Happy Birthday National Guard!

   I did the math. The United States celebrated its 230th birthday last July. The National Guard will celebrate its 370th birthday this Wednesday. So 140 years before we even established ourselves as a nation, the National Guard, the oldest branch of the United States armed forces and one of the nation’s longest-enduring institutions, was reporting for duty.

   The National Guard has fought in every war in US history and also provides support on the home front. Following Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard deployed over 50,000 troops to assist in disaster relief. 

   Last year the National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Winder, made international news. During a raid in Abu-Ghraib they discovered Baby Noor, an infant with spina bifida. The infant would not have survived conditions in Iraq, so the Guardsmen arranged to transport her to Atlanta for treatment. 

   After describing how dangerous the mission was, 1st Lt. Jeffrey Moran leaned back in his chair at the armory in Winder and recalled a lighter moment.

   “We had all papers in place to fly Baby Noor to Atlanta, and then discovered that she didn’t have any diapers. The PX at Camp Liberty doesn’t sell diapers, so we had to do a mission to the Abu-Ghraib market in our Bradley fighting vehicles. We dismounted with our weapons drawn – this was one of the most dangerous places in our area- then went up to a store owner asking for diapers.”

   That little mission may have drawn some attention from the locals, but it was nothing like the attention the entire operation drew from humanitarian organizations. 

   As a result of their efforts, Guardsmen from Charlie Company, 1st Batallion, 121st Infantry Regiment, were honored with the 2006 Humanitarian Award for their heroic deeds by the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.

   Lieutenant General David Poythress, commander of the Georgia National Guard said some might find this award from a Jewish organization ironic, since few of the soldiers were Jewish and Baby Noor is Muslim. But Commission Chairman Michael Altman said Charlie Company’s award was “very appropriate,” as he recognized their success in demonstrating America’s pluralism.

   “Pluralism” also applies to the number of awards Charlie Company received for rescuing Baby Noor. The Anne Frank Center, an organization that promotes the universal message of tolerance, bestowed their 2006 Spirit of Anne Frank Award upon these Winder-based Guardsmen citing them as “exemplars of moral courage as they demonstrated the spirit of brotherhood and mutual respect.” 

   Congratulations Charlie Company. And happy 370th birthday to all National Guardsmen everywhere. And, by the way, I did the math. If my resources are correct and my calculations are accurate, it’s been 370 days since Baby Noor’s rescue. One more way to celebrate “pluralism!”

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