Soldiers from the Alabama National Guard build and maintain miles of HESCO barriers to protect Dauphin Island, Ala., beaches from the BP oil spill on July 23, 2010. More than 1,600 National Guardmembers are supporting Operation Deepwater Horizon in four Gulf states. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

MOBILE, Ala. – They stand in the Gulf of Mexico, water waist-high, heat topping 100-degrees, building barriers against oil.

They fly above the waves, directing “vessels of opportunity” to the slick.

They hustle among more than 1,200 people from dozens of agencies coordinating the response to a manmade disaster.

They go door-to-door telling residents and businesses about the British Petroleum claims process.

National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are supporting Operation Deepwater Horizon, the Coast Guard-led effort to corral the oil spill that followed the April 20 explosion and fire on the oil rig for which the operation is named.

Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, left, said Jan. 22, 2010, at the national States and Territories Hurricane Response Workshop in Tampa, Fla., that more agencies are communicating and collaborating better to prepare for domestic hurricane response. Also pictured are Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart, Jr., commander, Northern Command; Juliette Kayyem, assistant secretary, the Department of Homeland Security, and Rear Adm. Mary Landry, commander, 8th Coast Guard District. The National Guard Bureau and Northern Command co-sponsored the weeklong workshop hosted by the Florida National Guard. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt.Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

TAMPA, Fla. (1-22-10) – More agencies are communicating and collaborating better as a team preparing for the next hurricane response, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here today.

Flanked by the commander of Northern Command and senior Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard and other leaders, Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley said hurricane preparation is steadily improving.

“The more players we get at this table, the better we all are going to be,” McKinley said.

McKinley and Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, commander, Northern Command are scheduled to brief President Obama on the workshop, and the week’s work here is expected to be reflected in hurricane plans.

Staff Sgt. Michael Wilson of the New York National Guard patrols at Penn Station in Manhattan, N.Y., on Aug. 25, 2009. Wilson is serving with Joint Task Force Empire Shield, which has been continuously providing military support to civilian authorities since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. (U.S. Army photo by SSG Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

NEW YORK CITY, Sept. 11, 2009 – Army Staff Sgt. Michael Wilson stands watch outside Penn Station, part of a New York National Guard task force that has continuously served since the terrorist attacks eight years ago today.

Wilson enlisted in the National Guard because of the attacks that he first learned about as he labored as a 19-year-old landscaper in Albany, N.Y. Just as the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, triggered the transformation of the National Guard from a strategic reserve to an operational force, so have they prompted Wilson to morph from teenager to Soldier.

Now 26, he’s been on duty more or less continuously ever since, including a stint in Iraq – a story shared by many of the 280 remaining members of Joint Task Force Empire Shield, which has swelled to as many as 2,500 during surges.

“We are a full-time, state active-duty force of 280, New York City-centric,” said Army Lt. Col. Greg Dreisbach, commander. “It was formed on 9/11 and has been here since. We have some guys that have been here since almost Day 1.”

Members of Empire Shield were among first responders to the attacks. Some lost friends. Some served in Empire Shield, then fell serving overseas.

“What we are doing is very important,” Army Spc. Armando Chadilliquen said during a recent visit to the World Trade Center site. “It is very important that we are prepared in case anything happens.”