Michele Willard

 

I have been activated as part of the national, Maryland response to COVID-19. As you can imagine, things are quite busy here in Maryland. We’re doing a host of mission assignments to include food distribution, testing, security, and Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) distributions. I’m a staff officer now, so not on the front lines. The real heroes are the store clerks, medical personnel, and first responders who are showing up for work every day.

COL Charles M. Blomquist
Distance Class of 2018, Class President
Chief of Staff, MDARNG Joint Staff

 

Andrew serves as the Chief of Staff for the Maryland Army National Guard (MDARNG).  Since late March, he has been coordinating MDARNG efforts to support state partners during the COVID-19 crisis.  Due to the significant scale of mission requirements, he quickly transformed the MDARNG’s JFHQ into an operational headquarters capable of both providing mission command to supporting units, as well as maintaining routine MDARNG operations.  He also developed an Enhanced Readiness Posture concept that provided capability depth that could be called forward within 24 hours.  Over 1,000 Soldiers have supported a myriad of missions including food distribution to local communities, health screenings at multiple COVID-19 testing sites, security, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) distribution across multiple state logistics staging areas.

COL Andrew ‘Drew’ W. Collins
Distance Class of 2018

 

BG Birckhead serves as both the Assistant Adjutant General for the Maryland Army National Guard (MDARNG) and the USAWC Deputy Commandant for Reserve Affairs. Since late March, she has been leading the MDARNG to support state partners during the COVID-19 crisis. To date, over 1,000 Soldiers have supported a myriad of missions including food distribution to local communities, health screenings at multiple COVID-19 testing sites, security, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) distribution across multiple state logistics staging areas. Additionally, medical specialists from the MDARNG’s medical detachment, 224th and 104th Area Support Medical Companies, are supporting the Maryland Department of Health in the state’s COVID-19 mitigation and suppression efforts with multi-discipline assessment teams to help safeguard the citizens at nursing homes and other facilities across the state. BG Birckhead not only continues to lead routine MDARNG operations and the Soldiers supporting the COVID-19 crisis, but also continues to develop USAWC students through remote speaking engagements and other curriculum requirements.

BG Janeen L. Birckhead
Distance Class of 2013

 

 

 

Jeff Terrill, DDE ’14

It certainly has been a crazy time since I received our first email in early February regarding COVID-19. That first email dealt with the cruise ship Diamond Princess and the State of Michigan potentially utilizing one of our federal installations (Ft. Custer) as an isolation location. Over the last sixty plus days, I’ve come on full time orders and am leading the Joint Task Force fighting the virus in the State of Michigan. I became a Dual Status Commander when the Secretary of Defense authorized me to be on both Title 10 and Title 32 orders simultaneously. A Dual-Status Commander is used for domestic emergencies, and allows states to request relief capabilities from the military that are outside of those of their own National Guard. For example, this designation allowed 85 medical professionals from the U.S. Army Reserves, a federal military asset, to join Michigan’s fight against COVID-19 at the TCF Regional Care Center in Detroit. Dual-Status Commanders are designated to streamline emergency response, coordinating relief efforts of both state and federal military organizations. This designation requires specific certification, and allows one commander to have both state and federal authority simultaneously. In my state role, I command Michigan National Guard members activated for COVID-19 response, at the direction of Governor Whitmer and MG Paul Rogers (DDE ’08), the Adjutant General of the Michigan National Guard. In my federal status, I command active duty or Reserve service members who are participating in relief activities in Michigan, under the direction of U.S. Army North. Throughout the crisis, I’ve also been reaching out to other senior leaders throughout our formation that I met through the USAWC, e.g. Dan Shank, one of my 2014 DDE classmates, who is working COVID-19 for Ohio. As of April 20th, my JTF has over 700 service members assigned to it in both active duty (T10 – activated Army Reservists) and Title 32 National Guardsmen. Our missions vary between food distribution, Alternative Care Facility management and care giving, logistics support, and strategic planning support to numerous departments within the State’s government.

BG Jeff Terrill
Distance Class of 2014
Joint Task Force Commander for the State of Michigan