Meet U.S. Army Warrant Officer Candidate April-Mae Ridenour

Meet U.S. Army Warrant Officer Candidate April-Mae Ridenour, the reconnaissance noncommissioned officer assigned to the 32nd Civil Support Team, Maryland National Guard. Ridenour played a vital role in the CST’s support of the 2022 Ocean City Air Show as part of the survey section that is responsible for identifying, assessing, and locating potential chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazard threats on the boardwalk.

“My individual role is to make sure the team is healthy and that they are prepared to deploy,” said Ridenour. “I am here to ensure that the team members are experts on their equipment and can provide an answer when asked.”

In addition to Ridenour’s initial role, she assists in analyzing any collected samples in the mobile lab that is located within ten miles of the incident site. If a CBRNE agent is identified, Ridenour and her team will be able to assess current or projected consequences, advise on response measures, and assist with appropriate requests for additional follow-on state and federal military forces.

“In the event an incident occurs, we typically send a three person team who will deploy to conduct monitoring and collect samples,” stated Ridenour. “Overall there is no specific event we support, if it falls into our mission set we will support it.”