The Massachusetts National Guard is the oldest military organization in the United States.
Command Sgt. Maj. William M. Davidson, Command Sergeant Major of the 26th "Yankee" Brigade, Task Force Yankee, Massachusetts Army National Guard, thanks Monson resident Sgt. Peter M. Uliana for his service during a Combat Patch Ceremony in Patriot Square, Camp Phoenix on April 28, 2011. The 26th held the ceremony to present Soldiers with their unit patches that signify wartime service.Nearly 2,000 members of Massachusetts' National Guard are now on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and crews from the Air Reserve’s 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee continue weekly duty to help ship personnel, equipment and supplies for the war effort.
As the nation celebrates Independence Day, the National Guard troops and Reservists carry on roles as “citizen soldiers” here at home and around the globe, a tradition established centuries ago.
The oldest military organization in the country, the Massachusetts National Guard was founded in 1636, and its members have provided combat and support services in every major conflict since the War of Independence.
In 2011, the Guard, with its more than 8,700 members, provided assistance to Western Massachusetts communities hit by the June 1 tornadoes. The state’s Army Guard has 6,593 members, while the Air Guard, established in 1921, has 2,113 members. Of the total, an estimated 80 percent remain available to respond to emergencies across the state.
Currently, more than 1,400 Guard members are stationed in Afghanistan and another 231 are on duty in Iraq. Services provided by the Guard range from security to infantry.
Air National Guard commander Brig. Gen. L. Scott Rice, a Southampton resident, said members of the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Regional Airport, have had a presence in the Middle East long before Sept. 11, 2001 and will continue to be involved in military efforts there for “some time to come.
“Our security forces have assumed a lot of responsibility there during deployments of six months to a year at a time,” said Rice. “The Guard strives for excellence, service above self and integrity. The 104th Fighter Wing is the top Guard unit in the nation.”
Rice acknowledged there is a “toll” taken on the families of Guard members as they deploy and leave their civilian lives.
“Deployment is harder on our families,” said Rice. “When airmen and warriors are deployed, we know where we are, but it is the strength of our families that allow us to do what we do,” the commander said.
A Guard public affairs officer, 1st Sgt. Pallas A. Wahl said the National Guard carries out both federal and state roles. “It supports both military operations oversees as well as domestic situations, most recently the tornado damage to Western Massachusetts,” she said. “The men and women of the Guard are truly a valuable asset to the commonwealth and the nation, and their family members are our family members."
The C-5 Galaxy cargo aircraft of the 439th Airlift Wing are making weekly treks in support of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns, according to Master Sgt. Andrew S. Biscoe. Most recently about 300 of the 2,500-member airlift wing saw security and aerial port (cargo handling) duty in Afghanistan. That activation was part of the U.S. military’s surge during the spring of 2010. Those troops returned home last fall, Biscoe said.
During the same time period, members of the 439th manned staging operations in Spain, responsible for transporting heavy equipment to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the sergeant.
Members of B Company, 181st Engineer Battalion, a Massachusetts Army National Guard unit based in Springfield, salute during the retirement of the colors portion of their formal homecoming in 2007 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.Among the Army Guard units on duty in Afghanistan now are members of the famed 26th Yankee Brigade. Those soldiers, including some from across the region, are currently providing command, control and security in and around Afghanistan’s Kabul province.
Wahl said more than 200 soldiers of the 26th Brigade Headquarters and 26th Signal Company, under a one-year mobilization, joined 700 members of the grigade’s 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan in the spring.
Another nearly 700 Army Guard members of the 1st Battalion 182nd Infantry Regiment have been mobilized to provide additional security for reconstruction efforts throughout Afghanistan. That deployment was initiated in March to replace members of the 181st Infantry Regiment who have been in Afghanistan since last August.
The 104th Fighter Wing, meanwhile, continues to supply “small increments” increments of air support in both Iraq and Afghanistan, according to wing executive officer Maj. Matthew T. Mutti.
Currently, 28 unit members are in Iraq and another eight in Afghanistan. Another 58 are expected to deploy to Afghanistan within the next two months and about 200 unit members are expected to deploy for duty over the next year, Mutti said.
The 104th has just over 1,000 members, including security manager Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey C. Johnson, who was recently awarded a Bronze Star for service during his second tour of duty in Iraq.
Rice, who received the Bronze Star himself for a leadership role during deployment in Iraq in 2003, said, “It is an honor and humbling to receive such an award. I am proud to serve with Chief Master Sgt. Johnson, and he now joins the Bronze Star family.”