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NG in Baltimore: “We do what we can, when we can”

By Sgt. Margaret Taylor, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment —

Baltimore residents were jarred by the sight of more than 3,000 Maryland National Guardsmen and women patrolling the city streets, Apr. 27-May 4.

Members of the Maryland National Guard’s 1229th Transportation Company transported goods from Cade Armory to BIGGYS Community Center in Baltimore, Md., May 5, 2015. When the Soldiers arrived, they were helped by some of the residents in the neighborhood. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael E. Davis Jr., Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office)

(Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael E. Davis Jr., Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office)

The last time the Maryland Guard was activated in response to civil unrest was in 1968, so armed Soldiers in the streets used to be a distant memory. Now it’s a recent one.

But that recent memory, while jarring, should not cause alarm, as Army National Guard Soldiers of Maryland’s 1229th Transportation Company would like to say.

Spc. Norman Lee, a 1229th truck driver from Baltimore, said he wishes that the Guard’s presence will inspire hope in the people of Baltimore.

“When worse comes to worse, we’ll be out there doing our jobs,” Lee said, “We do what we can, when we can.”

Members of the Maryland National Guard’s 1229th Transportation Company transported goods from Cade Armory to BIGGYS Community Center in Baltimore, Md., May 5, 2015. When the Soldiers arrived, they were helped by some of the residents in the neighborhood. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael E. Davis Jr., Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office)

(Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael E. Davis Jr., Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office)

The Guard’s efforts toward the community were to give hope to Baltimore residents and help local law enforcement keep the peace. The operation also affected the Service members involved. On Tues., May 5, 2015, members of the 1229th transported goods donated to Soldiers during Operation Baltimore Rally from LTC Melvin H. Cade Armory to BIGGYS Community Center in Baltimore. The goods were given as a show of gratitude to Soldiers by local businesses and residents.

When the Soldiers arrived, they were helped by some of the residents in the neighborhood.

For instance, Lee and many of his 1229th teammates left their civilian jobs for a week to camp out at Camden Yards. They lived out of the back of their trucks when not transporting troops or supplies, and roughed it in the Oriole Stadium parking lots.

Sgt. TrudyAnn Jones, a 1229th truck driver who owns her own cleaning business, likened the austere living conditions to what she experienced in a 2014 deployment to Afghanistan. While not a combat operation, she said the operation in Baltimore affected her team in a similar way to a deployment.

“This actually brought us a little bit closer,” said Jones, a resident of Prince George’s County, Maryland. “It brought us back to that togetherness.”

Members of the Maryland National Guard’s 1229th Transportation Company transported goods from Cade Armory to BIGGYS Community Center in Baltimore, Md., May 5, 2015. When the Soldiers arrived, they were helped by some of the residents in the neighborhood. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael E. Davis Jr., Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office)

(Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael E. Davis Jr., Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office)

Lee and Jones and their teammates carried that new camaraderie with them as the Baltimore operation wound down on May 3, calling for a phased withdraw of the MDNG.

But some, like their teammate Spc. Kevin Gilmer, hope the people of Baltimore remember that the Guard is always there for them.

“We care about our communities,” said Gilmer, who is a Frederick County, Maryland, construction worker and 1229th truck driver. “We care about where we live and where we work. We do what we can.”