The New York Adjutant General's Message

Over the course of the last three months we’ve been practicing full-spectrum National Guard operations here in New York and I am proud to say we’ve done it very well.

Every component and member of the New York Military Forces has met the challenges placed upon us by our state and nation as we coped with first Tropical Storm Irene, then the Binghamton flood, and then the demands of pre-deployment training and deployments.

We responded with almost 4,000 men and women to our state’s need when Tropical Storm Irene hit, followed closely by the massive flooding in Binghamton. Meanwhile, we moved forward on training the members of the 27th Brigade Combat Team, the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, and other units to prepare for deployment.

A good example of this flexibility is the 174th Fighter Wing. The wing simultaneously executed its federal mission of providing air support for our troops in Afghanistan with the MQ-9, while at the same time serving as a marshaling site for Federal Emergency Management Supplies and aid and providing communications support to civilians in the village of Prattsville. And on top of all this the wing began standing up a new MQ-9 crew training program and flight program at Fort Drum.

Our response was truly a joint operation. Airmen and Soldiers, along with members of the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard worked side-by-side to execute the mission. Rescue teams from the Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing, for example, climbed on board Army National Guard helicopters to conduct air search operations in Schoharie County.

During our response I had the opportunity to travel from the Adirondacks to New York City and then to Binghamton; talking to Guard members wherever I went. I was impressed with the professionalism and dedication to duty every one of you showed.

You did your jobs well and earned the respect of our fellow citizens. Your can-do and professional attitude was always evident, whether it was clearing a clogged stream so a roadway was preserved, or organizing civilian volunteers during Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Labor for Your Neighbor initiative.

Gov. Cuomo, our commander-in-chief, had nothing but good words for the men and women of the New York National Guard and our other military forces.

I also want to give Gov. Cuomo credit for moving quickly to initial a memorandum with the federal government which resulted in Brig. Gen. Michael Swezey being named one of four dual status commanders -able to direct both National Guard and federal troops- as Hurricane Irene threatened.

Had the aid of federal troops been required, this status would have enabled Brig. Gen. Swezey to direct the work of both our forces and federal forces in his role as commander of Joint Task Force Irene. This was the first time the dual status commander provisions of federal law have been implemented.

I also want to make a special mention of the outstanding response of the New York Guard, who found volunteers to help man evacuation shelters and augment JTF Irene headquarters, as well as the New York Naval Militia, who responded wholeheartedly to the request for volunteers.

As our domestic response wound down, we got back to training without missing a beat.

The 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion and other components of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade conducted pre-deployment training at Fort Drum in September. And at the end of the September the 27th Brigade moved 2,000 troops to the National Training Center for three weeks of intensive, realistic exercises as part of its pre-deployment training.

We’ve also mobilized and said goodbye to the Soldiers of the 14th Finance Detachment and the 727nd Law and Order Detachment and also executed another domestic operations training mission with local first responders, this time in Kingston.

A change in mission from Afghanistan to Kuwait means that members of the 27th BCT are now going to be able to spend Christmas and New York’s home with their families. That is a good thing.

I also want to extend my wishes for a happy holiday season to all of you who have worked so hard this year. Keep up the good work.