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Editor’s Note: Chief Warrant Officer 5 Mark Shumway is the Command Chief Warrant Officer for the New York Army National Guard. He has served in the Army and Army National Guard for 31 years and deployed to Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Kuwait. He previously served as the Command Chief Warrant Officer for the 42nd Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade.
The New York military team is made up of Soldiers, Airmen, Naval Militia members, and New York Guard members.
All of us fill a role here in our great Empire state; even if we don’t always know what the others’ role is.
I’ve recently been able to see members of all our forces join in missions within the state for support on the Buffalo snowstorm, the migrant support mission in New York City, and the continued COVID-19 support response.
I’ve assisted in firefighting, flooding events, and Super-Storm Sandy. On each mission I’ve been so impressed to see our volunteer force steps up when their community asked.
Accomplishing missions within your community requires as much commitment to duty as does deploying to a foreign land to support our national interests.
The Army has defined duty as fulfilling your obligations. So, if you voluntarily chose to serve you then incurred obligations to serve when your state or nation requests your assistance.
That obligation to serve can mean doing more than you were trained to do and it can happen anytime.
On Christmas Eve in Buffalo, Air Guard 1st Lt. Richard Burns and his team from the 107th Attack Wing assisted a stranded woman in labor. Instead of the tasks that they were trained and planning on accomplishing, he ended up rushing this woman to the hospital, through a blizzard
A few years before, on Feb. 26, 2017, a UH-60 Black Hawk crew set out for a routine exercise involving picking up a concrete block at Gabreski Air National Guard Base, and training to fly with an external load.
But the airport tower notified the Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, that a small plane had crashed into the woods near the airport. The crew spotted the burning plane and immediately set down near the wreck.
Three Soldiers jumped out, ran to the burning plan and extracted the pilot, the only person alive of the three on board.
The work done by the New York Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion for the last several years is another example of going beyond our basic obligation.
While the active component, and federal reserve components, and most other states have been unable to achieve their goals in Recruiting or Retention New York’s team has consistently been in the top five of the 54 states/territories.
Staff Sgt. Angelica Mae Aquino, New York’s top Recruiter received recognition from the Director of the Army National Guard for shattering the minimum recruiting mission requirements.
Each of the uniformed services sets forth its own yet interconnected core values.
When speaking of time spent in uniform many are inclined to say that the individual did their duty. This could quickly be dismissed by saying that they only fulfilled an obligation.
If you’ve been: activated on a state mission, been called to active duty to serve in country or overseas, or even excelled beyond requirements at your home duty station; I contend that you’ve done more than just fulfill an obligation.
You’ve given up your normal life with family, friends, hobbies, and other jobs. You’ve sacrificed your time and energy to support others in their time of need.
I recently assumed the role as the state Command Chief Warrant Officer and am responsible in advising the Adjutant General on all issues of the Warrant Officer.
Many may not understand what a warrant officer is, this isn’t so surprising as they make up a much smaller portion of our Army forces than either the enlisted or commissioned officers. The Army has more warrant
officers than the other services
Warrant Officers fill unique roles in the military by performing duties that require special tactical and technical expertise in specific fields. A code for the warrant officer is to be the “Quiet Professional”.
If being a warrant officer is a dream that you may aspire for, reach out any of New York’s warrant officers, warrant officer strength managers, or myself.
Thank you for your service to your community, state, and nation.
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.09.2023 12:19 |
| Story ID: | 436467 |
| Location: | LATHAM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Army National Guard
