John Harris, DDE ’06
MG John Harris, Ohio Adjutant General, is working the COVID-19 crisis directly in support of Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio. He not only has Soldiers/Airmen employed, he is working closely with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency (EMA) to coordinate and synchronize the Ohio National Guard response with the Governor, his staff, and the Incident Commander. The Governor issued a proclamation March 18th authorizing the activation of about 400 Ohio National Guard personnel to support a humanitarian mission in response to the COVID-19 pandemic facing the state, but that number quickly grew. The 37th IBCT was organized as Joint Task Force 37 (JTF-37) to manage all National Guard missions activated by the Governor’s proclamation and Operation Steady Resolve began. Activated members of the Ohio National Guard and Ohio Military Reserve (OHMR) fall under the JTF-37 command structure and are supporting food banks, prison support, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Collection, and Medical Surge Capacity. Their initial mission was to assist 12 food banks across Ohio with packaging, transporting, and distributing food and other essential items to all 88 counties in support of the state’s most vulnerable populations. As of April 27th, there are 14 food banks and they have distributed over 10,000,000 pounds of food across Ohio. The many other medical, logistical, humanitarian, transportation, and other missions across the State continue to make the Ohio National Guard’s support even more critical. The Ohio National Guard is supporting the citizens of Ohio during this COVID-19 crisis in coordination with Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and Federal Bureau of Prisons, and many other agencies.
MG John C. Harris, Jr.
Distance Class of 2006
Adjutant General, Ohio
