{"id":11384,"date":"2026-08-04T13:21:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T13:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/?p=11384"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:22:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:22:52","slug":"maryland-citizen-soldiers-support-southern-border-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/2026\/08\/04\/maryland-citizen-soldiers-support-southern-border-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland citizen-Soldiers support southern border mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Capt. Dylan Bradford<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LAREDO, Texas \u2014 Far from their homes in Maryland, Soldiers with the Maryland Army National Guard’s 1729th Support Maintenance Company are supporting the Department of Homeland Security as part of Joint Task Force Southern Border, helping provide detection and monitoring capabilities alongside federal and state partners along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The mission places Maryland citizen-Soldiers shoulder to shoulder with U.S. Border Patrol and the Texas Military Department, extending surveillance coverage across key areas of the Rio Grande while supporting a coordinated approach to border security.

“Our unit provides detection and monitoring capabilities in support of U.S. Border Patrol,” said Capt. Jonathan Shipley, commander of the 1729th Support Maintenance Company. “Our Soldiers are out there every day identifying challenges, working alongside our partners and helping make the mission more effective.”

For many Soldiers, the deployment has been defined as much by the people around them as the mission itself.

“My role out here is to remain vigilant,” said Spc. Alexis Jolliger, a supply specialist with the 1729th SMC. “But what stands out most is the people. We rely on each other, build strong bonds and keep each other accountable during long shifts.”

Those long shifts and demanding conditions require constant coordination behind the scenes.

As the noncommissioned officer in charge of the battle desk, Sgt. Mallory Shea helps maintain communication between observation sites and higher headquarters, ensuring leaders have accurate information to support decision-making.

“We make sure every report is accurate and complete so leadership has a clear understanding of what’s happening,” Shea said.

Leaders say maintaining readiness over a year-long deployment requires balancing operational requirements with the well-being of Soldiers.

“Morale is critical out here,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Vaughn, operations NCO and headquarters platoon sergeant with the 1729th SMC. “We make sure Soldiers stay engaged, take care of each other and stay ready, especially during slower periods when complacency can set in.”

The challenge is magnified by the around-the-clock nature of the mission.

“One of our biggest challenges is managing personnel across continuous operations in an environment like this,” said 1st Lt. Isaac Amihere, a platoon leader with the 1729th SMC. “We have to deliberately adjust shifts and distribute the workload so Soldiers can remain effective over time.”

For Spc. Ethan Lewis, a motor transport operator with the unit, the mission’s purpose is never far from mind.

“I support the mission by enhancing visibility along the border,” Lewis said. “Being out here reminds you that what you’re doing matters and that you’re part of something bigger than yourself.”

Maryland Army National Guard leaders say the deployment reflects the National Guard’s commitment to serve wherever needed.

“These are citizen-Soldiers who left their homes, careers and families to serve where they are needed most,” said Brig. Gen. Andrew Collins, commander of the Maryland Army National Guard. “They are making a real impact alongside our federal partners, and they are doing it with professionalism, discipline and a sense of purpose that reflects the very best of our force.”

As the deployment continues, Shipley said the growth of the Soldiers and the strength of the team remain among the unit’s greatest accomplishments.

“They’ve been here for months and continue to push forward, growing as individuals and as a team,” Shipley said. “They’re making their leaders proud, and they’re making their families proud.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Capt. Dylan Bradford LAREDO, Texas \u2014 Far from their homes in Maryland, Soldiers with the Maryland Army National Guard’s 1729th Support Maintenance Company are supporting the Department of Homeland Security as part of Joint Task Force Southern Border, helping provide detection and monitoring capabilities alongside federal and state partners along the U.S.-Mexico border. The  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161,"featured_media":11388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11384"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11391,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11384\/revisions\/11391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}