Adjutant General Commends MDDF at Annual Muster
On April 1, 2023 the Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) held its Annual Muster at Camp Fretterd Military Reservation in Reisterstown, Maryland. The Annual Muster is a mandatory all day training activity for Maryland Defense Force volunteers. The host for the morning ceremony was Brig. Gen. (MD) Gregory J. Juday, commanding general of the MDDF. The keynote speaker for the event was U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Gowen, the adjutant general for Maryland.
“I’d like to thank all of you for what you’ve done over the last year. I think it’s important to think about just a little bit what we’ve done over the last year because this is evidence of us being ready when called,” shared Brig. Gen. (MD) Juday when addressing the volunteers. He continued, “Last year we gave over 28,000 hours to the State which is about $1.8 million the state didn’t have to spend. So we’re already proving that we’re ready when called, and we are called, and we’re doing the job.”
Juday also said, “I’m really excited about the community engagement we’re doing. The 121st Engineer Regiment worked with Freestate ChalleNGe construction. The 10th Medical Regiment is doing a lot of health fairs working with the citizens of Maryland. The 256th Cyber Defense Unit is doing cyber education and I’m happy about that. We’re getting a new mission through the (Maryland National) Guard to be liaisons with county emergency management agencies and the 231st Troop Command is putting that whole program together.”
Juday added, “We’re not only valuable to the state, we’re also valuable to the nation. The State Guard Association of the United States (SGAUS) is a national organization and there are five areas where they provide training. The MDDF leads two of those. So, people know what you can do, they’re proud of what you can do and they want to learn from you. Congratulations.”
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Gowen, the adjutant general for Maryland said, “This is my last drill. You guys are really special to me. It always floors me to see a group of professionals like you give up your weekends freely because you see the bigger picture, you have that calling to service.” He continued, “You are really the true type of organization that I think the Founding Fathers had in mind to do service on behalf of the nation and on behalf of the state. This is because you see it’s a necessary thing, not necessary for the pay but because you have a skill set that you are able to utilize to make the community writ large better off. So, for that I thank you.”
Gowen also said, “You don’t have to prove to me that you’re ready when called, because you guys have been ready when I’ve called you many, many times over the last three and a half years. We (the Maryland National Guard) could not function without the Maryland Defense Force. Just like the entire nation cannot function its defense strategy without the National Guard, the Maryland National Guard cannot function properly without the Maryland Defense Force.” He concluded, “Thank you for the service you provide to the state of Maryland and to the nation. Thanks for what you do to make us all successful. Thanks for being a member of our team.”
The Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) is the State’s uniformed volunteer militia unit providing competent, supplementary, professional and technical support and soldiers to the Maryland Military Department and the State of Maryland as needed. Established in 1917, the MDDF consists of nearly 200 personnel who perform legal, engineering, finance, medical, chaplain, field support and ceremonial services for the State of Maryland. For more information: www.mddf.maryland.gov.
