If the Maryland National Guard is called upon to secure the U.S. border with Mexico, it would be just one of the many tasks it has been asked to complete since Sept. 11, 2001.
“About 700 members of the Maryland National Guard are currently deployed on federal active duty from Iraq to Cuba to the Balkans,” said Maj. Charles Kohler, spokesman for the Maryland National Guard.
Kohler would not comment on PresidentBush?s plan to send National Guard troops to the Mexican border, but said the Maryland Guard has successfully managed multiple responsibilities in recent years, particularly relating to homeland security after the terrorist attacks of 2001.
“We took part in Operation Noble Eagle immediately following 9/11, securing critical domestic infrastructure,” Kohler said.
Since that time, Kohler said Maryland?s Guardsmen have responded to three federally declared emergencies, including a major snowstorm and hurricanes Isabel and Katrina, all the while maintaining a presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In recent months, such multitasking has not hurt recruiting. The Maryland National Guard has met or exceeded recruiting goals for the past six months for the first time in several years, said Kohler.
Despite engagements with insurgents near Baghdad and in western Iraq, no soldiers from the company were killed in combat while deployed, and the nine who suffered combat-related injuries have recovered.
One member of the unit, Pfc. Carlton Newman, of Landover, was killed in March last year when his Humvee overturned during training.
Upon their return, Capt. Brian Borakove, the unit?s commanding officer, praised his troops for transformation from “weekend status” to professional soldiers.
