Maria Millan joins New York Guard

LATHAM, NY (08/18/2016)(readMedia)-- Brigadier General Stephen A. Bucaria, the Commander of the New York Guard, announces the recent enlistment Private Maria Millan from Freeport, N.Y. as a new volunteer state defense force member in recognition of her commitment to serve community, state and nation as part of the New York Guard.

Millan will serve with the New York Guard's 88th Brigade on Long Island.

"Membership in the New York Guard means volunteering to serve your state, supporting your neighbors and being part of something bigger than yourself," Bucaria said. I congratulate these volunteers for their initiative and devotion to be ready and respond when state emergencies arise."

The New York Guard is one of 23 state defense forces around the country and is authorized to recruit just over 1,000 volunteers organized into units located across New York. Currently there are 600 New York Guard members who augment and support the New York National Guard with manpower and skills.

Many New York Guard members are retired members of the National Guard or other military services; however military experience is not a prerequisite to membership. They are part of the military forces of New York State but are not federal military reservists like members of the Army and Air National Guard.

About half of the volunteers are former members of the active duty military or National Guard while the other half have never served in the military.

People who have served in the military can serve in the New York Guard up until age 65. Those who have never served in the military must be between age 18 and age 55 to join.

New York Guard members are a volunteer, unpaid force which serves at the direction of the Governor. They assist the National Guard in planning, training for and executing state emergency support and disaster missions, and provide legal and medical pre-deployment assistance to the National Guard units and other reserve components as requested.

The New York Guard's history dates back to World War I.

Following German sabotage attempts on industries producing supplies for France and Britain in the New York City area – the Black Tom Island ammunition dump (now part of Liberty State Park) was blown up by a German spy in 1916-the New York National Guard was called upon to guard key facilities. When the United States entered World War I in April 1917 the New York National Guard was federalized and began training to go to France.

To replace those National Guard Soldiers the state of New York credited a state-only military force called the New York Guard.

During World War I these New York Guard members manned sentry posts at key facilities, including the New York City water supply. By 1919, 22,000 men served in this force and 40 died of "Spanish flu" while guarding the New York City water system.

In World War II the New York Guard was once again created when the New York National Guard was mobilized in October 1940. New York Guard units manned armories left vacant when the National Guard went to war and filled in for the National Guard, most notably in January 1945 when a snowstorm paralyzed upstate New York.

In the 1950s Congress authorized states to create full-time state defense forces and New York was one of 26 which have created forces to assist and augment their National Guards.

For more information about the New York Guard, visit http://dmna.ny.gov/nyg/.