9/11 10 years later: Terrorist attacks change scope of Nevada Guard

Through its first 140 years of existence, the Nevada National Guard served exactly as it was intended - as a reserve component military force called upon to supplant active duty forces when needed.

But the events of Sept. 11, 2001, changed the role of the National Guard. In order for the United States to conduct the Global War on Terrorism, the National Guard became a fully integrated military component.

Any "weekend warrior" stigma associated with National Guard service quickly disappeared as National Guard airmen and soldiers shouldered much of the load of U.S. military operations.

"The events of 9/11 changed the perception of the National Guard," said Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Giles Vanderhoof in 2004. "The Guard is now regarded as a technically and tactically proficient fighting force fully capable of seamlessly serving alongside its active-duty brethren."

According to the National Guard Bureau, within two years of the 9/11 hijackings and subsequent attacks, more than one-third of all ground Soldiers in Iraq were guardsmen.

Nine years after 9/11, the National Guard maintained 30-40 percent of all Air Force fighter, tanker and airlift capacity globally, said Gen. Craig McKinley in 2010.

The statistics revealing the Nevada Guard's contribution toward the Global War on Terrorism are even more telling.

On Oct. 4, 2004, 1,187 out of the Nevada Army Guard's 1,964 soldiers - 60.4 percent - were either mobilized or had received their deployment orders. At the time, only four states in the nation had a higher deployment percentage.

During this decade, Nevada airmen have contributed more than a quarter million days of work supporting operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. Some airmen have deployed as many as 17 times during the past decade.

The parade of Nevada Guard deployments began just days after 9/11, as more than 200 soldiers and airmen were mobilized to provide security to the state's major airports and National Guard facilities.

By October, the 72nd Military Police Company was on its way to the Defense Language Institute in California to maintain security. That same month, the 152nd Security Forces and 152nd Intel Squadron saw dozens of its Airmen deployed around the world.

And the deployment cycle never ceased.

The Nevada Army Guard prepared and sent about 2,700 troops on 19 major unit deployments from 2001-2011 Many soldiers, including those in the 72nd Military Police, the 1/221 Cavalry, the 1864th Transportation Company and the 1/168th Aviation Company, participated in multiple, long-term deployments during the decade.

Not everyone came home. Of the more than 655 National Guardsmen who gave their lives in support of contingency operations since 9/11, three were from the Nevada Guard.

On June 16, 2005, Spc. Anthony Cometa became the first Nevada Guard soldier killed in combat since Cpl. Fitch Rowley lost his life in Holland in 1944. Air Guard 1st Lt. Frank Salazar was shot down in Korea in 1952.

Cometa died in a vehicle accident in Iraq while providing escort security.

Two more Nevadans, Chief Warrant Officer John Flynn and Sgt. Patrick Stewart, were lost on Sept. 25, 2005, when the Chinook helicopter they were aboard was shot down by hostile fire 180 miles southwest of Kabul.

Three other soldiers were killed during the attack and a memorial to the victims of the Mustang 22 assault now stands at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Reno.

Exactly 10 years to the date of the events of 9/11, the Nevada Guard had about 420 of its Soldiers and Airmen mobilized in support of Operation New Dawn. The majority of the soldiers are deployed with the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion and the 485th Military Police Company in Afghanistan.

The Nevada Guard also supported some of the largest humanitarian relief efforts in history. Following Hurricane Katrina's landfall on Louisiana on Aug. 28, 2005, the Nevada Guard's 152nd Medical Squadron and Army Medical Detachments flew aboard Nevada Air Guard C-130s to New Orleans and subsequently earned national recognition for their work at the Armstrong International Airport providing medical care to evacuees.

Other Nevada Guard Soldiers and Airmen, including those from the 72nd Military Police Company, the 440th Signal Battalion and the 152nd Security Forces Squadron, quickly traveled to Louisiana and participated in search-and-rescue operations and security missions.

The Nevada Guard also was one of the first military organizations on the scene following the huge earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. The 152nd Airlift Wing began making supply drops and providing transportation to and from the Caribbean nation within days of the disaster, and the 485th Military Police, 72nd Military Police, 609th Engineer, 593rd Transportation companies all provided soldiers to provide security for doctors, nurses and engineers. Nevada helicopters remained in Haiti through the summer of 2010 to assist with supply transportation and medical evacuation capabilities.