New York Guard

The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF). Originally called the New York State Militia, it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812.[2]

New York Guard
The shoulder sleeve insignia of the New York Guard
Active1917 – Present
Country United States
Allegiance New York
Type  State defense force
Role"Reserve Land Force of NYS Organized Militia"
Size400[1]
Part ofNew York Division of Military and Naval Affairs
NYG HQCamp Smith Training Site, NY
Nickname(s)NYG
AnniversariesAugust 3, 1917
Commanders
Civilian LeadershipGovernor Kathy Hochul
(Governor of the State of New York)
State Military LeadershipMajor General Ray Shields (Adjutant General of New York)

Brigadier General Peter P. Riley (Commanding General)
Notable
commanders
Lieutenant General Hugh Aloysius Drum
Insignia
Beret flash of the New York Guard

The organization now has a unified command structure, while formerly it contained an Army Division and an Air Division. The missions of the New York Guard include augmentation, assistance, and support of the New York Army National Guard and New York Air National Guard respectively and aide to civil authorities in New York State. New York also has a New York Naval Militia which, with the State Guard and the Army and Air National Guards, is under the command of the Governor of New York, the Adjutant General of New York, and the Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA).

The New York Guard is one of the largest organized State Defense Forces in the United States. It is historically derived from Revolutionary and Civil War era state military units that were reorganized several times in American history in response to various international and domestic crises.

Organized under New York State Military Law, the New York Guard cannot be federalized at any time and cannot be deployed outside New York State without the consent of the governor.

Members of the New York Guard are entitled to many of the benefits accorded members of other components of the "Organized Militia of the State of New York", the legal collective term describing the New York Army and Air National Guards, New York Naval Militia and New York Guard. These include military leave for employees of state or local governments and many private employers.

History

The 265th New York State Militia was a small unit of the New York line and could trace its lineage to the War of 1812. The new regiment was given the designation, 14th regiment, which is one of the oldest military organizations in the United States because of its direct lineage through various separate companies, to the militia companies of the Dutch burghers of New Amsterdam.[3]

In Sketches of America (1818) British author Henry Bradshaw Fearon, who visited the young United States on a fact-finding mission to inform Britons considering emigration, described New York military service as he found it in New York City in August 1817:

Every male inhabitant can be called out, from the age of 18 to 45, on actual military duty. During a state of peace, there are seven musters annually: the fine for non-attendance is, each time, five dollars. Commanding officers have discretionary power to receive substitutes. An instance of their easiness to be pleased was related to me by Mr. —, a tradesman of this city. He never attends the muster, but, to avoid the fine, sends some of his men, who answer to his name; the same man is not invariably his deputy on parade: in this, Mr. — suits his own convenience; sometimes the collecting clerk, sometimes one of the brewers, at others a drayman: and to finish this military pantomime, a firelock is often dispensed with, for the more convenient wartime weapon—a cudgel. Courts-martial have the power of mitigating the fine, on the assignment of a satisfactory cause of absence, and in cases of poverty. Upon legal exemptions I cannot convey certain information. During a period of three months in the late war, martial law existed, and no substitutes were received. Aliens were not called out.[4]

Civil War era

For more detail, see List of New York Civil War Regiments.

The New York Seventh in Washington, DC, 1861

Many units of the New York State Militia saw service in the American Civil War, after being activated into federal service by President Abraham Lincoln.

The activation of state militia by President Abraham Lincoln led to some conflict with State authorities in command of the units:

With the advent of the Civil War in April 1861, the 14th regiment saw its first war service in guarding the Brooklyn Navy Yard. By mid-April of that year, the "Brooklyn Chasseurs" were ready to leave New York for Washington D.C. Colonel Alfred Wood advised the Honorable Governor Morgan that the regiment was prepared to march and had accepted a three-year federal enlistment. However, the governor would not issue orders for the regiment to leave New York. While encamped at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, Colonel Wood and Congressman Moses O'Dell went to see President Lincoln to secure orders for the regiment to march to Washington. President Lincoln lost no time in issuing those orders to the 14th Brooklyn. When Governor Morgan learned that the regiment was preparing to march, he telegraphed Colonel Wood and inquired "by what authority" did he move his regiment, Colonel Wood coolly replied, "By the authority of the President of the United States."[5]

Following the Civil War, efforts were made to link the varied military units in New York under overall headquarters. As a result of this, the 3rd Brigade, New York State Militia, came into being on August 5, 1886.[6]

New York Guard created, 1917

On August 3, 1917, the Adjutant General of New York, in order to comply with the provisions of the State Constitution requiring that troops be available to the Governor for the protection of life and property of the citizens of New York, organized a state military force known as the New York Guard. The new force replaced the New York National Guard, drafted in the service of the United States on August 5, 1917. The force consisted of the First and Second Provisional Regiments, guarding aqueducts and other infrastructure in the southern portion (First Provisional Regiment) and the remaining parts of the state.

On January 1, 1919, the Guard numbered 22,000 in active service. After the Armistice, federalized New York National Guard Units were returned to State control.

New York Guard during WWII

In 1943, the NYG gained a new Commander in LTG Hugh Aloysius Drum,[7] (until 1948) and took on many responsibilities normally performed by the National Guard. In addition to internal security measures such as protecting key facilities from saboteurs and developing plans to respond if such an event occurred.[8] On 7 October 1946, an official National Guard troop allotment was accepted, and the New York Guard of World War II was phased out of existence by the reorganization of the National Guard effective 30 November 1946.

New York Guard, 2001 to present

In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the New York Guard provided security, disaster relief, legal, communications and other services to New York City and the surrounding areas in cooperation with the National Guard. During this period, Major General John F. Bahrenburg was Commander of the New York Guard (his tenure as Commander was from 1999 to 2002).[9]

The New York Guard experienced a resurgence after the September 11, 2001 attacks. New York Guard units were activated after the attacks, performing a variety of missions, including logistical support to forces stationed at "Ground Zero." Medical units of the Guard worked in conjunction with other DMNA forces providing care at several location including Camp Smith, in Westchester county.

New York Guard Staff Sgt. Joseph Dee fires an M9 pistol during the 35th Annual "TAG (The Adjutant General) Match.
Members of the New York Guard load supplies onto a flatbed as a part of the State Active Duty mission in the Fall of 2017 Hurricane Maria deployment.

Principal occupational specialties of the New York Guard include, communications, logistics, administrative, and medical and legal services, provided in support of all components of New York State military forces, i.e., the Army and Air National Guards, Naval Militia and the New York Guard, as well as to civil authorities.

Trained and state-certified New York Guard soldiers augment and assist National Guard units in the following missions: weapons of mass destruction [WMD] decontamination – the joint New York Army National Guard / New York Air National Guard / New York Guard decontamination, or CERF, team was activated by the governor for state duty for 11 days during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, Military Emergency Radio Network – the Guard is assigned to operate the MERN at various locations to ensure the free flow of information during an emergency, and search and rescue (SAR) a secondary mission to the state. New York Guard SAR teams have been mobilized, for example, in the summer of 2006 to search for a missing camper in the Adirondack Mountains preserve. Selected units and personnel of the New York Guard were called to State Active Duty with pay in response to Hurricane Irene in 2011.

2012 saw the largest deployment of the New York Guard since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Every brigade was at least partially activated for service during 'Superstorm' Sandy. New York Guard members served as equals alongside the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and New York Naval Militia, at one point making up approximately one third of all troops in the field during a two-month deployment.

New York State Guard personnel provide training to the New York Army and Air National Guards including first aid training at Camp Smith Training Center.

The 244th Medical Group has worked with the NY Army National Guard Medical Command (MEDCOM), augmenting National Guard personnel for in-state MEDCOM missions. These have included screening of National Guard personnel in Soldier Readiness Programs.

In addition to its SAR work as a secondary mission under the New York State Defense Emergency Act and Article 2-B of State and Local, Natural and Man-Made disasters Act, engineer units of the NY Guard 10th and 65th Brigades have built facilities for the National Guard.

The New York Guard augments the capabilities of the National Guard. Guard personnel are drawn from almost every profession and areas of expertise – from plumbers to professors, clerks and CEOs, persons with long prior military service and those without, and every part of the state.

The headquarters unit of the New York Guard is located at Camp Smith, Cortlandt Manor, New York. Camp Smith is a New York State military reservation. It is adjacent to Peekskill, New York, and about 35 miles north of New York City.

In March 2020, New York Guard service members were activated to support National Guard efforts at combating the coronavirus pandemic. State guardsmen were activated to serve in essential command and control roles to support operations throughout New York State. In total, over 185 New York Guard members served as part of the Joint Task Force tasked with various civil support operations including supporting testing and vaccination centers, warehouse operations, nursing home support missions, and logistic support. [10]

Structure

The New York Guard has recently undergone a force reorganization aimed at increasing overall service member availability for State Active Duty. The current structure of the NYG follows a model akin to US Army Civil Affairs commands, with units (referred to as Area Commands) composed of platoons and led by a command team of Majors (AC Commanders) and an Area Command First Sergeant.

The New York Guard is currently organized as follows as of August 2023:[11]

  • New York Guard Headquarters (NYG HQ) located at Camp Smith, Cortlandt Manor
    • 56th Area Command (Eastern New York)
    • 65th Area Command (Central and Western New York)
    • 88th Area Command (NYC, Long Island)

Membership

Eligibility

The New York Guard conducts annual training at Camp Smith.

To join, an applicant must be between 18–55 years of age, a citizen of the United States, and successfully pass a medical health screening and background check. Potential recruits work with NYG Recruiters to ensure that they meet eligibility requirements, and must commit to a minimum enlistment period of three years.[12]

Awards and decorations

New York Guard personnel are eligible to receive both New York State and New York Guard awards and decorations. The New York Guard issues several awards.

New York Guard (NYG) awards:[13]

  • NYG Commander's Citation
  • NYG Achievement Medal
  • NYG Good Conduct Medal
  • NYG Operations Support Medal
  • NYG Service Ribbon
  • NYG Distinguished Graduate Ribbon
  • First Provisional Regiment Medal

Descriptions of New York State awards and decorations can be found at the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs website: dmna.ny.gov.[14]

See also

References

  1. "About the Division of Military and Naval Affairs". dmna.ny.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  2. The State Guard Sentinel; Volume 1, No. 3 Archived October 31, 2008, at the Wayback Machine New York Guard, Spring 2008
  3. A History of the 14th Regiment N.Y.S.M. Infantry
  4. Fearon, Henry Bradshaw (1818). Sketches of America: A Narrative of a Journey of Five Thousand Miles Through the Eastern and Western States of America. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. pp. 48–49.
  5. A History of the 14th Regiment N.Y.S.M. Infantry
  6. "53rd Troop Command History". New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  7. "Hauser and Drum Promoted by Governor". Buffalo Evening News. Buffalo, NY. Associated Press. October 2, 1948. p. 37 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Inspection Due of Binghamton Guard Tonight". Binghamton Press. Binghamton, NY. January 5, 1944. p. 13 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Home :: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center" (PDF).
  10. "The New York Guard in Action during the COVID-19 Activation". statedefenseforce.com. March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  11. "New York Guard Units" (PDF). New York Guard. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  12. "New York Guard State Volunteer Force Enlistment".
  13. New York Guard Decorations and Awards
  14. New York Guard Awards Order of Precedence
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