Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel    
    
        Special Victims Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Hokanson: Names in bronze one of the reasons the National Guard keeps our promise to be Always Ready, Always There By Army Master Sgt. Jim Greenhill,
                National Guard Bureau
 NEW YORK – As Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson ran his fingers over the letters spelling out one of the names cut into the 9/11 Memorial here Wednesday, he pondered the consequences of the terrorist attacks of two decades ago. Personal consequences because, like so many Americans, the chief of the National Guard Bureau knew people killed on Sept. 11, 2001. The name he paused at now, placing a small American flag, was that of a U.S. Military Academy classmate, Douglas Gurian. A major on 9/11, Hokanson now leads the National Guard Bureau, which institutionally transformed from a strategic to an operational reserve because of what happened in New York, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 20 years ago. “Our world was transformed by the attacks of 9/11, and our mission with it,” Hokanson said. “In our collective shock and grief, we grew stronger.  We vowed never to forget, and we have kept that promise.” The Guard’s transformation included creating Joint Force Headquarters in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia, to provide centralized command and control of Soldiers and Airmen to improve communication, collaboration and coordination. The Guard increased fivefold the number of civil support teams, which respond to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents within 90 minutes. The Guard also added 19 teams to assess critical infrastructure and key resources around the country, and 55 quick reaction forces of specially trained troops who provide rapid security enforcement support. Joint Operations Centers – 55 of them around the nation – were also created after 9/11, to give decision-makers up-to-date information during domestic emergencies to ensure rapid, coordinated responses. And the chief of the National Guard Bureau was elevated to a four-star position and added to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in part because of the National Guard’s unique perspective, its significant capabilities as the combat reserve of the Army and Air Force, and to represent the non-federalized reserve components of the Department of Defense. “The investment America has made in the National Guard since 9/11 has greatly improved our combat readiness and paid dividends in our homeland response,” Hokanson said. Combat support to the Army and the Air Force is the National Guard’s primary mission. The training and equipment for that mission enables the Guard to respond when we are needed to disasters in our communities. “Before 9/11, we were a strategic reserve,” Hokanson said. “After 9/11, the National Guard became a critical element of the entire joint force.” The Army National Guard provides 39 percent of the Army’s operational force, while the Air National Guard provides about 30 percent of the Air Force’s operational force. National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen have deployed overseas more than 1 million times since the 9/11 attacks.  In 2005, half of all the maneuver brigades in Iraq were Army National Guard units. In addition to fighting America’s wars and securing the homeland, the National Guard also prioritizes sustaining enduring partnerships with local, state and federal agencies, and with America’s allies and partners overseas through the State Partnership Program. Since 9/11, 44 nations joined the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, boosting our nation’s partnership capacity, one of our key national security priorities. Guardsmen were among those killed on 9/11, some serving in their military capacity at the Pentagon, others working in careers at the World Trade Center. And Guardsmen raced to respond immediately after the attacks, joining first responders at all three locations, many instinctively showing up without being asked, taking the initiative in the absence of orders. More than 8,000 were on duty that day. For months, Guardsmen supported the New York Police Department and Fire Department of New York at Ground Zero. They were present nationwide, augmenting law enforcement at major airports, guarding critical infrastructure and completing other missions. And they were frequently in the air, responding to potential threats to air sovereignty. The New York National Guard stood up Joint Task Force Empire Shield after 9/11, which secures critical facilities and augments law enforcement.  The task force continues its around-the-clock operations to this day. In advance of the 20th anniversary, Hokanson visited with troops and first responders who were present and responded to the World Trade Center and Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  He visited them at the memorial and museum in New York and at the memorial near Shanksville. Army Col. Keith Graham, Pennsylvania National Guard, was a lieutenant with the 104th Aviation Regiment on 9/11. Returning from a run, he saw television coverage of the planes hitting the World Trade Center towers. Once the second plane hit, it was clear the collisions were no accident. Graham headed to his flight facility. By the time he reached the gate, word was spreading about the crash of Flight 93 near Shanksville. Graham spent the rest of the day flying the governor, state police commissioner, and other state leadership and FBI teams to the crash site. “The whole day was a sad day,” he said. “Anger. Frustration. Trying to figure out what’s going on. What’s not going on. It was a stressful day.” The ensuing days saw Graham piloting his CH-47 Chinook helicopter loaded with medical supplies and meals ready to eat from a National Guard base to Ground Zero for the first responders at work there. Graham was just one of the Soldiers, Airmen and first responders Hokanson spent time with at the memorials. In domestic responses, the National Guard supports civil authorities, as it did on 9/11. Hokanson talked with NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority Police Department leaders in New York, and with fire chiefs, a state trooper and an emergency dispatcher in Pennsylvania, all of whom were part of the 9/11 response. “As we remember, honor and mourn those we lost, we must also never forget the heroism and courage so many demonstrated that day,” he said. Doug Gurian, the general’s West Point classmate, was at Windows on the World in the North Tower when Flight 11 struck. Gurian left behind a wife and two children, who were 7- and 4-years-old.
 
Gurian’s name is among almost 3,000 engraved in bronze at the 9/11 Memorial. Seven National Guard members are also among the names.  Hokanson stood in the Inner Chamber Memorial Exhibition below ground as their names were projected on the wall, reading about them, and hearing the recorded recollections of their loved ones. “It was an attack on our nation, and deeply personal to so many of us,” Hokanson said. “The names in bronze are one of the reasons the National Guard keeps our promise to be Always Ready, Always There.”
 SHARE
 PRINT
 National Guard stories about the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
 Gen. Daniel Hokanson
 chief National Guard Bureau
 New York National Guard
 Pennsylvania National Guard
 20th Anniversary of September 11th
 9/11
 National Guard Bureau
 
 Guard Leaders Stress NCOs Role in State Partnership Program
 By Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Pena,
  Hokanson: Nation’s Investment in National Guard Comes at Pivotal Moment
 By Sgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely,
  Guard Chief Visits Pennsylvania Guard, Aviation Training Site
 By Wayne Hall,
  More
 Idaho Air Guard Conducts Panther Shadow Exercise5/3/2024Massachusetts Guard Helps Host Crisis Leadership Seminar5/2/2024Massachusetts Air Guard Airmen Test New Air Combat Tactics5/2/2024 View more Guard News »
 Vermont Army Guard Soldiers Attend Brazilian Mountain School5/3/2024
New York Army Guard Soldiers Heading to North Africa4/30/2024
Pennsylvania National Guard Members Deploy to Africa4/19/2024 View more Overseas Operations News »
 North Carolina Guard Welcomes New Zambian State Partnership5/3/2024

Guard Leaders Stress NCOs Role in State Partnership Program5/3/2024

Enduring Partners 2024 Begins with Thai-US Airmen Exchange5/2/2024 View more State Partnership Program News »
 Back-to-school tools for military families8/11/2015DoD sends blended military retirement proposal to Congress6/16/2015First employment symposium held for National Guard spouses5/11/2015 View more Family Programs News »
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil