An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | March 3, 2009

Guard Ends New Orleans Mission, Focuses on Wildfires, Snow

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2009 - As the Louisiana National Guard wrapped up its "precedent-setting" law enforcement mission in New Orleans yesterday, the Texas National Guard dispatched helicopters to combat wildfires torching Central Texas.

Meanwhile, as a major snowstorm works its way up the East Coast, National Guard units in the affected states are keeping a watchful eye and preparing to support local authorities if needed.

The last 100 Louisiana National Guard soldiers and airmen supporting "Joint Task Force Gator" completed operations yesterday to return to their communities across the state, Army Maj. Michael Kazmierzak, state public affairs officer, said. The Louisiana Guard has been conducting the mission in support of the New Orleans Police Department since June 2006.

Most of the Guardsmen involved had been part of a 15,000-troop force that provided disaster assistance and recovery support immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck the state in August 2005. That support concluded in January 2006 as civil authority was restored.

But six months later, as violence began to spike again, then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco called the National Guard troops to duty to support the New Orleans Police Department. Within three days, 300 were operating in the city, and the number increased to 360 in November 2007, Kazmierzak said.

The task force began ramping down last summer in anticipation of a Dec. 31 mission deadline. However, the Louisiana government authorized an extension until March 1 at New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley's request, Kazmierzak said.

Yesterday, 100 soldiers and airmen who had volunteered from a mix of units across the state officially wrapped up Joint Task Force Gator.

Kazmierzak called the support they provided "precedent setting" and said it sets a new standard for future National Guard support missions. The Guardsmen helped the police make more than 8,000 arrests.

"They performed spectacularly," Kazmierzak said. "They demonstrated exactly what the National Guard is here for."

As the Guardsmen supported Task Force Gator, they continued drilling with their separate units to maintain combat readiness. Many of the Guard volunteers had served previous combat deployments that Kazmierzak said contributed to the New Orleans security mission. "They brought back a wealth of experience doing police-type work," he said. "They had tremendous capabilities."

Meanwhile, in neighboring Texas, Gov. Rick Perry ordered four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters equipped to drop water and fire retardant to support firefighting efforts. Aircraft and crews from the Guard's flight facilities in Austin and San Antonio logged in 6.4 flight hours as they dropped 35 to 40 bucketloads over the fires Feb. 28, Army Capt. Edward Greber from the Austin aviation office reported. "We were pretty busy on Saturday," he said.

The crews remain on standby, awaiting additional orders, Greber said.

State officials reported that almost 3,700 wildfires have burned more than 118,000 acres across the state since Jan. 1. The most significant damage occurred last weekend in Bastrop County, where 25 homes were destroyed and 1,000 acres burned. So far, 57 homes have been lost to the fires.

Meanwhile, state National Guard headquarters in the mid-Atlantic and northeast are preparing to lend assistance to local jurisdictions if needed in the wake of a major late-winter snowstorm.

In Maryland, Army Brig. Gen. James Adkins, the state adjutant general, ordered the Maryland National Guard to analyze potential missions under a winter storm state emergency scenario, Army Staff Sgt. Kristofer Baumgartner reported.

"This is a precautionary measure - an opportunity to ensure that we are prepared for any state emergency that the governor might direct us to respond to," Adkins said.
Under a state emergency, Gov. Martin O'Malley would activate the Maryland Guard, which would be available to help local jurisdictions through the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.

"It is a proven system, and one that has worked time and time again," Adkins said.

For now, the Maryland Guard and other National Guard elements throughout the region remain in a watch-and-wait mode. "We're always on standby," Baumgartner said. "That's the job of the National Guard. We're always on alert, to make sure that when we're directed to respond, we're ready."

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...