“Why I Serve” is a series of feature articles highlighting the reasons why civilian and military personnel serve in various roles to support to the Picatinny Arsenal community.
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - This month, the National Guard will celebrate its 388th birthday. It was on Dec. 13, 1636, that marked the beginning of an organized militia and the birth of the oldest organized units in the U.S. military.
On that day, the Massachusetts Bay Colony's General Court ordered the colony's militia to be organized into three regiments, East, South, and North, to defend the colony. It was the first time that village militia were formed into regiments in the New World.
Approximately 280 years later, during World War I, Congress passed the National Defense Act of 1916, which required the use of the term "National Guard" for the state militias and further regulated them. Congress also authorized the states to maintain Home Guards, which were reserve forces outside the National Guards deployed by the federal government.
In 1933, with the passage of the National Guard Mobilization Act, Congress finalized the split between the National Guard and the traditional state militias by mandating that all federally funded Soldiers take a dual enlistment/commission and thus enter both the state National Guard and the National Guard of the United States, a newly created federal reserve force. The National Defense Act of 1947 created the Air Force as a separate branch of the Armed Forces and concurrently created the Air National Guard of the United States as one of its reserve components, mirroring the Army's structure.
Today, the National Guard is a state-based military force that is part of the U.S. military's reserve components of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force when activated for federal missions.
The National Guard is a cornerstone of national defense. Its members serve part-time while holding civilian jobs or attending college. They are ready to defend the American way of life in the event of an emergency and support civil authorities during disasters.
One of those Guardsmen is Lt. Col. Michael Tornambe, who also works at Picatinny Arsenal as a Systems Analysist on Digital Fire Control Systems for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center.
“I serve because I am forever thankful to be a citizen of the United States and I do not take the sacrifices that must be made to secure our Republic and it’s people for granted,” Tornambe said. “I am very lucky my wife and son support me in my military career, and my position helps me play a role in developing the capabilities necessary to win. There is also a direct correlation between what I am able to learn, develop, and apply in both my civilian and uniformed positions.”
Tornambe was commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer in 2003 from the Pennsylvania State University – University Park with a degree in International Politics and Public Policy.
“I competed in speech and debate in High School, and it helped me build an interest in international politics,” Tornambe said. “I also had a family tradition of military service, so I pursued and earned a three-year Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship at the Pennsylvania State University. My career goal was to serve my country as an Army Officer and have options to continue serving after the military.”
After completing five years of active Army Service as a Field Artillery Officer, Tornambe accepted a contractor position working as a systems engineer on the Paladin Digital Fire Control System at Picatinny.
“I was excited to help build the tools our warfighters need to win, build a life with my wife near family, and continue service as an officer in the Pennsylvania National Guard,” he said.
While in the Guard, Tornambe served in leadership and command positions in the 2nd Infantry Division, Republic of Korea, and the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York, to include a deployment to Afghanistan, and the 28th Infantry Division and a deployment with Task Force Spartan to the Middle East. He also served in four multinational exercises and numerous homeland security and disaster relief events.
“My goal is to continue to serve as a member of America’s Team to help achieve our nation’s national security interests for as long as I am helpful,” Tornambe said. “I still appreciate serving with others who are dedicated to our shared values, ideals, and each other. Ultimately, I hope to earn another command opportunity and help build a successful brigade level team with a positive climate.
The Army National Guard has conducted over 700,000 mobilizations since 9/11 with over 23,000 members deployed overseas in support of combatant commands.
The Army National Guard has jobs available in more than 150 career fields with armories located in 2,600 communities across America.
If you or someone you know is interested in joining the National Guard, visit https://nationalguard.com
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2024 09:48 |
| Story ID: | 488070 |
| Location: | NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Why I Serve – Picatinny employee, National Guardsman proud to be a member of “America’s Team”, by Eric Kowal, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
