CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 of (cell) 518-429-5186

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Jul 21, 2009

WHO:

20-25 members of the New York Guard’s 102nd Engineers

WHAT:

Capital Region members of the New York Guard, New York’s volunteer, uniformed, unpaid, state defense force, will be conducting their annual training, the week of July 20-25 at the New York National Guard’s Guilderland Weekend Training Site. Members of the media are invited to visit the training site during the week to interview New York Guard members about the project and their organization. Construction project to upgrade pistol range at Guilder Land Weekend Training Site, also known as Guilderland Range, which is used by members of the New York Army and Air National Guard for basic M-9 pistol qualification and by New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies for weapons training and qualification. This is the New York Guard Annual Training Period.

WHEN:

July 21-July 25

WHERE:

Guilderland Weekend Training Site, Grant Hill Road, between the intersections with Nott Road and Wormer Road.

Coverage Opportunities: Since many members of the New York Guard have prior military service in the Army and Air National Guard there is an opportunity to report on individuals who are still serving their state, on a volunteer, unpaid basis, and bringing with them years of experience and expensive training. Other New York Guard members have important civilian skills, medical and legal training for example, which benefits the state and National Guard. In this case the New York National Guard is getting its range upgraded for the cost of materials only. Visual Opportunities: New York Guard members at work on the Guilderland Range Complex Members of the Media interested in visiting New York Guard training need to contact the Division of Military and Naval Affairs Press office at 518-786-458 to make arrangements. Background: New York Guard: The New York Guard is all-volunteer uniformed forces whose members augment and assist the New York Army National Guard in training, response to state emergencies, and in assisting National Guard units in mobilizing and deploying. Members of the New York Guard also serve on a special team which is trained to decontaminate victims of a chemical or biological weapons attack. New York Guard members, who do not carry weapons, do all this in an unpaid status unless they are ordered into State Active Duty by the governor. Prior service in the military is not required to join the New York Guard but many members are retired from the New York Army and Air National Guard and bring years of experience and training to their volunteer roles. Other New York Guard members bring valuable civilian-acquired skills in medicine, the legal field, and search and rescue which the state benefits from in their volunteer status. The New York Guard has an authorized strength of just over 1,000 volunteers. The New York Guard was first created in World War I when the New York National Guard was first federalized for duty on the Mexican Border in 1916 and then when the New York National Guard was mobilized for service in France. A First and Second Provisional Regiment of the New York Guard was organized to protect the New York City reservoirs from possible German sabotage and also to guard the Erie Canal in upstate New York. At the end of the War the New York Guard was disbanded when the National Guard returned from France. When the National Guard was mobilized for federal duty by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1940, a New York Guard was once again created to replace the National Guard. Members of the New York Guard, which grew to strength of 23,000, guarded infrastructure and responded to state emergencies before being disbanded with the return of the National Guard from combat. In the 1950s Congress authorized the creation of state defense forces, like the New York Guard, in peacetime and today the New York Guard is one of 26 such state forces. Guilderland Weekend Training Site: The Guilderland Training site covers 241 acres in Albany County and includes a pistol range, used to qualify with the M-9 9mm Berretta Pistol and a rifle range used to qualify on the M-16A2 rifle and M-4 carbine by New York Army and Air National Guard personnel. Local law enforcement and the New York State Police also have access to the ranges. The training site includes some buildings, and land which can be used to maneuver and other training.