That’s why in Rotterdam, New York, a group of trained soldiers and airmen sat in a call center for weeks, taking more than 118,000 calls from concerned citizens asking about the coronavirus.
Across the country, members of the National Guard are adapting their usual response efforts to fit a crisis that has no precedent.
During the ongoing pandemic, their missions are sometimes — for lack of a better word — a little unconventional. After all, there aren’t too many movies or TV shows where soldiers and airmen are shown bagging testing kits or helping sanitize elder care facilities.
But these efforts, unglamorous as they may seem, are what really keep people safe.
Navigating a crisis without a blueprint
USNG members, whether part of the Air National Guard, the Army National Guard or other specialty reserve forces, are trained servicepeople who hold civilian jobs until the time comes for them to step in and serve. They are a common presence after disasters like severe weather or man-made attacks, which is when their special skills are acutely needed.
Eric Durr, the director of public affairs for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, said there’s an old line about the Guard’s duties in such disasters: “We guard stuff, we move stuff, we pick stuff up.”
For instance, he said, after the September 11th attacks, members of the New York National Guard were called to help with security, logistics and traffic control. During tornadoes and hurricanes, National Guard members may help distribute aid or move rubble and downed infrastructure.
“But this isn’t that kind of disaster,” he said. “And it doesn’t demand our usual competencies.”
Cleaning cars and answering phones
Guard members have a wide variety of skills and specialties. They also pick up new ones depending on the crisis they are helping with.
This type of work, Durr said, isn’t usual. But as the pandemic has depleted both human and emergency resources and opened up unusual pockets of need, it’s absolutely critical.
“The soldiers and airmen who belong to the National Guard, they’re manpower,” Durr said. “But they’ve also been trained. And what the military trains you to do is look at a problem, analyze it and do something.”
Packing, translating and testing
Right now, even the missions that feel familiar to Guard members — such as distributing aid, helping vulnerable communities, providing security and medical support — often come under unusual circumstances.
“This is a mission that we’ve never been involved with before,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Shiroma, public affairs director for the Cal Guard, said. “With wildfires, they can be contained and we can move on. But this mission evolves. It changes from one day to another.”
As the needs of communities change, so do the Guard’s duties. For instance, Shiroma said some service members are now transitioning to longer-term missions like supporting elderly citizens by delivering groceries to their homes.
Senior citizens are just one of the vulnerable populations that benefit from such specialized help.
“It goes along with the National Guard’s mission,” Shiroma said. “We are the citizen solider and airman. We’re doctors and nurses and trash collectors. We live and work in your communities, and it’s part of our duty to give back to those communities.”
Saying goodbye
Conversely, there are some missions that may seem unusual — unthinkable, even — that National Guard members are sadly all too prepared to handle.
It’s hard work. It’s emotionally challenging. It’s something specially trained service members sometimes have to do.
Just not like this.
“It is a humbling experience,” New York Air National Guard 1st Lt. Shawn Lavin said in a National Guard news release. “You can only make it so realistic in training. You see things you’d never thought you’d see in your military service.”
In this disaster, there is no building or rubble. There is no tornado or hurricane, no downed power lines or ground zero.
The threat is quiet, relentless and ever-changing, and so too is the defense.