58th IBCT Deploys 

By Rick Roth, MDNG Public Affairs

Maryland Military DepartmentDigest

The last contingent of Soldiers from the 58th Infantry

Brigade Combat Team departed Maryland on June 12 en

route to Iraq. Four hundred members of the brigade’s 1st

Squadron, 158th Cavalry Regiment departed Annapolis for Fort

Dix, N.J., where they will prepare for their deployment to Iraq.

The unit was the final increment in a series of mobilizations

that began April 26, when the IBCT’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company departed the Pikesville Armory. The 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, augmented by maintenance

personnel from the 729th Brigade Support Battalion, followed

in May.

Spring/Summer 2007

Anthony G. Brown

Lt. Governor

Martin O’Malley

Governor

Members of the 58th IBCT Headquarters and Headquarters Company stand in formation during a send-off ceremony on April 26. After the 

ceremony the Soldiers boarded buses and departed for Fort Dix, N.J., on their way to the mission in Iraq.

Continued on page 3

In This Issue...

★ MilDep Assists With Dam 

Emergency ..............................page 4

★ ChalleNGe Cadets Get Back To

Nature .....................................page 8

★ VIPs Visit MEMA......................page 9

★ MDANG First To Field 

New A-10C ............................page 12
Martin O’Malley

Governor

Anthony G. Brown

Lt. Governor

Maj. Gen. Bruce F. Tuxill

Adjutant General

Fifth Regiment Armory Baltimore, Maryland 21201

TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE MARYLAND MILITARY DEPARTMENT:

Summer is here and this remains a very dynamic time for the Department both at home and abroad as the high tempo

of our dual federal and state missions continue unabated.

The Department had the privilege of providing briefings to Governor Martin O’Malley, our new Commander-in-Chief, in

early March at the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Fretterd. A few weeks later, a similar briefing was provided to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Under Secretary R. David Paulison, who also

serves as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In addition, these officials were given a tour of the

Maryland Joint Operations Center. These important briefings and tours gave our civilian leadership an opportunity to

become familiar with our department, its people and its capabilities. 

A potential catastrophe was averted in Garrett County thanks to the quick response of aviation units of the Maryland

Army National Guard. When an earthen dam threatened to overflow, the Guard quickly flew divers and pumps to the

scene. The Maryland Emergency Management Agency coordinated the State’s response, which included the National

Guard, Department of the Environment, State Police and others.

The 58th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Maryland Army National Guard has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is the largest combat deployment of Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers since World War

II. Their deployment is expected to last one year.

More than 230 Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, task force have

returned home after a year in Cuba guarding captured terrorists. A Freedom Salute was held June 3 to thank these outstanding men and women for their service. 

Congratulations to Col. Annette Deener, Chief of Staff of the Maryland Army National Guard, for her induction into the

Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was held in the Miller Senate Office Building on Mar. 14. 

In February, the 175th Wing of the Maryland Air National Guard hosted a group of air attaches representing 32 different

countries, including Vietnam, China and South Africa. The attaches received briefings on the wing’s mission, its operations in support of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and given a tour of the facilities at the Warfield Air National Guard Base.

The 175th Wing has also been heavily involved in fielding the new A-10C. This advanced, precision engagement version

of the proven tank-killer brings our A-10s into the 21st century and marks the second time the Air Force has turned to

the Maryland Air Guard to field a major advanced weapon system.

The Maryland Defense Force Engineer Corps has embarked upon a new mission of conducting comprehensive installation inspections of 22 of our Maryland National Guard facilities around the state. Many of these installations are more

than 60 years old and need significant investment for recapitalization. The results of the MDDF inspections will help the

facilities managers to identify and document facility deficiencies to obtain limited maintenance and repair funds, optimize their expenditure and to prioritize critical maintenance requirements.

MEMA hosted its 22nd Severe Storms Awareness Conference at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum, Maryland. Last

year’s conference had more than 300 attendees, with presentations from top officials of the National Hurricane Center,

the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

On a more somber note, the Maryland National Guard continues to lose members to traffic accidents. Each of you is

irreplaceable to our organization and to your families as well. Be especially cautious in driving as the weather improves

and we enter the vacation season. Schools are out for the summer and more traffic is on our roads. Slow down...it’s

better to get to your destination late but in one piece than not to arrive at all. 

We still have a lot of work to be done and we will continue to move forward. Take care of yourselves and your families.

Godspeed.

Bruce F. Tuxill

Major General, MDANG

The Adjutant General
Digest: Spring/Summer, 2007 3

58th IBCT Deploys 

Continued from page 1

“We are deeply indebted to these Citizen-Soldiers and their

families for their sacrifices in the defense of our nation and

state,” said Maj. Gen. Bruce F. Tuxill, the adjutant general of

Maryland. “They are well-trained, well-equipped, well-led, and

I have every confidence in their ability to perform their mission.”

Approximately 1,300 Maryland National Guard soldiers

have been mobilized and will be deployed to Iraq as a part of

this call-up. In addition, troops from the New Mexico and California Army National Guards are augmenting the 58th IBCT.

The 58th IBCT received an alert order in February and

began preparing for this specific deployment at that time. While

at Fort Dix, the Soldiers will receive specialized training relating

to the missions they are expected to perform overseas. 

The 58th IBCT is expected to be deployed for approximately 12 months, including the time spent training at Fort Dix.

Guard officials anticipate that the Soldiers will spend ten

months serving in Iraq. The exact missions and locations of the

deploying 58th IBCT units are not being released for security

reasons. 

Guard officials emphasized the crucial role that the support

of families and employers play in the success of the all-volunteer force. The support and understanding of families and

employers is what makes an all-volunteer force possible.

For this reason Maryland has an extensive network in place

to care for and support soldiers’ family members. This support

ranges from National Guard Family Assistance Centers, with

full-time and volunteer staff throughout the state, to the “Partners in Care” program developed by the Joint Force Headquarters chaplain’s office, wherein local congregations provide

assistance to Guard members and their families in need. 

This mobilization marks Maryland’s largest federal call-up

since 1968, when most of the Maryland National Guard was federalized during the Baltimore Riots. It is Maryland’s largest

combat mobilization since 1941, when the Maryland National

Guard was federalized in anticipation of the outbreak of World

War II.

Members of the 58th IBCT participate in combat lifesaver training at

Fort Dix, N.J., after being mobilized for duty in Iraq.

This child was one of the many friends and family members who

gathered for the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment's sendoff 

ceremony at the Towson Armory in May.
4 Maryland Military Department

I

n early March rising water levels in an

Oakland, Md., reservoir afforded two

agencies within the Military Department a chance to work together. Beavers

had blocked the drains of the reservoir

in the western Maryland town, resulting

in excess water pressure on the earthen

dam holding the water back. A collapse

would send the 7.5

million gallons of

water hurling towards

the 25 homes downstream.

“The beavers had

built a fortress

inside,” said Roger

Bennett, referring to

the clogged drains.

Bennett is the Western Maryland regional

representative for the

Maryland Emergency

Management Agency

and was responsible

for coordinating state

efforts in support of

local emergency managers.

As a regional representative Bennett

also endorses

requests for materiel

and personnel from a

requesting town

while at the same

time serving as eyes

and ears for MEMA,

which is headquartered in Reisterstown,

Md.

“I help to provide

situational awareness

back to the Maryland

Joint Operations Center,” said Bennett. 

Manned 24/7, the

Maryland Joint Operations Center or

MJOC, located at

MEMA headquarters,

serves as the first link

in the Maryland emergency response chain.

Representatives like

Bennett notify the

MJOC when there is need for a state level

emergency response. MJOC personnel,

which include MEMA and Maryland

National Guard members, then begin

coordinating a response and monitoring

the situation.

Initial efforts at relieving the water

pressure involved an attempt to clear the

drains of debris.

On March 6 Maryland Army National

Guard aviators transported rescue divers

from the Middle River Volunteer Fire

Department by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. During the night six divers

entered the water in four degrees

Fahrenheit temperature weather but

were unable to clear

the drains. 

Pumps were

also brought in from

Baltimore City to

drain the rising water

however they proved

to be too small to be

effective.

To further complicate things Oakland and the

surrounding areas

received 12 inches of

fresh snow on March

7, hampering efforts

and adding precipitation to the already

swollen reservoir.

With warmer temperatures predicted in

the coming week the

emergency managers

developed a new

plan.

It was determined that larger

pumps were needed. 

The rental and

delivery of two 5,000-

gallon-per-minute

water pumps from

Godwin Pumps of

America, Inc. in Pittsburg, Pa., was coordinated through MEMA.

Further coordination

through MEMA

brought back Maryland Army National

Guard aviators from

Company B, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation

Regiment and Company C, 2nd Battalion

224th Aviation Regiment.

A Maryland Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter is used to hoist a diesel fuel

tank into position on top of the dam.

Army Guard Aircrews Respond to 

Oakland Dam Emergency

Story by Rick Roth, MDNG Public Affairs

Photos by Chief Warrant Officer Howard Halucha and Sgt. 1st Class Donald Claxton
Digest: Spring/Summer, 2007 5

MDARNG Assists With JROTC Competition

Utilizing a CH-47 Chinook helicopter the pilots and crew rigged and moved

a 500 gallon diesel fuel tank and two

8,900-pound pumps into place on top of

the dam. By the afternoon of March 9 all

of the pumping equipment was in place

and working to full capacity.

“This mission was a tremendous success,” said Col. Fritz Kirklighter, 29th

Combat Aviation Brigade commander.

“Citizen-Soldiers took time off from their

jobs and families to help their neighbors

in need. We were needed to support the

people of Maryland, which also gave our

Soldiers better training to refine both

our state and combat operation missions.”

“The unified chain of command we

were running with there really worked

out well,” said Bennett referring to the

cooperation between local and state

agencies.

By March 13 the water level in the

reservoir was restored to a safe level.

Capt. David Magness, MDARNG, 

contributed to this story.

Members of Army Junior Reserve

Officer Training Corps programs

from across the Baltimore area

gathered at the Gunpowder Military

Reservation in Glen Arm, Md., April 24 to

participate in an intensive leadership

competition dubbed “Raider Challenge.”

Raider Challenge, which was hosted

by the Patriot Battalion of the Patapsco

High School JROTC, involved cadets

from seven Baltimore County public

school JROTC programs. The schools

represented Army, Air Force and Naval

JROTC programs.

Participating in the competition

were: Patapsco, Atholton, Dundalk, Kenwood, Overlea, Chesapeake, and Francis

Wood High Schools. 

The purpose of the event was to promote esprit de corps, teamwork, selfconfidence and citizenship for members

of the invited JROTC units. The competition included a physical fitness test, a

first aid and litter carry, rock wall climbing, an egg toss, a tug-of-war, the infamous “Izzy Dizzy,” a rope bridge, and an

obstacle course.

The teams arrived at 7 a.m. and

events started promptly at 8 a.m. with an

opening ceremony, followed by the first

activity at 8:15 a.m. 

Maryland Army National Guard

units, including the Recruiting & Retention Battalion; Company B, 1st Battalion,

20th Special Forces Group and individuals from the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry

Regiment, supported the competition.

The all-day event lasted until 5 p.m. 

The winner of this year’s competition was Patapsco High School. Second

place went to Overlea High School, with

Atholton High School taking third place.

Aviators recover slings used during the operation.

3RD PLACE

Atholton 

High School

2ND PLACE

Overlea 

High School

1ST PLACE

Patapsco 

High School
6 Maryland Military Department

F or more than a year, they pulled 12-

hour shifts standing guard over

some of the most dangerous men

on the planet.

During that time, they and their

comrades were the targets of more than

200 physical assaults – including the infamous detainee “cocktails” consisting of

drinking cups filled with feces, urine and

other bodily fluids – and received more

than 700 threats of violence against

themselves and their families.

But on March 9 it was “mission

accomplished” as the Maryland Army

National Guard welcomed its 238 members of Joint Task Force-Guantanamo

home.

At a time when media reports use

words like “torture” and “injustice” to

describe the detention of enemy combatants at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Maryland Soldiers

who served at the detention facility used

words like “professional” and “humane.” 

“For someone to have [a “cocktail”]

thrown in their face and just walk off the

block and change their uniform and go

back to work – that shows an extreme

amount of restraint and professionalism,” said Capt. Matthew C. Shanks, who 

commanded the JTF’s external security

company. 

“Every Soldier, Sailor, Airman and

Marine that works down there handles

themselves with the utmost

professionalism and restraint,

and treated the detainees with

respect even when the average

person wouldn’t be able to.”

“I very much believe that

the detainees are being treated

very, very humanely,” said Capt.

Bryan E. Hughes, who served as the JTF

headquarters company commander during the deployment. “There’ve been visitors who’ve said that the living

conditions, quality of the health care,

quality of food is better than prisons in

Europe. It’s a very well run operation,

and it was an outstanding professional

experience.”

Shanks agreed. “I was a criminal justice major,” he said. “I’ve toured prison

facilities in the U.S. and I think we treat

the detainees better than we treat prisoners in our own prison system.”

Shanks and Hughes were two of the

Maryland Guardsmen selected to deploy

with the task force, which was

made up of Soldiers drawn from

units around the state. Both

agreed that the highlight of the

tour was the opportunity to work

in a joint environment, where

they gained invaluable experience working with members of

the other services.

“It was awesome,” Hughes

said. “In my company I had

Marines, I had Navy, I had Air

Force. It was a total joint environment.”

The JTF HHC also included

68 Maryland Guardsmen from

Joint Force Headquarters, the

29th Infantry Division’s Division

Support Command and 3rd

Brigade headquarters, the 229th

Maintenance Support Battalion

and the 70th Regiment (Leadership).

Maryland Guardsmen filled a variety

of other positions within the JTF, up to

and including its deputy commander – a

position filled by Brig. Gen. Edward A.

Leacock, Maryland’s assistant adjutant

general for Army.

Company E of the 629th Military

Intelligence Battalion, which Shanks

commanded, was responsible for external security at Camp America and Camp

Delta and provided a quick reaction

force in the event of an emergency inside

the camps. In addition to a platoon of

airborne infantrymen from the 629th MI

Battalion’s long range surveillance

detachment, the company included two

platoons drawn from other units, primarily the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, 110th Field

Artillery Regiment.

The 110th also provided 30 Soldiers

to fill staff positions within the Joint

Detention Group, whose mission was

the care of the detainees.

The Soldiers were mobilized Jan. 5,

2006, and trained at Fort Lewis, Wash.,

before deploying to Cuba a month later,

on Feb. 9. They departed Guantanamo

Bay on March 2, 2007 and arrived home

in Maryland March 9. A “Freedom Salute”

ceremony was held in Baltimore June 3

to honor the Soldiers’ accomplishments.

Maryland Guardsmen 

Complete Year-long 

Guantanamo Deployment

By 1st Lt. Wayde Minami, MDNG Public Affairs

Photos by Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy and Sgt. Jim Greenhill

Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, right, chief of the National

Guard Bureau, talks with Pvt. 1st Class Brandon Ross

while visiting Guard members deployed with JTF-Guantanamo Nov. 15, 2006. Ross was assigned to the 629th

Military Intelligence Battalion.

A Soldier with E Company, 629th Military

Intelligence Battalion, keeps watch from a

guard tower at the JTF-Guantanamo detention

center Nov. 13, 2006. The company’s missions

included perimeter security and acting as a

quick reaction force should something happen

inside the detention center.

A Soldier stands guard on a cell block inside Camp

Five at the detention center on Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Nov. 14, 2006. Camp Five is one of

six camps that comprise the detention center and has

been built with many features that can be found in

maximum-security prisons in the United States. Camp

Five is where the most non-compliant and hostile

detainees are held.
Digest: Spring/Summer, 2007 7

Community Resources Help Soldiers

Cope With Redeployment

By Chief Warrant Officer Bonny Bell

National Guard Bureau, Army Personnel Division

I

n the year since the Army implemented the Post Deployment Health

Reassessment Program, more than

40,000 Army National Guard Soldiers

have participated in the comprehensive

health screening. The program is

designed to help identify deploymentrelated health concerns and assist Soldiers in accessing the health and

re-adjustment services to which they are

entitled, at no personal cost. The program includes a screening with a healthcare provider and, if necessary, referral to

the most convenient Veteran Affairs (VA)

Medical Facility, military treatment facility,

or TRICARE provider. All 54 States and

Territories have participated in this program, adapting it to the unique needs of

their Citizen-Soldiers.

The Maryland Army National Guard

has taken the Post Deployment Health

Reassessment Program one step forward

by coordinating these events to be hosted

at Maryland VA Medical Centers. The

events include benefit experts from the

VA and Vet Center staff who advise the

Soldiers on the services to which they are

entitled and VA administrative specialists

who enroll Soldiers in the VA. John

O’Brien, social work executive for the

Maryland VA said, “The benefit of a Post

Deployment Health Reassessment event

at a VA Medical Center is that the Soldiers

have a better idea of who we are and the

knowledge that the VA wants to make the

transition to care as simple as possible.”

To augment available resources, medical professionals from the Maryland

Defense Force, a uniformed military

agency of volunteers under the Maryland

Military Department, meet with Soldiers

to assess their combat-related health concerns. The volunteers include primary

care providers and behavioral health specialists. 

“The greatest single accomplishment

of these screenings is the cooperation of

the VA, the Maryland Defense Force and

the Maryland Army National Guard,” said

Lt. Col. Michael Gafney, PDHRA program

manager for the Maryland Army National

Guard. “Providers from all agencies

worked together seamlessly to get the Soldiers screened, enrolled and assigned follow-up appointments on the spot.”

According to Gafney the success of these

events has solidified the partnership

between the Maryland Army National

Guard and the VA Medical Center in Baltimore for future PDHRA events. 

The Maryland Army National Guard’s

program is just one example of the ways

in which Army National Guard units

across the country are taking care of Soldiers returning from combat-deployments. We have learned over the past few

years that deployment health concerns

may not be noticed immediately after

deployment. Furthermore, the Army

National Guard recognizes that Soldiers

focused on going home may be reluctant

to report their concerns at demobilization, since going home is their top priority. Finally, readjustment issues may not

emerge until a Soldier re-enters their

work and family environment. After Soldiers have had time to reflect on deployment and post-deployment experiences,

they may be in a better position to identify

concerns and questions they wish to discuss with a healthcare provider—and the

Post Deployment Health Reassessment

Program offers our Citizen-Soldiers an

opportunity to do so.

T wo Maryland Guardsmen help

children of Constellation

Energy employees as they

assemble 1,300 care packages for the

Maryland Army National Guard’s 58th

Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Operation Constellation Kids was part of

the day’s activities for children of Constellation Energy employees as the

company celebrated national Take

Our Daughters and Sons to work day.

The 1,300 care packages contained

items requested by the Soldiers of the

unit, including stationery, envelopes,

sunscreen, batteries, CDs, DVDs and

cans of Old Bay seasoning. Maj. Gen.

Bruce F. Tuxill, the adjutant general

for Maryland, was on hand to accept

the care packages from the hundreds

of Constellation Energy kids who

worked to assemble them.

Constellation Care Packages
8 Maryland Military Department

What had at first appeared to be a

major disappointment for cadets

enrolled in the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy recently turned into a day

of fun and learning.

Half of the cadets enrolled at the

National Guard program in Aberdeen were

feeling left out April 6 when unforeseen

circumstances led to the cancellation of a

trip to the Gettysburg battlefield, which

their fellow cadets had visited the previous

day. Seeing the obvious disappointment on

their faces, a few of the staff members

planned another trip for them so they too,

could have a day away from their schoolwork. 

Last minute trips are hard to plan, so

the idea was brought up to take the cadets

bird watching. We were unsure how at–risk

youth would respond to a trip that seemed

unexciting. These are teenagers, and like

most other teenagers in this country, they

have become practically addicted to technology and media outlets. Their main

source of entertainment is found through

music, television, movies, being logged on

to the Internet, playing video games, and

talking on their cell phones. Long gone are

the days of bike riding, building tree forts,

playing an impromptu baseball game in

the backyard, and playing hide and go seek

in the woods.

The bus carrying the cadets on their

last minute trip was armed with nothing

but four staff members, one camera, and

one bird book. We arrived at the Mariner

Point Park in Joppatowne, Md., with the

first of two groups. They got off of the bus

and just looked puzzled at how we, the

staff, could think that this small park would

make up for an entire day trip that they had

missed out on, especially because it was 40

degrees outside–if that–and the wind was

howling. 

Jack Douglas, an assistant teacher at

Freestate ChalleNGe Academy and also a

photography teacher at Harford Community College, was an experienced bird

watcher and brought along his digital camera. He gave the cadets a short lesson on

bird watching and how important it was to

stay quiet. He also taught them how to

respect the wildlife that they saw. With that,

we were off on what would become a trip

that would not soon be forgotten.

Within the first five minutes of the trip,

the puzzled and disappointed looks on the

cadets’ faces had vanished. For some of

them, this was the first time they had ever

taken the time to really enjoy their surroundings. There was a look of amazement

on their faces when they realized how

many birds there were and how many different varieties there were just in this small

area. Some of them took mental pictures of

unidentified birds so they could research

them later on.

“The park seemed like a place where

you could forget about all of your problems,” said Cadet Derrick Silver, who came

to the program from Prince George’s

County.

Besides many species of birds, Mariner

Point Park is the home to some pretty fearless squirrels. A few of the cadets spotted a

small number of squirrels and went running ahead. For most, the sight of a black

squirrel was a first, and some even said

they wished they could take a picture

because their families back home wouldn’t

believe them. An especially humorous

moment came when one of the cadets

spotted a dead tree, with a sign on it that

read “The Squirrel Hilton.” At first, some of

the cadets were weary of the squirrels;

these being the same cadets that were terrified of the deer on Aberdeen Proving

Ground when they arrived in January.

However, they too quickly fell under the

spell of nature and caught squirrel fever.

Cadets were laying on the ground trying to

get a closer look at these seemingly simple

creatures.

“This is the first time that I ever came

face to face with a black squirrel...you

would never get to do that in the city,” said

Cadet Christopher Martin, of Baltimore.

It was a true joy to see the faces of

teenagers who sometimes seem so unreachable. I, personally, have worked at Freestate

ChalleNGe Academy for three years and this

may have been one of the most rewarding

trips I have ever participated in.

Besides those cadets who couldn’t

wait to get their hands on the bird book,

there were also cadets who had the chance

to use the camera that Douglas brought

along. Here was an adult trusting them

with something they have never had the

chance to use before. I think we may now

have sparked a new hobby interest in quite

a few of the cadets.

One cadet was overheard saying, “I

think we should do community service

here to clean up the trash and give the animals a cleaner place to live.”

An adult sometimes can only dream of

hearing a teenager say, so unselfishly, that

they want to help others, even if it is just

animals.

“The peace of bird watching brought

peace to me for the first time,” Christopher

Martin said.

Who knew bird watching could be a

therapeutic shot in the arm for some of our

nation’s troubled teens. There were also

those cadets that asked if they could return

to the park later on in their class in hopes

of seeing more creatures.

“It was nice to be able to get away from

Aberdeen Proving Ground, from a constant sound of ordnance testing, to a place

of peace,” said Cadet Savvas Pantelides, a

resident of Anne Arundel County.

To me, it is completely amazing, how

you can take a group of at-risk youth,

expose them to something so seemingly

simple and overlooked, and see the results

that come from it. We were able to spark

interests in cadets we hadn’t been able to

do before. We were able to see cadets

working together as a team to sneak up on

birds to get a good picture. We were able

to witness a true transformation. 

Sometimes, the simple things in life,

and those that are so often disregarded,

are those that provide the most joy.

Bird Watching No Longer

for the Birds

By Rebecca Cockey, Freestate ChalleNGe Academy

Photo by Jack Douglass

A Freestate ChalleNGe Academy cadet gets up

close and personal with a fury friend.
The Maryland Military Department hosted a number of

senior officials of the state

and federal government during

March and April. A command briefing, describing the department’s

capabilities was conducted on

March 2 for Gov. Martin O’Malley

at the state Emergency Operations

Center. In addition to the briefing,

the governor was given a tour of

the Maryland Joint Operations

Center or MJOC. 

The MJOC is the state’s watch

center, which operates 24 hours a

day, seven days a week and is

staffed by Maryland Emergency

Management Agency and Maryland National Guard personnel. It

monitors a variety of public safety

events around the state and keeps

the state’s leadership informed.

The events the MJOC monitors can

include law enforcement events,

transportation disruptions, and

massive threats to property or public safety. 

The MJOC maintains communications with local jurisdictions,

contiguous states, the District of

Columbia and the federal government. The center also acts as a dispatch center for the Office of the State Fire

Marshal and the Spill Response Team for

the Maryland Department of the Environment. 

In addition to a tour of the MJOC, specialized equipment from the 32nd Civil

Support Team as well as the command and

control vehicles from the Joint Force Headquarters were on static display for the governor’s inspection.

A similar briefing was provided to the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Secretary Michael Chertoff, Under Secretary (and FEMA Director) R. David Paulison

and members of his staff on March 15, to

Army Maj. Gen. Guy Swann, commander

of the Military District of Washington and

his staff, and to U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes

and his staff on April 12.

Digest: Spring/Summer, 2007 9

Civilian Leaders Get Overview of

Emergency Capabilities

By Quentin Banks, Military Department Public Affairs

Governor Martin O’Malley speaks with Charlie Simpson, Maryland Joint Operations Center

manager, during a visit to MEMA.

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael

Chertoff meets with members of Maryland

National Guard’s 32nd Civil Support Team

while visiting MEMA.
10 Maryland Military Department

AMaryland Army National Guard Soldier was one of five distinguishedwomen inducted into the Maryland

Women’s Hall of Fame by the Maryland

Commission on Women March 14.

Col. Annette M. Deener, chief of staff

of the Maryland Army National Guard, was

honored at an induction ceremony held in

the Miller Senate Office Building in

Annapolis.

Deener, an officer with more than 30

years of service, is the first woman to hold

this position in the history of the Maryland

National Guard. She functions as the senior federal full-time Army National Guard

management official and serves as principal executive assistant and advisor on Army

National Guard matters to the Adjutant

General. As such, she is responsible for

directing the administration, coordination,

planning, execution and supervision of all

Army National Guard programs.

“This is quite an honor to be included

in the Hall of Fame with so many distinguished women,” Deener said.

Deener, who was born in Cumberland, Md., is a lifelong Maryland resident.

She graduated from Allegany High School

in 1971 and attended Western Maryland

College (now McDaniel) where she earned

a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975. That

same year, she enlisted in the United States

Army Reserve in the 698th Supply Company, Frederick, Md. She continued her

education and graduated from Frostburg

State College with a Master of Science

degree in Business Management in 1978. After 15 months

of training, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant

through the Maryland Army

National Guard Officer Candidate School in July, 1978 and

transferred to the Maryland

Army National Guard. In addition to her civilian education,

she is also a 1998 graduate of

the Army War College. Deener

served two years as the Army

National Guard representative

to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services where she helped

influence career opportunities

for women in military service

on a national level. 

She began working full-time for the

Maryland Army National Guard in 1984 as

the first Management Information Systems

Officer for the National Guard. Over the

next twenty years, Deener would go on to

be the Director of Information Management, the Director of Military Personnel,

and the Director of Human Resources,

making her the only person in the Maryland Army National Guard’s history to hold

three separate directorate level positions.

During this time, she would become only

the second woman in the Maryland Army

National Guard full-time workforce to

attain the rank of colonel. 

Her numerous awards include the

Meritorious Service Medal with four oak

leaf clusters and the Maryland Distinguished Service Cross. Punctuating her

accomplishment is the fact that she has

done all of these things while raising a family. She resides in Sharpsburg with her husband and daughter. A son, also in the

National Guard, resides in Frederick.

The Maryland Commission for Women

and Women Legislators of Maryland established the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame

in 1985. Individuals are selected for induction through a process that begins with an

annual statewide call for nominations. An

all-volunteer selection committee reviews

the applications and selects inductees.

Deener Inducted into

Hall of Fame

By 1st Lt. Wayde Minami, MDNG Public Affairs

Col. Annette M. Deener, chief of staff of the Maryland Army

National Guard, was recently inducted into the Maryland

Women's Hall of Fame.

Eastern Shore Employers

Recognized by ESGR

S

ALISBURY, Md. – The Maryland Committee for Employer Support of the

Guard and Reserve recognized 75

area employers for outstanding service

and continued support to the national

defense effort Apr. 19.

In a ceremony held during its Eastern

Shore Employer Awards Breakfast, the

ESGR presented certificates of appreciation as well as the prestigious “Above and

Beyond” award to area employers that

had been nominated by employees who

are also members of the National Guard

or Reserves. 

The companies recognized today provided support such as salary differential,

continued health care benefits, and family

assistance to their employees and families

while the Guardsman or Reservist was

serving on active duty.

One employer, Machining Technologies, Inc. of Salisbury, has been selected as

the state’s Freedom Award nominee. The

Freedom Award is awarded by the Secretary of Defense to those companies that

provide exceptional support to their

employees that are Guard or Reserve

members. 

The Freedom Awards ceremony will

be held Sept. 12 at the Ronald Reagan

Building International Trade Center in

Washington, D.C.
Digest: Spring/Summer, 2007 11

SMP Offers Soldiers Alternative to OCS

By 2nd Lt. Danielle M. McGriff, USAR

What is the SMP, where

did it derive from, and

who established it?

The Simultaneous Membership Program, also referred to

as the SMP is designed for contracted Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) cadets who

are simultaneously in the Army

National Guard or the Army

Reserve.

“The SMP is a great opportunity for cadets to ask questions and learn from officers

who have experience so that you

may learn from their mistakes,”

said Capt. Louis Waters, Jr.,

Maryland Army National Guard.

“As an SMP cadet you are under

the direct leadership of several

different grades of officers, helping to make you a better officer.”

To be eligible to participate

in the program, the Soldier

must be at least a sophomore in

college and currently have a

Grade Point Average of 2.0 or

higher. Soldiers also must have

completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual

Training. 

The program is only offered

to Soldiers who are contracted

and considered to be nonscholarship. They must also be in good

standing with the Army National Guard

or the Army Reserve at the time of signing the SMP contract.

SMP contracted cadets are eligible to

receive federal tuition assistance, state

tuition reimbursement, ROTC stipends,

Montgomery GI BILL with the KICKERwhich can range from anywhere between

$600 to $1,000 a month and an advance

to pay grade E-5. 

2nd Lt. Ernesto Gumbs, a former

participant in the SMP, said that the program is a great opportunity and can help

full-time college students pay for books

and other daily essentials.

According to Cadet Roberto Pineda,

who is currently a participant in the SMP

at Bowie State University, the SMP offers

more financial stabilization for college as

opposed to going through the Officer

Candidate School program (OCS). He

said that as a college student in the program you are able to take more classes,

and have money for tuition and for

leisure activities.

Even-though the SMP can help bring

financial stability to college students,

that stability doesn’t come at an easy

price. According to Cadet Olubusola

Shokunbi, an SMP participant, the program is very strenuous on family life,

part-time employment, and social life. 

“There’s not enough time in the day

to do everything that is required for

ROTC and the work that Army National

Guard or Army Reserve units require

from their cadets,” said Shokunbi. “And

let’s not forget your academic requirements.” 

According to several ROTC cadets

it’s easier to get your commission while

you are already attending school, than to

wait until after you’ve already received

your degree, or have acquired the 60

credit hours needed to get accepted into

the OCS program. Gumbs said ROTC

takes up much of your leisure time, like

your weekends, and some of your nights,

but it’s all worth it in the end. 

“I attribute a lot of my success to my

stint in the SMP; it has helped mold my

civilian career as well as my military

career. I was mentored by some of the

most professional people in the United

States military,” said Gumbs. “They gave

me guidance on branching, and allowed

me to see whether or not I would be better suited on active duty or in the

reserves. The SMP program is all about

shaping and molding the minds of young

Soldiers and turning them into leaders, it

made me a leader.”

According to Shokunbi you are truly

exposed to the life of an officer through

ROTC and the SMP because for the most

part you work with officers hand in hand

everyday, which helps equip cadets with

the mental, physical, and the managerial

capabilities to become a leader within

the United States Army. Those qualities

also are attributed to the lessons you

learn from other officers.

“For instance, I myself was given the

opportunity to go to Korea and shadow

officers from my unit at Fort Belvoir,”

said Shokunbi.

Cadet Roberto Pineda, a Maryland Army National Guard member, is a current participant in the SMP.
12 Maryland Military Department

MDANG First to Field New A-10C

By Jeff Rhodes, Lockheed Martin Corp.

Photos by Senior Master Sgt. Jim Foard

“Every day when I wake up, I

know exactly how many days

are left before we go into theater. Standing up a new system is a challenge, but facing a near-term

deployment is a huge weight. We are

going to be on the world stage. We have

to be at our best.”

That is how Lt. Col. Dan Marino, the

175th Wing’s operations group commander, describes the dual task his Maryland Air National Guard unit has faced.

The 175th Wing’s 104th Fighter

Squadron is currently completing a conversion to an upgraded version of the A10 close air support aircraft and

preparing for an Air Expeditionary Force

deployment to Afghanistan later this

year.

The A-10, officially christened Thunderbolt II, but universally referred to as

Warthog because of its ungainly appearance, is the first US Air Force aircraft

specifically designed for close air support of ground forces. The A-10 entered

service in 1976.

The Warthog, or more simply, Hog, is

a relatively uncomplicated design. The

Air Force’s requirements at the time

were straightforward – the aircraft had to

carry a large ordnance load, have

extended loiter time over the battlefield,

provide good maneuverability at low

speeds and low altitudes, be easy to

maintain, and be able to operate from

small, forward bases. 

The thinking at the time was that the

A-10 would have to provide close air support and be able to halt a Soviet advance

coming through Germany. 

“If you look at the history of the A10, every new capability, every new system put on the jet is an add-on,” notes

Maj. Doug Baker, a 2,000-hour pilot with

the 104th FS. “After continually adding

systems, we had an aircraft with all this

extra stuff it was never originally

designed to have. Under the upgrade

program, we are ripping out all of the

old independent systems and replacing

them with a comprehensive system that

is expandable and it works.”

The Precision Engagement, or PE,

significantly increases the pilots’ situational awareness and their ability to

accurately detect, identify, and destroy

targets in all weather from greater alti-
Digest: Spring/Summer, 2007 13

tudes and distances using precision

guided weapons.

PE is a five-year program to upgrade

all 356 aircraft now in the Air National

Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, and

active-duty Air Force A-10 fleet. During

the 1970s, two modified A-10s were designated A-10B, so the modified A-10As

are redesignated A-10Cs.

The first prototype A-10C was flown

in 2005 and the 104th FS received its

first production A-10C last August.

Most of the

changes are related to

avionics. The A-10 is

now wired to carry

either the Sniper XR or

the Litening AT

advanced targeting

pod. The upgrade also

includes an uprated

1760 data bus, which

enables the A-10 to

carry the Joint Direct

Attack Munition series

and the Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser; and a digital

stores management

system. 

The Situational

Awareness Data Link,

or SADL, is also part of

the upgrade. 

“Being a guy who

never flew with a

radar, seeing the SADL

picture is magic,”

Baker observes. “We

share data and it is all

secure. With SADL, I

never have to input

target coordinates

manually. I just slave

the targeting pod to

what I’m looking at

and the system figures out the coordinates. Then it sends the information to

the other jets so everyone is looking at

the same thing.”

In the cockpit, the A-10C pilot has

two five- by five-inch color multifunction

displays with a moving map as well as a

new control stick and throttle. 

“The jet was all analog and manual

before,” notes Marino. “I had to reach up

to the instrument panel and throw

switches and push buttons to drop a

bomb. Now, I can change the switch

positions and drop weapons without taking my hands off the throttle or stick.”

The last four 104th FS pilots went

through conversion training in March.

The unit now has fifteen A-10Cs on the

ramp, with six more coming because of

force realignments. But getting to this

point took effort. 

The 104th FS and the 110th Fighter

Wing at Battle Creek, Michigan, were

chosen to lead the fleet. 

“We committed the lead aircraft to

the program. That was key to keeping

the line moving,” notes Campbell, who

moved his family to Nevada to stand up

a Guard detachment at Nellis AFB outside of Las Vegas. There, the 104th

Fighter Squadron and the active duty

422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron

brought the A-10C into operation.

“The Guard operation at Nellis is the

big success story,” adds Campbell. “We

kept sortie generation up and made sure

we got the test points. We provided a lot

of experience on the pilot and maintenance sides. We have been living the

Total Force concept at Nellis since

November 2005.”

“We had the Guard and the active

duty embedded together at Nellis,”

recalls CMSgt. Terry Allen, the wing’s

maintenance chief. “We have people who

have been working on this jet for 20

years who helped develop the training

documents for the A-10C. We sent close

to 50 percent of our people to train at

Nellis for 35 days at a time.”

The Baltimore A-10Cs will deploy

first this fall, followed shortly afterward

by A-10Cs from Battle Creek, Mich. 

“The Hog will never be faster than

other jets, but now we can do almost

everything else,” notes Marino. “With

JDAM, we can hit a pop-up target. We

will be doing non-traditional surveillance and reconnaissance. We will go out

and check for IEDs in front of a convoy.

The Hog was designed to destroy armor

columns, and now we look for a group

of four or five people

in the woods. PE

allows us to find and

fix the target rapidly.

With SADL, target

information comes up

on the net. We can

drop JDAM, 500-, or

1,000-pound bombs

and launch Maverick.”

“The change

from analog to digital

is huge,” says Campbell. “The infrastructure is in the airplane

and the system can

accommodate growth.

It is better and easier

and faster to update.

Close air support

requires talking to

troops on the ground

and delivering a

weapon very near

them. The A-10C

makes us much better

at that.”

“Any time we

put troops on the

ground, we will need

that type of CAS,”

Campbell continues.

“If we have the sensors, we can perform

CAS from 10,000 feet. With the A-10C,

we can do battle damage assessment

from standoff distances. I can still roll in

with the gun or with a bomb if I have to.

But now, I have to expose myself to

threats only if the situation warrants taking such a risk, not because the aircraft’s

capabilities are limited.”

The drawdown of the A-10 is

expected to begin in the early 2020s

when the F-35 comes online in sufficient

numbers. The last A-10 is scheduled for

retirement in 2028. Notes Campbell: “We

can’t stay around forever, but the Hog

has to be viable until it is time to go.”

This article is reprinted from Code One

magazine with permission of Lockheed

Martin Corp.

A Maryland Air National Guard pilot prepares for a mission in the new A-10C.
14 Maryland Military Department

THE LECTERN

This segment by Chap. (Lt. Col. Md.) Charles H. Nalls, Director, Chaplain Corps, MDDF

I

n 1917, as American troops were

preparing to sail across the seas in

order to take to the battlefields of

France and Belgium in World War I,

Theodore Roosevelt was asked to

inscribe a message in the pocket New

Testament that each of the Soldiers

would be given. 

He happily agreed, and began by

giving a striking call for a life of balance that he called the “Micah Mandate.” It is a message that still

resonates across the years and the

many faith groups that make up our

military family.

Roosevelt began with the following: “He has shown you, O man, what

is good and what the Lord requires of

you, but to do justice and to love

mercy, and to walk humbly with your

God.” (Micah 6:8). Based on this passage, he then urged troops to “lead

the world in both word and deed

through unimpeachable moral uprightness.”

In the brief message to the Soldiers that followed, the former president addressed the spiritual dimension of the struggle in which the

nation was involved and what it means

to conduct oneself with honor amid

that struggle. To paraphrase those

words, Do justice, and therefore fight

valiantly against those that stand for

the reign of evil on this Earth. Love

mercy, treat your enemies well, succor

the afflicted, treat every man or

women as if they were your brother or

sister, care for the little children, and

be tender with the old and helpless.

Walk humbly.

More than 90 years later, Roosevelt’s charge speaks to us in amid

the uncertainties and struggles of our

own day. Honor on the battlefield, and

in our lives of military service, comes

from living by a code that rescues the

warrior from barbarism and elevates

the profession of arms. It means

understanding soldiering as a spiritual

service as much as a martial role. As

Stephen Mansfield, author of The Faith

of the American Soldier, observed,

“Honorable soldiers are devoted to the

moral objectives of their nation in war,

are willing to lay their lives on an altar

of sacrifice, are courageous in subduing the enemy yet compassionate to

civilians and prisoners, are devoted to

a Godly esprit de corps...”

More than 90 years before

Theodore Roosevelt’s note to departing troops, Alexis de Tocqueville, a

French nobleman touring our fledgling

Nation wrote, “America is great

because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America

will cease to be great.” At the core,

honor, informed by our particular

faith, and goodness are our calling and

the way to greatness.

The MDDF Chaplain Corps currently is recruiting ordained ministers,

priests, rabbis, and imams, as well as

chaplain assistants for volunteer service to our State. 

You can learn more about the

MDDF and how to qualify at

www.mddefenseforce.org or contact

Chap. (Lt. Col. Md.) Charles H. Nalls,

Director, Chaplain Corps at 202-262-

5519 for further information on the

many opportunities available in this

rewarding ministry.

Hot weather poses potential risk to

Guardsmen and family members

alike, and individuals need to

realize that heat injury prevention is not

only a command and leadership responsibility, but a personal one too. 

Heat injuries are avoidable yet can

affect anyone. Individuals not used to

hot weather, especially when it’s combined with high humidity, are particularly susceptible. Young children,

individuals with a long-term illness, and

people that work in enclosed environments such as aircraft cockpits or vehicle

interiors specially run the risk of becoming heat causalities. The use of supplements may also increase the chance

dehydration.

According to the Army’s Office of the

Surgeon, 220 heat stroke cases were documented in 2006; of those, 57 service

members were hospitalized, 163 were

outpatients, and two died. The injuries

happened both in garrison and operational environments, and occurred during physical fitness training and testing,

training exercises, and other activities

including recreational exertion and nonexertion activities. 

The best defense against a heatrelated incident is prevention. Before

engaging in an outdoor activity or mission in the heat, the identification and

assessment of potential hazards, such as

a high heat category or the physical exertion level of the activity, can reduce an

individual’s chance of becoming a victim

of heatstroke, heat exhaustion or heat

cramps. 

By developing and implementing

controls, leaders reduce the chance of a

unit member succumbing to a heat

injury. Having sufficient hydration

sources and providing rest cycles as

needed are some of the measures that

leaders can take. 

Applying similar control measures

when off duty can also protect family

members. Drinking more fluids, avoiding alcohol or drinks full of sugar or caffeine, and staying indoors when possible

are several ways to beat the heat. Additionally, wearing a wide-brimmed hat,

sunglasses and putting on sunscreen of

SPF 15 or higher, diminishes the possibility of a heat-related incident.

For more information on heat injury

prevention, visit http://chppmwww.apgea. army.mil/heat/#_HIA and

for more information on the 101 Critical Days of Summer safety campaign

visit https://crc.army.mil

Heat Savvy Can Save Lives

By Lori Yerdon, U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center
Digest: Spring/Summer, 2007 15

The Maryland Military Department

recently raised $440 for Baltimore

based charity Santa Claus Anonymous. According to Command Sgt. Maj.

(Ret.) Wilson J. Thornton, Jr., Military

Department coordinator for the fund

drivethe department began raising funds

in the Fall of 2006. The department has

been making an annual donation to the

organization since 1993.

Founded in 1934 by former Baltimore mayor, Theodore R. McKeldin,

Santa Claus Anonymous is a unique volunteer non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. Each year, keenly aware of the

thousands of children in the Baltimore

metropolitan area who go without presents at holiday time, the organization

raises money to give every child a Christmas.

The MMD’s donation will go towards

Santa Claus Anonymous’ 2007 goal of

raising $300,000 for their cause.

Mil Dep Raises Funds for Local Charity

The Maryland Military Department

participated in the 20th Annual

African-American Patriots Day on

Saturday Feb. 24 at the War Memorial

Building in Baltimore. 

The ceremony was dedicated to the

memory of the late Maryland State Senator Decatur W. Trotter, who was cofounder of the African-American

Consortium, the sponsor of the event.

Representing the Maryland Military

Department were Maj. Gen. Bruce F.

Tuxill, the adjutant general of Maryland,

and Brig. Gen. Edward Ballard, 29th

Infantry Division assistant division commander.

In addition to representatives of the

Maryland Army and Air National Guard,

the ceremony was attended by members

from various veteran organizations and

by students enrolled in the Freestate

ChalleNGe Program.

The celebration was marked by tributes to Mr. Gerald Eldridge, Mr. Thomas

D. Wallace, Col. (Ret) Richard E. Young,

and Col. (Ret) Charles Williams. These

individuals received recognition, including citations from Gov. Martin O’Malley

and other governmental agencies for

their services to Maryland veterans. 

The Maryland National Guard Honor

Guards Color Guard carried the colors to

the wreath laying

ceremony at the

War Memorial Plaza

at the conclusion of

the celebration,

where Col.

Wayne Johnson, Maryland

Army

National Guard

director of logistics,

and Lt. Col. Marco Harris,

commander of the Maryland National

Guard’s 115th Military Police Battalion,

laid the wreath. 

New Scholarship for

Maryland OIF/OEF

Veterans

Hodson Trust Star Scholarship has started a full scholarship

– which covers 100 percent of tuition, room, board, books

and mandatory fees – at Johns Hopkins University, Hood

College, Washington College and St. John's College. This scholarship is for undergraduate as well as graduate programs. It starts

with the 2007/08 school year. Recipients will apply for all benefits

to which they’re already entitled and the scholarship will pick up

the rest. 

The following are required for this scholarship:

• Proof of OIF/OEF (60 day minimum on ground/air space or

support in surrounding areas) – DD 214 or documentation

of service-related injuries if less than 60 days in country 

• Proof of Maryland residency 

• Apply for and accept all federal and state need-based programs (Waiver, FTA, STAR, G.I. Bill) 

• Meet all requirements for application

The scholarship can be found on-line at http://www.hodsontrust.org or call Eileen Dickey at (302) 429-9427.

ANOTHER COLLEGE JOINS 

THE STATE TUITION WAIVER 

PROGRAM

Capitol College has signed on with the Maryland

National Guard as a “Partner in Education” and is now

offering Guard members 50 percent off tuition for the

first 12 credits of undergraduate or graduate study per

academic year. Capitol is the first college to offer 50

percent off on graduate tuition.

In addition to the discount, Guardsmen can still

use FTA and State Tuition Assistance as well as the G.I.

Bill.

Capitol is one of only 75 colleges and universities

that certify graduates for DoD and NSA secure network certification and they have a greater than 90 percent job placement rate in DoD and NSA positions.

For more information and application procedures,

visit http://www.capitol-college.edu/

Department Honors African Americans

at Patriots Day Celebration
Fifth Regiment Armory

Baltimore, MD 21201-2288

The Maryland Military Department

Digest is published quarterly by the

Maryland Military Department via the

Maryland National Guard Public Affairs

Office, Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore, Md. 21201-2288. Articles or suggestions can be forwarded to the editor

at paomd@md.ngb.army.mil or call us at 

410-576-6179.

Martin O’Malley

Governor

Anthony G. Brown

Lt. Governor

Maj. Gen. Bruce F. Tuxill

The Adjutant General

Quentin Banks

Director of Public Affairs

Maj. Kristine Henry

Acting Public Affairs Officer

1st Lt. Wayde Minami

Editor

Numbers You Need

Maryland National Guard Family 

Readiness Office

410-576-6019

Department of Information 

Management Help Desk

410-702-9600

Maryland National Guard 

Chaplain’s Office

410-576-6124

Red Cross 

Central Maryland Chapter, Baltimore

1-888-737-4306

Southern Maryland Chapter, La Plata

301-934-2066

Lower Shore Chapter, Salisbury

410-749-5331

Frederick County Chapter, Walkersville

301-662-5131

Maryland Poison Control 

1-800-222-1222

Websites

Maryland Government Website

www.maryland.gov

Maryland Military Department

Website

www.mdmildep.org

Maryland Emergency 

Management Agency

www.mema.state.md.us

Maryland State Employee 

Central Payroll Bureau

compnet.comp.state.md.us

Maryland Military DepartmentDigest

Family Readiness at 

the Ready

During the planning stages for a

deployment, service members go

through training and a series of tasks to

prepare them for their departure. It is

important to make sure that the same is

done for your family.

There are many different types of

families all across the state of Maryland—some are dealing with their first

deployment, and some are dealing with

a second, third, or even a fourth deployment. Each one is going to handle the

separation from their Guard member in

a different and special way. Please

remember that the Maryland Family

Readiness Program is here to help, and

has information for families and servicemembers before the deployment, while

their servicemember is gone, and for

reunion. Although each family will deal

with the deployment differently, it is

important to remember that there is a

large and extensive network of Family

Readiness Groups and volunteers

across the state to offer support and

assistance to you during this deployment. Additionally, there are Family

Assistance Centers located in Baltimore,

Towson, Hagerstown, and Annapolis

that are excellent sources of information. 

Please remember to include your

children in discussions about the

deployment, and what to expect while

the servicemember is away. The Maryland National Guard Youth Program is a

great resource to families that are going

through the stages of deployment. 

For more information on the Maryland Family Readiness Program or the

Youth Program please call 410-576-

6019, or toll free at 1-877-399-6221.

Please remember that the Family Program is here to assist and support your

family.