing something real,

something that's not training.

I feel like it's gonnabe a big step forward

in my career and in my life.

I'm really thankful for this opportunity.

- In a move challenging President Trump,

New Mexico's governorhas ordered a withdrawal

of the majority of thestate's National Guard troops

from the border.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said

only around a dozen guardsman will remain

in the southwest corner of the state

to assist with humanitarian needs.

Grisham said, quote, "NewMexico will not take part

"in the President's charadeof border fear mongering

"by misusing our diligentNational Guard troops."

The governor also directed25 troops from other states

to withdraw from the New Mexico border.

During his State of the Unionaddress on February 5th,

President Trump also talkedabout international affairs,

from pulling troops out of Syria

to talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

- Our brave troops have now been fighting

in the Middle East for almost 19 years

in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Nearly 7,000 American heroeshave given their lives.

More than 52,000 Americanshave been badly wounded.

We hae spent more than $7 trillion

in fighting wars in the Middle East.

As a candidate for President,

I loudly pledged a new approach.

Great nations do not fight endless wars.

When I took office,

ISIS controlled morethan 20,000 square miles

in Iraq and Syria,

just two years ago.

Today, we have liberatedvirtually all of the territory

from the grip of theseblood-thirsty monsters.

Now, as we work with our allies

to destroy the remnants of ISIS,

it is time to give our brave warriors

in Syria a warm welcome home.

I have also accelerated our negotiations

to reach, if possible,

a political settlement in Afghanistan.

The opposing side is also very happy

to be negotiating.

Our troops have foughtwith unmatched valor

and, thanks to their bravery,

we are now able to pursue

a possible political solution

to this long and bloody conflict.

- In the meantime,

Trump said the U.S. wouldreduce its troop presence

in Afghanistan and focuson counter-terrorism.

President Trump also said inhis State of the Union address

that he plans to rebuild the U.S. military

by increasing the Pentagon's budget

and by reassessing military alliances

and agreements with foreign nations.

The Trump administration has approved

two defense-friendly budget bills

that raise the Pentagon's budget

from $700 billion in 2018

to $717 billion in 2019.

Acting Secretary ofDefense Patrick Shanahan

said of Trump's speech,

"In his State of theUnion Address tonight,

"President Trump reaffirmedhis unwavering commitment

"to support our troops

"and to protect Americannational security interests

"at home and abroad.

"Under President Trump's leadership,

"we are focused on the full implementation

"of the national defensestrategy, increasing lethality,

"strengthening alliances and partnerships,

"and reforming the way we do business."

Service members from more than

a dozen nations have gathered together

for the annual Cutlass Express Exercise.

The training is designed toimprove regional cooperation,

maritime domain awareness,

and information sharing practicesto increase capabilities

between the U.S. and other countries.

(dramatic music)

- There's 15 nationals participating

in Cutlass Express 2019.

This is the eighth year thatwe've done Cutlass Express here

in east Africa with oureast African partners.

Our main role here is to assistour east African partners.

The key thing is to workon developing our skills,

our interoperability across all nations,

to ensure a common operatingpicture of the maritime.

Probably the key things that we're looking

at here is fisheries.

- Fishers' resources are likeany other natural resource.

They're finite in their nature,

but they're unique in the fact

that if you manage them properly,

they're a sustainable resource.

So they will be aroundfor long periods of time.

They will not run out ifthey're properly managed.

This is my third iterationof Cutlass Express,

to the planning exercisesand for the execution.

And my mission engaged in these exercises

is to incorporate fishermens

as a component of maritimesafety and security.

From the first year,

which were fishers were mentioned

as, yes, it should be amission, but not incorporated.

Last year, there was a talk about it,

little planning in the exercises,

and the boardings reflected it.

This year, it's one of the primary focuses

of the final training exercise

is to get a fishery's boarding completed

all the way up through prosecution.

So progress has beensteady and increasing.

Coming up, how CBN is stepping in

to help a military family in need.

Welcome back, CBN honors themen and women in our military

with an initiative calledHelping the Home Front.

It partners with churchesacross the country

to meet the needs oftheir military families

from repairing homes toproviding financial support

to wiping out medicalbills for wounded veterans.

When you're a CBN partner,

you help people all around the world

and people right hereat home like Patrick,

who's an infantry soldier.

He and his wife Christinaare also newlyweds

and living on a sergeant'ssalary isn't easy.

That's why CBN's Helping theHome Front gave this couple

a much needed hand up.

- [Announcer] NewlywedsPatrick and Christina didn't

have much time to settleinto married life.

Patrick is an infantry soldier

and was scheduled to leave for six months

just three weeks after the wedding.

- I'm very proud of him.

It takes a brave person to do what he does

and it's scary that he'swilling to sacrifice

for the country that he loves.

- [Announcer] Both of them say

what really sees them through is prayer.

- When I'm deployed, I pray all the time.

I pray that she's safe.

I pray that he keeps me safe as well

and I've found that he hasbeen there several times.

- God plays a big part in my life

and in our relationshipand keeping me strong.

He keeps me calm and he keeps me going.

They also pray for their finances.

With Patrick on a sergeant's salary,

and Christina still in schoolworking only part-time,

they knew they wouldn't have much.

It didn't help that Patrick'struck needed repairs

and they didn't have money to fix it.

The newlyweds couldn't evenafford to buy furniture

for their first apartment together.

If I can't get the householdset up before I leave,

I don't want her sittin' on the floor.

I want her to be set up.

I want her to not have any issues

to worry about except school

and her job when I'm gone.

- [Announcer] The couple hadattended premarital counseling

with ministry leadersDonnie and Michelle Bowen.

The Bowens knew abouttheir financial stress

and contacted CBN'sHelping the Home Front.

We started planning.

- Alright, come on in.

- [Announcer] Donnie and Michelle invited

the newlyweds to their home

and started by telling themCBN would fix Patrick's truck.

- Well, that's great.- [Donnie] Yeah, yeah.

It kinda helps, huh?- Yeah.

It's gonna basically fix everything.

- [Announcer] And there was more.

- Helping the Home Front is also wanting

to take you to Ashley Furniture

and bless you all with

(crying)

bless you all with some furniture,

so as a newlywed couplegoing into a deployment,

you can maybe put that money into savings.

- You got yourself a home.

- Yeah. (laughs)

- [Donnie] Isn't that awesome?

(light music)(laughs)

- [Patrick] Yeah, that's awesome.

- [Christina] Thank you.

- [Patrick] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- [Announcer] Afterarranging to fix the truck,

they went to Ashley Home Furniture

to pick out what they needed.

Ashley's was happy togive CBN a big discount.

The newlyweds settled into their new home

before Patrick left.

- I'm very much gratefulto CBN for doing this

for the families that have togo through things like this.

It's a wonderful blessing

and I hope that they continue to do it.

(light music)

- Up next, how one soldier let his hopes

and dreams guide himand what he's doing now

to make them all come true.

Thanks for staying with us.

The military recentlylaunched an initiative called

This is Your Militaryto help bridge the gap

between civilian and military life.

Using the hashtagknowyourmil on social media,

the DOD wants to give you a firsthand look

at the people wearing the uniform.

There are many misconceptions

about military life floating around

and this new campaign aimsto clear some of them up.

With dreams of one dayreuniting his whole family

in the United States,

Air Force Airman FirstClass Akwasi Agyeman-Prempeh

gained strength from his fellow airmen

to do his best each day.

Here's his story.

(light energetic music)

I am Akwasi Agyeman-Prempeh andI'm from Ghana, West Africa.

And this is my story.

Droppin' out of collegefirst when I got here,

I would say was eye openin'

and it was one of my darkest moments

because we come to United States basically

to seek better education

so if you make any cookout of the United States,

you can help some peopleback home in Ghana.

So that moment when Idropped out of college,

I sat down and I'm like,what am I gonna do now?

But then I just pickedmyself up and I'm like,

you always have to startfrom somewhere, so.

And then I met my wife,

so we got married and thenwe had two beautiful babies.

Before I got to the United States,

I'd already had a child in Ghana.

So I talk to him, IFaceTime him, I can see him.

But one thing that breaks my heart

is that siblings over here,my two kids over here,

and they talk to him and they see him

and they keep on asking,

"Daddy, when is my brothergoing to come here?"

And then I keep on tellin' them,

I'm in the process ofgettin' him over here.

You have to become a citizen

and then you have to petition for your son

and that's one thing I joinedthe United States Air Force.

(light energetic music)

It's always supportive.

You have people that oversees you

and they always want youto do the right thing

and even though whenyou're goin' through stuff,

there's always somebody to support you

and to give you guidelines.

(light energetic music)

What I've been taught andwhat I've been doin' so far,

that's the same way I try to instill

in my kids to let 'em know,

hey, there's always abetter way to live your life

so long as you're ready to learn.

'Cause I never thought I was gonna join

the Air Force ever in my life.

And that's all ever I dreamt about,

coming to United States tobe able to go to school,

with a career, and take care of my family.

- Don't go anywhere, we'llbe back right after this.

The aircraft maintenance squadron

at Niagara Falls AirReserve Station in New York

deals with some of the nation'scoldest weather every day.

Maintainers power through andwork to prepare an aircraft

that can reliable perform the mission

and bring home troops safely.

- If any one of us misses something,

it can be drastic consequences.

(upbeat music)

- Entire lives of, what, allthree of us on this trip alone

are depending on us doing our jobs.

(upbeat music)

For this trip here,

guys were out there four in the morning

gettin' these planes ready to go

so that way we could leave Niagara.

(upbeat music)

Seeing all that come together is

when the airplane gets to take off

and then it's even more funwhen you get to go with it.

(upbeat music)

- [Controller] Alright,have a safe flight.

- [Airman] Alright, thanks.

(upbeat music)

- So this is where youbecome a crew chief.

You don't become a crew chief back home.

You become it on the road.

When you get to go to different places

and that's when you'rereally doin' your work.

And that's where you're gonnareally learn how to do it.

(upbeat music)

If you come into maintenance,

you're gonna go all over the place.

You're gonna see all the United States.

You're gonna be going to places

you've never even dreamed of goin'

and then even now with this new mission

that we have versus the hurk,

it's you're gonna see alldifferent corners of the world.

(upbeat music)

I've been doin' it for 10 years now

and I absolutely love it.

It's why I come here

and it's just putting agood plane in the air.

(upbeat music)

- Marine Tactical ElectronicWarfare Squadron 2

is the last squadron of its kind

to be deactivated after 44years of faithful service.

They will have theirdeactivation service next month

at Marine Corps Air StationCherry Point in North Carolina.

(light music)

- VMAQ-2 started out in 1975.

It was a composite squadron

of multiple different typemodel series aircraft.

So it wasn't always prowlers, it was F-4's

and eventually it was theEA-6A, the electric intruder,

and then from that, EA-6B.

The EA-6B Prowler is aelectronic attack platform

so it allows us to attack the enemy

in the electromagnetic spectrum.

So whether it's radars, anything wireless,

it gives us the capability to have effects

in the electromagneticspectrum on the battlefield.

(light music)

- When the Iraqis went into Kuwait,

we found ourselves Q-2waiting for our order

and ended up going into Sheik Isa, Bahrain

and we were there forapproximately eight months.

We were flying missionscontinuously up along

the Kuwaiti and Iraqi border.

Over the 42-day conflict,we flew over 1,500 hours.

They did an amazing job ofkeeping those aircraft flying

and keeping weapons' systems working.

(roaring engine)

- When we deployed to Incirlik,

supportin' Operation Inherent Resolve,

the Marines performed well,

performed above my expectations.

Seein' the Marines how hardthey worked day in and day out,

I've been tellin' theMarines since I've been here,

this is hands down probably

one of the best unitsthat I've ever been in

in my 21 years that I'vebeen in the Marine Corps.

Everything started here with VAMQ-2

and eventually all roads aregonna lead back to VAMQ-2

with the final deactivationof the first VAMQ squadron.

Squadron has ties backall the way to 1952,

so there's been a lot of folks

that have worked on this platform.

So it's gonna be a very emotional thing

and it's also a time to reflect

on the time that they had here.

- VAMQ community Can Do Easy,

no matter what the tasking is, so,

and it's across the boardfrom all the way down

from that PFC all the way upto that commanding officer.

They are definitely gonna bepart of Marine Corps history.

(light music)

- It's a week full of love

and U.S. Army soldiersstationed in Romania wanna take

this time to wish their loved ones back

in the United States aHappy Valentine's Day.

- [Crowd] Alabama, Virginia, Pennsylvania,

Massachusetts, Texas, Florida,

California, Georgia, Arkansas.

- From MK Romania toall these great states,

we wish you a Happy Valentine's Day.

- That's great and that's all for today.

In the meantime,

you can find more of ourexclusive coverage at CBNNews.com.

Hope you'll join us next time.

Have a great day.