Courtesy Photo | (From left to right) Col. Todd Townsend, Camp Atterbury garrison commander, Jeff Row,...... read more read more
By Michael Maddox
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – When the members of the National Guard's oldest regiments met for their first drill in Salem, Mass., little did they know they were helping to make something that would forever be a part of America’s rich history. That first drill took place Dec. 13, 1636, and is the date we now celebrate as the National Guard’s birthday.
Here on Camp Atterbury that birthday was marked by a short cake-cutting ceremony today in King Hall as camp leadership made the first cut with a saber. Celebrating the long history of the citizen-soldier military and Camp Atterbury’s role in that history was what the ceremony was all about, said Col. Todd Townsend, garrison commander.
“It’s an exciting day because it’s the birthday of the National Guard, and I’m glad we can celebrate it with all of the great soldiers here on post,” he said. “We have 54 states and territories that have National Guard formations in them now, and Atterbury fits into that in that we are one of only two mobilization centers in the National Guard.”
Townsend added, from the days of the first minutemen, today’s National Guardsmen are still ready to step and defend the country.
"We have the statue of the minuteman here with one hand on his plow and one hand on his musket. We live in the communities and we are ready to put down the plow and pick up the musket to go defend our country -- that’s what’s so great about the Guard,” he said.
Spc. Mark McDonald, a food service soldier with the Installation Support Unit, said he’s glad to be a part of the rich history of the Guard. An Iraq veteran, McDonald said he feels he’s gained as much as he’s given through serving with the National Guard.
“It teaches you a lot of discipline and I like working with the people. I like getting to take care of the troops getting ready to go overseas,” said McDonald. “I try to do everything I can to make sure people have a good experience.”
McDonald added, being deployed and representing America is fact of life for many of today’s soldiers, but worth it.
“You do your job and pray every day that you make it back,” he said. “I’m thankful that I was able to go over there and make it back home.”
Besides defending America’s interests across the globe, the National Guard has also always been the first military responder in times of domestic emergency. Hundreds of times every year, governors call look to Guard soldiers to assist civil authorities in dealing with fires, floods, earthquakes, storms, and domestic disturbances in their state.
The Guard has been instrumental in many of America’s defining moments and it all stems from humble beginnings of militias organizing citizens into military units, responsible for their own defense. That militia, later called the National Guard, has since fought in all the nation's major wars, as it fights today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2010 16:16 |
| Story ID: | 61904 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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