MDARNG Soldier Serves Community in and out of Uniform
By Staff Sgt. Elise Moore, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Answering the call to serve one’s community can look different for everyone, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted communities worldwide in March 2020. One Marylander, Maxwell Butschky, decided to give back to his community in two impactful ways amidst the pandemic – commissioning in the Maryland National Guard and becoming a teacher.
For members of the MDNG, service has always been about answering the calls from the state and country. However their service to the community has looked very different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of regular domestic operations and training missions, MDNG members supported Maryland’s COVID-19 response with a range of missions to include supporting testing or vaccination sites, food distribution, and the delivery of medical personal protective equipment.
Butschky, who is now a second lieutenant platoon leader with H Co., 128th Brigade Support Battalion, was able to join the fight against COVID-19 after completing Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and the Basic Officer Leadership Course in May 2021. At this point, the MDNG had been called to support the state’s response to the pandemic twice and Butschky was familiar with the types of missions he could be supporting.
Knowing the nature of the work ahead, he was able to jump right in on the next opportunity to go on COVID-19 orders in support of Maryland’s Vaccine Equity Task Force in January 2022.
“I like the idea of helping my state and getting closer with my community,” said Butchsky. “This is my first opportunity to work full-time towards helping my state recover from the pandemic.”
Recently, at the direction of Gov. Larry Hogan, Butschky was activated along with 1,000 other MDNG members. He is playing his part in assisting state and local health officials with their COVID-19 response through the Vaccine Equity Task Force.
However, Butschky recognized the far reaching impact of the pandemic and decided to give back to his community by doing something he enjoyed beyond his commitment to military service—becoming a special education paraeducator at Harford Technical High School in Bel Air, Maryland.
He believes the pandemic has affected his students in the classroom and the rest of the community. Butschky hopes this concerted effort by everyone, uniform and civilian alike, will initiate positive change in the student lives.
“The main impact COVID-19 has is that it puts a barrier literally and figuratively between the teachers and our students,” Butschky said. “Suppose students end up testing positive and have to leave school for quarantine … they may have infected others … and can hurt their education, especially at a technical school where they should learn their skills in a classroom setting. Being activated allows me to do my part, possibly mitigating exposure before it hits the classroom.”